Thank you to Nic Frost for all the photos!!

Join us in Portland, Oregon for Fishtoberfest 2024, September 27-29 at the Sojourn Suites by the Portland airport. Extra events to be announced plus limited tickets for a private open house at The Cichlid Exchange. Join us and see special speakers and over 45 vendors. Plus an auction!

For the first time, we will be selling tickets online as well two special field trips! More info to come, but you won’t want to miss this! The Cichlid Exchange will be opening its doors to a lucky few. Field trip tickets can only be purchased online with the purchase of a Fishtoberfest ticket. The Cichlid Exchange Tour is 21+, as drinks will be provided. Also please be aware that no cameras nor phones with cameras will be allowed at the event.

Click Eventbrite link below for tickets. Tickets $8.00 on Eventbrite and $12.00 at the door!

If you plan to stay at the Sojourn Suites Portland Airport, let them know you are going to Fishtoberfest and get the conference room rate! Click the photo to go to their website.

Speakers

Fishtoberfest Speaker Schedule 2024

Saturday, September 28^th

11:00 AM Jebriel Houdrouj

“How Not to Kill Your Plants”

We will discuss how to properly cultivate bucephalandra in the aquarium along with how to properly identify (or try to) the species you’re keeping . I will be sharing a few of the species I have dissected and how I went about identifying them. I will also share a ‘How To’ on growing Bucephalandra terrestrially and cultivating emersed plants. We will go over the difference between ‘Epiphytic & Rheophytic’ plants and how we have been using the incorrect terms for years and the importance of cultivation.

12:30 PM Dr. Andrew Bouwma

“Differences between Freshwater and Saltwater Aquarium Keeping”

Associate Professor, Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University

2:00 PM Barbie Fiorentino

“Spawning Ancistrus & More!”

Barbie Fiorentino has been a long time Pleco enthusiast. From spawning 26 Loricariid species, to moderating at Planet Catfish for more than 20 years, to running her own local fish store for more than 15 years, her enthusiasm for the hobby has been a long term love. Her talk on Spawning Loricariidae has been repeatedly requested by conventions and clubs across the nation.

3:30 PM Lee Newman

“Tropical Fish Adventures in Colombia”

Encompassing Amazon, Orinoco and coastal Pacific drainages, Colombia is a highly diverse country, with over 400 species of tropical fish exported for the ornamental trade. In part one, the presentation details the habitats, and in a few cases, the husbandry of the fishes encountered in the Rio Magdalena and some of the piedmont streams of the Rio Meta drainage. It will also cover some of the sightseeing adventures, and the amazing food. About the only thing as warm as the weather (in some parts) was our hosts and the Colombian people we met.

5:00 PM Dr. Anthony Mazeroll

“Amazon Research Center”

At the core of our mission is the research and support of sustainable ornamental fish aquaculture utilizing sound conservation practices with improved economic development for the local fisherman. We are well established and are registered with CONCYTEC, the governing body responsible for directing, promoting, and coordinating actions in the fields of science, technology, and research as well as having official standing with Peruvian Customs as an authorized receiving center for confiscated aquatic animals.

Sunday, September 29^th

11:00 AM Dr. Eric Thomas

“Talking About Talking Catfishes, Care & Breeding Amblydoras nauticus”

Eric Thomas started keeping fish around 1970, at about 8 years old. With his older brother Bill, Eric kept and bred mouth-brooding cichlids (Geophagus and several Lake Malawi mbuna including Labeotropheus trewavasae, Maylandiazebra and Melanochromis auratus), along with Steatocraneus casuarius… and convict cichlids (who doesn’t start with convicts?). Eric and Bill were members of the now-defunct Tri-City Aquarium Society of Southern California. In college, Eric studied captive husbandry of vertebrates; with his mentor Professor Rudolfo Ruibal at UC Riverside, in 1978 Eric was the first person to breed the Budgett’s frog Lepidobatrachus laevis in captivity. In Dr. Ruibal’s lab, Eric learned about and began studying skin glands and their function. Eric went on to earn a Ph.D. under Dr. Paul Licht at UC Berkeley, studying reproductive endocrinology and the influence of sex hormones on frog skin glands. Currently, Eric is an associate professor of Biology, co-chair and director of graduate studies for the Biological Sciences Department at University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Eric’s research is split between reproductive pheromone production Hymenochirus frogs and self-poisoning in Corydoras catfishes, and recently he’s started studying Microglanis bumblebee catfishes in Peru.

At home, Eric’s interests are keeping and breeding catfish, primarily Corydoras, Loricariids, Auchenipterids, and most recently keeping Microglanis; Eric is perhaps best known for having bred some oddball catfish, including the South American banjo catfish Bunocephalus coracoideus, the African bumblebee catfish, Microsynodontis sp. `Nigeria` and the marbled talking catfish, Amblydoras nauticus. Between home and work, Eric runs up to 35 aquaria and currently has over 40 species of catfish. Eric operates a YouTube Channel (Bekateen) and FaceBook page (Bekateen’s FishRoom) for sharing his knowledge and experiences with fellow fish keepers; he is also a moderator on PlanetCatfish.com. For seven years Eric served as the program coordinator for the Sacramento Aquarium Society.

12:30 PM Lawrence Kent

“Finding Cichlids and Catfish All Over Africa: 18 years and 18 countries.”

Lawrence has been collecting and photographing tropical fish in dozens of countries all over the world for the past twenty years, mainly in Africa. During this presentation, he’ll leverage some of his cichlid encounters to dredge up old stories about his monkey, a plane crash, and youthful stupidities.