Northwest Arkansas Aquarium Society (NWAAS)

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Northwest Arkansas Aquarium Society (NWAAS)

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Visit our nwaas.com website for complete information. We are a real club with in-person meetings!

The Northwest Arkansas Aquarium Society is an organization formed to bring together the aquarist community in Northwest Arkansas and the Ozark region. Our members range from new hobbyists to long time breeders, and we keep a large variety of fishes.

10/10/2026

~November 2026 MEETING~

Saturday, November 14th, 2026, 11:00 a.m. Everyone is invited to attend

Piscine Diseases and Pathogens
Speaker: Gerald Griffin (Tulsa, OK and OKAA President)

This talk Gerald gives an overview of common, and some uncommon, Piscine Diseases and Pathogens. Starting with overview of a healthy fish, keeping fish healthy, good water quality, water chemistry, the nitrogen cycle and more. And how these factors can contribute, both positively and negatively, to the health of our aquarium fish.

Gerald will also go over 20+ diseases and pathogens, as well as recommended treatment options. Concluding with an overview on medications that home aquarist have access to.

About this Speaker:
I first started keeping fish at the age of nine and by ten bred my first fish species, Colisa lalia, followed shortly by Colisa chuna (sota), Colisa fasciata, and labiosa. At the age of twelve, I read All About Bettas by Walt Maurus and fell in love with wild Bettas. The only problem was that in the 1970s, I could not find any living in Oklahoma. By the time I went to college, I found articles on wild Bettas in the school library, joined the International Betta Congress, started corresponding with various fish keepers, found some wild Betta stocks, and started collecting them and writing articles. Around the year 2000, I got hit with the Betta bug again and started keeping domestics. As soon as I did, the wild Betta bug hit me again, and I went crazy collecting them. I currently run over 80 tanks dedicated to various fish. As I became more involved in my local fish club the Oklahoma City Aquarium Association, I started keeping a variety of species and have since spawned various Barbs, African Cichlids, Killifish, Native American fish, American Cichlids, Livebearers, and a number of miscellaneous fishes and have recently diverged into salt water fishes (clownfish and seahorses) however wild Bettas and Anabantoids will always be my first love and the primary fish I keep. I am currently the Treasurer of the International Betta Congress. I am also involved in my Local Aquarium Association, serving as BAP chair of the Oklahoma Aquarium, Treasurer of the American Labyrinth Fishes Association, President of the Oklahoma Aquarium Association, and President of the Oklahoma Betta

Full, up-to-date details can be found on our website:
https://nwaas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4230

Meeting Location:
Millwood Christian Church
3450 W. Pleasant Grove Rd.
Rogers, AR 72758
(Just off I-49, exit #81 west)
Free admission • Refreshments • Mini Auction See less

09/16/2026

~October 2026 MEETING~

NWAAS In-person meeting and program:
Angelfish and Discus: Care and Breeding
Speaker: Michael Hollingsworth (Club President)

This talk covers care, breeding and general tips for angelfish and discus, from someone right in our own area. Mike has had a lot of success over the years with angelfish. Keeping, breeding and raising many angels right in his own fish room. And is one of only a handful of keepers successfully breeding and raising discus in the state of AR. Overall, breeding discus fish requires careful attention to water quality, temperature, parental care, genetics, and feeding. It can be a challenging process, but with patience and dedication, it is possible to successfully breed these beautiful fish.

About this Speaker:
A hobbyist for over 60 years, and former wholesaler for 12 years, Mike has many years of experience raising these beautiful fish. Come learn about breeding and raising them from our club president.

