Chicago Killifish Association (ChiKA)

Next Monthly Meeting Saturday Nov 15, 2PM COD Room K131 Click Here for the 2008 Meeting Schedule	Peter Mertens and Poison Dart Frogs Peter will speak at our November 15th meeting on Terrariums, Fruit Fly Cultures and Poison Dart Frogs. He will be bringing fruit fly cultures and some frog culture related items for the mini-auction. This is a topic that is generating a lot of attention these days, and Peter is one of the noted experts in the field.
January 2009 Meeting Saturday Jan 17, 2PM An aquatic plant round table	The January meeting will be an aquatic plant round table. Last year we did something similar with a breeder's round table. (And sometime in the future, with different featured participants, we'll do that again.) Everyone on the panel selected a particular killie or killies, representative of a different major group of killifish. A lot of others got involved in the discussion. Most everyone in attendance came away feeling like they had learned a lot, often had a chance to share or ask questions and spent their time very well. For this meeting, every volunteer will give a brief talk about the care of a favorite plant or group of plants, or discuss the collecting of potential aquarium plants, pond plants that could be used with killies, the care of a particular group of plants using some of the aquatic gardener's practices - fertilizers, CO2 injections, particularly useful lights - or maybe something on the design and set up of beautiful tanks. Please feel free to suggest that you would be willing to spend a couple of minutes addressing something of a green nature at the January meeting. Naturally everyone with extra plants is invited to bring them to the mini-auction at the end of the meeting. 100% of the proceeds go to the persons who brought the auction items. If you are interested in particiating on this informal panel, please e-mail or phone Scott Davis, whenever it is convenient for you. 708-747-5913. Even if you do not wish to be an official panelist, you are most certainly welcome to sit in at the festivities. Killies and eggs and plants and food cultures and killifish gear!
50th Anniversary Chicago Killifish Association Annual Show Results	Well, our 50th Anniversary Chicago Killifish Association Annual Show is now history. I wish to thank all those attending. We had 238 entries and 117 of those were placed into the auction, along with numerous auction-only submittals, so some spectacular bargains were had at the auction. Jaap-Jan deGreef did a wonderful job letting us in on the trials and tribulations of life in Cuba and trying to collect killies there under a very "closed" government, plus some great views of killie habitats in several other countries. Original paintings for all three places in 16 classes plus 3 special awards were donated by Ken McKeighen. His skill at capturing these little jewels has grown over the years and he has recently been placed on a list of the top 20 wildlife artists in America. A truly awesome collection of plants at most reasonable prices were offered by Cory Fry of Baylees Fishees. Everyone seemed to have had a good time and I wish to publicly extend my thanks to Jaap-Jan deGreef and Ken McKeighen.
*Item of Interest*	The DeBruyn Filter Discussions of this filter have resurfaced on Killitalk recently and sparked a lot of interest in their construction. Ken Normandin has taken Henry Debruyns' original ideas, rewritten them into a very nice and readable format, and added some of his own ideas to it. For those interested, Kens' article can be found here.

Were you smiling when you saw the camera?	View pictures of the 2005 Annual show, April 9 & April 10, 2005 *View Pictures of the 2006 Annual Show, March 25 & March 26, 2006* Results of the 2007 Annual Show Pictures of the 2008 Annual Show will be here soon

Next Monthly Meeting

Saturday Nov 15, 2PM COD Room K131

Click Here for the 2008 Meeting Schedule

Peter Mertens and Poison Dart Frogs

Peter will speak at our November 15th meeting on Terrariums, Fruit Fly Cultures and Poison Dart Frogs. He will be bringing fruit fly cultures and some frog culture related items for the mini-auction. This is a topic that is generating a lot of attention these days, and Peter is one of the noted experts in the field.

January 2009 Meeting

Saturday Jan 17, 2PM

An aquatic plant round table

The January meeting will be an aquatic plant round table.

Last year we did something similar with a breeder's round table. (And sometime in the future, with different featured participants, we'll do that again.) Everyone on the panel selected a particular killie or killies, representative of a different major group of killifish. A lot of others got involved in the discussion. Most everyone in attendance came away feeling like they had learned a lot, often had a chance to share or ask questions and spent their time very well.

