Why should I join the gsas?

I am looking for reasons to join!
I guess I just want to hear some opinions. I need people who are members to tell me why to join PM me or comment

In my honest opinion (imho). Why not?
Roy and Ron are really cool people, and have always gave good advice and good directions on where to go when it comes to lights or the LFS.

Joining GSAS means you can meet more people like Roy and Ron, and on top of that, many fishbox members here are part of the GSAS.

On top of that! They have many of their meetings saved via Utorrent, so you will have video of the meetings, and can learn many informative things from the videos!

That and they're cool people!
A few of them were at the SWAP meet that Ron held!

Those are a few of my many reasons for wanting to join the GSAS.

Does it cost money?

Thought I heard it was $15 a month. Im hoping I miss understood and its $15 a year. I could do a $15 a year .

If you haven't already you could choose to sign up to GSAS email thread. Its called AIRSTONE. Instead of threads like you see on this forum everyone chats through email. I signed up a couple weeks ago to check it out. There is a lot of email chatter but a lot of the stuff ppl talk about is interesting. The members also sell cool equipment ,livestock, and plants within the email thread. AIRSTONE is free. Contemplating signing up for GSAS membership myself airstone is a way to check things out and talk to members if you want to.

Chad

$15 a year...

funds the speaker program. bringing in amazing lectures on a vast array of topics.

surround yourself with like minded aquarium people.

raffles

mini auctions.

exposure to rare plants and fish through other members.

Friendly group of people.

discounts at lfs'

It sound awesome!

as a member you have access to the majority of their past lectures that were filmed and edited (as long as the speaker oked it) online. some interesting topics you can watch from home.

Just uh... don't try applying through paypal, just do the mail-in one.
The paypal one is frustrating for me (still hasn't worked). :\

I think the paypal problem is on your end BillHN. I've never had a problem signing up my family membership year after year on there.

Also you get discounts at local stores. My store offers 10% discount . If you spend $150 a year. the membership is free basically.

Aquarium Co-Op wrote:I think the paypal problem is on your end BillHN. I've never had a problem signing up my family membership year after year on there.

Also you get discounts at local stores. My store offers 10% discount . If you spend $150 a year. the membership is free basically.

I sometimes spend that much in one stop! DOH


If I sign up on-line will they send me a GSAS card of some sort or is it something I print ?

Aquarium Co-Op wrote:I think the paypal problem is on your end BillHN. I've never had a problem signing up my family membership year after year on there.

Also you get discounts at local stores. My store offers 10% discount . If you spend $150 a year. the membership is free basically.

I don't want to think about how much I spent. Lol
I've had this problem with only this website via paypal. And i've tried via 3x different computers. And I usually shop using my PayPal so I know that my accounts shouldnt be the problem.

Plus I like visiting b & I for their nice fishies it's bout time I fot that membership. And since your store offers a discount as well I'm definitely gonna organize a roadtrip with some pals and come visit!

$15/year is correct. $20 for your entire family.

Why join?...Some of my reasons are:

• The ready access to knowledge thru personal contact with the members who have done so many different things in the hobby
  
  Knowledge from the archives, from the videos of speakers
  
  Opportunities to socialize with members with the same interests I have
  
  The book/periodical library
  
  Acquisiton of healthy stock from trusted members
  
  The opportunity to help others in the hobby thru working in committees
  
  The opportunity to meet the guest speakers who are specialists in different areas, have dinner with them, and to strike up a relationship
  
  
  

Ron lists many of the reasons I stick with GSAS. I've been a member for...hmmmmm...over 10 years, I guess (don't remember year I joined). I'm NOT a joiner! But I know that I can get answers for just about any question I have, find cool things like freebie microworm culture starts if I ask nicely, and broaden my fish knowledge through interaction with knowledgeable folks who are also usually quite nice. That's just a starter list. If you are into live plants, gosh....I've seen folks offer freebie cuttings on a regular basis. My only real complaint is that the meetings are usually on a worknight way way later than I'm used to staying up (grin) and I have to get rides since I don't really see well enough at night to drive into a place where construction detours are common.

