President’s Messages

Isn’t green a beautiful colour. Its so nice to finally see everything turning green and filling out. I kind of wish the weeds would slow down some but I suppose you can’t have it all. First, I’d like to thank Charlie, Margaret and Jessica for putting on such an excellent presentation last month. It was very informative. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. Also, I’d like to thank everyone that came out to the CAOAC Convention that was hosted by the Brantford Club at the Best Western on the long May weekend. Thank you to the Hamilton Team that ran an exceptional auction. Great job to you all. The convention was a great time. There were a few surprises…………….some upcoming nuptials perhaps. Congratulations to Barb and Jerry.
Sunday, June 12 is the trip to the Toronto Zoo. Unfortunately, there are not enough tickets purchased to cover the cost of the bus. If everyone is willing to drive………the trip is still on. Please let me know at your soonest opportunity if you would still like to participate in the trip.
The 4th Annual Pond Tour is on Sunday, July 10. We will be meeting in the Limeridge Mall parking lot, across from the legion at 10am. The cost of the tour is $20 and includes a BBQ dinner at my place. I will need everyone to pay for this trip at the meeting so I can purchase passports. Also, please bring your own lawn chair. I hope you can all make it.
Remember that this months meeting is a presentation by Jerry Draper on ponds. If you have any pond related items for the auction, this is a great month to bring them.
If you have any questions about the zoo trip or pond tour, please do not hesitate to email me de_spaey_carla@hotmail.com.
Carla

hi everyone!

May is such an exciting month. The yards are coming to life, turning green. Flowers are starting to make an impact everywhere. Those of us with ponds are excited with the promise of tranquility during the hot summer months in our yards. Those lucky fish get to stay cool in such a wonderful place. I look forward to seeing my yard come to life. May is also the month of the annual CAOAC convention at the Best Western Hotel in Brantford. It is being hosted this year by the Brantford Aquarium Club. It is sure to be a great long weekend of fun with friends and exciting speakers. Its starts on Friday May 20 and runs thru Monday May 23. There is an auction on the Monday at the hotel. Everyone is invited. If you have questions or are looking for information on the convention, check out caoac.ca.
This months program is a workshop on making mops and food for your fish. It should be interesting and give you some other options for feeding your fish. Charlie D will be giving us information on making mops, Joe B and Marg D will be teaching us about feeding our fish different foods. June is always pond month.
HDAS is planning a trip to the Toronto Zoo on Sunday, June 12. The cost for the trip is $35.00 per person. This includes the bus transportation and entry into the zoo. We will be accepting the money for this trip at the meeting on May 12.
We are making a change to the 4th Annual Pond Tour. We are going to incorporate the Hospice Pond Tour into our HDAS Pond Tour. The Hospice Pond Tour runs the full weekend of Sat. July 9 and Sun. July 10. This tour will have approximately 30 watergardens featured. Grimsby, Hamilton, Brantford and Burlington are all taking part in this Tour. All money raised will help to support the Hospices in these areas. The cost of a weekend pass is $25.00 but we will be offering them to you for only $20.00. We will be putting together a tour for Sunday and provide a BBQ free of charge to you after a day of touring these wonderful ponds. The best part is that you get to use your pass for both days. I sure hope you all want to help out our many Hospice Families and support them. We will be accepting the money for the Pond Tour at the meeting as well.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me.
See you all at the meeting.

Carla

Hello Everyone!

So they say that April Showers bring May flowers. I say, “Bring it On”. I can’t wait to get my yard cleaned up and my pond up and running. I look forward to seeing my waterfall running. All my fish looked like they were doing ok when I checked it out last week. Then we got another snow fall. I have some ideas for finishing off the pond area and I wonder just how it will all turn out. I’m going to put my pond on our 4th Annual Pond Tour so perhaps you can come and see how it all ends up. I’m working on the finishing touches. I think everyone likes to make a few changes each year. If you have a pond and would like to have it on the tour, please let me know. The date is Sunday, July 10th. We will follow the day up with a BBQ. If you would like to come on the Tour, get some ideas for a pond you are interested in building – just let me know. Everyone is welcome.

We are also planning a bus trip to the trip to the Toronto Zoo for Sunday, June 10. It’s not too late to sign up. The sign up sheet will be available at the meeting.

Have you looked into going to the CAOAC Convention. It’s being held in Brantford at the Best Western hotel on the long weekend in May (20, 21, 22, 23). The auction is on the Monday. For more information, please check out the Brantford website. It’s a great weekend to spend with others that enjoy our hobby. The fish term for us people is “Fishaholics”.

