Fish of the Month
A. stuartgranti "chtimba"
Also known as Aulonocara masoni, this is a beautiful Malawian. ...More
Click here to download fillable membership (70K PDF) |
About the Greater Chicago
Cichlid Association
Member Benefits | GCCA History | Club Facts
The Greater Chicago Cichlid Association (GCCA) is a place for cichlid hobbyists.
Cichlids— a group of aquarium fish that provide fascinating parental care and behavior— are what our club members keep, breed and talk about.
If you like cichlids, you should join the GCCA today.
Member Benefits
- GCCA is the top cichlid club in the midwest.
- We have over 200 members that range in age from 8 to 80!
- We have top speakers at our monthly meetings.
- The club sponsors many special events which you can find on our Calendar page:
- Cichlid Auctions
- Cichlid swap meets
- Members-only field trips
- Fishroom tours
- Lending library of top cichlid books
- Breeders Award Program: Earn points and plaques as you breed cichlids
- Raffle at every meetings
- A cichlid auction at every meeting. A great way to get rare and hard to find fish.
GCCA History
In 1974, Ken Schultz, Jan Alm, Carlo Leon and Carl Lundquist met to form the Greater Chicago Cichlid Association (GCCA). After much discussion, a name for the organization was agreed upon, and Carl was designated President, Jan, Vice-President and Ken, Treasurer.
Postcards and posters were printed announcing the formation of a Chicago area Cichlid group, and over 500 responses were received from interested hobbyists. As most respondents were from the north side and northwest suburban area, it was decided to hold the meetings in that area.
Jerry Lindquist, another hobbyist, had parents who were managing the International Motor Inn on North Mannheim Road. The club was able to use the Inn for meetings. In January 1975, the first meeting of the GCCA was held, with a large turn out of prospective members. The soon-to-be leading Cichlid group in the Great Lakes area was launched.
Carlo recently rejoined GCCA and we are pleased to be connected to one of our founders again!
Club Facts
In 1989, club member Ed Higgins (representing the Montgomery Ward Foundation) presented a $150,000 grant to help fund the Shedd Aquarium's new Oceanarium expansion.
The Greater Chicago Cichlid Association has met at six different locations since the club’s conception.
Master breeder Milo Manden served as GCCA president for 12 years, from 1987-1998. This is the perfect example of someone who is truly dedicated to the hobby.
The GCCA is a member of the Federation of American Aquarium Societies.
Former club president Bob Matthews and his wife, club photographer extraordinaire Laura Matthews, have collected wild fish in Brazil. Many other members have collected fish around the world.
In 2006, GCCA hosted the American Cichlid Association convention. Over 600 cichlid keepers from around the world joined us.
Member Benefits | GCCA History | Club Facts