CAROLINA AQUARIUM WORKSHOP XXXIV
IN RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA
AT THE Holiday Inn
MARCH 1-3, 2019

The Raleigh Aquarium Society (RAS) is pleased to announce an exciting lineup for its 2019 Carolina Aquarium Workshop. The workshop offers a native fish collecting trip, a "Meet & Greet" session with our invited speakers, a full day conference with 4 invited experts, a banquet, and our signature auction of aquatic fish, plants, supplies, and equipment. Our workshop is a unique opportunity to share information and enjoyment with amateur and professional aquarists. Recent workshops have attracted over 250 people from around the world. Mark your calendars now for a memorable experience! 

Workshop Location

Holiday Inn at 2805 Highwoods Blvd, Raleigh, NC. The Holiday Inn is located at the intersection of the I-440 (aka “inner beltline”) and Capital Blvd on the northeast side of Raleigh.

For out-of-town attendees, we have arranged special room rates at the Holiday Inn.

Workshop Schedule

Friday, March 1, 2019 (Lakes & Holiday Inn)

1:00 pm: Native fish and plant collecting field trip at 2 regional waterways. Carpools will leave from the Holiday Inn. RAS will provide buckets, seines, nets, and permits, but bring any personal items, such as containers, towels, extra clothes, waders, and food/drinks. Participants must be registered in the workshop. Send an email to raleighfish@yahoo.com to signup.

7:00 pm: "Meet & Greet" with speakers (light houre d'oeuvres will be available)

8:00pm: "Summer Tubs -- Fish & Plants Outside" by Ted Coletti.

9:00 pm: Rare Fish Mini-auction.

Saturday, March 2, 2019 (Holiday Inn)

9:00am: Workshop Registration and Setup.

9:30am: "Fish Collecting In Florida" by Bob Bock.

10:45am: "The Many Ways To Grow Aquarium Plants" by Tom Barr.

12:00pm: Lunch (at the Holiday Inn Restaurant or off site).

1:00pm: "Are Sunfish Bizarro Cichlids?" by Bob Bock.

2:15pm: "Its Planted... Now What?" by Tom Barr.

3:30pm: "The Joys Of Keeping African Rift Lake Cichlids" by Dave Herlong (or optional breakout on "Chat with the Plant Brain" by Tom Barr).

4:45pm: "Surprising World of Platies & Swordtails" by Ted Coletti.

6:00pm: Social Hour (at Holiday Inn Lounge).

7:00pm: Dinner Banquet (catered by the  Holiday Inn Restaurant)

8:00pm: "Hidden History of the Aquarium Hobby in America" by Ted Coletti.

Sunday, March 3, 2019 (Holiday Inn)

9:00 am: Auction Registration and Setup.

10:00 am: Auction.

 CAW Registration Details

Fri + Sat All Events: $20 Members; $25 Non-member; Kids under 12 Free.

Dinner Banquet + Talk: $20 Members; $25 Non-member; $10 Kids under 12

Sunday Auction: Aquarium Society (Paid) members Free; Non-members $5

More RAS-CAW Info:

 RAS will sponsor a Tag Sale at the Highwoods Holiday Inn in Raleigh on Sunday, June 23 2019. This is a followup to our previous Tag sale in January. Vendors (sellers) can keep all proceeds they make (i.e., no RAS percentage split), and general admission to the event is free. Send any questions or concerns to the club email (raleighaquariumsociety@yahoo.com). Details, rules, and procedures are as follows:

Date/Time: Sunday, June 23, 2019 @ 9am-3pm (9am-11am setup, 11am-3pm sale).

Location: Highwoods Holiday Inn at 2805 Highwoods Boulevard, Raleigh, NC.

Price: $20/table for members, $25/table for non-members, general admission is free.

  • Tables are sized at 30" x 72" (a limited number is available).

  • Tables will be distributed on a first-come-first-served basis.

  • Tables need to be reserved and paid for prior to the event (cash, check, credit card or PayPal).

  • RAS will assign the arrangement of tables.

  • A waiting list for tables will be maintained in case of cancellations.

  • A limited number of electrical connections are available (vendor extension cords suggested).

  • No water connections are available.

  • No lobby or parking lot setups will be allowed.

  • Vendors are responsible for their own money control and change.

  • Vendors are responsible for any damages.

  • Vendors are responsible for any cleanup of their area ($20 fee to be charged for any mess).

  • Vendors should remain in the vicinity of the hotel for the entire duration of the event.

  • Vendors must check-out before leaving.

  • Any items left behind will either be discarded or becomes the property of RAS.

  • Only aquarium-related or aquatic items will be permitted in the sale.

  • All used equipment must be in working condition.

  • RAS is not responsible for any buyer/seller disputes.

  • A limited number of stands can be sold, but cleared walkways will be enforced.

  • When selling live goods, water weight in tanks must be observed (plastic tables being used).

  • RAS reserves the right to monitor all items/tables for applicability, safety, and security.