The program this month is the yearly “Home Show”. I understand that there are several entries. The kids really got into this too. I can’t wait to see how the pictures turned out. Who will win the “Peoples Choice Award”. We also have Klaus Steinhaus helping out our new C.A.R.E.S. representative Karen making a presentation. We all have many fish that are represented on the C.A.R.E.S. program. Come and get the information so you can help make a difference.
ponds
I was asked to represent the HDAS club at the 2nd Annual Hospice Pond Tour the weekend of July 9 and 10. The tour will be show casing ponds in Grimsby, Hamilton, Burlington and Brantford. I will get more information up on our website about this tour shortly. The cost of a weekend passport to this Pond Tour is $25.

I hope to see you all at the meeting on Thurs. April 14.

Carla

Hi Everyone!
And yes, finally, February is done and so bring on spring. I can’t wait to get started. The spring auctions are all happening with some great deals for all us fish people. I hope you got everything you were looking for at our Hamilton Auction.
A big Thank You to Zena for bringing us a look at Sea Horses. They were beautiful and truly remarkable. An excellent program. I hope you enjoy this months program on Setting up A Reef Tank.
Its not too late to enter the Home Show. The Home Show Team are making plans to get out and get those pictures taken and judge your tanks soon. The program will be presented in April. If you have any questions pertaining the set up of your tank for the show, please ask Charlie, Albert or Frank to help you out at the meeting. We will also be having a short presentation on the CARES program in April. How can you help our environment and help maintain the fish population. Come to the meeting and get the information.
We are planning a trip to the Toronto Zoo for Sunday June 12. There are still seats available. If you are interested in going, please sign up. I am trying to make plans for a behind the scenes tour of the Aquarium area.
Are you planning on spending the May Long Weekend at the CAOAC Convention? You can get a ticket to include the whole weekend with speakers for only $80. It should be a good weekend. More information will be available at meeting.
We are also setting up the Third Annual Pond Tour for Sunday July 10. If you would like to have your pond on the tour, please let me know. It would be great to see YOUR pond on the tour. It doesn’t matter how large or small your pond or water feature is, its sharing your tranquil space with friends. We will finish the event with a BBQ. Everyone is welcome.
Hope you enjoy the meeting this month.

Carla

Hi Everyone!

Well, I can barely see my pond and yard for all the snow. I know I will be complaining that it’s too hot in July sometime. I will try to look back and remember this day.

At the last meeting we did a small survey to see what you like and what we can do better at the HDAS. One of the suggestions was to get the meetings started on time. We do our best to start at 7:30 but often it is felt that not everyone is there and many would miss part of the meeting. We are going to try to get the meetings started on time at the upcoming meeting.

There is some exciting events scheduled at the HDAS in the next few months. To start with I’d like to thank Bob Wright for his program last month on his trip to Nevada. Very interesting information for us all. Our program this month is on “Seahorses.” I’m looking forward to this presentation. The March program is “setting up a Reef Tank.” Some of you have signed up for the Home Show in April. There is still lots of time to sign up for the Home Show. We will also have a presentation on the CARES program.

The spring auction is set for Sunday March 6 at the Canadian Legion in Waterdown. It’s the first auction of the spring season. Have you checked out your tanks or gently used fish related items to see what you can sell or need to purchase. Come visit us, make some purchases or give us a hand.

A trip to the Toronto Zoo is planned for Sunday June 12. A behind the scenes tour is being arranged in the Aquarium areas. Please sign up for this trip if you are interested in attending. Bring a guest or two. The price will be decided soon. The Third Annual HDAS Pond Tour is being scheduled for Sunday July 10th. The ponds should be in great colour. As today is Ground Hog Day and they are calling for an early spring, I can’t wait to get my yard and pond ready. It’s really hard to believe we will ever get rid of all this snow.

Brantford is hosting the CAOAC Convention on the May Long Weekend. There are many exciting events planned. If you haven’t been to a Tropical Fish Convention before it is being hosted almost next door. This is a great opportunity to meet friends with your interests, compare ideas with your tanks and mingle. Make some plans to come see a speaker or attend the auction. More information will be posted as it becomes available.

Happy Valentines to all,

Carla

Hi Everyone and Happy New Year

Wow, 2011 already.  That sure came quickly.  I hope everyone had a really nice Christmas and New Year Holiday Season.  I’d like to thank Noel N for his great Fish Rendition of Millionaire for our annual Christmas Party.  We had lots of success with raising funds and groceries for Neighbour to Neighbour.  Thank you all for your support and helping others during the holiday season. I’d like to thank the HDAS executive with their help in preparation for the party.  I think a good time was had by all.

January’s meeting on Thursday the 13th is the HDAS executive election night.  If you are interested in running for a position, please let me know.  The program for January will be presented by Bob Wright.

