The Southern California Killifish Club annual Summer BBQ will be in Fallbrook on Saturday, May 23, at Noon. As one of the club’s largest and most anticipated gatherings of the year, this event offers a unique social experience for the community. The club will provide a full lunch for all attendees, and guests can enjoy the comfortable shaded deck or tour the onsite fish and herp house. The highlight of the day is a massive auction featuring a far greater selection of killifish than what is typically available at regular monthly meetings. It is a premier opportunity to acquire rare species and connect with fellow hobbyists.
Please contact the club if you have not received an invitation
Next Saturday, April 11th, SCKC will be running table #27 at the Coast Aqua Swap in Fountain Valley.
This is an incredible recruitment opportunity for our club. Last year, the turnout was a few hundred people throughout the day, far more than regularly attend COAST or any of our normal fish club meetings. It’s a great chance to sell fish and introduce new people to the club!
To make this a success, we are looking for volunteers to help run the table and members who want to sell fish.
Selling Fish & Drop-Off Option
If you have extra fish, this is a great venue to move them. Sellers keep 100% of the proceeds from anything they sell at the SCKC table.
Pricing: We recommend selling killifish and wild-type fish at $20 per pair. This is the easiest price for quick sales without making change. If you prefer to sell fish at other prices, it would be best to sell them in multiples of $5.
Drop-Offs Welcome: If you can’t stay to volunteer, you can drop off your fish and we will sell them on your behalf! Just clearly label each bag with your name and your desired sales price ($20 will be the default if not marked). We will tally up the totals by seller and send you the proceeds at the after the event.
Unsold Fish: If you have fish left over at the end of the day and do not claim them, they can be optionally entered into the COAST live auction (the auction split is 75/25 for COAST members and 50/50 for non-members). Alternatively, unclaimed fish can be donated to future SCKC events, the upcoming SAKE event, or other AKA events.
Volunteering & Admission Details
General admission to the event is $15. Our table registration includes two free admissions, and the club should be able to reimburse the $15 admission fee for those who volunteer their time to help at the SCKC table.
Table Space & Scheduling: The table we have booked is 6 feet long, which means we only have space for 2-3 volunteers behind it at any given time.
As a bonus, all volunteers and vendors are invited to a Pizza Party Dinner hosted by Palmstreet App from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM!
Event Logistics for Volunteers & Sellers
If you are helping out or dropping off fish, please review the following logistics:
Setup Time: 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM.
Parking: Once unloaded, all cars must be moved to the Fountain Valley High School (F.V.H.S.) parking lot by 9:30 AM to 9:45 AM.
Check-In (Before 10:00 AM): Go to the VIP admission line entrance. Check in to confirm our table payment and receive your vendor lanyard/volunteer wristband.
Late Arrivals (After 10:00 AM Setup): If you arrive after setup hours, please wait in the VIP admission line and message us so a club officer can come to the entrance to check you in and hand off a wristband.
The Southern California Killifish Club (SCKC) is significantly expanding its presence at the Los Angeles Pet Fair on July 11–12, 2026.
This year, the club is quadrupling its footprint with a dedicated 400 square foot booth featuring innovative, upgraded display systems specifically designed to showcase killifish pairs in high visibility, lightweight setups.
Following a strong surge in community interest and new memberships at the last event, SCKC will again offer various beginner-friendly species accompanied by detailed care guides to help bridge the gap between the general public and the specialist hobby.
We invite all aquarium enthusiasts to visit our booth for a weekend of outreach, education, and beautiful livestock.
The AKA 2026 Convention will be held in St. Louis, MO June 12 – 14, 2026.
The AKA convention is the national killifish event of the year. It is held in different cities each year, depending on which affiliate club successfully bids to host it. This event is attended by killifish enthusiasts from all over the US, Canada and from other countries. It starts on the Friday evening, with talks on Friday and Saturday. There is a show in which many species of killifish, ranging from the common to the very rare, are there for display and for judging.
