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President’s Message – November 2019

Dear Aquarist,

Our November event was a cold and windy one. Our guest speaker warmed us up though with a great presentation and he came with a few boxes of raffle prizes, which made everyone happy. Lou Ekus, CEO of Tropic Marin came down from Massachusetts and his topic for the evening was, “Reef Chemistry Made Easy.” Lou takes the guess work out of chemicals in our reef aquariums and simplifies the entire environment. It was a great talk from a wonderful person.
November was our semi-annual 50/50 on livestock. We had many bags of high quality freshwater fish, marine fish, both fresh and marine plants and invertebrates, along with hard to get live corals. Many attendees went away with great bargains. We had aquariums, lighting, pumps, filters, aquatic supplies and fish/plant and coral foods. Everything you need to keep and maintain your aquatic creatures with the best of everything to keep them happy and healthy.

Continue reading President’s Message – November 2019

R.I.P – BAS Editor, John Todaro 1938-2019

It is with deep sorrow that we must report the passing of our Editor John Todaro. For BAS, moving forward will be difficult. As you are aware John created the Bulletin and the Aquatica – he was truly a special person.

John Joseph Todaro
1938 – 2019

Born and raised in New York City, John
Todaro served in the U.S. Army in Fort Rucker,
Alabama. John published a children’s book –
Phillip the Flower Eating Phoenix. He was an
art director for the McCann, Erikson and Ted
Bates advertisement agencies. A man of creative
pursuits, his hobbies included photography,
pottery, watercolors, woodworking and tropical
fish.

John’s passion and love for the Brooklyn
Aquarium Society (BAS), of which he was a club
member for greater than 50 years, combined his
creative genius and his leadership abilities. John
was the Corresponding Secretary, Exchange Editor
and Editor of two of the Societies publications
The Bulletin and The Aquatica (The Brooklyn
Aquarium Society was the only club in the
United States to publish two aquatic magazines
thanks to John). John became President of the
Brooklyn Aquarium Society in 2001 through 2003.
As President, John created the club’s Education
Program which brought aquariums to public
and private schools throughout New York City
and allowed our talented members to provide
presentations to schools, community centers and
senior citizen facilities. As President Emeritus, he
created the Centennial Journal of the Brooklyn
Aquarium Society and the 100th Birthday party at
the New York Aquarium in 2011.

In 2004 John and his son Andrew moved to
Vermont. John passed peacefully in his home on
Thursday, October 17, 2019. He was 81 years old.
John is succeeded by his three children (Christie
Potter and Andrew and Anna Todaro) and his two
grandchildren (Riley and Ella Potter).

RIP John – you will be deeply missed.

President’s Message – September 2019

Dear Aquarist,

September starts us up again. For the start of our fiscal year we had Tullio Dell Aquila. His topic for the evening was “The Facts of Light”. Anything and everything you ever wanted to know about aquarium lighting he is an expert in. He is known as the “Godfather of LED lighting.” He certainly taught me several things I never knew about how to use lighting to its best advantage on aquarium fish, on plants and on corals. Tullio gave a wonderful presentation.

Our next event will be our Giant Fall Auction on October 11. No speaker, just freshwater fish, plants, marine fish, and coral. We also have aquariums, filters, stands, lights and much more. We will have several hundred items available for your pleasure, including rare and hard to find aquatic treasures. So come on over for a fantastic evening. As always there will be FREE parking and FREE refreshments.

Please mark on your calendar that on November 8 we will have Lou Ekus, owner of Tropic Marin, as our guest speaker. His topic for the evening will be, “Reef Chemistry Made Easy.” So plan on giving him a warm BAS welcome.

New BAS shirts arrived and they were selling like hotcakes! Many of you noticed that the BAS officers and Board members wore the regular BAS shirt with the word TEAM on the back. We did this to identify our members that work and help organize our events. We also have new BAS hats in a light blue color. Everyone enjoyed the aquatic supplies, clothing and book table and our auction items.

Anyone wishing to donate any healthy livestock (fish, plants or live corals) or dry goods can bring them to any general meeting. Donations are always welcome and appreciated – it’s what keeps our club healthy!

