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I have a fish club at school about everything and anything fish and can keep my 9 members interested for a while,but need some suggestions to get their attention.Any suggestions??

Yup. I'm that crazy Twilight/animal/music girl

Contests!

Breeder awards!

Display tanks with credits to the creators and maintainers!

Have members talk about different aspects of the hobby or bring in speakers.

Talk to your local fish club to see how they run their programs.



__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Depending were you live, maybe you could go to breeding farms or maybe there's a species breeder in the area.

Djrichie
"So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams

What is the average age of your members?

Do you have an expense account?

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There is always a bigger fish...

Yeah, showcase tanks. Post pix to club website. Voting for winners gets people involved

Competition to stock theme/dream tanks
ie for Halloween etc ...... or in school team colours

Online Polls (new poll every two weeks), size tank that is most popular, fish keeping vs breeding, most popular fish kept, ornamental vs natural setups, what was your first fish, what is the most popular substrate etc

Top 5 tips for fish keeping (stuff we wish someone told us when we were starting out)

Famous faces.... what fish would celebs be or keep

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

So far my aquarium club has had a field trip to a local koi farm and aquarium manufacturer, a christmas party,
and showcases of local aquarium stores (aquarium hops).
We have month photo of the month contests supported with a cash award from one of our sponsors (fish store).
We have giveaways via sponsors every meeting, which is once monthly.
We also are planning fish shows, trip to the local aquarium, and other field trips.


Come Play Yahtzee With Me!
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Ah, fish societies. Been there, done that.

It all depends how far you are going to go with this.

If this is part of your school activities, then the first thing I'd suggest you do is find a member of the teaching staff who is also a fishkeeper. Nothing like getting the powers that be to support your enterprise.

Next, find other local fishkeepers who are willing to put some time and effort into helping your fish club keep going. If any of you have parents who are also fishkeepers, this is a big plus point, because parents have that ever so desirable commodity called "money". An enterprise of this sort would probably benefit from having someone with a bit of financial know how come along and lend a hand pro bono as it were.

If you're looking for guest speakers to come along and wow your audience with scintillating guest lectures, then one good place to start is the various national fish societies. Now since I don't know which country you're living in, I can give some pointers that might be of use here, but these will only be really useful if you're in the UK or the US. Places to look up include:

[1] Federation of British Aquarium Socieites if you're in the UK - they'll have a list of fish societies who could possibly provide the odd guest speaker, be able to tell you what's close to your local area, and who's engaged in breeding anything spectacular (e.g., endangered Madagascan Cichlids);

[2] If you're in the US, you're looking at addressing a brace of different specialist socieites, as I'm not aware of an umbrella organisation covering ALL fishkeeping (though there should be one if only to maintain such things as show and judging standards for fish shows). Good places to start would be the American Cichlid Association and the American Killifish Association - they'll be MUCH more knowledgeable about these things Stateside than I am. In addition, the ACA has a couple of VERY interesting members, including Rusty Wessel, who has a Cichlid named after him (namely Theraps wesseli) and who features among the professionals in The Cichlid Room website.

Now, as to guest speakers, local enthusiasts have the advantage of being [1] easily available, and [2] are more likely to do this sort of thing for free. On the other hand, 'big name' speakers, while they usually command a fee for appearances, have the other advantage that you can invite other fishkeepers to attend the occasion (charging a fee at the door while you're at it to help finance the cost of the speaker, with a little bit left over!). However, you should DEFINITELY seek teaching assistance with regard to sending correspondence to someone such as Ad Konings or Rusty Wessel, as these people are in HUGE demand, often travel internationally (Ad Konings regularly flies out to Africa to collect his own Rift Lake Cichlids for example) and are likely more often than not to have VERY full diaries.

Another good place to write off to for help is the fishkeeping magazines. Practical Fishkeeping in the UK, or TFH in the States, are usually only too willing to help budding young aquarists get into the hobby seriously, partly because you're their future source of income! If there's one thing that motivates the guy who answers the letters to these magazines, it's the thought that you and your other club members could become subscribers for the next 50 years or so.

