News

Hi Everyone
Due to this nasty case of Ick (Pandemic), our in-person meetings and auctions are still on hold.

I’d like to thank Peter DeSouza for an informative presentation on Bettas last month. Bettas are amazing! The different breeds and colors available these days are outstanding.

On February 10th at 7:30pm we have a special guest speaker. This guest is in multiple YouTube videos,  he is know as “The Master Breeder”. It’s Dean Tweeddale! The Washington native has been breeding fish for a long time. He will be doing a presentation on Raising Fry. His amazing way is very interesting and after watching it, you will be doing the same. So don’t miss this one!
Members will be getting an email with the Zoom information and if any guests would like to join us please email us at info@hdas.ca.

President wants to know?
I’d like to thank everyone who has participated in my Facebook Polls ” President wants to know”. I will try keep up with interesting Polls much as I can.

Product Shortages
If you go into your Local Fish Store you might notice some empty spots on the shelves. Due to this Pandemic it’s been hard to get few products. I have had other stores from the area contact me to see if we had something in stock as they can’t get it. I know I have been trying to keep my shelves stocked as much as I can and I bet Jerry at The Tropical Fishroom is as well. So please, if something is not in stock it’s not our fault. We are trying!

Band App
Our Band app is still up and going. Here you can buy and sell your fish or equipment. Since the are no hobbyist sales of livestock permitted on Facebook. Click here to join our Band group:
https://band.us/n/aeae43Z2y7K9e

Memberships

If you’d like to join or renew your membership, visit us at https://hdas.ca/membership . We have an electronic version membership card that you can keep on your phone or print out. By joining you get to receive 10% Off at Tropical Fish Room in Brantford and all aquatic stuff at Big Als Hamilton.

CAOAC
The Canadian Association of Aquarium Club website is up and running. Visit www.caoac.ca.

Please stay safe!
Mike Majer
President
president@hdas.ca

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope you all had an amazing holiday!

Hear we go again…… This on-going pandemic has put a halt on our in-person meetings and auctions once again. And with the way the governments restrictions are going, it might be awhile.

We are starting the New Year Zoom Meeting in a Betta way! Peter DeSouza will be doing a presentation on Bettas. Join us on Thursday January 13th at 7:30pm. Peter, who is a longtime H&DAS member, is a certified judge with The International Betta Congress (IBC) . He also vice-president of CAOAC (Canadian Association of Aquarium Clubs).

You Betta join us.

Working in the retail aspect of the hobby, I’ve noticed some changes in this past few years cause of COVID. Yes some of you have shut down your fishroom or cut down on the tanks you have, but in the retail end of it I am watching the hobby grow. I’ve seen a lot of families buy aquariums these past few years. As they tell me, it’s something to do during lockdowns. They love it! I have seen families start with a 20 gallon kit for the kids. They enjoy it so much that they have bought bigger aquariums and multiple ones too. A lot have had interests in joining H&DAS and have joined us on our Facebook Page. So if you get a message or question from someone, be nice and help them out.

Shortages
If you have been going to your local fish store you may have noticed shortages on livestock and supplies lately. Its been hard getting livestock when your shipment gets bumped to a day or a week later. Cargo space has been limited. On the supplies, the shipping container prices have gone up cause of COVID . From being $5,000 for a container, I’ve heard the prices have gone up to $25,000 or more now. Ships are stuck in the Ocean waiting to dock.

Band App
Our Band app is still up and going. On here you can buy and sell your fish or equipment. Since the is no selling of livestock on Facebook. Click here to join our Band group:
https://band.us/n/aeae43Z2y7K9e

Sponsors
Reminder to visit our sponsors The Tropical Fishroom and Big Al’s Hamilton. Support our sponsors.
The membership discount is only for those with memberships valid as of March 2020. Memberships that expired previous to this date will not be honored. The membership card/virtual card must be presented by the membership holder at time of purchase in order to receive the discount. Membership cards may not be shared with friends/family.
Please show respect to our sponsor by honoring the terms of their discount.

CAOAC
The Canadian Association of Aquarium Club website is up and running. Visit www.caoac.ca.

Please stay safe.
Mike Majer
President
president@hdas.ca

Happy Holidays Everyone
It’s been a very tough few years for everyone due to COVID and its restrictions. I miss seeing everyone and thank you who all who have come to visit me at the store. Due to restrictions we still can not have in-person meetings and auctions due to venue restrictions.

I want to thank Rick Borstein for his amazing presentation on Livebearers for last month’s Zoom meeting. Thank you to James Holland from Big Al’s Hamilton for explaining the high phosphate issues in Hamilton tapwater and how to treat it.

This month we are going to have a laid back fish chit-chat Zoom Meeting. We can catch up with each other and talk about anything fish related. So mark it on your calendar on December 9th at 7:30pm, grab yourself a nice beverage and join us. An email will be sent out or if you want to join in you can email us at info@hdas.ca.

