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.

NEC 44th Annual Convention – April 12-14, 2019

Official Info Music Video for the All-Species All-Hobbyist Extravaganza celebrating the non-profit Northeast Council of Aquarium Society’s 44th Convention!

 

Speakers, vendor & hobbyist sales, IGEES Guppy Show, Silent & Live Auctions, Hospitality Room, 3 Full Course Buffet Meals, Prizes, Raffles, Freebies, MORE! Come for a day or stay the weekend.
ALL WELCOME! http://northeastcouncil.org

See flyer here.

President’s Message – June 2018

Dear Aquarist,

June brings warm weather and sunny skies, but it is also the final event before our summer hiatus. We ended our fiscal year with a fantastic speaker – James Perrenod, President of Discus R Us, he is also the President of the Jersey Shore Aquarium Society. James topic for the evening was “Discus Keeping Q & A Session.” The entire event was asking and answering questions. All of us learned a lot. It was educational as well as entertaining. James invited us to his fish warehouse in Ocean Gate, New Jersey and we plan on carpooling there in mid-August. James will give a 25% discount to all that attend this trip. James has many other types of freshwater fish such as cory’s, angelfish, cichlids, tetras, etc., as well as marine fish and corals.
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.

Our next event will be on September 14 and our guest speaker will be Justin Spall of www.H2Oplants.com. Justin is a big hit on YouTube! His topic for the evening will be “Setting Up A Plant Room”.

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.

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.

From all of us at BAS please have a happy and healthy summer! Like the song said, “See You In September”, unless your going with us for the August carpool trip.

 

Steven Matassa
President

President’s Message – May 2018

Dear Aquarist,

May felt more like April with the cool and wet weather, but we always have sunny skies at our Giant Spring auction. We got new style hats in a light blue color with our logo in gold. We ordered more of our BAS shirts and they should arrive by our next meeting. Our discounted shirts, hats and patches kept the crowds looking for more. The aquatic supplies, books and equipment tables held our hobbyists’ interest. The auction had over 200+ bags of livestock, not counting aquariums, lights and aquatic stands. It was a late night, but our members enjoyed it.

In June, we will have James Perrenod, President of Discus R Us; his topic for the evening will be “Discus Keeping Q & A Session.” As always, there will be free parking and refreshments. Doors open at 7:30 pm. Entry is free to all active members. Non-members are asked to donate $5.00 at the door to help offset expenses; however, their $5.00 that night is good towards the cost of annual membership. Members receive discounts in most of our sponsoring stores and free entry to all our giant auctions.

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 for a garage to hold our BAS equipment and supplies. If you have something reasonable, please let us know.

June is our annual election night – if anyone is looking to be on the Board or run for an officer’s position, please let me know. We need for you to step up and have your voice heard. Please try to help us to help you make and build a better BAS.

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!

On a more personal note – any member who wants to attend a Board meeting, which are 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 – April 2018

Dear Aquarist,

April has brought in Joe Ferdenzi as our guest speaker. Joe’s topic for the evening was “Basic Marine Aquariums.” Joe discussed the basics on setting up and running a small marine aquarium for fish or corals. His information was on low cost and easy to run aquariums. This is what beginners need to determine if they want to get more deeply involved in the marine ecosystem. It was a great talk and newbie’s learned a lot.

Our next event is our giant May Auction. There will not be a speaker just livestock, lighting, equipment, filters, aquariums and all types of marine items, freshwater products and plant supplements and fertilizers. We expect to have several hundred items available for our members to choose from. Our members and sponsors donate heavily to show the best quality items they have. Get there early to view the items of livestock and dry goods. You will not be disappointed! Make no mistake, be there or lose out on unbelievable and rare species that you may never see again.
As always free parking and refreshments. Hope to see you there.

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.

If anyone has any topics they want to hear an expert speak on, or any specific speaker, please tell us. We shall do our best to bring in those guest lecturers that you have been looking for.

 

Steven Matassa
President

Earn 50%* on donated livestock in April 2018

  • The Brooklyn Aquarium Society will have a 50/50 auction split for all livestock at our April event.
  • You must inform the BAS officer at the donation table that you want to participate in the 50/50.
  • The limit is 10 bags per member and it must be either fish, plants or coral in healthy condition.

