Many fish shows seem to be held on the east coast - so we're sure it's always great when a show happens on the west coast so that west coast hobbyists don't have to travel so far for a show. There are actually two shows to mention on the Pacific Ocean side of the country, one that has yet to happen and one that just had its first run in its new location.
IMAC West recently took place and was the first International Marine Aquarium Conference on the west coast. IMAC used to be held in Chicago but moved this year to Long Beach, California. All of this happened as a result of the show's founder, Dennis Gallagher, no longer running the show, with the reins being handed over to the Four Reef Consortium. (We regret to inform readers that Dennis passed away without being able to see the new IMAC West begin.) For more on the launch of IMAC West, please see "The First IMAC West."
The other show, Reefapalooza, will be coming up in October. It will take place on October 24 and 25, 2009, at the OC Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, California. Livestock, aquarium products and speakers will be featured; scheduled speakers include Bob Fenner, Scott Fellman and AFI's Saltwater Q&A columnist Scott Michael. For more information, go to reefapalooza.org. These are both saltwater shows, which are quite appropriate to mention in this issue, which happens to be our advanced saltwater and lighting issue. However, there's also some freshwater content, including a plant lighting article, “Illuminating Plant Lighting,” to help out plantkeepers with their tanks. This article was written by Stephen Noble - whom we'd like to announce as our new Aquabotanist column writer. Stephen Noble has a lot of experience with aquariums, and we are happy to have him on board as a regular contributor. Check out the first of Stephen's columns. For more freshwater, there's information on the diamond tetra in "The Diamond Tetra: A Tiny Treasure" by David A. Lass. And going back to lighting content, check out the special lighting Product Showcase.