Tropical Fish Hobbyist

HELP SUPPORT
CICHLID RESEARCH
& CICHLID
CONSERVATION

A beautiful Aulonocara pillow donated to raise money for cichlid research and conservation at FOTAS.

Babes auctioneer Robin Schadle.

SUPPORT THE
ONLY ANNUAL
FUNDRAISERS FOR
GDJEF & PVLCF

The Babes In The Cichlid Hobby Silent Auction table at a recent Federation of Texas Aquarium Societies (FOTAS) event.

photographs co
Pam Chin
urtesy of Babes In The Cichlid Hobby

The Babes auction is held late on Friday night for a reason!

Excellence
Through Experience

Greetings from the Babes In The Cichlid Hobby!

We are seeking donations for the Ninth Annual Babes In The Cichlid Hobby Silent Auction. It will be held this year at the American Cichlid Association Annual Convention, in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 17–20, 2008.

The code word is “awareness”! Although it is difficult for hobbyists to make a direct impact on declining cichlid habitats, that does not mean you can’t make a difference in the future of cichlid keeping. By spreading awareness to other hobbyists, they will realize that tying up a tank with something invented in Asia is a waste of good tankspace; many times hobbyists who keep such hybrid fish do so because they are not aware. The Babes In The Cichlid Hobby believe that it is our duty to spread awareness, and to tell fishkeepers about the ACA and its research and conservation efforts. All hobbyists should be aware of the importance of maintaining at least one cichlid that is listed as either critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and/or a cichlid on the ACA CARES Conservation Priority List. If we don’t maintain these at-risk species, we will lose them forever.

This year we will have a special fundraiser for anti-netting devices (ANDs) to be placed around the shores of Lake Malawi to help enforce the laws that prohibit beach seining. Several beaches that have been protected by these ANDs have shown that the fish do return when the netting has ceased. For as little as a $10.00 donation, you can protect 100 feet of Lake Malawi shoreline. This donation contributes to a worthy cause that will immediately go to help protect cichlid habitats.

Join your fellow cichlid enthusiasts by supporting cichlid research and cichlid conservation—together we can make a difference! The Babes In The Cichlid Hobby are asking you to help by donating items to our annual silent auction. We can’t do it alone, but as a group we can make a difference!

If you are an artist, draw us a picture. If you are a photographer, donate some photographs. If you are a collector of aquarium artifacts, please donate a collectible that will help raise some money. If you have been published, bring an extra copy and sign it for our auction. Tired of that fish jewelry? Donate it. Maybe you have old publications of aquarium literature that you could donate? It is all for a worthy cause! All of the money will go to the Guy D. Jordan Endowment Fund or the Paul V. Loiselle

Conservation Fund. You pick where you want your donation to go.

Please bring your donations to the ACA Convention. If you can’t make it, but are willing to donate, please call me and we can make arrangements, or you can send them to me at the address below. And remember: if you don’t have anything to donate, you can always bid high on something that catches your eye or make a cash or check contribution. All donations are tax deductible.