I'm a computer neo-luddite and I have always been able to get the PayPal interface to work when I renew.

I always try to bring microworm starter cultures to meetings I attend to pay-it-forward (when I remember) and find ways to rehome tubs full of java moss etc etc either through donation to the club or whatever works at the time.

I'm glad I joined and I keep renewing year after year.....

Betty G.

5 to 10% off at the supporting stores. You can make your $15.00 back fast..

earthfish wrote:I am looking for reasons to join!
I guess I just want to hear some opinions. I need people who are members to tell me why to join PM me or comment

Hi earthfish,

I believe in full disclosure: I am the current president of the Greater Seattle Aquarium Society (GSAS).

I think you ask a very relevant question: "Why should I join GSAS?"

I see a lot of my fellow GSAS members and some of our previous guests at meetings have already given you some of the better reasons but let my explain what I like about GSAS. (BTW, I only joined 5 years ago).

The Greater Seattle Aquarium Society (GSAS) is a local club dedicated to promoting our hobby with emphasis on freshwater species. In order to preserve the 'local flavor' of our club the GSAS Board decided that membership should limited to Washington State residents or out of state individuals that have actually attended a meeting - we have no desire to be a "national club". Our membership dues is low, the cost for a 12 month family membership is $20 (single $15) and we have maintained that price for over 10 years. Currently GSAS has 250 members; our membership has tripled in the last few years. Typically we have about 70 - 80 members and guests attend our monthly meetings. GSAS is a registered non-profit corporation in the State of Washington.

Our members enjoy several benefits: discounts of 5%-20% (average 10% - 15%) at our Sponsor Stores* (LFS - no big-box stores); 10 monthly meetings per year (we take July & August off) with local, national, and international speakers**. If the speakers allow it, we video the presentations and make them available to our members either on DVD through our Library or sometimes via Bittorent as well. I believe we currently have 25 downloadable videos available to our members online and probably 100 or more presentations on DVD in our GSAS Library. Sometimes our speakers will do two talks for us, our regular meeting which is open to the public and a 'Member's Only' meeting; some of the 'Member's Only' meetings do occur on the weekend.

Speaking of our Library, we have an extensive collection of aquarium books and DVD's (some Blu-Ray/HD) available for our members to check out. We also have a club summer picnic and our December meeting is our Holiday Party. We have an e-mail chat called 'airstone' that is very active with about 1000 messages a month.

GSAS has a monthly newsletter, Northwest Aquaria. In it there are articles by our members about spawning fish, growing plants, and DIY projects for making our hobby more fun and easy. We have approximately 40 years of back issues available online to our members.

We do have a Breeders Award Program (BAP) and a Horticulture Awards Program (HAP) and bowl shows. We are aware of the C.A.R.E.S. project and several of our members are trustees of endangered species. Our club has a very active Philanthropy Committee where we attempt to put two or more aquariums into classrooms every year as teaching tools for teachers. We have our annual GSAS Home Show where a video crew, photographer, and judges visit about a dozen members' homes and video they tanks, fishrooms, ponds, etc.

GSAS has two major auctions a year; our General Auction (April 13th) and our Plant Auction in November. In addition GSAS has a 'mini-auction' after every regular meeting (except Christmas) where members can bring items to sell (anyone including guests can buy). This is a great way to get rid of those 'extra' fry and plants and pick up new species to try!

You can go to our website, GSAS.org to sign up. Click on the 'Join' tab at the top of the page and you can either print off the membership forum, fill it out, and mail it in with your payment or in the upper right hand corner you can join using PayPal.*** As of 3/27/13 PayPal is having some "issues" processing payments for us (thank you for reporting it BillHN) so payment via check is the recommended method until PayPal resolves their issues.

I know I am forgetting a lot of what we do at GSAS but if you have additional questions just ask!