On Sunday the big auction takes place, with hundreds of pairs of killifish, including all those in the show, are for sale. If you want to see and acquire killies, this is the place to do it! But most of all, this is a wonderful opportunity to socialize with fellow killie enthusiasts.
Hosted by St Louis Area Killifish Association (SLAKA) and Missouri Aquarium Society Incorporated (MASI)
Convention features: 5 Speakers & Workshops, 4 Field Trips, 16 Class Fish Show, Huge Vendor Room, Friendly Hospitality Room, Awards Banquet, both Fish Auction and SWAP/Box Sales!
2026 Program: ●Frans Vermeulen: Twice: Killifish of South America & Running my Fishroom ●Michi Tobler, PhD: Fish Ecology, Evolution and Conservation ●Brendan Tubbs: Rice Fish and Tubbing ●Andrej Spec, MD: Propagating aquarium plants for Killifish ●Mike Hellweg: Cultivating live foods for Killifish Collecting Trips & Tours ● Thurs, June 11 Fundulus zebrinus Collecting* ● Fri, June 12 Tobler Fish Lab ● Fri, June 12 MultiFishroom Visit ● Mon, June 15 MO Natives Collecting*
SHOW Classes: 1: New World Non-Annuals 2: Rivulus 3: South American Annuals 4: Nothobranchius 5: Fundulopanchax, omitting Paraphysemion 6: Fundulopanchax, only Paraphysemion 7: Blue Gularis 8: Mesoaphyosemion, omitting Calliurium types 9: Mesaphyosemion, only Calliurium types 10: Chromaphyosemion 11: Archiaphysemion, Scriptsemion & Nimbopanchax 12: Aphyosemion, & All Others 13: Epiplatys 14: All Other Old World 15: Matched Breeding Pairs 16: Digital Photography
MAILING SHOW ENTRIES Register Show fish after January 1 using the early fish registration program on the AKA web site. Late submissions may also be registered when fish arrive with you at the convention.
Ship to: Jack Heller 14212 Trailtop Drive Chesterfield, MO 63017 Phone: 314-576-5111 Email: hellerjackl@aol.com
All mail-ins must be received by Wednesday, June 11, 2026. The list of fish and contact info MUST be included in the shipping container and also included in an Email to Jack providing him the Container tracking information.
Display tanks are generally 2 gallon Critter Keepers – larger tanks will be found for the occasional oversized fish.
Show Site & Hotel Rooms Holiday Inn Airport West 3400 Rider Trail South Earth City, MO 63045
Guest Amenities: Include breakfast buffet, indoor pool, exercise room, bar and restaurant. The room rate is $135 + tax for a King or 2 Queen beds when mentioning the AKA Convention. Call 314-291-6800 or use their website to make reservations. Limited Rooms with AKA Rate so RESERVE EARLY.
Free Shuttle to/from the St. Louis Airport provided by the Hotel.
Convention Registration ● Adult – Before May 1 = $50 ● Adult – After May 1 = $65 ● Juvenile, 12-16 yr = $20 ● Each Collecting* Trip/Tour = $10 (*Collecting Trip requires MO Fishing Permit, $9/day, found at MO WalMart or online) ● Awards Banquet TBD, see website: www.aka.org
Convention Sponsorships! Sponsor Level: ● Show Class Sponsor – $100 ● Speaker Sponsor – $50 ● Convention Donor – $25 ● Gold $1,000 Product or $500 Cash ● Silver $500 Product or $250 Cash ● Bronze $250 Product or $125 Cash
Commit Sponsorships before May 1 for appropriate Gratis Registration and Convention advertising!
Other Offerings ● Swap Day Table $25 ● T-Shirt: Child, Adult, Manly $TBD Watch Website ● Convention Booklet AD Full Page – $50 Half Page – $25
SAKE is the annual Southwest Aquarium Keepers Event and is a one-day public conference for aquarium hobbyists. SAKE features programs by prominent people on a variety of topics, a raffle, and both silent and regular auctions. Admission is free.
