Wrapping up the final full day of this year’s Extravaganza. Lots of great talks last night and today – Heinz Buescher, Charley Grimes, Lawrence Kent, Ingo Seidel, and Dan Sharifi.
As you can see from the photo of the convention schedule above, there are plenty of talks and other activities (sorry about the quality. I tried to minimize the glare).
The vendor room is always a popular space at the Extravaganza. This is where vendors sell various aquarium related items, from fish to thermometers and everything in between. In fact, you can even buy fish artwork.
Vendors such as Sam “Scalz” Garcia, Jr., Swiss Tropicals, Chris’s Fishes, Leask Aquatics, and ZooMed were present this year, just to name a few. Because the vendors want to take as few of their products as possible back with them after the event, most will “negotiate” prices. I get some great deals every year.
See the video below of this year’s vendor room.
One of the most fun and entertaining aspects of the annual Extravaganza is the in-room fish sales. The convention hotel allows registered convention guests to sell fish and other items from their rooms. As such, you merely need to walk down the hotel room corridors and look for open doors. Many of the attendees who sell from their rooms leave their doors open all day, inviting you in to see what they have. Often, you’ll find the door frames decorated with lights and other items to get your attention. Inside, you’ll see fish tanks, plastic tubs, tank stands, tank racks, and many other containers all with the same purpose – to display fish for sale.
Though the Extravaganza is a cichlid and catfish event, there are all types of fish to be found, either in the vendor room, guest rooms, or at the ever popular swap meet held in the main convention room on Saturdays.
If there is a cichlid species you want and can’t find anywhere, someone may have it at the Extravaganza. If an attendee at the event doesn’t have the species you want with them, I 99% guarantee you there will be someone in attendence who will know where to get it (if anyone in the US has it).
As always, this year’s event did not disappoint. Thanks to all of the great people who make it one of the best, if not best, cichlid events in the country every year – the OCA, the volunteers, the vendors, the sponsors, and most importantly, the attendees. There are way too many people to list here individually.
For me, the best part of the event every year is seeing my fish friends from all over the country. These are folks I probably don’t see but once or twice a year. So, just having a couple of days to catch each other up on our lives is what I enjoy the most.