AGA Convention 2008: Who's Going?

Here's a chance for a last minute registration. The hotel deadline has been extended to Oct. 29 for the $109 rate (for a downtown hotel that's an incredible deal).

Last Chance: Today is the last day to get the guaranteed $109 room rate at the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel for the AGA convention!

Here's more information about the events and two of the six convention speakers:


Jeff Senske
Aquarium Design Group, Houston, Texas
Jeff Senske founded Aquarium Design Group with his brother Mike in 2000 with the goal of setting a new standard for high end custom aquarium design. This year's presentation, Effective Design, will discuss specific strategies for creating interesting and effective designs from a minimal amount of elements, as well as long-term maintenance techniques... read more


Benito Tan, PhD
Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore
KL (The Moss Guy)'s Professor Benito Tan, a well-known authority on moss taxonomy and biogeography in Asia, will speak on the correct scientific name of Java Moss, and taxonomy and its application in commercially sold aquarium bryophytes... read more

Florida Aquatic Nurseries is a convention sponsor again this year, and they are taking this opportunity to premier two new aquatic plants for AGA members. See these two plants live and in person in the Vendor Room, and on Sunday you can bid on them in the auction!


Nesea pedicellata 'Golden'


Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Florida Sunset'

AGA Banquet The Saturday night Banquet is more than a great meal: you get to see the winners of the 2008 AGA Aquascaping Contest FIRST and hear directly from the judges who are present. Then Karen Randall will share her experiences exploring southern Thailand. Only those with banquet tickets ($40) will see these events!

Register now! Go to the Aquatic Gardeners Association web site to register and see a preliminary schedule. Questions? E-mail us at convention @ aquatic-gardeners.org.

For you convention-goers:

Did You Know?

The state of Georgia declared grits its official prepared food in 2002.

For the early birds on packing: weather will be in the low 60's during the day, and low 50's to high 40's at night, with an extended forcast calling for possible showers that weekend.

For those coming in early or leaving late: check out the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. It comes highly recommended to those who love plants.

Cash and check only are accepted at the convention, there is an ATM at the hotel.

For those slackers:

Registration is still open! You can even register at the door if you really want to slack.

hooha said:

For you convention-goers:

For those coming in early or leaving late: check out the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. It comes highly recommended to those who love plants.

Click to expand...

Yes, the ABG is amazing. The Fuqua Orchid Center contains two orchid houses and a tissue culture lab that are attached to the main conservatory. I believe each orchis house is at least 10,000 sq ft. The tropical house is very ornamental with all the basic commercial orchids, and then some that you would never guess are orchids, as well as tropical Rhododendrons, Gesneriads and multiple Bromeliads. Also, the vanilla orchid has bloomed there at least once. If you go there, ask one of the docents about it. The highland orchid house is set up to replicate a high altitude habitat complete with fog and much cooler temps. There you will not only find amazing highland orchids, but you will see Nepenthes bigger than your forearm, and unbelievable Heliamphora. As for the tissue culture lab, it is situated behind large glass windows, so the public can view their work. It's very interesting.

Also, there are multiple paludariums that contain dart frogs, and some of the dart frogs roam free in the main Fuqua Conservatory. You can actually hear them singing.

Unfortunately, my favorite part, the Woodland Shade Garden is closed due to renovations and expansion of the garden. It has one of the best Camellia gardens in the country. They would just be beginning to bloom right now, but unfortunately this section is closed until May 09.

This truly is an amazing, world-class public garden.

http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/our_gardens/garden_map.html

http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/site/our_gardens/plant_collections

http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/our_gardens/InBloom.do

http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/site/conservation/amphibian_research

http://www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org/site/conservation/tissue_culture