Elections
Last Call!
If you would like to join the H&DAS executive, all positions are open. If there are multiple nominations or requests for a position a vote will take place. If you would like to join or nominate someone please email president@hdas.ca or info@hdas.ca.

Please support our sponsors The Tropical Fishroom and Big Al’s Hamilton this Holiday Season. It’s been hard to get items because so much is on back order. Due to shipping issues it might be hard to get products, so stock up where you can. It might be a bumpy ride in the new year.

New Sponsor in the New Year!
I have been in contact with Global Pets on Fennel and Upper Gage. They will be giving 10% off the entire store. They do have a small aquatic drygoods section. It’s this Global location only. I will be notifying you when it’s ok to use your membership discount , so please don’t try now until I give the go-ahead.

Memberships
If your membership has expired March 2020 and later, your membership is still valid and can be used for the discounts. If you would like to join H&DAS. Go to our website at www.hdas.ca. Click on the link.
Our Band App is still up and going. So please use it to sell your equipment and fish. Rumor has it Facebook is going to be more strict on what you post in the new year.

President wants to Know?
Thank you for everyone who participated in all the President wants to Know polls on our Facebook page. I hope you enjoy them. If you have an idea of a poll you can email me at present@hdas.ca.

Wishing Everyone a safe and Happy Holidays.
Mike Majer

Happy Fall everyone!
I hope everyone is doing well after eating all those Halloween candies.
We will be not having any in-person meetings or auctions at this time. Our halls have restrictions that we have to follow.
I would like to thank Ken Boorman for an amazing presention during our October Zoom meeting. Ken spoke to us on Rainbowfish species from his native country of Australia .

Zoom Meeting
On Nov 11th at 7:30pm,we have a Rick Borstein re-joining us. Rick will be presenting us with a new program on Livebearers he has made. If you were at our last Zoom Meeting with Rick and you enjoyed it like I did, you will like this one.

Elections
Nominations for the H&DAS Executive are now open. If you would like to run for any position or nominate someone for an H&DAS Executive seat, please email me at president@hdas.ca. Ballots are now open till end of our meeting in December.

Band App
Our group on the Band app has been getting a lot of posts lately which is amazing. On here you can buy and sell your fish or equipment, since the is no selling of livestock permitted on Facebook. Click here to join our Band group:
https://band.us/n/aeae43Z2y7K9e

Sponsors
Reminder to visit our sponsors The Tropical Fishroom and Big Al’s Hamilton. Support our sponsors.
The membership discount is only for those with memberships valid as of March 2020. Memberships that expired previous to this date will not be honored. The membership card/virtual card must be presented by the membership holder at time of purchase in order to receive the discount. Membership cards may not be shared with friends/family.
Please show respect to our sponsor by honoring the terms of their discount.

CAOAC
The Canadian Association of Aquarium Club website is up and running. Visit www.caoac.ca.

I hope we can meet in person soon. Please stay safe.
Mike Majer
President
president@hdas.ca

Hi Everyone,

I hope everyone is doing well.

We will be not having any in-person meetings or auctions at this time. Our halls have restrictions that we have to follow.

I would like thank Jim Cumming for an interesting presentation on Cichlids in your backyard, even in Winnipeg!

For the month of October, on Oct 14th at 7:30pm, we have Ken Boorman.
Ken is originally from Australia, but is now living in Chatham. Ken has kept fish since before I was born.; for over 50 years he has been in the hobby. Ken has dedicated exclusively to collect, keep and breed Australian and New Guinean native fishes in his fishroom. Ken has been a member of the Australian New Guinea Fishes Association for many years and is currently the North American President for that group. Ken is also the current president of the Chatham Aquarium Society. This will be one you don’t want to miss!

We just finished our goverment elections,  it’s time for ours!

I’d like to announce that Elections for H&DAS Executive is now opened. If you would like to run for any position or nominate someone for an H&DAS Executive seat, please email me at president@hdas.ca. Ballots are now opened till end of our meeting in December.
We are looking for someone to fill in for our Breeder awards program. Charlie Drew has stepped down from this position. We would like to Thank Charlie for his dedication and service with H&DAS.

Reminder to visit our sponsors The Tropical Fishroom and Big Al’s Hamilton. Support our sponsors.

The membership discounts is only for those with memberships valid as of March 2020. Memberships that expired previous to this date will not be honored. The membership card/virtual card must be presented by the membership holder at time of purchase in order to receive the discount. Membership cards may not be shared with friends/family.

Please show respect to our sponsor by honoring the terms of their discount.

Thank you
Mike Majer
President.

Hi Everybody

We hope everyone is having a good summer!

Due to COVID restrictions, we still will not be having in-person monthly meetings. The Church has declined rentals of their hall at this time, they will keep us posted.
So saying that, we will be starting up our monthly Zoom meetings!

Jim Cummings from Winnipeg is set to speak on Thursday, Sept 9th at 7:30pm. He will be speaking about his outdoor cichlid pond.

The Fall auction is unfortunately cancelled due to COVID and restrictions at the Legion.

Sponsors

Our Sponsor stores are still open!