If you want to see different speakers and learn about different aquatic systems, fish, plants and marine life, please let me know. The elected officials of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society are here to serve YOU! So please let us know what you want and why, because it would be helpful to everyone. It is important that you visit and patronize our sponsors. It goes full circle: by helping them, they are also helping you as hobbyists and everyone is helping the Brooklyn Aquarium Society, so help us, help you!

For more info, please call our BAS Hotline at (718) 837-4455.

On a more personal note – any member who wants to attend a Board meeting, which is held at Education Hall of the New York Aquarium on the 1st Friday of the month, September through June, please notify me at (347) 277-4793 by the Tuesday before the meeting.

Steven Matassa
President  

President’s Message – June 2019

Dear Aquarist,

June is the end of our fiscal year and we ended it with a bang. Cameron Provost of House of Fins, in Greenwich, CT. was our speaker and his topic was “Rare Marine Fishes in the Aquarium Hobby.” It was not only educational but entertaining as well. It appears that there are many marine fish that few of us ever see and for a multitude of reasons. It was a great talk. House of Fins was generous by donating marine and fresh water fish species. Thank you very much!

We had our election of officers and Board members last night and there were several changes and some positions remain open. We are still searching for a Treasurer, a Recording Secretary, a videographer and a few positions remain open on our Board. Please step up and help us out, without you helping us we can’t do many of the things our members want.

We wish all our members, along with friends and family a fun filled and relaxing summer. We will return again in September to educate and entertain our members in all areas of aquatic life.
Our next event will be on Friday, September 13 and Tullio DelAquela will be our speaker. His topic for the evening will be “The Facts of Light: a scientific approach to comparing light sources for aquarium use”. Our livestock auction of plants, fish and marine corals, along with aquatic equipment and supplies will immediately follow his educational presentation. Doors open at 7:30 PM. As always there is free parking and refreshments.

Please refrain from selling or purchasing any items from individuals on site at the aquarium, it is strictly prohibited.

We have new BAS shirts and BAS hats, hurry and get yours while supplies last.

Remember, we can always use help. If anyone wants to help out in any way, please let us know. See me personally or any officer or board member. If anyone has any topics they want to hear expert speakers on or any specific speaker, please tell us that also.
We would like to thank our members and our sponsors for their constant generous donations that keep us going. Anyone who has any aquatic items, supplies or equipment, and that would include healthy livestock of fish, corals or plants, we always welcome the donation.

For information on upcoming speakers or to leave a message for us please call our BAS Hotline at 718-837-4455. On a more personal note – any member who wants to attend a Board meeting, held at Education Hall, NY Aquarium, on the first Friday of the month, September through June, please notify me at 347-277-4793.

Thanks and see you next month!

Steven Matassa
President

President’s Message – May 2019

Dear Aquarist,

May was our Giant Spring Auction month. No guest speaker just auction items for our members and guests. We had close to 200 items that included freshwater fish, marine fish, plants, aquariums, filters, gravel, protein skimmers, lighting fixtures, UV sterilizers and the list goes on.

Everyone had a great time and brought home many aquatic treasures to enjoy. We appreciate the items you donated to make our club one of the strongest in the United States. Thank you!
Our next event, on June 14 will be our last for this fiscal year, but we promise to end it with a big bang! Our guest speaker is Cameron Provost from House of Fins in Greenwich, CT. His topic for the evening will be “Rare Marine Fishes in the Aquarium Hobby”. So come on down on Friday, June 14, doors open at 7:30 PM. As always there is free parking and refreshments.

Please refrain from selling or purchasing any items from individuals on site at the aquarium, it is strictly prohibited.

Please note that our June event is also election time for our officers and Board members. If you or another member, in good standing for the past 6 months, want to run for a position, please let me know so I can put your name up for election. We are always looking for new blood to keep our Society going strong with new and innovative ideas. Please let me know if you are interested and for what position you would like to try out for.

We have new BAS shirts and BAS hats, hurry and get yours while supplies last.

