Our next meeting is for MEMBERS ONLY. If you aren’t a member currently, click the blue word membership now and become a DFWMAS card-carrying member.

Our meeting will take place Wednesday, February 8th from 7pm to 9pm at the Dallas World Aquarium.

Dallas World Aquarium
1801 North Griffin St.
Dallas, TX 75202

The speaker is Paula Branshaw and her topic is “The Importance of Quarantining.” The DWA has a huge quarantine facility to maintain healthy animals throughout their facilities. Through breeding and propagation in the QT-section, they even are able to raise livestock for other public aquariums to receive. It’s a great topic, and a great place to have this meeting.

Entrance to DWA will be free that night to all DFWMAS members. Bring your membership card, sign in at the door and get a name badge. You will have to pay to park your car at one of the nearby lots. It is easiest to pay for parking with your credit or debit card, then place the receipt on your dashboard.

Proceeds from the raffle will be donated to the Conservation Effort by the Dallas World Aquarium: The Manatee Project in Peru. http://www.dwazoo.com/peru-conservation/ The raffle will will include a Reefkeeper Lite, two Boston Aqua Farms Fragging Kits, Prodibio bio-dosings, Frozen Foods, and more. Bring cash, lots of it. You’re saving manatees!

In addition, light refreshments and drinks are provided by the kind people at the Dallas World Aquarium. The presentation upstairs (right above where you entered and signed in) is where our meeting will be held, and where the food and drinks can be found. A cash bar will also be available for those of you that are so inclined. Bring more cash.

Remember: No livestock is permitted in the building. If you plan to trade corals, you will need to do so after the meeting in the parking lot. Odds are the weather will be cold, so plan wisely with styrofoam coolers and heat packs… or handle those trades on another day. There will be no COOP (the DFWMAS coral sharing program) that night.

This information will be updated as needed.

This will be a very special meeting during the Museums Planet Shark exhibit with guest speaker Chris Schreiber from the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.

“Chris’ interest in sharks began, like many people, when he saw Jaws as a kid. During college a volunteer position at The Maine Aquarium started him on his career path and he is currently an Associate Curator of Fishes and Invertebrates at The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. He has been lucky enough to study sharks in places like Florida, Taiwan, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Bimini doing field research in tagging, genetics, and conservation. He most recently appeared on Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin collecting blood samples from wild whale sharks in Cancun.”

He will be giving a talk on the Whale Sharks and others at their aquarium, some behind the scenes details on the facility, and information on how they get these massive creatures transported. It will be a whale of a good time, dont miss it!

MEMBERS ONLY will get a wristband providing FREE access to the Science Building, Nature Building and Planetarium. Guests with an accompanying member will also be provided a free wristband. The presentation itself will be in their Viewspace Theatre. Entry into the Shark Exhibit afterwards will be discounted to only $8 from the normal 15! Their exhibit is called Planet Shark.

Science Building
1318 S 2nd Ave
Dallas,TX 75210

Please keep all livestock at home for this meeting and if you are bringing items for trade, do it before or after the event. Thank you!

We are doing a White Elephant gift exchange. What is this? “Participants draw numbers from a hat to determine their gift choice order, starting with one, up to the total number of participants. Each person takes a turn choosing a gift. The first person picks a gift, opens it and shows it to the rest of the company. Then the number two participant picks a gift and chooses to either unwrap it or to exchange it for the previously unwrapped gift. If the gift is exchanged, the person who had their gift taken from them gets to unwrap the chosen gift and then the turn passes. When all the gifts have been opened, the game is over.” Each person brings a wrapped fish/marine tank-related item worth no more than $20. If you have something of value that is in nearly brand new (or is brand new) condition that you won’t use that equals that value, wrap it up and bring it; if you don’t have anything, buy something new from your LFS. To keep things interesting, the club is going to pick up extra gifts. Remember, no tags, no markings, no clues.”