For this meeting, every volunteer will give a brief talk about the care of a favorite plant or group of plants, or discuss the collecting of potential aquarium plants, pond plants that could be used with killies, the care of a particular group of plants using some of the aquatic gardener's practices - fertilizers, CO2 injections, particularly useful lights - or maybe something on the design and set up of beautiful tanks.

Please feel free to suggest that you would be willing to spend a couple of minutes addressing something of a green nature at the January meeting. Naturally everyone with extra plants is invited to bring them to the mini-auction at the end of the meeting. 100% of the proceeds go to the persons who brought the auction items.

If you are interested in particiating on this informal panel, please e-mail or phone Scott Davis, whenever it is convenient for you. 708-747-5913.

Even if you do not wish to be an official panelist, you are most certainly welcome to sit in at the festivities. Killies and eggs and plants and food cultures and killifish gear!

50th Anniversary Chicago Killifish Association Annual Show Results

Well, our 50th Anniversary Chicago Killifish Association Annual Show is now history. I wish to thank all those attending. We had 238 entries and 117 of those were placed into the auction, along with numerous auction-only submittals, so some spectacular bargains were had at the auction. Jaap-Jan deGreef did a wonderful job letting us in on the trials and tribulations of life in Cuba and trying to collect killies there under a very "closed" government, plus some great views of killie habitats in several other countries. Original paintings for all three places in 16 classes plus 3 special awards were donated by Ken McKeighen. His skill at capturing these little jewels has grown over the years and he has recently been placed on a list of the top 20 wildlife artists in America. A truly awesome collection of plants at most reasonable prices were offered by Cory Fry of Baylees Fishees. Everyone seemed to have had a good time and I wish to publicly extend my thanks to Jaap-Jan deGreef and Ken McKeighen.

Item of Interest

The DeBruyn Filter

Discussions of this filter have resurfaced on Killitalk recently and sparked a lot of interest in their construction. Ken Normandin has taken Henry Debruyns' original ideas, rewritten them into a very nice and readable format, and added some of his own ideas to it.

For those interested, Kens' article can be found here.

Were you smiling when you saw the camera?

View pictures of the 2005 Annual show, April 9 & April 10, 2005

View Pictures of the 2006 Annual Show, March 25 & March 26, 2006

Results of the 2007 Annual Show

Pictures of the 2008 Annual Show will be here soon

Meeting Information Click Here for the 2008 Meeting Schedule

The Chicago Killifish Association (ChiKA) serves not only the Chicago metropolitan area, but now hosts members as far south as central Illinois, western Illinois to Rock Island, and beyond into Iowa, east into Indiana, and north into Wisconsin. ChiKA is an organization of dedicated killifish keepers and breeders. ChiKA is an affiliate of the American Killifish Association (AKA).

The Chicago Killifish Association meets bimonthly on the 3rd Saturday of each odd-numbered month at 2:00 PM (new time) at the College of DuPage (COD) at 22nd St. (also known as Fawell Rd.) and Lambert Rd. We meet in the Open Campus Center, (OCC Building) room K161. Please park in Lot 10.

From the North

Northwest Tollroad (I-90) to the North-South Tollroad (I-355). Get off at Roosevelt Rd (Rt. 38) and go west. Go through Glen Ellyn then turn left (south) onto Lambert Road. Continue until Fawell/ 22nd St. then turn right (west) into lot 10.

From the South & East

Take the East West Tollroad (I-88) to Route 53, exit north. At the first stop light, turn (slant) left onto Park Blvd and continue north to Butterfield Rd. (Rt. 56). Turn left onto Butterfield Rd. and keep an eye out for the quick appearance of Lambert Rd. Turn right (north) onto Lambert Rd. and continue to Fawell/22nd St. Turn Left into Lot 10.

From the West

Take I-88 east. Exit at Naperville Road north to Butterfield Rd. and go right (east) to Lambert Rd. Take a left onto Lambert Rd.

Location Web Links

Meeting Agenda

Club business

Speaker

Raffle

Mini-Auction

The meetings last for about 2 to 3 hours. Some members meet after the club meeting for a bite to eat and further discussion at a nearby restaurant. Currently, we have been meeting at Dennys, 363 S. Schmale Rd, Carol Stream, IL 60188

For more information or to join, contact:

Todd Toerpe, President, by toerpe1@sbcglobal.net

Gene Sladek by email or phone (630-910-7553).

Scott Davis, Secretary, by email or phone (707-747-5913)