President’s Messages

Hi Everybody

I hope everyone is doing well!

I would like to thank Peter DeSouza for joining us last month as our guest speaker at our 1st in-person meeting since the Pandemic started. On October 13th at 7:30pm we have Frank Aguirre coming back to us. This time for an in-person meeting and not a zoom meeting!
Frank we be speaking to us about Synodontis Catfish. Our meeting is held at the Church of the Resurrection located near the corner of Mohawk Rd W and Garth St.

FINALLY IS AUCTION TIME!
We ALL have been waiting for this!

Saturday October 8th
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 551
79 Hamilton St N
Waterdown, Ontario

Please follow this link for the rules

WANTED
We need some volunteers to help us. If you can help us at the auction please approach us to see what we need help with. Make sure you wear comfy shoes cause we all know what every club needs are runners.

SPONSORS
As a paid member with a valid membership card, you can get 10% Off at Big Als Hamilton and The Tropical Fishroom.
Now I would like to welcome our New Sponsor. Planted Aquaria in Oakville. Please visit there Website at www.plantedaquaria.ca.
COMING SOON – Rainforest Pets and Reptiles . As soon the store opens it will be advertised on our facebook page.
Please follow our sponsors rules at there locations.

ELECTIONS

Our Elections are coming up soon! If you would like to run for an executive position please email us at info@hdas.ca .
At this time I would like to Thank Steve Fyfe for his role as 1st vice President. Steven will be stepping down as 1st Vice and will not be running next elections. Thank you Steve for all your dedication to H&DAS.
Our Librarian Cheryl- Ann Miller has also stepped down from her position. Thank you Chery- Anne for your help with the Library and Organizing it. This Position will not be active this new election.
As for myself Mike Majer, I am undecided if I will running for President again this next elections.
Elections will be voted at our 1st meeting in January, nominations must be submitted by the start of the December meeting.

I hope to see a lot of you at our Auction!

Regards
Mike Majer
President of Hamilton & District Aquarium Society

Hi Everyone,

Unfortunately we still are unable to have in-person meetings at this time due to our meeting locations restrictions. We hope to have in-person meetings soon as we can.

I would like to thank Joshua Wiegert for an informative presentation last month on looking after monster aquariums. This month we have Lawrence Kent from Seattle Washington. Lawrence who travels all over the world looking for wild species of fish, will be join us on Zoom on May 12^th at 7:30pm. Lawrence will be speaking to us on Seeking Holy Grail Fish and Friends in West Africa: Tales from Nigeria and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania !

All members will receive an invitation via email. If you are not a member and would like to try a meeting before joining, email us at info@hdas.ca.

BAND APP

Our Band App is still active. If you need to sell equipment or some fish or plants , please Click this link https://band.us/band/77982265 to join us.

SPONSORS

Thank you for keep on supporting or Sponsors Tropical Fishroom and Big Als Hamilton. Keep on checking there facebook pages for new arrivals and sales!

Memberships

If you need to renew your card or would like to join us please click on the link below.
Join here https://hdas.ca/membership.

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.

Thank you,

Mike Majer

president@hdas.ca

Hi Everyone

I hope everyone is doing well.

Due to restrictions, our monthly meetings will continue via Zoom.

I would like to Thank Frank Aguirre for his great presentation last month; your work and dedication always amazes us!

This month on Thursday April 14th at 7:30 pm, we have Joshua Wiegert from Maryland as our guest speaker. He will speaking on Installing and Maintaining “Dream Sized Aquariums”. All paid members will see an invite by email. Make sure you check your spam folder. If you are not a paid member, you can email us at info@hdas.ca to try a meeting before joining.

Memberships

If you need to renew your card or would like to join us please click on the link below.
Join here https://hdas.ca/membership .

Sponsors.

Please support our sponsors The Tropical Fishroom in Brantford and Big Als Hamilton,

You can see the new arrivals that Jerry posts regularly in our Facebook group.

Big Als Hamilton now has Doordash. If you can’t make it out to the store, some of our inventory is now available on the DoorDash App only available in the Hamilton area. Type in Big Al’s in their App to see what is available. If its not on your Doordash search it means its not available in your area, so that means you have to come visit me at the store.

No VIP points or Aquarium Society Discounts will be available when purchasing through DoorDash .

BAND APP
Our Band App is still active. If you need to sell equipment or some fish or plants , please Click this link https://band.us/band/77982265 to join us. If you have issues logging in you can email us at info@hdas.ca .

We are trying are hardest to get in-person activities with you all. We hope to have something soon as restrictions start up again from the government,

Thank You
Mike Majer
President of H&DAS
president@hdas.ca

Hello Everyone!

I hope everyone is doing ok. As you know the government has lifted some restrictions, but out of caution  the church where we have our monthly meetings are not allowing any functions at this time.

I would like to thank Dean Tweeddale for an informative presentation on raising fry last month. That sure gave us some interesting ideas!

So for this month, we have our dear friend Frank Aguirre speaking to us via Zoom.

His new topic is ‘A day in the life of an aquarist in the city’;
How this works out – Can you live on your hobby beyond the side gig ?

This one will be interesting!

All members will receive an invite via email or you can request to join us by emailing us at info@hdas.ca.

Since the restrictions are lifting, we are planning something fun for the summertime,  and we hope we can start planning our Fall Auction.

A reminder to visit and support our sponsors The Tropical Fishroom and Big Al’s Hamilton.

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.

If you have been to your local pet shop you might have noticed a lot of empty space. This has been a very rough few years for them getting stock! The pandemic, truckers demonstration, and now the war going on, ships from over seas are having a hard time.
I know every store is trying the hardest.
So please be patient.

Thank you.
Mike Majer
President

president@hdas.ca.

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.