Sounds fun right? In addition, we are going to have some games to play; ideas are from the popular show Minute To Win It on NBC. Never heard of it? http://www.nbc.com/minute-to-win-it/ Let’s see what you can do in 60 seconds. The fastest time for each game will be awarded a prize.

Please bring along a dessert or appetizer, so refreshments will be available. The club will provide drinks as usual and other food items as well. Bring your family, some good cheer, and let’s wrap up the year with a fun night. Desserts will be voted on by attendees to determine the best one and a prize awarded.

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We meet at Stacy Furniture in Grapevine Texas from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.

Stacy Furniture – Google Maps
1900 S Main St
Grapevine, Tx 76051

Please park on the side, NOT in front of the building as requested by management. Enter the building and take the elevator to the third floor. We meet in the common room. At the end of the meeting, we are required to clean the room so please look around your area and leave it super clean.

The meeting concludes after workshop and we will have the corals used in the workshop available to take home and will have a raffle on other goods. You’ve gotta be there to win, of course.

We meet at Stacy Furniture in Grapevine Texas from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Map to location: Google Maps

Stacy Furniture
1900 S Main St
Grapevine, Tx 76051

The meeting runs from 7pm to 9pm. Please park on the side, NOT in front of the building as requested by management. Enter the building and take the elevator to the third floor. We meet in the common room. At the end of the meeting, we are required to clean the room so please look around your area and leave it super clean.

** Water testing will be performed at our meeting. Bring your salt water and tap water samples in brand new ziplock bags to avoid any contamination, and we can test for nitrate, nitrite, calcium, magnesium, alkalinity, phospates and chloramines. These tests are to confirm your own measurements, not to do them for you. We also can test the calibration of your refractometer… we’ve got the right solution (35ppt).

TDS & Chloramines – If you are coming straight from home, please bring a small sample of tapwater in a CLEAN container. We are going to measure the TDS of your water, the Chloramines level, and notate that with your zip code. This information is going to be compiled to create a map of the metroplex to show how our source water varies across N. Texas. Run the (cold water side) faucet for 2 minutes, then collect a sample for us to test. Collect the water in a brand new ziplock baggie [b]filled halfway[/b] and put that in a container to avoid spillage at our event. To get an accurate TDS level, you MUST use a brand new baggie; otherwise it will measure higher than what is actually coming out of the faucet due to contamination.

The meeting concludes after the big raffle. You’ve gotta be there to win, of course.

We meet at Stacy Furniture in Grapevine Texas from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Map to location: Google Maps

Stacy Furniture
1900 S Main St
Grapevine, Tx 76051

Please park on the side, NOT in front of the building as requested by management. Enter the building and take the elevator to the third floor. We meet in the common room. At the end of the meeting, we are required to clean the room so please look around your area and leave it super clean.

** Water testing will be performed at our meeting. Bring your salt water and tap water samples in brand new ziplock bags to avoid any contamination, and we can test for Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, Phosphate, Calcium, Magnesium, Chloramines, TDS, and Alkalinity. These tests are to confirm your own measurements, not to do them for you. We also can test the calibration of your refractometer… we’ve got the right solution (35ppt).

TDS & Chloramines - If you are coming straight from home, please bring a small sample of tapwater in a CLEAN container. We are going to measure the TDS of your water, the Chloramines level, and notate that with your zip code. This information is going to be compiled to create a map of the metroplex to show how our source water varies across N. Texas. Run the (cold water side) faucet for 2 minutes, then collect a sample for us to test. Collect the water in a brand new ziplock baggie and put that in a container to avoid spillage at our event. To get an accurate TDS level, you MUST use a brand new baggie; otherwise it will measure higher than what is actually coming out of the faucet due to contamination.

The doors open at 10 a.m. and we will wrap up the fun at 2 p.m.
St Barnabas Presbyterian Church
1220 West Belt Line Road
Richardson, TX 75080-5801 (map)

We will have special guest speaker Scott Fellman joining us as well as some of our favorite local vendors with some great selections just for our members. The event will be catered with delicious in house BBQ again this year so bring your favorite summertime side or dessert for everyone to enjoy!