Incidentally, now is a good time to find out how a fish society outside school works. Because, if you plan on carrying on this kind of activity once you've left school, there's a whole brace of topics to master - including boring but very necessary things such as setting up a constitution, election of officers, handling of finances, what breaks the tax system gives to your society as a charitable organisation etc., etc. All this stuff sounds miles away from the fun of fishkeeping, but learning NOW about these issues and finding out how to keep a fish society going in the outside world will stand you in VERY good stead not only from the standpoint of your fishkeeping (for one thing it'll teach you to be more organised and to plan ahead, which is something I keep hammering on here as being a vital aspect of good fishkeeping) but it'll also look VERY good on your resume when you're older and you start looking for work, because it'll show you've been willing to get out there and do responsible, grown up things that will make employers want to hire you (and pay you more!). Few things impress the guy in the suit more than [1] someone who devotes themselves to an activity with a reasonable amount of intellectual input, especially when that develops the kind of skills he's looking for, and [2] someone who shows that they're willing to deal with the 'boring' stuff as well as the intersting stuff. Being able to deliver a presentation on how you built your society up from scratch, and took advantage of tax legislation to give it a financial boost is going to be music to the guy's ears, because he'll know that you've got functioning brain cells. Even better, if you go out in 7 or 8 years' time and tell the guy behind the desk that you arranged corporate sponsorship for your enterprise, well, the world is your oyster so to speak!

Yes, there's a lot of work to be done keeping a show like this on the road, but that's part of the fun. And the stuff you learn now will [1] give you the skills you need to make your fishkeeping more successful so that should the day arrive when you can start thinking about breeding freshwater Stingrays, you'll be likely to start the project off with a reasonable degree of success, and [2] it'll give you a head start in the employment queue later on, giving you an edge in getting that better paid job that helps finance your dreams of setting up a 500 gallon Pacific reef in the home.

Finally, before I leave this epic post, one VERY IMPORTANT word I have to pass on is this. GET A TEACHER OR OTHER RESPONSIBLE ADULT IN ON THE ACT. Apart from anything else, a teacher will be aware of various legal bases that need to be covered with regard to the school situation, a parent will by definition be on hand to provide other necessary guidance, and if one of you happens to have a parent in the legal profession who's prepared to devote some pro bono time to making sure everything is watertight, even better still. Ultimately you'll need adult backup so that you can have fun without breaking eggs.

Right, I think I've covered most of the things you need to consider. Anything I've missed will doubtless be filled out in due course by the other FP members.



Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Hi everyone,
I'm only 11 so don't be too mature about it.How do you even make a website??The whole reason I started the club is because my town never had one,so i want to posion others minds with fishy goodness.Maybe spread the Multiple Tank Syndrome[which i have an overwhelming case of...lol]We have a membership fee of $10 a year,Or if your just starting,$15 plus the yearly fee.[If i count it all up it's $225 for this year] Hopefully I can get the fees by the end of the month...

Yup. I'm that crazy Twilight/animal/music girl

Lucky, you actually have a fish club! If i lived where you lived i wish i could join!

Another good way to increase the fish club, is to tell them to get on FP right away! After all, FP is in the top 3 aquarium sites! Try to convince them to keep note of the parks, lakes, and natural/wild places and streams and rivers, as you can see the wild fish that live in your area. Also try to get in contact with your local newspaper to advertise and maybe you could even help in re-population a threatened river, or a species of plant or fish.

Also, try to tell the local fish stores about it, because it is an almost 99.99% chance that they will advertise for you, because more enthusiasts, more business! Also, try to stay at a fixed source and be loyal to a few stores, as this will also help in the advertisement and positive feedback of the local citizens. Also, try to start an "adoption fund" where you will adopt fish that people dont want anymore, and give them a better home.