Saturday, October 10th, 2026, 11:00 a.m. Everyone is invited to attend

Full, up-to-date details can be found on our website:
https://nwaas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4225

Meeting Location:
Millwood Christian Church
3450 W. Pleasant Grove Rd.
Rogers, AR 72758
(Just off I-49, exit #81 west)
Free admission • Refreshments • Mini Auction

08/10/2026

EXPIRED POST -- This event took place Sept 12th 2026

~*Please note, we have a new auction system in place for 2026, so our labels have changed. Anyone wanting to be a seller please contact [email protected] to get your seller ID and the correct labels.*~

NWAAS Tropical Fish & Aquarium Supply AUCTION (Spring 2026)

Come to buy! Come to sell! Anyone can participate. Free admission.
Snag some super bargains. Find fish and plants that you can't find in stores. Sell off your excess livestock or aquarium supplies to make money. All auction items MUST be aquarium related, including fish, invertebrates, plants, aquariums, aquarium supplies, fish art, etc.

Seller information: https://nwaas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1719

The club takes a portion of sales to cover the costs of renting the hall, bringing in speakers for our programs, etc. The club's share is 20% for members, or 30% for nonmembers.

Consider joining the club! Dues are only $10/yr for an individual, and $15/yr for a family. You can join online here: https://nwaas.com/dues.html
Or in person at the event.

As always, find full details, including registration forms, rules, tips, fish-bagging instructions, location and map here:
https://nwaas.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=27

Link to forum post: https://nwaas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4224

07/15/2026

~AUGUST 2026 MEETING~
Danios, Devarios, and their kin
Speaker: Mike Hellweg (St. Louis MO)

This talk covers the amazing members of the genera Danio and Devario and some of their amazing close relatives. Who would have thought that you could do an entire talk on Danios? There are dozens of species, many with interesting behavior, that have entered the hobby in the past ten to fifteen years. Many of these fascinating fish are from Burma, which was only barely represented in the hobby until very recently. Plus there is the amazing Zebra Danio and all of its contributions to human health

About this Speaker:
Mike has been fascinated by fishes all his life, and has had various fishes as pets since he could barely reach the top of the goldfish bowl; he has been successfully breeding and trading fish with local shops since he was 9 years old. Over the past five decades plus he has specialized mainly in miniature fishes, and has had successful spawns from nearly 500 species representing 35 families of fish. He was recently named a Fellow of the Missouri Aquarium Society in recognition to his decades of service to the Society and to the Hobby. He currently owns a small fish hatchery and maintains about 3000 gallons divided into 100 tanks. He is the top ranked breeder of all time in the Missouri Aquarium Society, Inc. (MASI) BAP, he was the top ranked aquatic horticulturist for over 30 years in MASI’s HAP with over 320 submissions from 50 families, including more than a dozen by seed, and he is an ALA Century Breeder, with nearly 150 species of Livebearers spawned. He credits all of these successes to large regular water changes, keeping live plants in every tank and culturing and feeding an assortment of live foods daily for both his breeding stock and for growing the fry of these diverse fish.

In the past four decades, Mike has given over 400 talks to classes, clubs, groups and conventions all over the USA and Canada, has documented many of his keeping and spawning successes in well over 400 articles published in hobby publications around the world, including writing the Aquarium Fish International column, Adventures in Fish Breeding for over a decade, and his award winning column Minifins published in the Darter since the 1990s. He has had two books on live foods published by TFH Publications and has written a very popular booklet on shipping fish. An updated live foods book and a book on breeding fish will be coming out soon, with more to follow.

Saturday, August 8th, 2026, 11:00 a.m. Everyone is invited to attend

Full, up-to-date details can be found on our website:
https://nwaas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4222

Meeting Location:
Millwood Christian Church
3450 W. Pleasant Grove Rd.
Rogers, AR 72758
(Just off I-49, exit #81 west)

Free admission • Refreshments • Mini Auction

06/16/2026

Tropical Fish & Aquarium Supply
SWAP MEET
Saturday, July 11th, 2026

All are welcome to buy or sell.
Seller registration and setup begins at 10:00 a.m.
Doors open to the public at 11:00 a.m.
Swap meet 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m

BUYERS:
Free admission!
Different vendors may take different methods of payment (Cash, venmo, zelle, cashapp, etc) So be prepared

SELLERS:
Rent tables for $25 each for nonmembers. ($20 for current year paid club members) There is also a $5 discount if you provide your own table.

