That’s right: The Brooklyn Aquarium Society is finally back! We had our first event in over two years, and we had a great time. Our location was changed to St Brendan’s Church, and it was a big success. We had many familiar faces and also many new ones. There were a lot of great deals on fish, tanks, and supplies, and a great speaker, James Perronod from Discusrus.com, who graciously stepped up at the very last minute since our scheduled speaker, Yemi Amu was sick. James, as always, held an informative question and answer session. There was no question that could stump this pro! We thank him. Continue reading President’s Message – May 2022
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Mark your calendar. April 8th, 7:30PM @ St. Brendan’s in Brooklyn
We are back at it! We’re excited to see you all in person.
At St. Brendan’s Catholic Church Parish Hall
1202 Avenue O, Brooklyn, NY 11230
April 8th – doors open at 7:30 PM. Speaker, auction, sales tables overflowing with gear, chemicals and food for sale and 100+ people that share your enthusiasm for fishkeeping. It’s good to be back!
Free parking and free refreshments too!
Continue reading Mark your calendar. April 8th, 7:30PM @ St. Brendan’s in Brooklyn
Letter From Editors – January 2022
Dear Aquarist,
We have a new issue of AquaticNews that represents a wide variety of fish, from the mysterious Coelacanth to locally bred Angelfish. Our virtual meetings are gaining more popularity with members and we have some compelling speakers coming up. Todd Gardner, breeder of over 60 species of salt water fish, returns to BAS in February. March will bring us Samantha M. West of Zoo Med Laboratories. She will be discussing Environmental Enrichment for your Aquarium Fish.
One article we would like to point out is on page 7, “Why Hobbyists Should Write for their Club Journal.” We encourage all members to share their passion and knowledge. Since we can’t get to meetings please put your experiences to paper. We’ve all had fish we love but can’t keep alive and fish that survive despite doing everything wrong. Whether you’ve had a great experience with new equipment or bought something that totally failed please share with fellow members.
President’s Message – September 2021
Presidents Message
I usually try to focus on the good when I write my message, but this is the hardest President’s message I have ever written. It is with a heavy heart that I must announce the passing of our past President and my longtime friend Joe Graffagnino. Joe was well-liked by all who knew him. I have never met anyone who had a bad thing to say about him. He was always the first to volunteer his help for our club and even other clubs, in any way he could. He has left a big void in all of us and he will be greatly missed. Our heartfelt prayers go out to his family.
R.I.P – Joe Graffagnino
Please donate to Tunnel to Towers Foundation on behalf of Joe.
Click here or here. Every bit counts.
It is with an extremely heavy heart that we announce the passing of our former Brooklyn Aquarium Society President, lead board member and widely known Joe Graffagnino.
Joe has been the face of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society for over 30 years. Joe will be greatly missed and our prayers go out to his family.
A viewing will be held on Friday, September 10th
At
Scarpaci Funeral home
1401 86th Street
Brooklyn NY 11228
Between 4 & 8 PM
More details to follow…
Online Auction: July 2021 – Join Now.
Brooklyn Aquarium Society July 2021 Auction
Questions? Email:
DeeFromBrooklyn@gmail.com or JoeGraffagnino@yahoo.com
The tentative exchange location is the Toy’s R Us Parking Lot Flatbush off the Belt Parkway on July 10th.
The auction is open to the public. Non-members are welcome and encouraged to participate in the auction. All monies will be handled by BAS. Don’t exchange money directly with a buyer. All lots sold are “as is, where is”. BAS can not guarantee the proper identification or health of animals or plants. BAS can not guarantee the working order of any equipment.
Sellers drop their lots off between 11am to Noon. Help sorting is appreciated. Buyers can pick up their lots and pay at time of pick up between 1:00pm and 2pm. You must arrange for someone else to pick up or drop off your lots if you can’t make it on that day and time(s). Continue reading Online Auction: July 2021 – Join Now.
The Brooklyn Aquarium Society 2021 Online Auction
Hello,
This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for. The Brooklyn Aquarium Society board is working with Auction.Fish to bring you our first Aquarium Club Online Auction platform. That’s right, you can now buy and sell your fish and other merchandise online with the rest of our aquarium society members. The Auction.Fish website is used by several aquarium societies allowing their members to create their own personal accounts and take part in their local club auctions. Once you create your account you can also post items for auction. It’s Simple, Safe and Secure.
Step 1.
Visit the website at: https://auction.fish/
Continue reading The Brooklyn Aquarium Society 2021 Online Auction
Online Event Friday 1/8/21 – Parasitology of Fishes by Pat Donston
Happy New Year,
The Brooklyn Aquarium Society welcomes you to take part in a virtual online presentation by Pat Donston of Absolutely fish in New Jersey on Parasitology of Fishes on Friday, January 8th at 7:30 pm
During this talk Pat discuss ailments and possible treatment for our aquatic friends
https://youtu.be/SKp1ay24c1c
This meeting will also be streamed live on the Brooklyn Aquarium Society Facebook page. Questions will be taken during this interactive event.
Absolutely Fish owner Pat Donston started in the hobby with his first aquarium when he was nine years old. In college, he majored in Zoology, and got his Master of Science degree specializing in fish reproduction. Upon completion of his Master’s degree, Pat worked in a public aquarium teaching docents and volunteers about the biology of invertebrates in the inter-tidal exhibit. Pat believes aquarium keeping is one of the best educational tools for children and adults to learn more about the oceans and reefs around the world. Learning about the animals one has as pets sparks an interest to become more aware of the environment in which we live. It can bring people closer to a part of the world they may never see or otherwise know.
