[Killietalk] Convention and AKA recruitment

["apistomaster at excite_com" <apistomaster at excite_com>]

 I have been an occassional AKA member beginning in 1968 but in all these decades I have never been to a conention regional or national. I should go to the NWK Convention that is coming up since I live in Eastern WA and Portland is close by just for the experience and a chance to make new friends but I probably won't make it. I do some prosyletizing for the cause because I do believe that the future is inherited by the young. I do what I can to interest them in killies whenever I sense the opportunity to do so by giving a pair or eggs away. I like the egg method because that "instant fish" phenomenon is such a good "hook." The beginner is usually suitably amazed by what transpires and hopefully the seed is planted and all it takes are those eggs and I give them a shoe box and some microworms. It is also selfishly self serving by way of vicariously sharing in their own sense of wonder at the ways nature works. Like all trivial pursuits only a minority go on to become more 
seriously involved with Killies. I know I have added at least a dozen true believers which is not a huge number but the more of us who mentor this way it helps make up for some of the natural attrition as time takes on us all. Every little bit helps. 12 year olds are especially fun to work with because they haven't had time to become very cynical yet. Every so often one of them blossoms into a serious killie fancier. A few have used their introductory killiefish experience as their science fair project which extend the reach a little further than I can alone. I fall out from time to time over the many years myself and go Killieless for a time but I always come back. I have done the same with Discus breeding and Discus, especially wild fish are a very high priority in my fish keeping scheme of things. I am only now restablishing a few Killies to my fish room projects. I wish that Killies were more marketable because I do earn a little extra money from breeding the small and 
rare desireable softwater fishes. Only the Discus actually fall outside my general run of small sized species but the allure of Discus runs very deep in me. I began with breeding wild Discus when I was still only 17 years old back in 1969. To this day they still help open doors for me when vying for the business of a new client.Larry Waybright 

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