Remember, we can always use help. If anyone wants to help out in any way, please let us know. See me personally or any officer or board member. If anyone has any topics they want to hear expert speakers on or any specific speaker, please tell us that also.

We would like to thank our members and our sponsors for their constant generous donations that keep us going. Anyone who has any aquatic items, supplies or equipment, and that would include healthy livestock of fish, corals or plants, we always welcome the donation.

For information on upcoming speakers or to leave a message for us please call our BAS Hotline at 718-837-4455 and visit our updated website at WWW.BROOKLYNAQUARIUMSOCIETY.ORG.

 

Steven Matassa
President

President’s Message – April 2019

Dear Aquarist,

Ralph Chi of Pacific Aquarium and Pet. Ralph was our guest speaker for the evening and he surprised all of us with bags of aquatic goodies for every member in the audience. We had 115 people at the meeting and each person received a full bag of items from his store. Ralph’s topic for the evening was “The Thriving Aquarium Retail Still Lives”. He really knows his fish, plants and marine livestock. His store has everything. This generous person is having a huge sale and giveaways for BAS members only. You must bring your current membership card. The first 19 members for each day, that spend $50 each, will receive a Pacific Aquarium Easter egg. Inside the egg will be a note on what you have won – this could be a fish net, an aqua-scaping pincer, or a complete Fluval (or equivalent) setup that includes tank, filter, lighting, etc. This special weekend is on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28 and only for our members!

April is also our 50/50 month – many of our members brought in bags of livestock for our auction and they shall be rewarded next month with half of what their fish, plants or corals went for.
Next month we will not have a speaker – it is our GIANT SPRING AUCTION! There will be hundreds of items available – livestock, lights, aquariums, chemicals, filters and everything you can imagine, so be there or lose out on great bargains and hard to find fish. The Giant Auction is Friday, May 10, doors open at 7:30 PM. As always there is free parking and refreshments.

Please refrain from selling or purchasing any items from individuals on site at the aquarium, it is strictly prohibited.
We have new BAS shirts and BAS hats, hurry and get yours while supplies last.

Remember, we can always use the help. If anyone wants to help out in any way, please let us know. See me personally or any officer or board member.  If anyone has any topics they want to hear expert speakers on or any specific speaker, please tell us that also.
We would like to thank our members and our sponsors for their constant generous donations that keep us going.  Anyone who has any aquatic items, supplies or equipment, and that would include healthy livestock of fish, corals or plants, we always welcome the donation.

For information on upcoming speakers or to leave a message for us please call our BAS Hotline at 718-837-4455.

On a more personal note – any member who wants to attend a Board meeting, held at Education Hall, NY Aquarium, on the first Friday of the month, September through June, please notify me at 347-277-4793.

Thanks and see you next month!

Steven Matassa
President  

Super Sale for BAS Members at Pacific Aquarium. Must See.

Our last speaker, Ralph Chi, owner of Pacific Aquarium at 46 Delancey Street (near the Manhattan Bridge) really knows his fish, plants and marine livestock.

His store has everything. This generous person is having a huge sale and giveaways.

You must bring your active membership card.

This special weekend is on
Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28
and only for BAS members!

The first 19 members, for each day, who spend $50 each, will receive a Pacific Aquarium Easter egg. Inside the egg will be a note on what you have won – all prizes are exclusive giveaways of equipment, filters, lighting or a complete Fluval (or equivalent) setup that includes tank, filter, lighting, etc.

Can’t go wrong with great sale and we can’t thank Ralph Chi enough for extending such exclusive offer to our members.

You will not be disappointed

 

 

 

President’s Message – March 2019

Dear Aquarist,

The cold weather did not keep our members from gathering to hear Richard Ross of the Steinhart Aquarium speak. Richard’s topic for the evening was “Coral Spawning and Secore”. This is Richard’s second talk at BAS and it was captivating.

Richard spoke on coral spawning, and the work they are doing at the Steinhart Aquarium.

Next month, our guest speaker will be Ralph Chi, owner of Pacific Aquarium and Pet. Ralph has a very nice store on Delancey Street, in lower Manhattan. He has a great staff of knowledgeable and caring professionals.

