March Chicago-area events

[eds]

Just got a heads-up on the CAGA board about a couple of Chicago Killifish Association events that are coming up.

This Friday, March 10, at 7:30 (more or less) they will meet in Glen Ellyn at the College of DuPage, Room 128 in the Open Campus Center, which is in the Northwest corner of the campus. Turn west at the corner of Lambert Rd and Fawell and go two parking lots west on Fawell. The OCC is the recessed building to the south. Just go in the door and listen for what is probably the only gathering in the building.

For directions, see http://www.aka.org/chika/

At this program Robert Steinback, biology teacher from Elgin C.C. will do a presentation on "Growing beautiful aquatic plants in an aquarium." His talk will emphasize the minerals needed to grow great plants.

The CKA meetings also feature a mini-auction. If you have ever been interested in killies, this would undoubtedly be a great opportunity to pick some up at VERY reasonable prices. If you have extra plants, this might be a great way to find them a new home.

Tho COD is right down the street from me, unfortunately I have a prior committment this Friday eve and won't be able to attend.

I will, however, be able to make it in two weeks, on March 25 and 26, when CKA holds their 27th (usually) annual show at the Downers Grove Holiday Inn Express on Butterfield Rd. That is just west of I-355, south of Butterfield Rd, on Finley Rd. To get there from the city you will take the Eisenhower west and stay on it when it turns into the tollway I-88.

Guest speakers will include Dave Franco, relating his experiences collecting South American Annuals last year and sharing how to care for them, and Terry Fairfield, author of Barron's, A Commonsense Guide to Fish Health.

A flyer on the show can be found at http://www.aka.org/chika/

There will be a box sale on Saturday, and an auction on Sunday.
I've gone in the past, and intend to go this year. The focus is DEFINITELY on killies, but last time I went I remember seeing other fish for sale including rainbows. You'll see a lot of beautiful fish that you'll never get to see in stores, and find plenty to talk about with very knowledgeable and friendly people.

If you aren't already a fan of killies, you likely will be after seeing how beautiful these fish are, how easy they are to breed, and how inexpensively you can pick up healthy fish from the breeders.

[Sponsors]

[eds]

Yee-haw!
I totally spazzed on the conflict I though I had.
Upshot is, I'm gonna be at COD tonight.
Anyone else?

[eds]

Man, that was fun!
The speaker was a pretty hardcore "nature tank" kinda guy.
"In the Midwest we have the best soil in the world - why would you use anything else?"
Some time I'm going to have to try a setup along those lines.
But a bit of his chemistry made my brain hurt!

Nice group of guys in the ChiKA club, and some neat fish and stuff cheap in the auction.

They were talking about the upcoming show, including what plants they should order for the plant sale they will be conducting.
(If my tanks weren't so full, I could have gotten in on the ordering at wholesale prices!)
But the upshot is, they are going to be selling a pretty wide array of plants at the show at pretty darn rock-bottom prices.
Nothing too tremendously exotic, but a wide array of crypts, anubias, swords, apons, etc.
You might want to check it out.