  • During the sale, 3 raffle drawings will take place (at 12pm, 1pm, and 2pm).

Tom Barr is an internationally known aquarist, author (TFH, TAG, FAMA), speaker, and aquarium plant guru.  He has focused his efforts on planted aquariums and aquarium plants since 1989 and is best known for his research regarding plant nutrients and the development of the Estimative Index (EI) method of fertilization. He owns is own business that designs and maintains aquascaped planted aquariums in the San Francisco area and owns and writes for the Barr Report  a planted aquarium web site. Tom will speak this time around on Care of Aquatic Plants. Whether it's the critical element of trimming, or the essentials of CO2, Tom will no doubt have tons of advice how to keep your plants in top shape.

Bob Bock is a past president of the North American Native Fish Association (NANFA) and a member of all the Washington DC aquarium clubs (PVAS and CCA). He has been collecting and keeping fish since the age of 7 , when he brought twp Mummichog back home from the Hackensack River meadowlands, where he also collected native sunfish, killies, and catfish. Bob has organized numerous native fish collection trips and enjoys writing and speaking about native fish and related topics, especially for beginners in the hobby. He has written for TFH magazine and was co-editor of NANFA's main periodical, American Currents. He is trained in public relations and spends a lot of time educating the public about native fish. As a spokesman for NANFA, he has commented to local and national media on the many issues surrounding non-native introduced species to local waterways and releasing captive species into the wild. 

Ted Coletti has been a hobbyist for over 30 years. Ted comes to us from the NEC's North Jersey Aquarium Society as Master Breeder and Expert Grower. He is also a member of the Ali Shan Aquarium Society. A writer and teacher by passion, Ted has penned over 200 articles and columns, and a book, and has presented programs on various topics around the country.

Ted's interests are varied. In the 1990's he took part in the biotope aquaria and live plant renaissance. His "Aquarium Geographic" column in Freshwater & Marine Aquarium Magazine (FAMA), ran from 1995-2000. He established the Grower's Award Program at his local club.

In the late 90's, Ted shifted his focus to wild-type livebearers. He has served in the American Livebearer Association in various capacities for 16 years, and is the current Editor of Livebearers, the ALA's color print Journal which he revamped. He is also co-Founder of the NorthEast Livebearer Association. He penned the livebearer columns for FAMA and TFH from 2000-2010, culminating in his TFH book, Aquarium Care of Livebearers. Ted takes a keen interest in the genus Xiphophorus.

Being a Hobby Historian is another role Ted takes very seriously. In 2002, he founded the Aquarium Hobby Historical Society of America. The Group meets on Yahoo and Facebook and has established a large archive of reference material. Ted also serves as his local club's Historian and Archivist. Ted maintains a collection of historic hobby literature and artifacts.

For the past 20 summers, Ted has been propagating tropical fish, waterlilies, and native aquatic plants in over two dozen tub ponds on his property. He has inspired many hobbyists to participate in this old but forgotten practice through his writings and speaking engagements. In 2015 he founded the Northeast Fish Tub and Water Garden Study Group here at the NEC. The group has an Annual Symposium and Auction at the Convention and meets on Facebook. He is currently writing a book, Fish Tubbing and Container Water Gardening for the Hobbyist which he hopes to publish this year.

Born and raised in The Bronx, New York City, Ted received his B.S. in Psychology from Fordham, and his M.A/Ph.D in Counseling Psychology from Seton Hall, specializing in Statistics & Measurement. A former Adjunct Professor, he has worked in the field of Marketing Sciences for over 20 years, currently in the cancer drug industry. He resides in the Skylands region of the Garden State, with his patient wife of 25 years and his teenage son. His daughter is an environmental policy student at Hampshire College in Massachusetts. In his remaining spare time, Ted enjoys singing and playing with local musicians, tinkering around the yard, and volunteering at the homeless charity, Bridges Outreach. He changes water as infrequently as possible.

 David Herlong began keeping fish over 45 years ago starting with fish from local creeks and his grandmother’s goldfish pond. Then in the late 1960s he walked into a local aquarium store and was captivated by his first Malawi cichlids … auratus, fuelleborni, and BB zebras. His aquarium fascination led to college degrees in aquatic biology.  While he may be mostly known as a cichlid guy David has kept a wide variety of fish from livebearers, tetras, and gouramis to catfish and cichlids and is even amazed at his limited success with aquatic plants. David has made two trips to Lake Malawi as well as the Peruvian Amazon and Honduras.  As a member of the American Cichlid Association for decades he has held several offices including Chairman of the Board and Editor of the society’s journal, Buntbarsche Bulletin (BB) and was elected a Fellow of the ACA. His articles and photos have appeared in TFH, FAMA and BB. David is a founding member of the Raleigh Aquarium Society and proud that RAS is alive and thriving over 30 years later due to the dedication of its members through the years. As time goes on local aquarium societies will be vital for the exchange of fishes, plants and information to ensure the survival of the aquarium hobby.

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