SCKC will meet at a member’s home Saturday June 27th in Jurupa Valley, CA.
If you are not a member or have not received the club email newsletter, please contact the club for an invitation to attend.
Author: kenmurch@gmail.com
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2026-05-23 Annual BBQ in Fallbrook, CA
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
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2026-04-11 COAST Aquaswap in Fountain Valley
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.
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2026-07-11 (Sat & Sun) Los Angeles Pet Fair in Pomona
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. -
2026-06-12 AKA Convention in St. Louis
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 PhotographyMAILING 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 -
2026-04-25 SAKE (Phoenix AZ)
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 85375Registration opens January 12, 2026.
Speakers
Greg Sage on selective fish breedingJohn Aspega on conservation/rehoming
Dr. Ron Harlan on killfishes
Chuck Rambo on dwarf cichlids
See the SAKE Facebook group for details and updates – https://www.facebook.com/groups/541562413991851