OCA Extravaganza Trip Report

[JeffroM]

This years extravaganza was very enjoyable.  Spent the whole weekend worried about drinking beer and enjoying speakers and events.  I didn't bring anything to sell and loved not having to worry about dealing with that stuff.

This was last minute decision to go and was only able to get a king bed room for Blair and I.  Blair was overly obsessed with comments on spooning even though the known plan was to get him a roll away bed.  I was a little scared.   

Friday:
Showed up Friday afternoon / early evening and caught the Jay Stauffer and Hans Georg Evers lectures.  Stauffer was informative but to be honest he had a hard time keeping my attention and I have zero retention.  Although the zero retention might have to do with the amount of beer consumed this weekend.  Hans gave an interesting lecture.  I remember a slide showing how clear the water was and that you could see the woman and her bikini swimming crystal clear through the water.  Also remember details about how the L46 habitat is going to be destroyed - Ughh.  Did more drinking and socializing till like 2am.  Blair had a much later night - like 6am, but I'm sure he was just doing some bible study activities all night.

Saturday:
I had a tough time getting up and making the Ad Konings lecture on Malawi Cichlids.  Turned out the lecture on Malawi Cichlids was actually on a trip to Tanganyika and a trip to the Amazon.  It was kinda cool seeing an Amazon presentation for Mr. African Cichlid.  LOL.  Went to lunch with Vic Bondi and rep from Hagen.  Started drinking more beer.  Caught the swap meet - bought some snail shells for some shell dewellers - no I don't remember what kind of snail shells they are.  More drinking.  Went to a LFS called Aquatica.  It was a very nice store.  I'll probably be getting them to build a monster acrylic tank for me in the near future.  More beer.  Went to Applebees with Marty D, Tony G, Vic B, and Blair H.  More beer.  Wandered the rooms selling stuff.  Picked up some Lemon Drop plecos for a steal - then Vic B had to copy me and get some too.  There is still a debate on who got a better deal on them!  More beer.  Early night at 1am.

Sunday:
Packed up.  Breakfast.  Auction started at 10am.  Stayed at auction till about 1pm.  Bought some Metriaclima lanisticola (aka Malawi Shell dweller), Tramitichromis Intermedius (Thanks Josh for pointing them out to me), and some neolamprologus tetracanthus that I thought where neolamprologus tretocephalus - Whoops!

Good event.  Highly recommend others to go in future years.

[Vic]

Nice report.  I also enjoyed the trip.  Very impressive how they put it all together.  Plenty of support  from their group, manufacturers, other clubs, the public, etc., etc.  Would hightly recommend future attendance.  I would estimate 300+ particpants. 

After attempting to at least copy Jeff's deal on the Plecos I believe I got the better deal. 

[Frontboy7]

Spooning, bikini, and beer are the three words everyone will remember from your OCA report. 

Sounded like a good time!

[jcunningham0295]

I had a great time, nice hanging out with you guys.  I didn't get there till late Friday night, last minute decision for me as well.  Missed all the speakers on Friday, but still a great time.  I only took a few things to sell and then just threw what didn't sell in the auction on Sunday.  Ad's talk was pretty neat (first time I have seen him speak), great pcitures of both the fish from Lake Tanganyika and the Amazon.  Picked up some great deals from the manufacturers auction on Saturday night.  Worked the aution on Sunday from 10am till I left for home at 7:30pm, and they still had around 100 bags left to aution off.  I think I heared they had around 1,000 bags to start.  Prices were pretty high right from the start including a bag of 5 Neolamprologus niger (rare neolamp) that went for over $200.00 http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=1622, but prices did start dying off around 3pm or so.  I picked up some Neolamprologus buescheri (Kamakonde) Zaire Gold, Telmatochromis vittatus, 'Lamprologus' brevis (Ikola) Sun Spot, more Callochromis Stappersii (Red Raspberry) to add to my current group, and some more albino plecos.