Scott Fellman will be a speaker at MACNA 2011 in Des Moines this year, so take advantage of this opportunity to visit with him and other members and sponsors at the social.
Scott Fellman’s MACNA Bio: linky

Marc Levenson will also be giving a presentation on RO/DI systems, including trouble shooting tips.

We’ll be kicking off the re-designed COOP (coral sharing program), so keep your eyes open for that.

The water testing program continues. If you want to test tap water for Chloramines & TDS, bring it in a clean new ziplock bag. If you want to compare your saltwater test results, bring a tank water sample and request the specific test. We can also calibrate your refractometer to make sure it is reading correctly.

We look forward to seeing everyone there! There will be a TERRIFIC raffle, the 2nd biggest one of the year. Don’t miss that opportunity.

The 100gpd 5-stage RO/DI system from the demo will be in the raffle that night. Please attend, not only to learn but also to help others when they have questions in the future. You might even be going home with a brand new RO/DI system!

In addition, we are starting a new feature at our meetings: Water Testing.**
TDS & Chloramines - If you are coming straight from home, please bring a small sample of tapwater in a CLEAN container. We are going to measure the TDS of your water, the Chloramines level, and notate that with your zip code. This information is going to be compiled to create a map of the metroplex to show how our source water varies across N. Texas. Run the (cold water side) faucet for 2 minutes, then collect a sample for us to test. Collect the water in a brand new ziplock baggie and put that in a container to avoid spillage at our event. To get an accurate TDS level, you MUST use a brand new baggie; otherwise it will measure higher than what is actually coming out of the faucet due to contamination.

We are also going to have test kits on hand to measure Alkalinity, Calcium, Nitrite, Nitrate, Phosphate & Magnesium. If you want to verify what your test kits measured at home, bring a water sample from your tank that night for us to test, and compare those results to your own values. (If you can’t bring it from your tank directly to the meeting, there’s no point testing it. Having it cooking in your car all day isn’t going to be accurate.)

Lastly, if you have a refractometer we are going to help you calibrate it with some Refractometer Calibration Solution (35ppt solution). Bring your refractometer with you and let us make sure it is measuring correctly.

To summarize, learn all about RO/DI systems. Get your current source water tested for impurities and chloramines. Get your tank water tested if you wish. And get your refractometer calibrated as well. And go home with a brand new RO/DI system. What a great night!

The meeting concludes after the big raffle. You’ve gotta be there to win, of course.

We meet at Stacy Furniture in Grapevine Texas from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Map to location: Google Maps

Stacy Furniture
1900 S Main St
Grapevine, Tx 76051

Please park on the side, NOT in front of the building as requested by management. Enter the building and take the elevator to the third floor. We meet in the common room. At the end of the meeting, we are required to clean the room so please look around your area and leave it super clean.

** Water testing will be performed at our August Summer Social, as well.

The Reef Stewardship Foundation is happy to announce that the Dallas Fort Worth Marine Aquarium Society (http://www.dfwmas.org) is graciously hosting the RSF 2011 Annual Meeting. The meeting will be held on Tuesday night, May 24th, 2011.

The annual meeting will feature presentations from two members of the RSF’s Board of Directors. The first presentation will be from Dr. Brian Plankis and is tentatively titled “The RSF Past and Present: What We’ve Done and Where We are Going“. The second presentation will be from Dr. Ronald L. Shimek and is titled “Providing Adequate Nutrition For Animals In A Reef Aquarium: The Most Difficult Problem That Aquarists Face.”

The meeting will also feature a fund raising raffle of captive bred animals, RSF branded items and breeding equipment. Additional details will be provided as the meeting date approaches.

The RSF will also be holding small focus group meetings of aquaculturists, hobbyists, and hobby leaders for a project that will be announced at the annual meeting. If you currently breed species for the industry or are interested in sustainability of the hobby, please contact us regarding participating in these focus groups on either May 24th or May 25th.