We will also have a 50/50 on donated livestock. When you bring in your donations please let us know if you are participating in the 50/50 or if it’s a straight donation. This is limited to livestock (fish, corals, plants) only with a 10 bag limit. There will be no reserve pricing on aquatic donations at our auctions.
Please refrain from selling or purchasing any items from individuals on site at the aquarium, it is strictly prohibited.

Doors open at 7:30, and of there is free parking and refreshments.

We have new BAS shirts and BAS hats, hurry and get yours while supplies last.

Remember, we can always use help. If anyone wants to help out in any way, please let us know. See me personally or any officer or board member. If anyone has any topics they want to hear expert speakers on, or any specific speaker, please tell us that also.

We would like to thank our members and our sponsors for their constant generous donations that keep us going. Anyone who has any aquatic items, supplies or equipment, and that would include healthy livestock of fish, corals or plants, we always welcome the donation.
BAS is looking to rent a street level garage for our BAS equipment and supplies. If you have one or know of one please let us know.

For information on upcoming speakers or to leave a message for us please call our BAS Hotline at 718-837-4455.

On a more personal note – any member who wants to attend a Board meeting, held at Education Hall, NY Aquarium, on the first Friday of the month, September through June, please notify me at 347-277-4793.

Thanks and see you next month!

Steven Matassa
President

President’s Message – February 2019

Dear Aquarist,

February is always cold and damp but our speaker warmed us up when he started his presentation titled, “A Pond Grew In Brooklyn.” Joe Graffagnino, former President and Corresponding Secretary, was our guest lecturer. His talk was enlightening and had us stimulated for setting up a pond and stocking it with koi and goldfish. Joe spoke about the trials and tribulations about building and maintaining a pond. The audience was quite interested since they asked lots of questions.

 
For March we are bringing in Richard Ross from California. Richard spoke at our Society years ago and then his topic was, “Cephalopods: In There An Octopus In Your Future?” back in 2011. His topic for next month is “Coral Spawning and Secore.” Let’s welcome Richard back with a great BAS hello!

 
The Brooklyn Aquarium Society just turned 108 years young on Valentine’s Day. We are the oldest and largest general aquarium club in the United States and that is because of you – our members, our Board and Officers and the love we all have for aquatic creatures. So come on down on March 8 for an enjoyable evening with great people. WE always try to have an interesting topic for you and our aquatic auction and sales tables can’t be beat. As always there will be FREE parking and FREE refreshments, doors open at 7:30 pm.

 
New BAS shirts arrived and they were selling like hotcakes! Many of you noticed that the BAS officers and Board members wore the regular BAS shirt with the word TEAM on the back. We did this to identify our members that work and help organize our events. We also have new BAS hats in a light blue color. 

Due to confusion at a previous meeting, we need to reinforce policy issues: BAS will no longer permit reserve prices on aquatic donations in our auction and no individuals, member or guests, are allowed to sell or buy anything from members or guests on New York Aquarium grounds.

I must ask for our members’ help – our Treasurer had to leave due to personal reasons. Please, if you have experience in accounting, we need your help.

Also, we are looking to rent a garage, street level, to hold our BAS equipment and supplies. If you have something reasonable, please let us know.

If you want to see different speakers and learn about different aquatic systems, fish, plants and marine life, please let me know. The elected officials of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society are here to serve YOU! Please let us know what you want and why, because it would be helpful to everyone. It is important that you visit and patronize our sponsors. It goes full circle: by helping them, they are also helping you as hobbyists and everyone is helping the Brooklyn Aquarium Society, so help us, help you!

For more info, please call our BAS Hotline at (718) 837-4455.

On a more personal note – any member who wants to attend a Board meeting, which is held at Education Hall of the New York Aquarium on the 1st Friday of the month, September through June, please notify me at (347) 277-4793 by the Tuesday before the meeting.