[GrizzlysDad]

Despite false reports and rumors, I was never there 

[Regalblue]

Ok..... You seem to have left some things out -
 Although I did make a comment to the desk clerk about needing a rollaway bed, because I wasn't going to get spooned by you. But,  who was the one playing the banjo song from Deliverance, after we got to the room?
 My Bible studying only lasted until 430-5am. 6 was close though.

You also forgot to add how we learned, from Tony , that the petshop had a pizzeria&  how the other shop had a..... PUMA!

[JeffroM]

You also forgot to add how we learned, from Tony , that the petshop had a pizzeria&  how the other shop had a..... PUMA!

I think you misunderstood.  The PUMA was at the fish distributors.  LOL.

[Regalblue]

You also forgot to add how we learned, from Tony , that the petshop had a pizzeria&  how the other shop had a..... PUMA!

I think you misunderstood.  The PUMA was at the fish distributors.  LOL.

  no I didn't misunderstand,  I had forgotten.  I was too busy remembering that the LFS was a pizzeria,  lol

[Ron]

Thanks for the report Jeff. I've never been and wondered what it was like. Good to hear we had some locals go and get new fish!

[Alleycat]

I heard the banjo's playing in the hallway on the first floor... scary stuff.
Ad's talk on his Tang trip, and then his Rio Negro trip was great. Thought it odd to have 2 catfish talks on Friday, so drank beer and met lot's of Michigan folks doing the same thing! Great time had by all ...

[beach]

Wish I couldve gone.    

Did anyone see the Poret guys there?

[GrizzlysDad]

Wish I couldve gone.    

Did anyone see the Poret guys there?

They were there...at least someone with a foam business was there...I didn't talk to them though.

[jimbob]

Yes, Stephan Tanner from Swiss Tropicals was there selling Poret foam.
He had dropped off a bundle of foam at my house Thursday night on his way there from Minnesota. Love them Matten filters.

[mightieskeeper]

Spooning, bikini, and beer are the three words everyone will remember from your OCA report. 

Sounded like a good time!

thanks Front for the great summary! Lmao

[Marty]

Trip report from Marty's perspective:

Thursday afternoon.  Arrive at hotel with Tony G. after picking fish up at the Cleveland airport.  Assemble the Clarity Plus unit I use to sell/display fish in and realize I'm missing a few plumbing parts that I assumed were in the box of parts.  This seems to happen every year.  Fortunately, a quick trip to Home Depot and I have the plumbing parts I need.  Go back to the hotel and attach the last piece of plumbing to the display and tighten.  After starting up the pump, realize that I have a slow drip coming from one of the pipes in the back of the unit.  I'm too tired/lazy to screw with this anymore, so the weekend solution is to use towels to absorb the water and replace them about three times a day.

Thursday evening.  Eat dinner, consume beer, and hang out with Tony G.

Friday.  Consume more beer, and Captain's and Coke, and attend talks, while periodically selling fish and catching up with old friends.  At the end of Friday evening, realize that Jeff and Blair have consumed more of our beer than we have.  Tony G. curses their names, and starts poking a needle into hastily assembled voodoo dolls that resemble Jeff and Blair.

Saturday.  I slow down on beer, and Tony G. manages to keep the pace up.  Sometime either late Friday or early Saturday, Tony G. and Blair end up having to go to a bar to get another case of beer (they apparently sell takeout in Ohio).  Attend more talks and sell more fish.  Jeff and Blair complain of feeling like they were being stabbed overnight, but apparently didn't do any planned spooning because Blair was up pretty late drinking, socializing, and drunk posting to facebook.   I go to bed sometime around 2:30am and Tony G. isn't back.  I wake up at 4:30am and he's still not back.  Sometime before I drift back off to sleep, I wonder to myself if he's gotten himself arrested for public intoxication at the OCA.

Sunday.  Wake up around 8am to start packing up.  Tony G. is in his bed (thank you God for that, didn't have bailing him out factored into my schedule).  Get everything in the truck and hang out at the auction for awhile.  Tony G. isn't feeling so hot and lays in bed until it's almost time to check out.  He claims a reaction to his Motrin is to blame, but I'm thinking unless there's a beer named Motrin he just might be hung over.