We look forward to discussing the state of the RSF and the hobby at our annual meeting, we hope to see you there!

Sincerely,
Brian Plankis

For more details about the Reef Stewardship Foundation, follow this link:
http://www.reefstewardshipfoundation.org/rsfhome/

We meet at Stacy Furniture in Grapevine Texas from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Map to location: Google Maps

Stacy Furniture
1900 S Main St
Grapevine, Tx 76051

Please park on the side, NOT in front of the building as requested by management. Enter the building and take the elevator to the third floor. We meet in the common room. At the end of the meeting, we are required to clean the room so please look around your area and leave it super clean.

DFWMAS has been invited to spend the evening in this beautiful venue to learn about the importance of making our hobby a long lasting one. What better place to discuss this than at the Dallas World Aquarium?! No matter how far you have to drive, we strongly urge you not to miss this meeting. Make plans now to attend.

Speaker: Paula Branshaw, Director of Husbandry, B.S. in Marine Biology
Topic: Striving for Sustainability – Both private and public aquariums as well as hobbyists need to be alert to the needs of the animals in their care. From fish to invertebrates & corals, we want to continue to propagate and breed what we can and avoid taking too much from our planet’s reserve. Paula’s presentation will show where these efforts are being made in the industry, will discuss the importance of good quarantine practices, and gives us a little insight into what is happening now as well as what we can do in the future. Planning ahead is the best step in assuring that our oceans will continue to flourish while we enjoy our own personal biotopes and beautiful public aquariums.

Bio: Coming soon!

Things you need to know:
1) Parking is $5 at the DWA. You can’t avoid this fee. Bring cash or your debit/credit card to pay in the parking lot at the respective machines.
2) No bagged water of any kind is allowed in the DWA. No frag exchanges, no sales, nothing. This is due to quarantine protection of the animals there. If you are doing any kind of trading, do so in the parking lot after the event has concluded. Once you are inside, stay inside until you are ready to leave… no repeat entries will be allowed. We are guests, so arrive on time and enjoy the meeting with us.
3) We are meeting in the Aquarium Gallery and Porthole Banquet room. The rest of the facilities will be closed off, so if you want to see the full series of exhibits, you’ll need to visit between 9am and 5pm on another day.
4) There is room for everyone, including children. Seating capacity is 250-300. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. Please try to keep your children near you and well behaved. Screaming childrens’ voices echo strongly through the gallery, which is irritating to others. Remember we are guests and each one of us represents DFWMAS, and we want to continue our good relationship with the staff at the DWA for future events.

Address: 1801 N Griffin St., Dallas, TX 75202

Time: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

After the presentation has concluded, a brief Question & Answer period will take place. Following that, we will then hold our famous Raffle, where everyone has a chance to win some great prizes.

Links:
Official Site: http://www.dwazoo.com/d/
A few images from a previous visit: http://www.melevsreef.com/dwa_visit.html

What is a frag swap? It’s the opportunity to buy or trade coral FRAGments with one another. Getting small pieces from an established colony in home aquaria is often more hardy than what has been taken from the ocean. Get a few frags from our event and watch them grow in your tank.

Location:
Irving Bible Church
2435 Kinwest Pkwy # 100
Irving, TX 75063

Hours of event:
1-1:30 p.m. for setup
1:30-3:00 p.m. for the swap
3:00-3:30 p.m. Raffle
3:30-4:00 p.m. teardown (clean-up)

RSVP your interest as a seller here:
http://dfwmas.org/Forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=82376

Things to remember to bring:
Towels to clean up your area.
Extension cords, power strips, tape, zip ties, etc. required to set up your area.
Pumps, tubing, containers to both fill and drain your display tanks (if you are using them).
Bags, rubber bands, markers.
Cash / coin to make change with.
Pictures of the parent colonies to showcase what the coral looks like normally. (Prints, Laptop, iPad, Smartphone, Photo-Frame….)

See you there.