The Tropical Fishroom
The largest aquarium fish store in Brantford. massive selection of salt water and fresh water fish. Various dry goods and equipment.
Located at 177A Blossom Ave, Brantford .
(519) 756-6225.

Big Al’s Hamilton
Hamiltons One Stop Pet Shop!
Serving Hamilton & surrounding area since 1985 for all your fishy needs!
Located at 140 Centennial Pkwy N, Hamilton
(905) 560-1000
www.bigalshamilton.ca.

Memberships

If you’d like to join or renew your membership visit us at https://hdas.ca/membership . We have an electronic version membership that you can keep on your phone or print it out. By joining you get these privileges. Receive 10% Off at Tropical Fish Room in Brantford and all aquatic stuff at Big Als Hamilton.

CAOAC
The Canadian Association of Aquarium Club website is up and running. Visit www.caoac.ca.

Please stay safe!
Mike Majer
President
president@hdas.ca

Hi Everyone!

Summer is almost here. I hope everyone is doing ok. I know this has been a very tough year for everyone. I hope this settles down soon so we can get back to normal meetings and our auctions.

This is our last Zoom Meeting for few months as we have our Summer Break.

I’d like to thank Mo Devlin for an amazing presentation last month. He showed us some amazing pictures and how-to secrets that he uses. On June 10th at 7:30pm we have the privilege of having Don Danko as our guest speaker. Don, who is well known across the border, will be talking to us about Jewels of the Rio Coatzacoalcos, Mexico; collecting wild cichlids.

Our Band App is up again, now the government has suspended the stay at home act. We recommend that you do porch pick-ups for your transactions or meet outdoors. Please be safe.

Pond Season is here! Enjoy your backyard with a pond or a water feature.
You know you don’t have to put only goldfish or koi in your barrels. You can put other species like guppies, swordtails, rainbows etc. Visit our Sponsors for your pond supplies.

Sponsors

Tropical Fishroom, you can call 519-756-6225 or Facebook message them to place your order .

Big Als Hamilton. You can call 905-560-1000. Follow the message prompts to you find the right department. There phone lines might be busy so keep trying or visit the website to place your order at www.bigalshamilton.ca.

Finatics Aquarium- Please call them at 905-565-1232 to place your curbside pick up.

Memberships

If you’d like to join or you can renew your membership by visit us at https://hdas.ca/membership . We have an electronic version membership that you can keep on your phone or print it out. By joining you get these privileges. Receive 10% Off at Tropical Fish Room in Brantford and all aquatic stuff at Big Als Hamilton.

CAOAC
The Canadian Association of Aquarium Club website is up and running. Visit www.caoac.ca.

I’d like to thank my executive team members for all their help to make this year virtual with getting amazing speakers on our Zoom Meetings. We had some great speakers join us. To all those speakers , Thank you for taking time and entertaining us on those nights.

To everyone who supports Hamilton & District Aquarium Society, Thank you for your support.

Enjoy your summer.

Please stay safe!
Mike Majer
President
president@hdas.ca

Hi Everyone! Happy Spring!

I hope everyone is staying safe! We will be continuing our monthly meetings Via Zoom. Last month we had our members’ Show & Tell. Really nice set ups!

This Month on May 13th at 7:30pm we have the privilege of having Mo Devlin as our guest speaker. Most of us have undoubtedly seen Mo’s fantastic aquarium photography.  Mo will be presenting ‘Smile, Fish’, an overview on taking photos of tropical fish.

Due to Ontario’s current stay-at-home order, we are suspending the approval of all sales posts in our Facebook and Band groups. Only posts from our sponsors who are staying open with curbside pick-up will be allowed! Public health and safety come first, and we do not wish to implicitly encourage gatherings through private sales at this time.
Hobbyist sales posts will be allowed once the stay at home order has been lifted.

Pond Season is here! Enjoy your backyard with a pond or a barrel!
You know you don’t have to put only goldfish or koi in your barrels. You can put other species like guppies, swordtails, rainbows etc. Visit our sponsors for your pond supplies.

Sponsors

The Tropical Fishroom, you can call 519-756-6225 or Facebook message them to place your order .

Big Al’s Hamilton. You can call 905-560-1000. Follow the message prompts to you find the right department. Their phone lines might be busy so keep trying or visit the website to place your order at www.bigalshamilton.ca.

Finatics Aquarium- Please call them at 905-565-1232 to arrange your curbside pick-up.

Memberships

If you’d like to join or renew your membership by visit us at https://hdas.ca/membership . We have an electronic version membership that you can keep on your phone or print it out. By joining you get the bonus of receiving 10% Off at The Tropical Fish Room in Brantford and all aquatic stuff at Big Al’s Hamilton. All new memberships and those valid as of March 2020 will remain on hold  until we resume meetings in person, when expiry dates will be rolled forward.

CAOAC
The Canadian Association of Aquarium Club website is up and running. Visit www.caoac.ca.

Please stay safe!
Mike Majer
President
president@hdas.ca