We will once again be having a 50/50 split on donated livestock only (corals, fish and plants in good health) for members only. Members must sign in at the donation desk that they want 50% of whatever their livestock items are auctioned for (no reserves). The total of all donations must be greater than $5 and your return check will be available for pickup at the next regular meeting or during our board meeting on April 13th, 2018.

If you have any questions regarding this event please don’t hesitate to contact us or just post your questions below.

Not a member yet? No problem, become one today http://membership.basny.org/

GREAT Opportunity For Aquarium Aficionados

New York Aquarium has a GREAT opportunity for Aquarium Aficionados.

New York Aquarium is seeking volunteers to help share its new exhibit Ocean Wonders: Sharks as it prepares to open this summer! We are looking for volunteers to be part of the education department and fulfill roles as Ambassadors and WCS Now Interpreters.

Ambassadors act as way finders, helping guests plan their visit, and help gather groups for special talks within the exhibit spaces.

WCS Now Interpreters are trained to run Quest Stations, fun educational activities that help connect our guests to sharks and their conservation. In addition, Interpreters are trained to facilitate our new shark touch pool with the opening of the new exhibit.

All volunteers are asked to make a 1 year commitment, where they volunteer a minimum of 3 times per month, full or half days. All volunteers are interviewed and trained before being accepted into the program. Training dates are as follows: April 15, 22, 29, May 6, 13, and 20th. Ambassadors only need to attend the first two dates of training, add’l dates are optional but encouraged.

More information can be found on our website and under the “Apply Now” Button, where in-depth information is shared: http://bit.ly/NYAvolunteers

Deadline for applications has been extended to April 8th, 2018.

Questions can be addressed to Jen Kepler: NYADocent@wcs.org or 718-265-3450

More information can be found at: http://bit.ly/NYAvolunteers

See Flyer Here

 

President’s Message – March 2018

Dear Aquarist,

 

March has played games with us weather wise. At times it’s a pussy cat and other times it hits us with Nor’easters and snowstorms. However, we were lucky for our event because the weather was beautiful for Nathaniel Curtis of ZooMed came in from California as our guest speaker. Nathaniel’s topic for the evening was “The Science Behind The Spectrum.” He discussed the various lighting fixtures and styles and what works best with corals, plants and fish. He explained where and how halogen, florescent, LED and even incandescent lights worked best for plants, corals and/or fish. It was a very informative meeting.

April showers will also bring in a ray of sunshine in the form of Joe Ferdenzi. Joe was the President of our sister club Greater City Aquarium Society for 23 years. Joe is our April guest speaker and his topic for the evening will be “Basic Marine Aquariums.” This is for all of you that want to try a marine aquarium, be it for corals, marine fish, plants or all of the above. Joe makes it easy and inexpensive. If you ever thought about a salt water aquarium this is the meeting you want to be at. It’s great for all of those that are new to marine tanks. Come on down, you will learn a lot.

As always free parking and refreshments. Doors open at 7:30 with the speaker going on at 8:30. We will have an auction after, with fish, coral, plants, even dry goods. So get there early to view all the items. Hope to see you there.

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.

 

Steven Matassa
President

President’s Message – February 2018

 

BAS President, Steve Matassa with our speaker John Coppolino

 

Dear Aquarist,

Our February 2018 event marked another milestone for BAS – our 107th Birthday! Happy Birthday to all of us! We are strong and prosperous thanks to you. We all know that February is a cold and bleak month, but we had a really big ray of sunshine come through for us. Our guest speaker for the evening was John Coppolino, whose topic for the evening was “Building My Dream System – 1,300 gallon SPS Display.” John had talked about this topic prior to his move to his new home in Virginia. He had planned to build his house around his aquarium. Well, he did it and he returned to let us know the entire story. Wow, what an understanding wife! John told us about how he planned every detail and what ideas had to be expanded upon to make his marine system work: a very interesting and rewarding story.

March is next and we have Nathanial Curtis from ZooMed [ZooMed is also one of our sponsors]. Nathanial’s topic for the evening will be “The Science Behind the Spectrum.” He will discuss various lighting fixtures and styles and what works best with corals, plants and fish. This is a discussion that you will not want to miss.
We had to make a change of speakers for our April event. Sanjay Joshi was to speak on “Reef Lighting,” but he must attend a business forum outside of the United States. Joe Ferdenzi, former President of Greater City Aquarium Society, will be our speaker instead. Joe’s topic for the evening will be “Basic Marine Aquariums.” This is for all of you that want to get into salt water aquariums but are unsure about taking the plunge. Joe makes it easy to understand and explains that it is not expensive at all. It’s great for all of those that are new to marine tanks. Come on down; you will learn a lot.