Absolutely Fish is located at 1080 US-46 in Clifton, NJ 07013
Absolutely Fish is a proud supporter of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society.
R.I.P. Seth Kolker, BAS President from 1989 to 2001
Seth Kolker
08/08/1954 – 11/05/2020
President of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society
1989 – 2001
Seth was a dedicated aquarium hobbyist his entire life. He was the youngest member ever elected, in the Society’s 109 years, to the Brooklyn Aquarium Society’s Board of Directors while still in his early teens. Seth was a visionary in the aquatic industry. His keen eye for the hobby and insight into the future helped propel the Brooklyn Aquarium Society into unknown areas. In the 1970s and 80s, it was Seth’s influence to move the club into African cichlids and then into marine environments with saltwater fish and corals.
Continue reading R.I.P. Seth Kolker, BAS President from 1989 to 2001
Message to BAS Members
Dear Members,
I hope this note finds everyone in good health during these troubling times.
Not having our usual monthly events is strange to us. I know we miss the normalcy of everyday life, especially our fish club meetings, but our health and those of our loved ones is the most important thing we can consider. Social distancing prevents our events from happening.
The Brooklyn Aquarium Society wants to assure all our members that no one will lose membership dues payment time while we are not meeting during this pandemic. When we are back to normal, all regular members will be credited with the months we have lost.
Everyone stay safe and healthy, continue your water changes, and we hope to see you soon.
Steven Matassa
President
Acclimating Fish
Acclimating Fish
by Steve Matassa
There are two ways most hobbyist use to acclimate their fish. I will try to explain these methods for those of you who do not know. The first is the drip method, where you would empty the bag with the fish in to a bucket, and set up an air line with a knot in it. Then let the water slowly drip in to the bucket in till the bucket starts to fill up. Then empty some of the bucket and continue with the drip. This should take about half an hour if done right. You do not want to drip it too fast, and stress the fish. The purpose of these methods is to make the transaction for the fish as stress free as possible.
President’s Message – August 2020
President’s Message
All of us at BAS are hoping that everyone is well and staying safe and healthy. We all know this pandemic continues to grip our world. All of us are praying that we can resume normal life in the near future. I do not have any information as to when we can have in person BAS events at Education Hall. I have been in contact with Scott Doyle of the New York Aquarium and I am quoting his email response to my question about any updates we can share with our members. His response is:
June 12th Virtual Event – Copepods are changing the face of aquaculture By Chad Clayton
“Copepods are changing the face of aquaculture” – By Chad Clayton
BAS Presents Chad Clayton Online Presentation – Copepods are Changing the Face of Aquaculture
President’s Message – June 2020
President’s Message
This is a difficult President’s Message to write. Our events for March, April and May have been canceled, along with every other club in the world. The Coronavirus has impacted economies worldwide, hundreds of thousands of people have died and it isn’t over yet.
MAY 8 EVENT CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19
The officers and board members of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society decided that for everyone’s safety and to minimize possibility of contracting the Corona Virus (COVID-19), our May 8th event, The GIANT SPRING AUCTION is canceled.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused and hope you stay healthy throughout the rest of the flu season.
Stay Home – Flatten The Curve!
Hoping to see you all soon.
The Aquatica & The Bulletin are being retired/archived.
With passing of our Editor, John Todaro (R.I.P John – read here) The Aquatica and The Bulletin are being archived and replaced by our new publication AquaticNews.
We are excited to announce that the position of BAS Editor was filled and our new editor, Virginia (Ginny) Cahill will be working on our beautiful new publication – AquaticNews.
Please note: Archived copies of our previous publications: The Aquatica & The Bulletin can be found here and here.
APRIL 10 EVENT CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19
The officers and board members of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society decided that for everyone’s safety and to minimize possibility of contracting the Corona Virus (COVID-19), our April 10th event titled “Successful Strategies for Reef Keeping by Bob Stark is canceled. Bob owns and operates ESV Aquarium Products and has been long standing supporter of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society (Thank you Bob). His company makes outstanding products for saltwater and reef aquariums. To show your support in these hard times, please visit his website and review his offerings.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused and hope you stay healthy throughout the rest of the flu season.
Stay Home – Flatten The Curve!
Hoping to see you all soon.
March 13, 2020 Event Canceled Due To Corona Virus
The officers and board members of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society decided that for everyone’s safety and to minimize possibility of contracting the Corona Virus, our March 13th event should be canceled.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused and hope you stay healthy throughout the rest of the flu season.
We’ll see you at the next meeting.
President’s Message – February 2020
Dear Aquarist,
One of the coldest months of the year turned out to be warm and sunny when Joe Yaiullo, Curator of the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead, Long Island arrived. His presentation entitled “Sometimes It’s The Little Things” was fascinating. This event was a wake-up call for marine and freshwater hobbyists alike because it spoke about setting up the steps to prevent catastrophe, planning ahead so disaster doesn’t strike and having redundancy parts and equipment in the event something fails. It was an enlightening and educational adventure from one of our oldest and dearest friends. Joe was kind enough to donate cuttings from the corals in his 20,000 gallon aquarium. The audience was very interested and asked many questions.
President’s Message – January 2020
Dear Aquarist,
For our first general meeting of the year we thought we would warm things up with one of our favorite speakers, Luis Morales. Luis gave a very informative presentation on “Fish Photography”. It was a great lecture for beginners and advanced hobbyists that wanted to take great photos of their favorite fish, plants or corals. Luis had given similar presentation years ago but updated it with information on the newer technology in the world of photography.