FIN-DIG 2023
June 3 - 4, 2023
Sacramento
The FIN-DIG is coordinated by the Sacramento Aquarium Society. This is a two day event featuring:
- Six World Renowned Speakers
- Vendor Room
- Massive Mega Auction
Please contact the FIN-DIG Chairman Nico Greiner if you have any questions.
Vendor Information/Registration - FULL - Contact Nico Greiner if you have any questions.
Online Registration Closed
Registration is available at the door Saturday, June 3rd.
View and download PDF format FIN-DIG flyer.
Speaker Information
Saturday
Dick Au - "70 years in the aquarium fish hobby... still going strong"
Aquarium fish hobbyists face common challenges. Keeping and breeding fish competes with family and career for limited time, energy, space, and financial resources. Dick shares his strategies for selecting and breeding different strains of tropical fish for predictable results. He also discusses how he finds ways to distribute juvenile fish (preferably profitably) in order to enjoy fishkeeping and free up space for future breeding projects, while simultaneously maintaining support from family members and pursuing his career.
It was in the early 1950's when Dick first observed a pair of brown Discus nursing a school of fry at a tropical fish farm in Hong Kong. He was so fascinated by what he saw, for the next sixty plus years, Discus have always been the center piece of his fish room. During his pursuit of knowledge about raising and breeding discus, he visited discus farms in Asia and became acquainted with many pioneers of the discus hobby. Dick is also a master breeder of many aquarium fish species. Dick became a seminar speaker and show judge at various Discus conventions such as ACA, NADA and Aquarama. He is the author of "Back-to-Nature guide to Discus"; "Trophy Discus - The art of Selecting, grooming, and showing discus" as well as many articles for TFH and Amazonas magazines. Dick is a past officer, life member, and auctioneer for the San Francisco Aquarium Society.
Pam Chin - "Swimming with cichlids - Lake Tanganyika"
In this presentation, Pam takes us on a swim with her in the shallow rocky habitat of Lake Tanganyika. Pam will share her best swims and show you the beautiful fish that are found in Lake Tanganyika.
Pam Chin is proof that you don't have to be an ichthyologist, diver or a photographer to have fun chasing cichlids. To see fish in the wild that you have kept in your own aquarium is amazing. Being able to observe fish in their natural habitat has made Pam a better fish keeper. Pam is an Honorary Life Member of the Sacramento Aquarium Society, Pacific Coast Cichlid Association and the American Cichlid Association. She writes about her fish experiences and has been published in the Buntbarsche Bulletin, Cichlidae Communique, Cichlid News and aquarium societies from Australia to Sweden. Pam has received numerous writing awards from the ACA and FAAS, including "Best Continuing Column" and "Author of the Year." Pam is honored to be named a "Fellow" of the American Cichlid Association and the Cichlid Room Companion.
Pam is a founding member of "Babes In The Cichlid Hobby" which works to make a difference in cichlid keeping by raising money (over $190,000.00 to date) for Cichlid Conservation and Cichlid Research.
Jerry Liang - "A tour of Taipei's Aquarium District"
Asian arowanas, freshwater stingrays and platinum alligator gars are just some of the fish you would not normally see at your local fish shop, but they can all be found at Taipei's Aquarium District. Over 20 stores that specialize in fishkeeping are concentrated in just two blocks! In this presentation, Jerry takes you on a tour of the shops, sharing some of the amazing bargains found there and discussing how these shops differentiate themselves from each other.
Jerry Liang started his aquarium hobby at the age of 8 with a 5 gallon tank that kept everything from goldfish to the crayfish he caught. One of happiest moments of his life was when he was able to save up for a 20 gallon complete freshwater setup at the age of 12. After teaching high school Chemistry and Physics for 15 years, Jerry is currently taking a break to manage family affairs. Aside from maintaining a 180 gallon, 46 gallon, and 5 other smaller planted tanks, Jerry serves as the Meeting/Speakers Manager and Treasurer for the San Francisco Aquarium Society. Jerry will be returning to Taiwan in June and plans to go back to Taipei's Aquarium Street to see how things have changed.
Erik Lucas - "Shrimp keeping: An overview of the hobby and guide to successful shrimp tanks"
In this presentation, Erik covers what you need to know for successful shrimp keeping: tank parameters, setups, common pests and diseases. Erik also describes how a shrimp contest works and he gives tips for placing well.
Erik Lucas has been breeding shrimp for the last 12+ years. He started with cherry shrimp in a 55 gallon aquarium in his bedroom, and within a year had over 20 + tanks. In 2014 he founded Buypetshrimp.com out of his house. He currently has over 200 aquariums filled with shrimp between his shop and home. Erik imports the highest quality shrimp from Taiwan and also breeds them in his shop tanks. His shrimp have won numerous awards both in American and international shrimp contests, Including first place finishes in the international shrimp contest as well as the USA contests. Erik has also won the Best of the Best award and Fan Favorite. Erik has judged twice in Germany and hopes to go back soon to judge again. He has been the lead judge of the USA Shrimp Contest for the last 2 years, and will be Judging at the North American International Shrimp Contest In North Carolina on June 10th and 11th.
Chuck Rambo - "The history of the tropical fish hobby"
In this presentation, Chuck will discuss the origins of the hobby from the mid-1800's to the late 1970's to show the technological advancements in aquariums and fishbowls. Fish keeping information on new species as they became available will be discussed as well as an introduction into the new Aquarium and Pet History Museum.
Chuck Rambo has been actively maintaining at least one aquarium for the last 55 years. Over the years he has been involved with many cichlid organizations like the Pacific Coast Cichlid Association and the American Cichlid Association in which he has served in numerous positions. Over the years he has been to south Florida, Peru, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi to observe cichlids and other tropical fish in their native habitat.
Joey Mullen - "My 5 most significant aquarium projects of the last 20 years"
Over the last 20+ years, Joey has created the largest and most popular collection of DIY aquarium videos ever created. However, there were only 5 that shaped his hobby, his career and had a massive impact on the aquatic industry. Without these happening in this specific order, for the specific reasons he will outline, the hobby might look much different today. You will not only discover the build process and how he did it, but for the first time, Joey will tell the stories behind each build, what happened next and the overall impact they had on his hobby and possibly yours.
As one of the most recognizable faces in the aquarium industry, professional aquarium hobbyist Joey Mullen is a top-selling author, keynote speaker and internet content creator, widely known for being the first aquarium channel on YouTube to reach 1 million subscribers with his creation of passionate and energetic videos focusing on "Do it yourself" aquarium projects while also documenting his personal fish tank journey. Joey has amassed over 2 million subscribers to his social media accounts with over 1 billion combined viewers. A father of two residing in Nova Scotia, Canada, Joey can be found taking care of the fish in his aquarium gallery he built or creating memories with his fiancée Tamara, his children Darrius and Hailey, as well as his fur pets "Luke" (the red golden retriever and 2 savanna cats, "Mariah" and "Perseus." Widely known as his internet alias "The King of DIY," Joey specializes in building anything aquarium-related with a passion for discus, stingrays and Asian arowana.
Click schedule to enlarge.