Steven Matassa
President

President’s Message – January 2019

Dear Aquarist,

We started off the new year with a presentation that was truly revolutionary; our very first streaming video presentation by Dr. Tim Hovanec. His topic for the evening was “Modern Day Approach to Chemistry.” Dr. Hovanec was in California and the PowerPoint presentation went perfectly. Dr. Hovanec saw us and was able to answer questions as if he was in the room with us. We are thinking about doing this with speakers who live great distances from us.

Next month we have one of our own, Joe Graffagnino, former president of BAS, will give a talk about the creation of his koi/goldfish pond. His topic is called A Pond Grew In Brooklyn. The presentation will be about the trials and tribulations of building above ground and below ground pond in concrete-filled Brooklyn.

Also, on Saint Valentines Day our great society will be 108 years young. We are the oldest general aquarium club in the United States and that is because of you – our members, our Board and Officers and the love we all have for aquatic creatures. So come on down on February 8 for a fun night filled with great people, an interesting topic and aquatic auction and sales tables that can’t be beaten. As always there will be FREE parking and FREE refreshments, doors open at 7:30 pm.

New BAS shirts arrived and they were selling like hotcakes! Many of you noticed that the BAS officers and Board members wore the regular BAS shirt with the word TEAM on the back. We did this to identify our members that work and help organize our events. We also have new BAS hats in a light blue color.

Due to confusion at a previous meeting, we need to reinforce policy issues: BAS will no longer permit reserve prices on aquatic donations in our auction and no individuals, member or guests, are allowed to sell or buy anything on New York Aquarium grounds.

I must ask for our members’ help – our Treasurer had to leave due to personal reasons. Please, if you have experience in accounting, we need your help.

Also, we are looking to rent a garage, street level, to hold our BAS equipment and supplies. If you have something reasonable, please let us know.

If you want to see different speakers and learn about different aquatic systems, fish, plants and marine life, please let me know. The elected officials of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society are here to serve YOU! Please let us know what you want and why, because it would be helpful to everyone. It is important that you visit and patronize our sponsors. It goes full circle: by helping them, they are also helping you as hobbyists and everyone is helping the Brooklyn Aquarium Society, so help us, help you!

For more info, please call our BAS Hotline at (718) 837-4455.

On a more personal note – any member who wants to attend a Board meeting, which is held at Education Hall of the New York Aquarium on the 1st Friday of the month, September through June, please notify me at (347) 277-4793 by the Tuesday before the meeting.

Steven Matassa
President

 

President’s Message – December 2018

Dear Aquarist,

Our Holiday Party was absolutely wonderful. We had 70 members come to the Flaming Grill Buffet on Nostrand Avenue. The food was delicious and plentiful and the staff was top notch. We had a private room for our members and guests, which also made it easier to present our awards and certificates to our outstanding members, sponsors and donators. All of which have kept us going now for almost 108 years.

As a reminder November was our semi-annual 50/50 on livestock. We will be giving out the member results at our January meeting on the 11th. So make sure you are there. Our January event will have Dr. Tim Hovanec of Tim’s Aquatics. His topic for the evening will be Modern Day Approach to Aquarium Chemistry. See you again on January 11, 2019, doors open at 7:30 pm so come on down.

All this would not be possible without our sponsors, such as local stores and manufactures. When you go to the local pet shops let them know you are a BAS member. They need to know we are giving back to them. We also have many members donate to our club every meeting. If you have old tank, equipment (that still functions), or healthy livestock that you wish to donate you can bring them to any meeting.

New BAS shirts arrived and they were selling like hotcakes! Many of you noticed that the BAS officers and Board members wore the regular BAS shirt with the word TEAM on the back. We did this to identify our members that work and help organize our events. We also have new BAS hats in a light blue color.

I must ask for our members’ help – our Treasurer had to leave due to personal reasons. Please, if you have experience in accounting, we need your help.

Also, we are looking to rent a garage, street level, to hold our BAS equipment and supplies. If you have something reasonable, please let us know.