When: April 11, 2026
Where: Sun City West Foundation 14465 W R H Johnson Blvd Sun City West, AZ 85375
Our next meeting is around the corner this Saturday, March 28th at 2:00 PM. Our host this month is Bonnie Person at Verdant Vivariums.
Verdant Vivariums is in the process of relocating from Fountain Valley to Corona. Please note that the shop is not officially open to the public yet in the new space, but Bonnie has assured us there will be a great spot ready for the club to meet!
This will be a great opportunity to check out the new shop and catch up. Verdant Vivariums primarily focuses on terrestrial plants, but has dart frogs and some fish on display.
When
Saturday, March 28th
Meeting starts: 2:00 PM
Where
Verdant Vivariums (New Location)
910 W. 6th St. Corona, CA 92882
Parking: Please be aware that 6th Street in Corona gets very busy. Fortunately, there is a large, free public parking lot located directly across the street from Verdant Vivariums for your convenience.
We’re back in January starting on the 3rd Saturday of the month at the home of one of our club members close to LAX. As usual, we will auction fish.
Thank you again to everyone who attended our December meeting and Annual SCKC Holiday Party, especially to those who brought food and drinks for the potluck. It was a great turnout and a fun way to wrap up the year.
Tacos will be served from the same caterer as the August BBQ. If you have not received an email with the address and invitation details, please leave a message with SCKC and introduce yourself.
Meeting Notes This meeting will most likely be held indoors due to the cold. Please note Ray has a large (well-behaved) dog and a parrot. The dog may be in another room for the meeting, but be aware if you have pet allergies.
Pre-registering helps us start the meeting smoothly. We’ll have the label printer at the event as usual.
A few reminders:
• Sellers: please register early. • Proxy bidding will be available online for SCKC members and select guests. Proxy bidders must arrange pickup or shipping with someone attending. • Need help? Visit: https://socalkillie.club/meeting-and-auction/ Or email: socalkillifish@gmail.com
We hope to see you there for tacos, fish, and a great afternoon with the club!
On July 27, 2024 David Huie presented on Fish Rooms at a joint meeting with SCAPE and SCKC. Here’s a summary of the key points he covered:
Stands
Weight Considerations: Water weighs 8.34 lbs per gallon. When accounting for the tank and substrate, the total weight is approximately 10-12 lbs per gallon.
Volume Measurements: A 4x4x4 inch cube holds about 1 liter (2.2 lbs) of water. One gallon is 231 cubic inches, and a cubic foot of water weighs 62.4 lbs.
Material Choices: Wood and metal stands are both suitable. When making a wood stand, use stainless steel screws (not nails) so the stand can be easily disassembled or adjusted. Stainless steel is important because certain metals will corrode. Never use plywood or particle board to hold weight because these materials deform or degrade in water. The exception is as a surface under the tank if it’s supported by something else.
Aeration
Centralized Air System: Opt for a PVC pressure loop with an input from a large pump. A system that is end-to-end and not a loop requires you to re-adjust all the valves when you change one valve. A pressure loop equalizes the pressure in the whole system and greatly reduces the need to adjust valves. Valves can be added by drilling holes into the PCV loop.
You may need to tap the PVC with a special drill bit to create threads for the valve to bite into. Use a bleed valve so unused air does not build up pressure and damage the pump.
Pressure Requirements: Calculate ~0.5 psi per foot of depth to match water pressure, plus an additional 2 psi for airflow.
Volume requirements: Calculate about 1 liter per min per air stone to create a current. Less for sponge filters or less vigorous aeration
Air Pumps
Regular Air Pumps (1-3 tanks): Examples are pumps like the Whisper-series by Tetra.
