January 2004 Meeting

Friday, January 30th, 2004 at 5:17 pm

The meeting was held at the home of Martha Dinger Neave. We enjoyed her hospitality and her aquatic gardens.

I. Business Discussions

    A. Hosting the 2004 AGA Convention.

    We submitted our bid proposal to host the 2004 AGA Convention in Baltimore, Maryland. We should hear from the AGA soon to confirm if we won the bid.

    The City of Baltimore proved to be a better choice for the Convention because the hotels we considered were not expensive, its close proximity to BWI airport, and the several aquatic-related field trips opportunities located in the Baltimore area.

    The date being considered for the Convention is November 12-14, 2004. We will finalize the date and hotel commitment once we know we will host the Convention.

    Mr. Amano has accepted the AGA invitation to be the main speaker at the Convention.

    Some ideas for Convention workshops included: Palademission (sp) experts, aquascaping techniques, cell culture, field collecting, photo gallery, and breeders program for plants.

    It was also suggested that we include a survey asking registrants what type of topics that interest them.

    B. PMDD Project

    Poor Man’s Doppler Drop (PMDD) is GWAPA’s initiative to purchase the ingredients, at wholesale cost, to make our own fertilizer. Members who were interested signed up.

II. January Club Activity

    Ghazanfar Ghori gave a lecture and demonstration on Aquascaping with Rocks and Driftwood, making the distinction between the Dutch and the Amano methods. Different members brought in various rocks, including purple jasper rock, firelight rock, and rocks with striations, as well as unusual pieces of driftwood. A word of caution: Rocks containing rust may leak too much iron into the water. Soak the rocks for two (2) and test for iron before putting them in the tanks.

III. Field Trips

    February: Our next field trip is scheduled for Friday, February 20, 2004, at the USDA tissue culture lab, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

    April: Trout Farm: study how they are raised

    June: Trip to Florida, near Tampa — to perform collecting and snorkeling. It’s a 5-6 day trip. The plan is to rent a van.