At the meeting in March 2010, we had a great, hands-on presentation by Jonathan Strazinsky of Monster Fish Rescue about DIY projects everybody can do to make the hobby a bit more enjoyable. Scott Myers won the bowl show, Lew Carbone became the all times point leader in our cichlid BAP program, and we had some great fish in the auction. Last but not least, we keep on giving free shirts to new members, of which we signed up a bunch!

New OCA Logo and Color Scheme

At the its meeting in February 2010, the OCA Board decided to give the Ohio Cichlid Association a new look. The logo was changed to use the silhouette of a cichlid, which makes it easily scalable from things like the little favicon you see at the top of your browser window, all the way to T-shirts, and maybe one day a huge banner in the Extravaganza show room. With its frilly writing and intricate detail, the old logo unfortunately did not offer this flexibility. The OCA Board also decided to adopt green as a color that would feature prominently in the branding of the OCA. Green was chosen since it increasingly comes to symbolize environmental responsibility, and the OCA is committed to the preservation of biodiveristy, not the least through its OCA Jim Smith Fund. The OCA Board hopes that the new look of the OCA will appeal likewise to longstanding members of the OCA, and the large number of young members who have joined us recently.

OCA Sponsors

Please have a close look at our List of Sponsors (below), and when shopping give preference to the businesses that back your OCA.

If you own a business or are otherwise in a position to support the OCA and would like to do so, please contact us at OhioCichlidAssoc@aol.com. As a consumer, we encourage you to patronize the businesses and organizations that support your OCA!

What’s the OCA?

The OCA brings together cichlid and catfish enthusiasts to increase the enjoyment of the fish keeping hobby. We meet on the first Friday of every month except July. The OCA year is centered around three major events: the OCA Winter Auction in February, the OCA Fishy Swap Meet in Fall, and the world renowned OCA Extravaganza on the weekend before Thanksgiving.

People are usually amazed when they hear that all OCA activities, especially a world class event like the OCA Extravaganza, are organized year after year by a bunch of amateurs, relying almost entirely on the work of volunteers. OCA members, and particularly the OCA Board, certainly go the extra mile to make this happen, but events like the Extravaganza could not have become the success that it is without solid backing from the wide range of businesses listed on this page!

The OCA enjoys a very active club life, here for example at the OCA Christmas Party 2008. For more photos of the event please click here.