Ottawa Valley Aquarium Society (OVAS)

09/22/2026

What Makes an Oddball? On The Joy Of Weird Fish

There are over thirty thousand species of bony fishes, but a mere handful of them dominate the pet trade and fish-keepers’ conversations: angelfish, bettas, guppies, goldfish. Today, we’re here for the others: the freaks, weirdos, and stuff you have to explain to your non-fishy friends. In today’s talk, OVAS member Alyssa Gonzalez asks us, what _is_ an oddball, and what can they bring to our aquarium experience?

Alyssa Gonzalez is a longtime OVAS member and has kept fish, odd and otherwise, since fryhood. You may know her from her breeding population of golden rabbit snails, which is tragically among the victims of her fondness for oddball fish.

Important info⤵️

Mark it on your calendars 📆✍️ September 28, 2026

📍J.A. Dulude Arena | 941 Clyde Ave N, Ottawa, ON K2C 4B2

🕒 7:00pm (as usual)

🎊EXCITING upcoming events🎊
🛍️Mini Auction (November)

Look at this 👀⤵️
Do you not have a membership yet? 🤷
Did you forget to renew your membership?🤦
Well don’t worry we got you.🫵 ——> You can get your membership there. HOW CONVENIENT🤯

–
Questions, comments or concerns?
📱 Reach out to us via Instagram Messages, Facebook Messenger, or the Contact Us page on our forum.

09/05/2026

Attention Ovas’s annual Garage Sale is September 19th! This is our season opener to warm everyone up for the upcoming season. As usual, everyone is welcome and encouraged to come, member or not.

Mark it on your calendars 📆✍️ September 19th 2026.
📍Tom Brown Arena – 141 Bayview Station Rd

This is important, write it down✍️

✍️Set up will be from 8:30 am to 9:00 am (This is for vendors)
✍️The garage sale will be open from 9:00am - 12:030pm (This is for🫵)
✍️Clean up from 12:30pm - 1:00pm (This is for vendors)

✨If you would like to be a vendor reply to the thread on our forum OVAS.CA

Look at THIS ⤵️
Do you not have a membership yet? 🤷
Did you forget to renew your membership?🤦
Well don’t worry we got you.🫵 ——> You can get your membership there. HOW CONVENIENT🤯

–
Questions, comments or concerns?
📱 Reach out to us via Instagram Messages, Facebook Messenger, or the Contact Us page on our forum.

05/29/2026

Some highlights from our last meeting of the season
- Aquascaping contest
-Basic breeder awards
- Planted tank presentation by Kalem
-Members corner by Natalia
-Executive elections

05/29/2026

Congratulations to our winners👏 and thank you to everyone who participated in our annual aquascaping contest! We had a lot of talent submissions this year and loved seeing everyone’s tank. Can’t wait to do this again next year✨

04/23/2026

Originally from the UK, Richard studied fish farming, leading to a successful 35 year career in the water garden and landscape industry. Richard has also been a keen pond and aquarium hobbyist for over 40 years.
Ponds and Aquaria was established in 2002 and specializes in the construction and installation of water gardens and garden landscaping. Coupled with a strong desire for quality and value, the long term success of each project, whether for residential or commercial clients, is fully supported by comprehensive maintenance and service programmes.

📅Date:
Monday, April 27th, 2026

🕓Time:
7:00pm

📍Location:
J.A. Dulude Arena (941 Clyde Ave, Ottawa, ON K2C 4B2)

02/23/2026

Attention OVAS’s annual giant auction is almost here! As usual, everyone is welcome and encouraged to come, member or not.

Mark it on your calendars 📆✍️March 21st 2026.
📍Tom Brown Arena ~ 141 Bayview Station Rd, Ottawa

This is important, write it down✍️

✍️Bidding starts at 11:00am
✍️There will be a fee of $5.00 for a bidder card
✍️Food will be available for purchase on-site

Looking to sell fish🤔

👉Make sure to register your lots at the link in our forum
👉There is a total limit of 1,000 items
👉You may only bring 3 identical lots
👉Fish must be bagged properly
👉All lots that are not registered will be turned away

Want to volunteer🤷
Go look at our forum post to sign up!
There are plenty of roles that need to be filled!

Look at THIS ⤵️

Do you not have a membership yet? 🤷
Did you forget to renew your membership?🤦
Well don’t worry we got you.🫵 ——> You can get your membership there. HOW CONVENIENT🤯

–
Questions, comments or concerns?
📱 Reach out to us via Instagram Messages, Facebook Messenger, or the Contact Us page on our forum.

01/20/2026

Tetras I Have Known

We have the pleasure of hearing Zenin Skomorowski’s program on keeping and breeding Tetra species!

From Kitchener, Ontario, Zenin has been in the tropical fish-keeping hobby for 55 years, since he was 12 years old. He keeps a wide variety of fish, such as cichlids from Africa and the Americas, along with rainbowfish, tetras, barbs, goodeids, livebearers, plecos, cories, Synodontis catfish, and 12 species of loaches.

Zenin actively shares photos of his fish on Facebook, as well as in articles for the KWAS Fins and Tales club newsletter. He has attended the annual Ohio Cichlid Extravaganza and CAOAC conventions for more than 15 years. He has attended the Keystone Clash in Pennsylvania since 2018. Zenin attended ACA conventions in Detroit, Michigan, in 2017 and Madison, Wisconsin, in 2023.

Special Event, write it down✍️
🍴Join us at 5:00 January 26th, before the meeting, for dinner at Pita Bell Kabab (1696 Carling Ave, Ottawa, ON K2A 1C6)

Look at THIS ⤵️
🛒Everyone is welcome to sell plants/fish/items at the meeting

📅Date:
Monday, January 26, 2026

🕓Time:
7:00pm

📍Location:
J.A. Dulude Arena (941 Clyde Ave, Ottawa, ON K2C 4B2)

🚨Important Future Events🚨
March 21st, 2026 - Giant Auction
May 25th, 2026 - Aquascaping Contest and Elections

Do you not have a membership yet? 🤷
Did you forget to renew your membership?🤦
Well don’t worry we got you.🫵 ——> You can get your membership there. HOW CONVENIENT🤯

–
Questions, comments or concerns?
📱 Reach out to us via Instagram Messages, Facebook Messenger, or the Contact Us page on our forum.

12/01/2025

As the holiday season is fast approaching, OVAS is planning a brunch on Saturday January 10th @ Summerhays Grill ( Baseline & Woodruffe)10:00 AM.
This is open to all members , family and fishy friends

As space is limited, we kindly ask that you RSVP on out forum thread ASAP. Please state how many in your party.
Thanks for all your support so far and have a great seasonal holiday.

https://www.ovas.ca/forum/index.php?topic=63734.msg349329;topicseen

​Welcome to Summerhays, where we bring together people of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy delightful experiences from breakfast to midnight. For over 20 years, we've taken pride in ensuring every dish we serve tastes exceptional and our ambiance is always open and friendly.