• You liked BFD7 now you should join this forum and of course become a club member to see what CCA is all about.
  • Thank you to everyone who registered and showed up for the BIG Fish Deal #7.

ACA2019 is in CT

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
Its somewhat close to home this year!


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Hey Pat,
I never have been to a ACA event, I did go to the Aquatic Experience. Your opinion and I won't hold you to it, which do you prefer to go to if you had one choice.....this also goes for the other members as well. My work schedule is so tight especially in the summer, I would have to choose one event.
 

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
Depends on what you like.

AE was big on displays and vendors.
I hit 1 talk. Most were not geared toward me. Ted gave a good talk.
I loved all the displays and information on newest stuff.

ACA will only have 5-10 vendors or companies for display.
but the talks will be a lot better. You will have tons of talks that you will like.
There are at least 2 auctions. The normal
sunday auction and one on Friday night (I guess) that is best described as an r-rated auction.
There should be a fish show as well as people selling fish out of their hotel rooms.
Every night there is a hospitality suite if you like free beer.
There will be side trips available if you want to spend the money.(I usually hit one of them)
The biggest thing is talking to people. You meet people just like you. You are there several days and
tend to make new friends. I like to go for the people. You also can meet people that are big in the hobby
because they are there all week. Its cool talking to someone like Larry Johnson who goes to the lakes a couple times
a year or Lawrence Kent who travels all over Africa for his work and happens to check for fish while he is there.

Same with our local event the BFD
you meet people, have fun and learn at the same time.

I enjoyed the AE. I would like to go back next year.
The wife already said once is enough for her. While it was interesting for her, it did not do the same things as
the other conventions like ACA. She is not into the fish but has been to 46 of the 48 fish conventions I have been too.
Think I will keep her. LOL
 
I like free beer...that's a plus
I like to talk to people, I like seeing what the fish look like in person than on the internet.
I like looking at tanks, my head is always thinking about what I can do to make my tank awesome, and always wanting to learn from people who have been where I am, it's too costly learning some of this stuff on your own.
Thanks for the info.
 

DiscusnAfricans

Past President
Glad to see ACA is semi-local, I'm going to try and make that one, I haven't been since Indianapolis. I like their advertisement.

I didn't make it to AE, so I can't compare the two, but the couple of ACAs I went to were a good time. Plenty to do, plenty of fish to look at or buy, plenty of tanks to see, plenty of people to talk to, etc...

BFD is a great preview of what ACA could be like, with a lower rate and easier drive, and plenty of club members attending.
 

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
Well Tracey and I are now registered for the event.
Once I decide how long I want to stay I will get the room reserved.
Looking forward to this one. I missed last year because we went to Disney with the kids and grandkids.
 

chriscoli

Administrator
Schedule as of right now:



THURSDAY JULY 18

6:00 PM – Jim Cumming “From the Hobbyist’s Perspective: Keeping and Breeding Neotropical Holy Grail Cichlids in the Home Aquarium”

7:30 PM – Dr. Les Kaufman “Holy Grail Cichlids and Their Roads to Salvation: Revelations from Recent Surveys of the Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga Systems”

9:00 PM - PM Oliver Lucanus “Holy Grail Cichlids of Lakes Kivu, Mweru, Fwa and the Congo in their Natural Habitat and In the Aquarium”


FRIDAY JULY 19

6:00 PM – Jim Cumming “From the Hobbyist’s Perspective: Keeping and Breeding the Holy Grail Cichlids of Madagascar and India”

7:30 PM – Dr. Wayne Leibel “South American Acaras: Holy Grail Cichlids You Never Knew You Wanted... and Why You Do"

9:00 PM – Dr. Adrian Indermaur “When All the Endemics are Holy Grail Species: Cichlids of the Cameroonian Crater Lakes”


SATURDAY JULY 20

9:00 AM Oliver Lucanus "Holy Grail Crenicichla in Their Natural Habitat and In the Aquarium"

10:30 AM Dr. Paul Loiselle “Searching Across Time and Geography for my Holy Grail Cichlids”

1:00 PM Dr. Adrian Indermaur “Holy Grail Cichlids of Lake Tanganyika”

2:30 PM Larry Johnson “Diving Lake Malawi: Finding the Holy Grail Cichlids”

7:30 PM Lawrence Kent Keynote Address: “An Amateur in Search of the Holy Grail"




This is an incredible lineup, and the schedule is designed to maximize everyone's opportunity to see every speaker! We are even arranging lunch carts outside the speaker rooms so attendees won't miss programs while waiting to get their lunch served in the hotel restaurants! And you won't have to starve either.
 

Pat Kelly

CCA Member
Staff member
I just registered and booked my hotel. I'm also thinking that I'll be going on the aquarium excursion.

oh yeah, I still need to book the hotel.
We did sign up for the aquarium trip but not the other one.
We always like to hit the aquariums in new locations.
 
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