Meetings & Events

April 19, 2025 11:00 AM till 5 PM

Discovery Place Science

168 W 6th St

Charlotte, NC 28202

https://discoveryplace.org/

April's meeting will be a special event at Discovery Place! Thanks to Board Member Alex Scharmberg's connections and legwork, we are getting access to an exclusive behind the scenes tour of their aquariums and other displays! This is not something that is normally offered and one of the benefits of being a member of the Charlotte Aquarium Club! To get a group rate for admission, the club will be purchasing tickets on behalf of paid members in advance of the meeting.

We will meet as a group at the main entrance at 11 AM and will split into groups of 10 for behind the scenes access. Your ticket will give you access to the whole museum, so there's plenty to explore before or after your turn for the tour.

We will have a Lunch space available for 30 minutes (exact time TBD) - bring your own brown bag lunch with you - lunch will not be provided.

To purchase tickets:

Deadline is Sunday April 6 at 11:59 PM

Send payment via PayPal to caasmember@gmail.com

Include a note with the member name and the number of adult and number of child tickets you are purchasing

Adults $19 per ticket

Children $17 per ticket

The group ticket will only include museum admission; it doesn't include admission to the Imax theater.

If you miss the deadline or you aren't a paid member, you can still join us, but you'll need to pay the regular ticket prices.

See you there!

March 15, 12:00 Noon til ~3pm

Jocks and Jills Sports Bar

4109 S. Stream Blvd

Charlotte, NC 28217

Grab some lunch with us and enjoy a great time talking with friends old and new about our wonderful aquarium hobby of keeping fish, plants, shrimp, and any other watery creatures that we can fit into our lives and aquariums.

As always, we end with a mini AUCTION of fish, plants and tanks/decor/gear - its a great time to pick up some healthty fish from our fellow hobbyists, or to bring in something you wish to sell! Paid members get an 80%-20% split on items they bring while it is 60%-40% for non-member sellers.

We are still working on the program as we had intended to meet elsewhere and it fell through for this month.

Check out the Facebook page, Discord, or Band for more or reach out if you have any questions!

February 15, 12:00 Noon til ~3pm

Jocks and Jills Sports Bar

4109 S. Stream Blvd

Charlotte, NC 28217

Please join us, If you can, for our regularly scheduled Monthly fish get-together. There will be a number of items to discuss, including the selection of the 2025 Board - please consider the opportunities to get involved.   

Lunch is a big part of our meetings at Jock, and their menu is loaded with plenty of choices to suit any appetite.  

As always, there will be an auction of plants, fish and decor/aquarium gear after lunch is finished. You are able to bring items to sell and paid members may participate in purchasing - there are always some neat items available, and our auction splits are about the best in the hobby: 80/20 for sellers   

So bring your “stuff” or your wallet!

January 18th 12-4pm
Alex Scharnberg's Condominium

Enjoy an informal social gathering and see Alex Scharnberg's 10 tanks, 14 native snakes, greenhouse jungle of orchids, aeroids, begonias and others.

There will be an auction and information about upcoming board elections in February. Some board members will be stepping down so we need people to step up and help out.

At the moment, lunch has not been planned but that very well might change. There are amazing restaurants close by on Central Avenue and Plaza Midwood.

Please park in visitor and numbered spaces only, or on Merry Oaks Road. Alex's condo is located near the Bojangles Coliseum and the Park Expo Center across from the police station on Central Avenue near Uptown and Plaza Midwood. If you see lots of cars, don't worry. There's plenty of room.

Christmas Party @ David's House!
Saturday, December 14th, 12 - 3 PM

...And now, a message from the man himself, Mr. David Magee:

"Hello, good folks! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! It’s that time of year again, where we gather to celebrate the festive Christmas season with a fishy party at my house here in north Charlotte.

A few details: It will be a pot luck affair, and I will make the chili (beef and bean), and Mike Kenney has agreed to make his famous lasagna (he has a meatless version, too!). Your favorite Club will “chip in” with chips and sodas of various types; yes, I am an award-eligible comedy writer - can’t you tell? 😆 - and if you are able, we ask you bring a small favorite side dish or dessert to share. It is bring-your-own-beer or wine, we will have plenty of cooler space to accommodate you. There is always a lot of food so it doesn’t need to be a huge dish. Yum!

We have no set speaker, so this is simply an opportunity to get together and talk fish, share fishy stories and possibly win some great fish or gear at the auction.

You are encouraged to bring healthy fish or plants or working aquarium gear to put into the auction, if you have a breeding project or are changing things up. Please make a detailed list of items you bring and indicate on the item your name and minimum bid it applicable. We offer the best auction splits (80% to seller/20% to Club for paid members). We ALWAYS appreciate donated items as well, so if you are able to, we are super-grateful. (Some folks bring a couple bags of fish to sell and offset gas prices, with an extra bag to donate - win-win 😊.) It’s always a great opportunity to get something new. I will have several tank-and-stand combos, as well as some smaller tanks (10/5.5/2.5 gals) available as well, if things go as planned.

We encourage you join us - It’s just $20 per year; such a deal! - if you have not previously, and renew your memberships as we are just about at the new year. Member benefits, which are detailed on our homepage, include discounts at local stores and group buys of fish and gear, and allow attendance at all of our meetings and special events.

Parking is not “limited”, but as I am in a short curvy cul-de-sac, it gets a bit tight once we have all arrived, so I encourage you to use the ample (wide and straight 🥳) parking available on Poplar Grove if you prefer. I am in Davis Lake just off Harris Blvd, and easy to reach from I-77 or I-85. My home is easy access with a ramp in from the garage and is single story.

Wear your crazy fish shirts or hats, or holiday garb if you feel like it. It’s a very chill day. I will have to get my tanks all cleaned up and ready to show off, and I’d better get cracking on that now!

Cheers,
David"

PONDSIDE AQUATICS Fish Room Tour!
Saturday, November 16th, 12 - 3 PM
Blythewood, SC

Address will be sent to attendees that select “Going” on our Facebook event - or reach out to David Magee!

This month, the owner of Pondside Aquatics, Jeff Murray, has invited us to his HUGE at-home fishroom down in Blythewood, SC, just off I-77!

Jeff was a fish breeder in Europe before coming home to the US with his family and setting up a fish breeding facility on his property when COVID hit. His previous fishroom experience helped him construct a simple, efficient facility with over 120 tanks set up so far - and room to expand to over 200! Jeff breeds Corydoras, rams, and angelfish, and is working to produce enough tetras and nano fish to sell and offset his costs. He deals wholesale and to individuals (by appointment only) and has graciously offered to make some of his stock available for purchase by our members at the meeting.

Jeff will do a short presentation on how it all began, where he feels he is currently, and where he will take the business in the future. His fish thrive on the live foods he cultures in-house (next up is a black worm propagation project!), and some semi-automatic water changes.

In addition, members can look forward to raffle items provided by his friends at Hygger, and perhaps some other surprises!

After perusing Jeff's magnificent palace, please join us for some fishy business - as always, we encourage you to participate in our auction (bring items for sale, or merely raise your bidder paddle for interesting fish, plants, and gear).

Speaking of fishy business, while you're in the area, check out our friends at Fishy Business in Columbia! Club members get 10% off when they present their membership card. They've got an incredible store, with a selection of tanks and hardscape that's tough to beat!

See you there!