Thanks,
-Roy

* GSAS Sponsor Stores include:
A Place for Pets
Aquarist World
B&I Pet Center
Conway Tropical Fish
Denny's Pet World
The Fish Store
King's Discus
Liem's Aquarium and Bird Shop
Midway Tropical Fish and Pet
Sierra Fish and Pets
(two or three more are expected to be added this year)

** Speakers in the last three years have been:
Ad Konings - Lake Tanganyika Sand Dwellers
Ghazanfar Ghori - Cryptocorynes
Luis Narvarro - Aquascaping
Karen Randall - AGA - Aquascaping
Tom Barr - Light for Planted Aquariums
Barbie Fiorentio - Loricariis and Plecos
Oliver Lucanus - Biotopes of the Amazon
Dick Au - Discus Basics
Gary Lange - Rainbowfishes
Chuck Rambo - Rare and Unusual Dwarf Cichlids
Chuck Rambo - Lake Victoria and its Cichlids
Allen Fertuna - Fancy Goldfish
Dick Au - Raising Fish for Fun and Profit
Dick Au - Angelfish Breeding
Matt Kaufman - Keeping and enjoying Killifish
Christel Kasselmann - New and Unusual Aquarium Plants
Waylon Pon - Freshwater Shrimp for Dummies
Lawrence Kent - Cichlids of East Africa - Beyond the Big Three Rift Lakes
Ted Judy - Pelvicachromis
Ted Judy - Raising Fry

^^^^ this...all of this.


We drive from Skagit every month to attend the meetings ^_^

worth every moment stuck in traffic and more than worth the 20$ a year!!

I just joined, membership is cheap. Plus, the people here that you'll meet are awesome.
I was watching all of the home visit videos, and ..... IT'S AWESOME!!!!!!!

Way to go Bill!

some of those homeshow videos either inspire you to try something new or reassure your self that your not that obsessed

We just joined the group last month and attended the members only talk by Ted Judy.

Upon arriving we were greeted by many GSAS members and made to feel totally welcome and a part of the group.

We made our 1st fish trade with some other members and checked out some books and videos from the extensive GSAS library to watch at home and return at our next meeting visit.

We donated some fish to the philanthropy project that is going on currently with the local schools.

We brought an item for the mini auction and the proceeds helped pay for gas for our trip...yeah.

We had dinner (just the two of us) before the meeting and had almost 7 hours in the car together to just talk, without kids yelling or interrupting.

We got to hear Ted Judy speak and to ask him questions personally about some of our fish.

This month we are attending our second meeting, the general auction. We have quite a few items for the auction, will return our library materials, will enjoy a long drive together, will spend hours meeting and greeting with various club members and getting to know a few more people in the club, and we will bring more fish for a club member as well as possibly some fish for the auction.

Never having been a member of a "fish or aquarium" club before I have to say that I think my husband and I found the greatest group of people to join up with and share our hobby with. We are so excited to be a part of this group and look forward to many fun times in the future.

Who wouldn't want to be a member is more the question to ask

Cichlid-gal,
The kids loved the fish you donated to their school aquarium~
Ron

Wait a sec..... Roy's the president of the GSAS? O_O

Just got my GSAS membership card over the weekend. Woot!

DAT 10% DISCOUNT AT CORY'S! WHOOO!

Way to go Lamental! Welcome aboard!

The only reason I joined is for the cool leather jacket. I'm still waiting for mine.

Sorry Salzabar, I believe the leather jackets are for platinum members only

On top of all the totally legit reasons everyone has given, The GSAS puts you into contact with like-minded weirdos, who want to perpetuate that like-mindedness and give you awesome deals and free stuff. Example; http://www.wafishbox.com/t7418-me-likey-free-stuff

Finally put in my reg and payment today.

Definitely looking forward to the lighting presentation I hope it goes in depth about PAR ratings and LEDs

binbin9 wrote:Finally put in my reg and payment today.

Definitely looking forward to the lighting presentation I hope it goes in depth about PAR ratings and LEDs