As always, free parking and refreshments. Doors open at 7:30 with the speaker going on at 8:30. We will have an auction after, with fish, coral, plants, even dry goods. So get there early to view all the items. Hope to see you there.

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.

Steven Matassa
President

President’s Message – January 2018

Dear Aquarist,

We hope that everyone will have a safe, happy and healthy 2018! Our January meeting was a cold and rainy night, but never the less a packed house. We had Joey Mullen from Canada as our speaker, a.k.a. King of D.I.Y. Joey’s plane was delayed in Boston, and we had a large crowd anxiously waiting his arrival. Joey finally got to talk after 10:00pm, but the crowd waited in anticipation. He also did a Q&A for over an hour after his talk. He walked us through his fish room building which is as big as some house’s in Brooklyn.

 
As some of you are not aware these meeting take a lot of man power and team work, before and during the meetings. This is why we urge our members to volunteer to help out. The board members and all volunteers do not get paid; they do it for the love of our 106 year old (next month we will be 107 years old) club. Without their help it would not happen. If you are interested in helping please let us know.

 
For our February event we will have John Coppolino return as our speaker and his topic will be “Building My Dream System – 1300 gallon SPS Display”. Yes that’s right 1,300 gal. John provides a great presentation so get there early to enjoy all of the festivities..

 
As always free parking and refreshments. Doors open at 7:30 with the speak going on about 8:30. We will have an auction after, with fish, coral, plants, even dry goods. So get there early to view all the items. Hope to see you there.

 
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.

Steven Matassa
President

President’s Message – December 2017

Dear Aquarist,

Our December Holiday Party at Mama Rao’s Restaurant on 11th Avenue in Brooklyn was fantastic. The food was great and the waiter service was spectacular. They made a beautiful holiday cake for our dessert (see pictures of the event). We handed out awards for the past year’s recipients and certificates for Officers and Board members; also we handed certificates of appreciation to those sponsors and stores that donated to our monthly events. We shall mail them out to those sponsors, donator stores and manufacturers that were not able to attend. John Todaro submitted his best of articles for the Aquatica awards. It was a great night and what made it perfect was that all of us were able to sit, eat and enjoy good fishy conversation with fellow members and family.

Our January event will be truly special! We will be bringing in from the cold, Arctic areas of Canada a really warm person – Joey Mullen, aka UaruJoey – King of DIY. Joe’s topic for the evening will be “My Aquarium Gallery…The Untold Story.” Did you know that Joe has nearly 650,000 subscribers on YouTube (Click here for his Channel),  80,000 followers on Facebook and another 50,000 on Instagram? That is amazing!!

After Joe’s talk, we will have our auction of livestock and dry goods. As always, there is Free Parking and Free Refreshments. Doors open at 7:30 pm and our guest speaker will go on at 8:30 pm. We have a new BAS shirt for you, along with our BAS baseball hat and BAS patch. Come visit our tables to check on our new and used aquatic supplies and equipment for you to peruse at your leisure.

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! 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 – we are looking for a videographer; someone who can edit our speaker videos and upload them to our account on Vimeo. This will be the site that our members can watch and learn from our guest speakers as they give their expert advice on that night’s topic. We have videos of most of our speakers from as far back as 1995.

Any member who wants to attend a Board meeting, which are 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

BAS Holiday Party – It’s Not Too Late

All members,

If you act now and you can still make it to the Holiday party dinner.
Call Marie Licciadello our 2nd VP at 718-377-7749 and tell her you want to attend
the dinner and how many are in your party. The cost is $41 per person.

You can bring your payment, either check or cash that night.

•The dinner starts at 8:00 pm, Friday, December 8th at the renowned
Mama Rao’s Restaurant, 6408 11th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11219, known for their excellent Italian food and service.

THE MENU INCLUDES:

Cold antipasto, Fried calamari, served with a spicy
or mild sauce. A choice of pasta:

A CHOICE OF FOUR ENTREE:

• Veal Cutlet: .
• Shrimp Oreganata:
• Chicken:
• Vegetarian Entree:

Including a bottle of wine, both red and white per table. Soda or juices, cake, coffee, tea, cappuccino and homemade lemon drop cookies.

 

Let’s CELEBRATE!