The President's Pen:

As we head into the winter months, have you prepared your tank to deal with the cold? Your tank may need to be heated at night. The general rule is 3 watts per gallon, and I recommend that you divide your tank's needs between two heaters to avoid an accident. If your tank needs 300w of heat, it would be better to install two 150w heaters. Neither will have the ability to cook the tank if one fails in the ON position. Watch your tank's parameters closely to maintain stability as the climate changes around us.

Did you notice our new logo? Earlier this year we had a contest and this one was selected via a poll on our website. You can order t-shirts and more from our Cafe Press store if desired.

For over a year, DFWMAS hasn't had a new newsletter published. Tons of information is shared daily via our message board and sometimes negates the need for a monthly edition. Generating a newsletter takes time and content. If you would like to lend a hand and help care for this responsibility, please send me an email. We would like to see this resume, coming out in a timely manner.

During this year, much has happened. Next Wave 06 had a great turnout with 175 people in attendance that day. We heard from some excellent speakers: Robert Fenner, Julian Sprung, Jorge Gomezjurado, and Anthony Calfo. If you missed it, you can purchase the day that was recorded to DVD for $10 at one of our meetings.

Our meetings no longer occur at the local fish stores due to the sheer numbers of people attending each month. Now we meet at Stacy Furniture on the third floor. For the past three meetings, we've had 120 people attend. Each meeting we share information via power point, discuss any current news, and conclude with the raffle. If you've been unable to attend as it lands on Wednesday night, now's your chance to participate with several events landing on the weekends. This month's Frag Swap lands on Saturday, Nov 18th. The Winter Social (for club members only) is on Sunday Dec 3, and Next Wave will land on a Saturday either in January or early February (TBA). All dates are posted on the front page of DFWMAS.org, so be sure to check it out.

This summer, approximately 50 club members decided to drive to Houston to attend MACNA and had a great time. Three full days of education and fun was enjoyed by over 1200 people at MACNA XVIII. Some pictures are included below.

The club membership continues to grow, and with that growth we have to make changes and adjustments. We try to keep you informed in the Members Only forum, as well as at the monthly meetings. If you aren't a member yet, we hope you'll feel welcome in our community and join this excellent organization made up of passionate hobbyists that care deeply about their livestock and your success!

Marc Levenson
President DFWMAS

Message Board News

Please update your profile with all accurate information. It is very important that your email address be correct, because we will be using that address to contact you with updates and news. When you subscribe to a thread or want to be notified you have a PM, it goes to that address. If the address is incorrect, it generates errors and the associated accumulated (rejected) email. Greg has been cleaning out the clutter, but if you don't correct your profile, Greg will disable it.

Please update your signature line to include your first name. We also encourage you to fill in your location, so that if you are selling or trading something, people know how far they have to drive before posting a reply.

Signature lines may not contain images or banners. Avatars and Signature lines may not contain political nor religious images or comments. If you would like to provide a link to your own website that shows off your tank, please do so. Our message board is to discuss the marine hobby, and your signature line should reflect the same theme, and nothing more.

Images from MACNA XVIII

At the three day conference, over 21 speakers were on hand to teach what they knew to us hobbyists. 100 vendors were on hand to show their products and discuss their potential. New products are always exciting to those that just have to buy every gadget there is. The evenings were filled with a nice reception and a Gala dinner. No-one left with regrets. At our October meeting, a slide show review was shown to those that were unable to attend this year.

Presentations were given on various synthetic salts, how to keep nano tanks, a recent study on LED lighting, how to identify Acropora Eating Flatworms and more....

The gala included a couple of slide shows showing us what the Flower Gardens look like in the Gulf of Mexico, the closest natural reef to our area.

The raffle was held Sunday afternoon, and it took a couple of hours to award all the goods.

Next year's MACNA will be in Pittsburgh, PA. For more information, go to www.macnaxix.com

 
Above are pictures from the October meeting.

Next Event:

On November 8th, a workshop will demonstrate some techniques when working in Photoshop, starting at 7pm at Stacy Furniture. And don't miss our huge Frag Swap on November 18th from 2pm to 6pm in Irving!