A limited number of tables are available. To reserve yours, email [email protected] to request a table.

YOU set the prices for your goods. YOU make the deals. YOU collect the money. BRING CHANGE!

Take home anything you don't sell.

All goods for sale must be aquarium related, such as fish, snails, aquariums, aquatic plants, fish art, etc.

Find complete rules and registration forms here: https://nwaas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=20216

LOCATION:
Millwood Christian Church
3450 W. Pleasant Grove Rd.
Rogers, AR 72758
(Just off I-49, exit #81 west)

05/21/2026

No NWAAS in person meeting June 13th 2026

Many members want to attend the American Killifish Association Convention in St. Louis MO. June 12-14th. We’re hoping to put together a road trip to a big, regional, aquarium convention *. There will be programs, workshops, swap meets, auctions, vendors, field trips, a fish show, and an awards banquet. All details included in the images below, as well as the AKA website. So there will be no local meeting, this month.

July 11th will be our Summer Swap meet! Full details will be posted after the AKA convention.

*NWAAS is not covering expenses for any members to travel or stay at this convention.

https://nwaas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4218

04/12/2026

~MAY 2026 MEETING~
Saturday, May 9th, 2026, 11:00 a.m.
DEAN'S FRY SYSTEM AND BEYOND
Speaker: Dean Tweeddale

Dean Tweeddale is a master breeder with over 60 years of experience in the aquarium hobby. He began with guppies, advanced to discus, and has since bred countless species of freshwater fish—virtually any species he could get his hands on. Always an innovator, Dean has, throughout his fishkeeping career, built three in-house fish rooms and developed an incredible fry system. Some of his proudest moments in the hobby are developing a system to raise discus artificially, breeding many rare dwarf cichlids, continuous spawning of German blue rams, and spawning several L-number plecos. He has also collected and bred wild fish from Peru. Dean is a familiar face in the online fishkeeping community, having appeared on numerous YouTube channels including Aquarium Co-Op, Tazawa Tanks, KeepingFishSimple, L.R. Bretz’s Aquatics, Steenfott Aquatics, Swhiskey, Aquarist Podcast, Bentley Pasco, Harlan Ford, Friday Fish Facts, and Dustin’s Fish Tanks. He has also shared his expertise as a featured speaker for aquarium clubs across the country. Dean is passionate about inspiring others to experiment, innovate, and become the best fishkeepers they can be.

~~~~~~*BONUS HAPPENING AFTER THE MEETING*~~~~~~
We will be ordering pizza, and having lunch with Dean following the meeting, at the church. All are welcome to stay and join us!

Meeting Location:
Millwood Christian Church
3450 W. Pleasant Grove Rd.
Rogers, AR 72758
(Just off I-49, exit #81 west)
Free admission • Refreshments • Mini Auction
Full, up-to-date details can be found on our website:
https://nwaas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=20209

03/16/2026

~APRIL 2026 MEETING~
BUILD YOUR OWN BOX FILTER WITH 3D PRINTING
Speaker: Matt Freeman

NWAAS Club treasurer Matt Freeman, has used his experience in manufacturing to design many useful items for home aquarium use. Such as fry boxes, egg traps, snail traps, box filters, and more. Matt will walk us through the process from concept, design, printing, testing, and final product for a box filter. Utilizing the free online software FreeCAD, and an at home 3D printer.

Saturday, April 11th, 2026, 11:00 a.m.

Meeting Location:
Millwood Christian Church
3450 W. Pleasant Grove Rd.
Rogers, AR 72758
(Just off I-49, exit #81 west)

Free admission • Refreshments • Mini Auction

Full, up-to-date details can be found on our website:
https://nwaas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4215

Address

3450 W. Pleasant Grove Rd
Rogers, AR
72758

Website

http://nwaas.com/

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