September 2005 Meeting

[PaleoFishGirl]

Dear all,

I've just returned from my first OVAS meeting (most of you are probably stilll there at the auction - I spent all my cash on a membership so I thought I'd better leave rather than inflate bids) and I just wanted to say how impressed I am with the Society.  I am so surprised at both the number of people involved in and the strength of this community.  Kudos to the executive for running such a wonderful show so smoothly, and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at the next meeting (and the Cryptocoryne contest, too  :wink: ).

[Nelson]

Dear all,

I've just returned from my first OVAS meeting (most of you are probably stilll there at the auction - I spent all my cash on a membership so I thought I'd better leave rather than inflate bids) and I just wanted to say how impressed I am with the Society.  I am so surprised at both the number of people involved in and the strength of this community.  Kudos to the executive for running such a wonderful show so smoothly, and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at the next meeting (and the Cryptocoryne contest, too  :wink: ).

It's very kind of you to share your impressions with us.  I also think OVAS as an organization is incredible, but it's the diversity of the individual members that really make it a wonderful and gratifying experience.  Welcome PaleoFishGirl.

[Shouganai]

Going by your name, I'm assuming that you are my former paleontology prof that I saw at the meeting tonight! Welcome, and it was very nice seeing you again - I really enjoyed your class! Hopefully I'll see you at some more meetings - this was only my second meeting myself.

[darkdep]

I also really enjoyed the meeting.  It was great to put some faces to the name on the board, and just chat in general.

The mini-auction was really great, too.

[Quatro]

PaleoFishGirl,

I was disappointed that you didn't know how much wood a wood chuck could chuck.   :lol:

Very nice to meet you.  Hope to see you again at future meetings.

Nice pic of your rainbow in your avatar.

Mike S

[BigDaddy]

I'm just offended that Shouganai and Squeeker didn't properly introduce themselves!

Seriously though... Matt gave you guys away.. nice to have faces to go with the names now.

[squeeker]

Yes, welcome PaleoFishGirl!  Nice to meet you!

Aww, sorry BigDaddy... didn't mean to offend!  Really!  I'm just not real good about striking up a convo...

It is nice to have faces to go with names!  Maybe, at the next meeting, we should go around the room and introduce ourselves or something... though that would have taken a while tonight!  Or, we could all wear nametags with our screen name on them...

The quiz was fun!  No, I'm not saying that just because I won!  And it was nice to see goldfish at the auction!  Even if it was just a feeder...

So, about that plant growing contest... what's the scientific name of the crypt we'll be using?  I want to look it up to see if I should bother trying... my goldfish might just eat it!

[mseguin]

Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia, if I'm not mistaken.

[Shouganai]

Sorry BigDaddy, we are jusy shy! Well, I am at least.

[squeeker]

Woo-hoo!  can survive in low light, cooler water!  I'm in!

[rockgarden]

Just for the record (Canadian way of measuring a gallon):

A cubic foot of water weighs approximately 62.5 pounds and there are approximately 6.25 gallons in each cubic foot and a Canadian gallon weighs about 10 pounds. Calculate the number of cubic feet in your tank, multiply by 6.25 and you have your tank capacity in Canadian gallons and then multiply by 10 to see if it is too heavy to lift.

Now to confuse things a bit, many aquarium books which show a conversion from Canadian to US gallons base their assumptions on a US gallon being 4/5ths of a Canadian Gallon (this calculation method is often consistent with news media approach when comparing gas prices).  The World Almanac has on occassion been guilty of this maladjustment in their publications as has the CIA. Therefore aquarists can be forgiven if confused a bit. These venerable sources of information reach their conclusion (in error I might add) by considering that there are 20 fluid ounces in a Canadian Gallon and only sixteen fluid ounces in an American Gallon (16/20 = 4/5ths, eh).  Unfortunately, the Americans decided when they were setting up their system of measurement that their fluid ounce would contain a greater volume than an Imperial measure fluid ounce. They weren't being spiteful and there was some logic but I can't remember it now. Without bending decimal fractions too much, the American Gallon is closer to 5/6ths of a Canadian Gallon.  Now 5/6ths in decimal terms just happens to be close to .833. Hence the reason that a gallon in aquarium lingo can weigh 8.3 pounds in one book and 10 pounds in another book. An American gallon weighs about 8.3 pounds and a Canadian gallon weighs about 10 pounds. Simple, eh.

Ah, now I feel better. Metric next week!

Alas, the designer duck weed found no new home but I was able to pay for my membership for another year on the proceeds of the overall sales. Thanks to everyone who stayed and bid for my pennywort and java moss (and other equally exciting things).  

For every bag of gravel there is a story. The gentleman who bought my interesting bag of orange gravel at tonight's auction tells me that it is headed for an aquarium in a Grade 3 class.  Hopefully the tank will be set up just in time for Hallowe'en. Thanks to the OVAS mini-auction another good fish story results - keep up the good work.

See you all next month.

Ron

[pegasus]

Two other members, in the back of the room had a score of 12.  

[rockgarden]

The only question that I got completely zero points on was that silly woodchuck question. That was a trick question.  I have a resident of my backyard meeting the description of the so called 'woodchuck' and I have never observed it chucking wood.  Eating vegetable garden goodies, yes.  Eating apples from my apple tree, yes.  Chucking wood, no.  Eating my beautiful designer duckweed, no. I'll have to work on this last one.  I'm sure he just doesn't realize what a delicacy that he is missing.

For further information to support the above tidbits of information, head to the Missouri website where you will find the following revelation:

"Its common name, woodchuck, is an anglicized corruption of an Indian name for this species".

http://www.conservation.state.mo.us/nathis/mammals/woodchuck/

[sarahbella]

And it was nice to see goldfish at the auction!  Even if it was just a feeder...

we were at the meeting last night too, it was so nice to put some faces with some names...  My daughter was the one that brought the goldfish.   She intended to let them go for free but it was nice to see them fetch a buck.    we cant wait for the next meeting...

[darkdep]

Actually, the next quiz should simply be "see how many people you can identify with both their real name and their screen name".  I had a good time figuring that stuff out.

[rockgarden]

And speaking of loaded questions.  I thought that the mbuna boys would create a rift in the club or something over that first question. And where were the caviar fanciers - every public aquarium needs at least one old sturgeon to be king of its display?

[darkdep]

If OVAS ever goes to the dark side, we could have Fish Fights at the meetings.  Bring in your best contenda!

[artw]

we did have nametags at one of the meetings last year, and that was the point to put your screen name on it.  but some people want to be anonymous and thats ok but we are one big happy family

one of these meetings I'll be able to pull myself away from the laptop and socialize a bit. feel free to come up and say hello  

[Aiglos]

Art: recommend to exec council about giving out Directions to out of towners !  I got lost last night going home, ended up taking smyth street and ending up on the 417 on the wrong side of ottawa, it was a long rainy trip home haha. Damn Yahoo maps.

[darkdep]

Aiglos:  What you do is find someone in OVAS (a local) who's on your way who needs to bum a ride, then get directions from them.