Catfish Cataclysm 2019!!!!

[Megan McGuire]

Hello all you catfish lovers!
Plans are going well for this year's event. Our website is all updated and ready for registrations. The event will be the weekend of September 13-15 in Madison, WI (USA). We have a facebook group where announcements (including contests) are announced that we'd love to have you join.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/catfish.cataclysm/

I'm not sure if I get notifications from this forum, so please email me if you have any questions chairman@catfish-cataclysm.com

Speakers this year include:
Rajanta Sinardja Rahardja
Rajanta Sinardja Rahardja started the Bellenz Fish Farm with his wife Juliawati in 1999. Bellenz Fish Farm produces Tanganyikan Cichlids and South American Plecostomus, such as the Hypancistrus zebra (L046). He and his wife were the invited speakers at three consecutive L-Number Days in Hanover, Germany. In 2014, Rajanta and his wife were also invited to the Universidade Federal do Pará in Altamira, Brazil to share their knowledge of breeding Plecostomus as a mass produced fish and to provide assistance setting up a breeding facility to breed many of the river Rio Xingu’s endemic fish species. Rajanta holds a MBA from the University at Buffalo, New York, USA.

Rob McLure
With over 25 years of experience keeping fish, he has tried virtually everything from big cichlids to mini reefs. Rob has bred more than 70 species of aquarium fish and currently maintains more than 50 tanks. He has focused almost exclusively on Corydoras for the past 3 years and has managed to breed nearly 40 species in the Corydoradinae group to date. He has more than 80 types of Corydoradinae fish in his home and has been told by friends and family that he most likely qualifies as an addict of some sort!

Mark Walters (Catfish Study Group)
Mark has kept fish for 36 years and currently maintains 40+ tanks. He is chairman of the Catfish Study Group (CSG), and among his many breeding accolades you’ll find rare Scleromystax and Loricariids. A surprise Christmas present of a three-foot tank from his parents really took the hobby off for him. It was not an empty tank and equipment from a pet shop – it was a fully stocked aquarium from an ad in the local press, which was carried half-filled up the stairs and into his bedroom for Christmas morning! He spent the next few months learning about the fish in the tank and regularly discovering new ones. He was hooked and at 13 he was working in his first job at a local fish shop, had joined an aquarium society and took a much greater interest in science at school. This led to a more serious academic pursuit through degrees at University and his first ‘real’ job as a Fisheries Scientist. Mark holds a M.Sc. in Aquatic Biology.

Birger Kamprath (planetcatfish.com)
Birger has been keeping fish for 45 years. He specializes in the Mochokid catfish of Africa, a fascinating group of species that offer challenges in understanding the care and breeding of this family of fish.He serves as a moderator and expert on African catfish for the website PlanetCatfish.com.

Mike Tuccinardi (Amazonas Magazine)
I need to get an updated bio on Mike (sorry, Mike), but so far here is what I have:
Mike is a senior editor and publisher of Coral & Amazonas magazines. He has been a aquarium fish industry professional, writer/photographer, and consultant for many years. He has traveled extensively and has an intimate knowledge of ornamental fisheries and supply chains with a focus on the Amazon Basin and South/Southeast Asia. Mike is currently pursuing a Master's in Fisheries and Aquatic Science from University of FL. Advisory board member, Project Piaba, steering committee member IUCN Freshwater Fish Specialist Home Aquarium Fish Sub-group (HAFSG).