Next to that, try breeding and selling beautiful fish to the LFS, and advertise at festivals, or religious buildings. Try to get a place where
you can meet all the time. Have monthly themes or monthly giveaways, and membership prizes. Have a sufficent ranking system, like the one used here. Give out pamphlets, and advertise at your parents work and try to buy rare "display" fish in "display" tanks.

Try to educate as much people as possible, and hopefully, i know you can do it, you will be a great Fish club, known in many places, even statewide!

><> ~=!Vote Today!=~ <><
-----> View My Dragons <-----

Hey shadow... good for you and only 11 huh?

Okay, I didn't want to get too low tech and insult you but if you don't want to make it web based maybe get a pinboard assigned to your club (or a section of one?) to have a comp each month.

Eg members get an A4 page with a pic of a bare tank.
They have to draw/collage content to be as interesting as possible.... and as make believe as they like.... Winning entry can stay on pinboard while next comp runs. (no prizes just the *glory*).... and the displays may get other people interested.

Educating people is good too. A fact of the month. Stuff fish keepers want people to know. eg: goldfish bowls are good for beginners but not the greatest option for fish.... yes, fish need filters.... tappig the glass why it's a no/no......etc.... things that people who keep fish but don't belong to the club may need to know

So did you like any of the ideas so far?

Not all of them cost money or involve people going places unsupervised. Does the club meet monthly or how often?

Anyway, good luck.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

Is there a science room where there could be a tank kept? It could have on it.... "This tank maintained by the Fish Club... meets each Tuesday 3.20pm"

Might be a way of showing fish are cool to look at. People may think zzzzzzzzzz but when they see a tank of yabbies go hey cool

A picture tells a thousand words.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

Of course if you want assistance with web page design, I'm sure there's a few people here who could help. Click on my web page link and see what I've done, for example ...


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

You might want to look into these local clubs for some help, or even joining one of their clubs.

Aqua Land Aquatic Society
Karl Chadbourne, 231 Bayberry Dr., Bristol, CT 06010
http://www.aqualandtropical.org/xoops/

If it is a far drive, maybe you could get your parents involved and do car pooling with your group.

Here is one I believe is meeting in Hartford, or sometimes in Hartford;
http://www.necichlids.com/board/index.php?action=homepage
And look here, on April 28 they have Tony Orso coming in for a speaker. He really knows his stuff on West Africans. And he always has some great fish to sell/auction. This would definitely be one to go and see. http://www.necichlids.com/board/index.php?action=agenda

Here is a site that has links to most all the clubs in and around your area;
http://www.northeastcouncil.org/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=index

HTH.....

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There is always a bigger fish...

Thanks everyone!!As soon as I'm back from spring break i'll start by having a meeting and discuss all of these ideas!!Any more are welcome!!

Yup. I'm that crazy Twilight/animal/music girl

Oh yes - on a tangential note, if you decide you want a web page for your club, here's something to bear in mind.

Use cascading style sheets.

That way, if your site grows, and you end up with multiple pages in a hierarchy, you can keep a consistent look and feel for them all, by having them all reference the one style sheet.

Remember, the HTML page contains your actual text CONTENT, while the cascading style sheet determines how it LOOKS. Enforce that distinction right from the start, and adding new pages to your site will be a LOT less messy.

Oh, and don't forget to link to FishProfiles if you do put up a web site - as I did! (Click on the little "www" icon at the bottom of this post, head for my page, then have a little browse - the fish section should be a fun one to view ).


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Again thanks everyone!

Yup. I'm that crazy Twilight/animal/music girl

I wish I could join a fish club... But there's none [to my knowledge] in my area.

10G- 6 Zebra Danios, 1 Upside Down Catfish
20G- 1 Goldfish
72G(maybe95)- Need Stock suggestions

FishRock, where do you live? Just your city and state please.

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There is always a bigger fish...

Fishrockmysox,
Start One!!!!!
That's what I did.Use some of the ideas on here!I got 6 members on the first day!!

Yup. I'm that crazy Twilight/animal/music girl