Linear Diaphragm Pumps (40-60 tanks): Powerful but loud and hot; inexpensive.
Linear Piston Pumps (40-60 tanks): Quiet, efficient, ideal for indoor spaces; more expensive but can be cheaper if bought as “septic air pump.”
Air Blowers (60+ tanks): High-powered but loud; difficult to find lower outputs and they output directly into PVC.
Heating
You can either use aquarium heaters or heat the room. If you heat the room, humidity is less of a problem than if you heat the water. The water temperature will be a few degrees cooler than the air temperature due to evaporation. Using electric heaters is not as cost effective as natural gas if you’re heating a space. Heating the water directly will cause more evaporation and humidity than heating the air in the room. When using gas to heat the room, test the air for dangerous gasses such as carbon monoxide.
Plumbing and Water Supply
If you’re using Reverse Osmosis, you can plumb the system so the RO water goes into one tank and the heavily mineralized waste water goes into a separate tank. If you choose not to use dechlorinator, it takes about 1 week for chlorine and chloramines to evaporate out of the water. Elevating the holding tanks to the top of the fish room allows you to use gravity for water changes.
If you own the house or your landlord allows it, you can plumb a water source directly into the fish room. Plumbing is relatively easy, but learning the names for different tools, valves, and fittings can be challenging
Do not cut copper pipes with a hacksaw. There are inexpensive tools to cut metal and PVC tubing cleanly. It’s also a good idea to add a valve where you cut into copper pipe so water can be shut off locally.
The depth PVC pipes are inserted into PCV Joints is always the diameter of the pipe.
PVC solvent is not glue. It dissolves the plastic and cures to form a bond.
PEX and Sharkbite fittings make plumbing much easier, but can be expensive and the longevity is unknown. Be careful bending PEX too sharply around corners.
When working with copper fittings, use two wrenches: one for the fitting and a second to hold the pipe in place. If you use one wrench and enough force, the copper pipe can bend which is an expensive problem to fix.
Water Pump
A submersible sump pump can drain water down to about 1/8 inch. Attach a hose to the pump and direct the waste water to water plants or into a drain. The pump has a base with openings cut around the bottom to prevent the water from forming a whirlpool.
Electricity
Water pumps use about 30% more than their rated wattage due to inefficiencies. Eg. a 1hp pump (746 watts) will use about 1,000 watts.
Install GFCI outlets for anything powering an aquarium.
Safety: Install GFCI outlets for any aquarium equipment. Avoid assuming wire colors are correct; always verify connections. Never trust wire colors alone because it is dangerous to assume the last person to do work on the house used the right wires.
Miscellaneous
You can bend PVC pipe very easily by heating it. If you cut open an old toaster oven, it can be used to heat PCV pipe for bending. Fill the pipe with sand or salt to prevent it from kinking when you bend it.
Kitchen and bathroom faucets have a valve for hot and cold water called an “angle stop”. This valve can be replaced with a T-valve connected to a hose to make water changes easier. This is superior to “Python-style” fittings that connect to the faucet (you need to remove the aerator), which are made of plastic and are not durable.
On July 27, 2024 David Huie presented on Fish Rooms at a joint meeting with SCAPE and SCKC. Here’s a summary of the key points he covered:
Stands
Weight Considerations: Water weighs 8.34 lbs per gallon. When accounting for the tank and substrate, the total weight is approximately 10-12 lbs per gallon.
Volume Measurements: A 4x4x4 inch cube holds about 1 liter (2.2 lbs) of water. One gallon is 231 cubic inches, and a cubic foot of water weighs 62.4 lbs.
Material Choices: Wood and metal stands are both suitable. When making a wood stand, use stainless steel screws (not nails) so the stand can be easily disassembled or adjusted. Stainless steel is important because certain metals will corrode. Never use plywood or particle board to hold weight because these materials deform or degrade in water. The exception is as a surface under the tank if it’s supported by something else.