Our Spring Auction is on Sunday, March 6th.  Please mark this date on your calendar and give the HDAS auction team a hand.  We are always looking for more help. Try selling some new or gently used items or maybe purchasing some items.  If you haven’t been to an auction, this is a good time to start.  The auction is at the Waterdown Legion.

The Brantford Tropical Fish Club is hosting the 2011 CAOAC Convention starting on Friday May 20 thru the long weekend Monday May 23. If you have never been to a tropical fish convention this is an ideal opportunity for you to go. Save your loose change or make a plan to attend.  There are many great speakers coming to the convention to keep us all educated in our hobby.  Stay posted for more information.

There are many ideas in motion for the 2011 year.  A new twist on the Home Show? Programs? 3rd Annual Pond Tour? How about a trip to the Toronto Zoo?  Let me know your ideas.

See you at the meeting.

Carla

Hello and happy holidays everyone!

It’s December already.  I can hardly believe it.  It seemed like only yesterday I was bewildered by the beauty of my ponds and here we are talking about Christmas and what we will be doing at the club to help others at Christmas.  We are having a Neighbour to Neighbour food drive.  Please bring a non perishable food item or items to the next meeting.  We are also having a fish table raffle with items that you donate to help donate money to the food drive.  For every $10 we donate, it is worth $100 to a family in need.  Please donate if you can. We are also having a great night of fun.  Noel always provides us with a great game for the December meeting.  Will it be Millionaire or has he found a new game for us all to enjoy.  You’ll find out it you make it to the meeting.  Also, remember to bring your appetite.  Pizza and wings are the treat for the night.  Bring a desert or treat to share if you like.

If you are looking for something to do on the weekend of Dec 3, 4, 5 the Hamilton and District Aquarium Society will be representing the pet industry at the P.E.T.S. tradeshow at the
Ancaster Fall Grounds.  Come and listen to Frank H speak on taking care of fish in the aquarium. Check the website for more information.

I’d like to thank Sue B for her presentation last month on Dwarf African Frogs.  Great job Sue.  I’d also like to thank Charley Grimes for his awesome presentations at the dinner night on Nov 13.  What a great night.  I hope you all enjoyed this event as much as I did.  Charley is still one of my favourite speakers.  I was lucky enough to hear Charley speak again the following weekend in Cleveland at the Ohio Cichlid Convention.  What a great time.  If you’re looking for a convention to attend, this is definately the one you should attend.  Its inexpensive and full of cichliholics.

January’s speaker is Bob Wright talking about his trip to Nevada last fall.  It is also election time for the club.  If you are interested in a position on the executive please let me know.  There are also positions available that we need help with.  We are looking for help in the library.  We are also looking for someone to help us with a new program CARES.  If you are interested in helping in any area of the club, please let me know

We have set up a dinner night at the Mandarin for any club members and their guest for Thurs. Dec. 16.  If you can make it please let us know at the meeting.  There will be a sign up sheet at the meeting.

Hope to see you all there.

Carla

Hello everyone!

It’s a cool crisp morning as I sit writing my message. So much is happening around the club before Christmas. If you can help, or need anything, let me know.
First I’ll tell you about my exciting trip to Virginia. I went to the Catfish Convention in Fairfax, Virginia. It was a really good time. Five days of hobbyists sharing information about all types of adventures. I went on an adventure myself with our group of 24 to check out some tropical fish stores and Discus Hans importing. First off, we had the wrong address in Baltimore for Discus Hans and ended up at his home. His wife was nice enough to meet us out on the road and escort us to his business. He has some amazing discus at his warehouse and it was very impressive. Of course, Ron W and Joe B had to buy discus as that’s their area of expertise. The arrangement was pick them up later. Too many days for them to sit in a bag. We went to two other fantastic fish stores and we all picked up fish. I got some really nice red highfin venezalian catfish. I let Robin P take care of them as he had airline, and I only lost 1 fish before coming home. I can’t say that everyone else was so lucky. We all had a great day!

Oh, did I mention the traffic? Its just crazy in that neck of the woods. We are just outside Washington and the highways are worse than Toronto. We did make it back to the hotel but we were late for dinner and the speaker. They had fish room sales at the hotel that night along with 2 hospitality suites. Everyone from the 22 represented states and the 18 Canadians were mingling. Just a great time. Of course, we had to go back to Discus Hans place to pick up our fish so we decided that Sunday evening was probably better than Monday morning traffic thru Washington. Another great choice as Discus Hans was very generous with his time, knowledge, experiences and he and his lovely wife Joanne took Ron, Regis, Joe and myself out for a great dinner. I had the crab imperial and it was super. You have to have crab in Maryland.