If you want to see different speakers and learn about different aquatic systems, fish, plants and marine life, please let me know. The elected officials of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society are here to serve YOU! Please let us know what you want and why, because it would be helpful to everyone. It is important that you visit and patronize our sponsors. It goes full circle: by helping them, they are also helping you as hobbyists and everyone is helping the Brooklyn Aquarium Society, so help us, help you!

Happy Holidays and a healthy, safe and prosperous 2019!!!

For more info, please call our BAS Hotline at (718) 837-4455

On a more personal note – any member who wants to attend a Board meeting, which is held at Education Hall of the New York Aquarium on the 1st Friday of the month, September through June, please notify me at (347) 277-4793 by the Tuesday before the meeting.

Steven Matassa
President

President’s Message – November 2018

Dear Aquarist,

November brought in cold wind and lots of rain but we were warm and dry with our guest speaker Greg Sage. Greg came in from Colorado (yes, his arms were tired from flying that far), and he gave us a very interesting topic for the evening – “Selective Breeding.” Greg runs an interesting wholesale/retail fish business called Select Aquatics. You can check out and buy fish from him on his website, www.SelectAquatics.com. Greg also has a plethora of YouTube videos on “how to” with various aquatic topics. You can reach Greg via email at selectaquatics.com. Greg concentrated on cullying fish and separating the most colorful or those with traits, such as higher fins or longer/colorful tails and retain those specimens to breed and have better stock of fish. It was a great presentation and an educational experience.

 
November was our semi-annual 50/50 on livestock. We had many bags of high quality freshwater fish, marine fish, both fresh and marine plants and invertebrates, along with hard to get live corals. Many attendees went away with great bargains. We had aquariums, lighting, pumps, filters and aquatic supplies and food. Everything you need to keep and maintain your aquatic creatures with the best of everything to keep them happy and healthy.

 
All this would not be possible without our sponsors, such as local stores and manufactures. When you go to the local pet shops let them know you are a BAS member. They need to know we are giving back to them. We also have many members donate to our club every meeting. If you have old tank, equipment (that still functions), or healthy livestock that you wish to donate you can bring them to any meeting.

 
Our next meeting is our Holiday Party on December 14, from 7:00 -10:00 pm at the Flaming Grill on Nostrand Ave., between Avenue Y & Z. Please see our notice in this Bulletin. There is no regular meeting and no fish, just good friends and family gathering for holiday festivities. Hope to see you there.
New BAS shirts arrived and they were selling like hotcakes! Many of you noticed that the BAS officers and Board members wore the regular BAS shirt with the word TEAM on the back. We did this to identify our members that work and help organize our events. We also have new BAS hats in a light blue color.

I must ask for our members’ help – our Treasurer had to leave due to personal reasons. Please, if you have experience in accounting, we need your help.

Also, we are looking to rent a garage, street level, to hold our BAS equipment and supplies. If you have something reasonable, please let us know.

If you want to see different speakers and learn about different aquatic systems, fish, plants and marine life, please let me know. The elected officials of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society are here to serve YOU! Please let us know what you want and why, because it would be helpful to everyone. It is important that you visit and patronize our sponsors. It goes full circle: by helping them, they are also helping you as hobbyists and everyone is helping the Brooklyn Aquarium Society, so help us, help you!

For more info, please call our BAS Hotline at (718) 837-4455.

On a more personal note – any member who wants to attend a Board meeting, which is held at Education Hall of the New York Aquarium on the 1st Friday of the month, September through June, please notify me at (347) 277-4793 by the Tuesday before the meeting.

Steven Matassa
President

2018 BAS HOLIDAY PARTY

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brooklyn Aquarium Society Holiday Party
All you can eat buffet with Asian, Spanish and American foods plus plenty of sushi and desserts on the menu.
We will have our awards ceremony to thank our sponsors, donators, Board members and regular members.

