Greater Seattle Aquarium Society

Saturday, May 10th, 1:00 PM (noon Social/Setup)
Randy Carey: “A Researched Overview of the Pencilfishes”
SPU, Otto Miller Hall Room 109

Randy Carey has been active in the hobby since 1988, spawning over 200 species, especially tetras, barbs and other small peaceful softwater species. A longtime member of the Minnesota Aquarium Society, he has earned their Lifetime Award! His fishroom grew from a few tanks to nearing one hundred – a portion for displaying, and a portion for focused breeding.

Randy is an award-winning writer, from his quarterly TFH column The Art of Characins, to his articles on the Smithsonian and the Amazon, and the book Tetras and Barbs. He launched one of the first aquarium websites and associated blog back in the '90s.

As he transitions into semi-retirement, Randy is spending more time in the fishroom and developing breeding programs for select species. His latest project is a deep exploration of the pencilfishes – focusing on primary and reliable sources and passing by hearsay and social media posts. His talk will overview the known pencilfish species, propose a method to visually identify each species, and discuss a strategy for breeding attempts.

After the main presentation, stay for the Monthly Auction (sellers, pre-register your stuff here).

There will be an informal gathering with the speaker (likely in North Seattle) Friday evening, the day before the main presentation. Contact us at info@gsas.org for more information, or look for announcements on our e-mail lists.

The Greater Seattle Aquarium Society Spring Schedule is out now! All events are Saturday at 1 PM at usual SPU location, except as noted!

• January 11, 2025 - Caroline Estes, while mainly a cichlid specialist, has a new talk on the history of Women in the Aquarium Hobby.
• February 8 - GSAS member Thomas Lai-Fook, owner of Shoreline Aquatics LLC will talk about his history in the hobby, importing wild-caught Altum Angelfish, and how he keeps and breeds them along with other rare species.
• March 8 - Home Show presentation, video and awards!
• April 5 (DATE CHANGE!) - General Auction, at Gwinn Ballroom, starting at 9 AM
• May 10 - Randy Carey has a new talk on Pencilfish
• June 14 - Dr. Leandro Souza, world-renowned Pleco Specialist

Thanks to all who attended our record-breaking plant and fish auction this month, from the bidders and sellers, to the auctioneers, recorders, check-in table, runners and all the other volunteers. We hope everyone came home with something interesting for their aquariums. And a special thanks to the generous donations from Florida Aquatic Nurseries, and our sponsor stores Aquarium Zen, Aquarium Co-Op and The Arium Store!