The guys got their discus and I picked up some really nice Cardinal Tetras. My tetras all survived the trip. Its one of my favourite trips, although I am going to the Ohio Cichlid Convention November 19 to 21. Again, a really great weekend with hobbyists.

Now, onto our stuff. I’d like to thank Ken Boorman for his presentation last month on Rainbows. This months presentation is being done by our own Sue Buchan on Dwarf African Frogs. I’m looking forward to this as its something different for sure. If you would like to make a presentation, please let Joe B or myself know.

We have Charley Grimes coming to do a presentation for us on Saturday November 13 at the Legion in Waterdown. Tickets are still available til almost the last minute at $25. The dinner is absolutely fantastic! The presentations start at 5pm, cocktails at 6 with time to mingle, dinner at 7, prizes to be won, another presentation at 8:30. Charley is one of my favourite speakers. This is one program you really need to come and enjoy. Debate no longer and come have fun with a great group of people.

Our December program is all about Christmas. We will have some games, fun and have a fish table raffle to help make some money for others less fortunate than ourselves. Its a great feeling to give something back to the community. We will have a neighbour to neighbour food drive. Please bring all non perishable items that night and I will ensure they get there. We will also have pizza and wings served that evening so bring your appetite. If you would like to bring a treat to share, please let Sarah L know in advance. As well, if you have something for the fish table raffle, please let Sarah L know.
That’s it for now, please contact me for tickets if you need them.

Carla

Hi everyone!!!

Well, what a rainy day. I’m trying to finish up the gardening for the fall and get the pond plants all ready for a long winters nap. But the weather isn’t being very co-operative.

First off, I’d like to thank everyone that helped out with the Fall Auction and Show on Sunday, October 3rd.  It’s a lot of work putting an auction and show together, more work on auction day and I just can’t thank everyone enough for all their hard work. The show was a great success and the auction ran really well.  That’s what I was told by many after the auction.  Auctions keep our club alive and running, so to all that help, thank you. It takes so many people to run it and many of the other clubs helped out as well. Thank you to all our friends in neighbouring clubs for your help.

The next treat we have set up for you in the Dinner Speaker Night on Saturday, November 13th at the Waterdown Legion. Charley Grimes will be speaking and is giving 2 talks, one at 5pm and the other after the fantastic dinner. Charley will be talking about “ponds” and has many different talks available to us.  There will be draws and prizes. You really should try to make this event. Its a great night out with friends.

Our program on October 14th is about Rainbow fish. Ken Boorman will be coming in from Sarnia to give us his presentation. Don’t miss it. Sue Buchan will be speaking on African Dwarf Frogs in November.   Christmas is coming up quickly and we have many ideas for our December program.  As in the past, we will be having a pizza night. We will be looking for donations for the Neighbour to Neighbour Food Drive.  Please start putting away items to help the less fortunate at this time of year.It always feels good to help others.

Just a reminder that the Fish for the Fish Growing contest will be available at the October meeting. If you ordered fish, please make sure you are there to pick them up.

See you at the meeting.

Carla

Hi everyone!

Sure hope you had a great summer. I did. Couldn’t believe the weather. It sure was great, sunny and hot – just the way I like it. So did the fish and plants in my ponds. If you didn’t make it to the 3rd Annual HDAS Pond Tour you didn’t get to see my new pond. It’s still a work in progress but I’m very happy with the outcome. If you need any help with your pond or a futuristic pond, let me know. I have someone that can help you, for a nominal charge of course.
The trip to Moores Water Gardens was exceptional. What a great place to visit and make a great day out with friends. Again this year, the bus was full on the return trip home. Lots of shopping for everyone. I even went back 3 weeks later for more. And then we all showed off our shopping items at the Pond Tour. The weather was great and we all had a very nice time. Thanks for BBQing, Joe.

Stuff coming up! Of course, the Fall Auction and Show at the Waterdown Legion on Sunday, October 3rd. There are still a few show classes that need to be sponsored, so if you can help out, please let me know. If you can help out that day, let me know. We are looking for extra legs for running fish, arms for moving fish, you get the idea.
Charley Grimes is our guest speaker on Saturday, November 13th at the Legion in Waterdown. He will be presenting 2 talks and we will be having a great dinner as usual there too. The cost of the evenings events is only $25.00 per person. Tickets are available at our meetings or by calling me at 905-515-3771. Sure hope you can make it.

I look forward to seeing you at the meeting on Thurs Sept 9th. Our guest speakers will be Barry McGee, Doug Chessell and Jim Taylor talking about their collecting trip in Uruguay.

See you then,

Carla