Friday, December 14, 2018 from 7:00 – 10:00 pm

Members, family and friends come and enjoy with us! BAS is picking up part of the cost so it’s only $15.- p/person
We must know if you plan on attending so please contact: Marie Licciardello at 718-377-7749; or Steve Matassa at 347-277-4793; or Joe Graffagnino at 917-922-5108

At:

Flaming Grill & Modern Buffet
3839 Nostrand Ave., (Between Ave. Y & Z), Brooklyn, NY 11235 (718) 648-6888

Parking is available in front mini mall parking or roof parking at Aldi’s supermarket. DO NOT USE bank parking lot on Ave. Z

President’s Message – October 2018

Dear Aquarist,

Our October giant auction turned out to be just that – GIANT! With over 200 items that included livestock, tanks and equipment, it was a huge success. A cool October night as expected, turned out a packed house. With a lot of familiar faces and some new attendees, the night went without a hitch, thanks to our dedicated staff.

Few members probably realize what is entailed in getting one of our shows together. I can tell you first hand, from doing it for about 15 years now, it is exhausting. We have about 20 board members, all with a job or two to do. We start preparing weeks before the events, and stay hours after to clean up. So at the next event you’re at, don’t be afraid to lend a hand.

All this would not be possible without our sponsors, such as local stores and manufactures. When you go to the local pet shops let them know you are a BAS member. They need to know we are giving back to them. We also have many members donate to our club every meeting. If you have old tank, equipment (that still functions), or healthy livestock that you wish to donate you can bring them to any meeting.

Our next meeting is November 9th at the New York Aquarium Education Hall. We will have Greg Sage speaking on “Selective Breeding.” As always FREE parking and FREE refreshments for our members. Hope to see you there.

New BAS shirts arrived and they were selling like hotcakes! Many of you noticed that the BAS officers and Board members wore the regular BAS shirt with the word TEAM on the back. We did this to identify our members that work and help organize our events. We also have new BAS hats in a light blue color.

I must ask for our members’ help – our Treasurer Al Turrisi must leave his position due to personal reasons. Please, if you have experience in accounting, we need your help.

Also, we are looking to rent a garage, street level, to hold our BAS equipment and supplies. If you have something reasonable, please let us know.

If you want to see different speakers and learn about different aquatic systems, fish, plants and marine life, please let me know. The elected officials of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society are here to serve YOU! Please let us know what you want and why, because it would be helpful to everyone. It is important that you visit and patronize our sponsors. It goes full circle: by helping them, they are also helping you as hobbyists and everyone is helping the Brooklyn Aquarium Society, so help us, help you!

For more info, please call our BAS Hotline at (718) 837-4455.

On a more personal note – any member who wants to attend a Board meeting, which is held at Education Hall of the New York Aquarium on the 1st Friday of the month, September through June, please notify me at (347) 277-4793 by the Tuesday before the meeting.

Steven Matassa
President

Wow, We’re going to start the bid at $200 – SOLD!

Update: 11/15/2018 – SOLD To The Highest Bidder

 

Announcement

Rare for the Brooklyn Aquarium Society and will sell at Auction for the Right Price

When: October 12th, 2018.

Where: Brooklyn Aquarium Society

Brand New – 55 gallon Ocean View seamless cube bow tank set with furniture

Bidding will start at $200 – Retail Price $1300.

Lot includes: 55 gallon seamless cube tank, Stand and Canopy

Tank is ready for a sump and filtration.

Item must be picked up from storage within two weeks of auction.

Please see photo bellow. Pictures do not represent the actual tank. Color is Premium Cherry

Donated by Aqua Vim

 

President’s Message – September 2018

Dear Aquarist,

September starts our new year and as usual we do it right. We started with a great plant program headed by Justin Spall. This was Justins first speaker presentation in front ofd a live audience. You would nevere know it because he was a pro. Justin is the owner/operator of www.H2Oplants.com, he is also a huge YouTube celebrity. Justin discussed the various lighting devices, light spectrums to bring the best out of your plants, fertilizers for different types of plants, and the use of CO2 and how it helps with plant growth. Justin answered everyone’s questions in basic language without a lot of technical gibberish. He did a fantastic job. We all appreciate his wonderful presentation.

Our next event will be our Giant Fall Auction on October 12. No speaker, just freshwater fish, plants, marine fish, plants and coral. We will have several hundred items available for your pleasure, including rare and hard to find aquatic treasures. So come on over for a fantastic evening. As always there will be FREE parking and FREE refreshments.

