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Catfish Convention

WendyFish

Members
The catfish convention is awesome and worth the trip. Yes people do sell fish from their rooms and different vendors come and rent rooms with fish tanks set up and booths with displays of theyre product. Monsterfishkeepers.com usually has a booth set up with freebies you can only get at events like this. Not only that but youll get to meet CCA members and PVAS members too.
Grabbed this thought from the other thread and wondered... I don't actually have catfish at the moment (thinking of it), but coming from me and spouse who have been spending part of each weekend checking out an LFS we haven't been to before or way overthinking rock for our new tank... I think we are going to be on withdrawal by the time of the catfish convention and it would probably be really fun to go see the fish and learn something. If I were going to go for one day-ish (or a night+day) to do the most maximized educational+fun stuff possible and maybe see some other club members in the process, what would be the thing to do?
 

Tony

Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
I'm planning on going. I mostly focus on Malawi cichlids, but keep a bunch of synos with them and a few plecos and cories here and there.

So yeah, not super into cats, but that speaker list is HAWT! Plan on turning it into an event... bringing a packed cooler, checking out the speakers and staying over Saturday night.
 

F8LBITE

Members
Wendy, my favorite part of the catfish convention is the fish show and the speakers. I love the auction but since I dont have many tanks I cant buy that many fish so the auction ends up making me sad. LOL. Also the fish show is not just catfish, that goes for the vendors too. They have everything but its catfish oriented.
 

Andrew

Members
The important thing to remember about catfish nuts is that they all have an interest in other freshwater fishes. They have to, or you wouldn't see anything in their tanks!

Seriously though, the event is jam-packed with good stuff all the way through. Friday night features two speakers and then a giant "block party" on one floor of the hotel. On either end of the hallway will be suites with beer and other refreshments and in all the rooms in between will be people selling stuff out of their rooms. Saturday is full of speakers all day and then features the banquet and after-activities in the evening. Sunday is the all-day auction. The auction features plenty of catfishes, but will also have a ton of other fishes including and especially cichlids, not to mention the plants and donated dry goods. Indeed, many of the out-of-town faces that you'll see at the catfish convention are also familiar at ACA conventions. Everyone breeding fish should bring a few bags to sell at the auction because there will be plenty of buyers on hand. And you'll almost certainly find something interesting to take home.

I love the fish show; Saturday morning is the best time to see it since all the entries will be benched by then. We have a great slate of vendors who will be on hand and Friday before the party will probably be the best time to buy from the vendors.

If I had to select just a few things to see I would do Friday night and Saturday during the day because these will be the most unique to the catfish convention versus other fish events. Of course, if you've never seen an all-day auction... It's a sight to behold. Imagine the CCA meeting mini-auction going on for eight hours as fast as the auctioneer can go.
 

dogofwar

CCA Members
Don't be sad, Jose - They sell tanks at the auction as well ;)

Matt

Wendy, my favorite part of the catfish convention is the fish show and the speakers. I love the auction but since I dont have many tanks I cant buy that many fish so the auction ends up making me sad. LOL. Also the fish show is not just catfish, that goes for the vendors too. They have everything but its catfish oriented.
 

Tony

Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
Andrew - Have they released the speaker schedule yet? Can you tell us who is speaking on Friday?
 

F8LBITE

Members
Don't be sad, Jose - They sell tanks at the auction as well ;)

Matt

Thanks Matt but I think if I brought another tank home id be in trouble. Im saving that "having to ask for forgiveness" for one more bigger tank for the bedroom.
 

Andrew

Members
I'm working on the schedule but I think I can say confidently that the two Rift Lake topics will be split between Friday and Saturday. Probably we'll do Jeremy Wright on Tanganyikan catfishes on Friday and Ad Konings on rift lake catfishes in general on Saturday. This helps us make sure that we don't have a speaker going twice in one day and that the topics are alternated between geography to keep things interesting.
 

Andrew

Members
By the way, the hotel is filling fast. If you want to spend a night or two in te hotel, make sure you make reservations soon.
 

RIFT_LAKES_RULE

Member of the Darkside Tang's Rule!
The hotel is one more room closer to being full, for fri&sat nights atleast. :)

The wife is coming with me, I couldn't believe it when she showed interest in going!!! I think it's just to spend time with me, she's not into fish...or maybe I shoulda clarified it was an aquarium catfish convention and not a big ole catfish fry :lol:

I'm counting on the ladies to convert her to fishkeeper ;)
 
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