Aeration
Centralized Air System: Opt for a PVC pressure loop with an input from a large pump. A system that is end-to-end and not a loop requires you to re-adjust all the valves when you change one valve. A pressure loop equalizes the pressure in the whole system and greatly reduces the need to adjust valves. Valves can be added by drilling holes into the PCV loop.
You may need to tap the PVC with a special drill bit to create threads for the valve to bite into. Use a bleed valve so unused air does not build up pressure and damage the pump.
Pressure Requirements: Calculate ~0.5 psi per foot of depth to match water pressure, plus an additional 2 psi for airflow.
Volume requirements: Calculate about 1 liter per min per air stone to create a current. Less for sponge filters or less vigorous aeration
Air Pumps
Regular Air Pumps (1-3 tanks): Examples are pumps like the Whisper-series by Tetra.
Linear Diaphragm Pumps (40-60 tanks): Powerful but loud and hot; inexpensive.
Linear Piston Pumps (40-60 tanks): Quiet, efficient, ideal for indoor spaces; more expensive but can be cheaper if bought as “septic air pump.”
Air Blowers (60+ tanks): High-powered but loud; difficult to find lower outputs and they output directly into PVC.
Heating
You can either use aquarium heaters or heat the room. If you heat the room, humidity is less of a problem than if you heat the water. The water temperature will be a few degrees cooler than the air temperature due to evaporation. Using electric heaters is not as cost effective as natural gas if you’re heating a space. Heating the water directly will cause more evaporation and humidity than heating the air in the room. When using gas to heat the room, test the air for dangerous gasses such as carbon monoxide.
Plumbing and Water Supply
If you’re using Reverse Osmosis, you can plumb the system so the RO water goes into one tank and the heavily mineralized waste water goes into a separate tank. If you choose not to use dechlorinator, it takes about 1 week for chlorine and chloramines to evaporate out of the water. Elevating the holding tanks to the top of the fish room allows you to use gravity for water changes.
If you own the house or your landlord allows it, you can plumb a water source directly into the fish room. Plumbing is relatively easy, but learning the names for different tools, valves, and fittings can be challenging
Do not cut copper pipes with a hacksaw. There are inexpensive tools to cut metal and PVC tubing cleanly. It’s also a good idea to add a valve where you cut into copper pipe so water can be shut off locally.
The depth PVC pipes are inserted into PCV Joints is always the diameter of the pipe.
PVC solvent is not glue. It dissolves the plastic and cures to form a bond.
PEX and Sharkbite fittings make plumbing much easier, but can be expensive and the longevity is unknown. Be careful bending PEX too sharply around corners.
When working with copper fittings, use two wrenches: one for the fitting and a second to hold the pipe in place. If you use one wrench and enough force, the copper pipe can bend which is an expensive problem to fix.
Water Pump
A submersible sump pump can drain water down to about 1/8 inch. Attach a hose to the pump and direct the waste water to water plants or into a drain. The pump has a base with openings cut around the bottom to prevent the water from forming a whirlpool.
Electricity
Water pumps use about 30% more than their rated wattage due to inefficiencies. Eg. a 1hp pump (746 watts) will use about 1,000 watts.
Install GFCI outlets for anything powering an aquarium.
Safety: Install GFCI outlets for any aquarium equipment. Avoid assuming wire colors are correct; always verify connections. Never trust wire colors alone because it is dangerous to assume the last person to do work on the house used the right wires.
Miscellaneous
You can bend PVC pipe very easily by heating it. If you cut open an old toaster oven, it can be used to heat PCV pipe for bending. Fill the pipe with sand or salt to prevent it from kinking when you bend it.
Kitchen and bathroom faucets have a valve for hot and cold water called an “angle stop”. This valve can be replaced with a T-valve connected to a hose to make water changes easier. This is superior to “Python-style” fittings that connect to the faucet (you need to remove the aerator), which are made of plastic and are not durable.