Please mark on your calendar that on November 9 we will have Greg Sage as our guest speaker. We will be bringing Greg in from Colorado. His topic for the evening will be, “Selective Breeding.” So plan on giving him a warm BAS welcome.

I know that we had promised a trip or two over the summer but we just could not work out the lagistics of it. Sorry about that, but we hope to have more trips in the near future. One will be to Pacific Aquariu on Delancey Street. Ralph Chi has been a BAS supporter and sponsor for many years. He wants to offer us a two day, BAS members only, huge discounts at his shop. Stay tuned for more info on this and other ideas we have for you. We plan on sending out an email to all active members about this trip in the near future.

New BAS shirts arrived and they were selling like hotcakes! Many of you noticed that the BAS officers and Board members wore the regular BAS shirt with the word TEAM on the back. We did this to identify our members that work and help organize our events. We also have new BAS hats in a light blue color. Everyone enjoyed the supplies and clothing tables and auction items.

Anyone wishing to donate any healthy livestock (fish, plants or live corals) or dry goods can bring them to any general meeting. Donations are always welcome and appreciated – it’s what keeps our club healthy!

I must ask for our members’ help – our Treasurer Al Turrisi must leave his position due to personal reasons. Please, if you have experience in accounting, we need your help.

Also, we are looking to rent a garage, street level, to hold our BAS equipment and supplies. If you have something reasonable, please let us know.

If you want to see different speakers and learn about different aquatic systems, fish, plants and marine life, please let me know. The elected officials of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society are here to serve YOU! So please let us know what you want and why, because it would be helpful to everyone. It is important that you visit and patronize our sponsors. It goes full circle: by helping them, they are also helping you as hobbyists and everyone is helping the Brooklyn Aquarium Society, so help us, help you!

For more info, please call our BAS Hotline at (718) 837-4455, or visit our modern website at WWW.BROOKLYNAQUARIUMSOCIETY.ORG.

On a more personal note – any member who wants to attend a Board meeting, which is held at Education Hall of the New York Aquarium on the 1st Friday of the month, September through June, please notify me at (347) 277-4793 by the Tuesday before the meeting.

 

Steven Matassa
President

Great Opportunity to Work in the Industry

Looking for an aquarium-loving coworker or contractor – with potential to become a business partner or co-owner.

We are a small yet dynamic company, based in Queens, New York, that designs, manufacturers, and wholesale unique, up-scale aquariums in variety of sizes and styles and supply them to pet stores, hotels, restaurants, offices, as well as to interior designing contractors of residential or commercial projects.

It is because we are small, you will have the opportunity to learn various skills from doing a little of everything, developing a full range of hands-on experience. Rest assured, we will train you on the job – who knows, you might have something we don’t, that will place yourself on a ladder to greater success!

As the owner of this business for more than 15 years, I am looking for someone to share my profits as well as my workloads with, so that I can free up some time for my family.

So contact me if you are the individual with following qualifications:

a). You are enthusiastic about aquariums, and have the motivation to turn this enthusiasm into a greater success by partnering with this company.

b). You are honest, responsible, willing to learn, treat customers in a sincere manner, and have a positive attitude.

c). You are in good physical condition: – You will need to occasionally lift 100+ lbs of merchandise by hands, although the work place is equipped with forklift and other tools and usually has other helpers to do that kind of work.

d). You can use, or can learn to use, variety of power hand-tools, in case we are short-handed.

e). You have a valid driver license and verifiable history of drug-free, crime-clean background and are legally allowed to work in the country.

f). To begin, you will coordinate with the sales rep, to help multi-tasking in connection with before-sales, during sales, and after-sales.

g). Please note, we will try you just as you will try us, first as a part time or independent contractor, for maybe 3 to 6 months (depending on how quick you learn and what skills you already have) before we can decide to have you as a coworker, co-owner, as a partner, or as a privileged contractor. During this period of training here, you will be paid $120 per day.

If you are interested, please email a resume with a list of references to alexz828@yahoo.com.