Friday, September. 19th

Hello All!

    Yes, it’s time to resume our meetings after a long and interesting summer. I call it interesting because of the up and down temperatures that made the outdoor tubbing season a problem sometimes. Putting fish outdoors started late and ended sooner than usual. I still hope that some of our members put fish outside and will be bringing some to the fish auction.

      Sorry I did not put out a letter after our end of year party, which was an amazing success with lots of fun. There were many entries in the fish show and lots of fish in the auction. Of course, the can raffle was a hit and always creates some discussion about the items up for grabs that I acquire. The heroes made by a fellow hobbyist and friend for years from Nino’s Deli in the heart of Smithtown are the best! Deserts are always donated by a member of our club for the feast, who wishes to remain anonymous. Donations from Aquahut and Fluid Dynamics helped to make our fish auction even bigger! Thank them by checking out their stores. I included some of the pictures from the party here and on Facebook.

      I am looking forward to seeing everyone together at the next meeting on September 19th at 7:30 or so. It will still be at the AFW hall in Ronkonkoma. I did see some members at my house this summer either picking up pond plants, food, or exchanging fish that I arranged. I also talked to many members either over the phone or by email with questions. At the meeting I will talk about the year ahead and always welcome any ideas for the future.

     As most of you know we are in the middle of hurricane season and winter is coming with possible power outages. With this in mind, I want to go over what to do if you lose power with your fish tank or pond. I know we talked about this once before and there are basic things to do but also some new products that have come out. This topic is worth revisiting and if any members have found new products, I think all would like to know.

      See you all on September 19th! I will be there at 7 to start setting up if anyone wants to help. Please bring fish for the show and auction. Of course, there will be the raffle, fish food, refreshments and a door prize.

See you there!!!

Hello All!

      Hard to believe it’s our last meeting of the year!  It’s time for the summer and we normally always take a break because our former venue was closed.  We may have to revisit this decision in the future because our venue is available all year round.  Our club keeps growing and many of us take care of fish outdoors in tubs and have ponds.  It could be interesting to see if we could be an all-year round club although that would not give all the people that run the club a break.  I do see many more people stepping up to help, which is great.

      At our last meeting we had a great turnout with new members bringing their young fish keepers with them.  I am happy to see younger people getting involved with fish keeping as a hobby.  Our fish show had many more entries increasing the amount of competition for the first-place plaque.  Carla took first with a beautiful Platy.  Maxx, Tracy’s son took second with a Male Betta beating my Betta which took third.  The raffle went off as usual.  We did have another amazing fish auction!  Glad to see Gene is back bringing in his amazing plecos.  Must thank Fluid Dynamics for their plant and fish donations.  Their store is amazing and it’s worth the trip to check it out.  Cannot forget Don from Aqua Hut who has always supported our club over many years.  Both stores have helped to bring different fish and plants to our auction.

      The next meeting this Friday the 20th is our farewell for the summer, until September.  There will be two six-foot heroes with salads and desserts.  I want to make it big, so bring fish for the fish show and auction!  I have been collecting items for our can raffle which is always fun.  I hope to have at least twenty items to choose from.  There will be lots of fish food available so stock up for the summer.  Of course the meeting is for members only.  If you want to join the club that night, it will be twenty dollars for the year, otherwise it will be five.  I have some announcements, and I will open the floor for any questions about fish or the club.  Hope to see everyone there!!

See you there!!!

Hello All!

Sorry for the delay in sending the newsletter; I’ve been busy settling the gardens and Koi at my Koi farm in my yard. I am still not caught up yet dodging all the rain and cold weather we keep having. I think all the weather ups and downs are over. Hard to believe but our next meeting is this Friday already! It’s our last meeting before our send off for the summer hero party meeting in June.

At our last meeting my friend Basil from Norwalk Aquarium Society gave his presentation on tub gardens and raising fish outside for the summer. It really is lots of fun so get a tub or vat and try it. You can ask some of the members who have tubs what types of fish they have raised outside. Livebearers are the easiest combined with some live plants and you will have tons of babies by the end of the summer. Truly ask questions so you do not make the same mistakes we made in the beginning.

As you know Nick, my right hand running the club, could not be at the last meeting. He will also not be at the next meeting so any help I can get will be greatly appreciated. The meeting went off without a hitch, but I had to do Nicks half, and he is much better than me at being organized. There were not many entries in the fish show. Please bring fish for the show and auction. I saw a few members put fish in the show then bag them up for the auction. So, you can not only win a ribbon but get money.

Our next meeting is this Friday the 16th with the usual start time of about 7:30. Of course I will be there early at 6:30 to set up with Ray. There will be a presentation about raising daphnia for your fish. It’s probably one of the best live foods for your fish and easy once you know how. Set up a bucket or small tub before the meeting. I will be bringing small bags of daphnia to start you off. Of course, the usual door prize, raffle and refreshments.

See you there!!!