Plus being wide awake and doing the typical ALA Convention goer's mixing with other aquarist, Joe also helped with the Auction by handling the of the ALA BAP donations before theyh got to the auction table, and since there were 65 bags of fish, that was a bit of work for a relative newcomer to the ALA.

The work by everyone who put on or worked at the Convention are to be congratulated for their efforts.

Yep, just add water. Usually it's the combination of blood, sweat and tears from the aquarist that makes all the conditions 'just so'.
A number of participants, as part of their obligations to get 'credit' for their submissions, dropped of 65 bags of fish for the auction. You can thank the following people for their contributions:
Participant Donations
Ben Slocum 2
Donald Brandt 4
Joe Verdino 6
Mike Monje 6
Patrick Miller 11
Rick Borstein 1
Scott Terzlaff 35
Grand Total 65

They brought fish, pairs, young, trios, groups:
Species
Alfaro cultratus
Ameca splendens
Ataeniobius toweri
Chapalichthys encaustus
Chapalichthys pardalis
Characodon lateralis
Characodon lateralis (los berros)
Gambusia holbrooki
Gambusia myersi
Girardinichthys multiradiatus
Girardinus falcatus
Girardinus metallicus
Girardinus microdactylus
Girardinus uninotatus
Goodea gracilis
Heterandria formosa
Ilyodon cortesae
Ilyodon cortesae (capitizo spring)
Ilyodon whitei
Jenynsia lineata
Limia melanogaster
Limia perugiae
Neoheterandria elegans
Nomorhamphus towoetii
Phallichthys fairweatheri
Poecilia butleri
Poecilia orri
Poecilia wingei
Poeciliopsis gracilis
Red Platy
Skiffia bilineata
Skiffia lermae
Skiffia multipunctata
Xenoophorus captivus (Jesus Maria)
Xenophallus umbratillis
Xenotaenia resolanae
Xenotoca eiseni (Rio Tamazula)
Xenotoca variata
Xiphophorus evelynae
Xiphophorus maculatus
Xiphophorus mayae
Xiphophorus nezahualcoyotl
Xiphophorus variatus
Zoogoneticus tequila

Thank you all who participated, breeding fish and bringing fish,

No standard regarding how to deal with mixing AS. There are a number of wild fish that are now AS, even though there are limited collection sites--and how far is seperation in distance needed to qualify for non-mixing of fish? With goodeids, waterholes are probably sufficient reason to not mix the fish even if they are the 'same species'..

For those who visit the ALA website, the future will show a new item under Programs called Brood Records, which is the listing of species bred by ALA members of the 'largest' brood from a single isolated female.
ALA Members should review the list when it is 'up' and see if you have had a female drop more than what is listed, and if so, send in an update.

To reemphazie Meolody's comment. Salt is not necessary; some of the fish in marshy areas close to the sea tolerate, and various Gambusia have shown a strong tolerance for salt-water, but it is not needed; ergo, any bottom dwelling type 'scavenger' is suitable as long as they are noot overly ramunctious.

If I know I'm going away, I feed well for the previous two weeks, change water just before leaving, and come back--usually this suffices for anything under two weeks. I like to let algae grow on the tanks before leaving, as well. After that period, alternative feeding is required--but I haven't had to worry about that.

Never too early to make plans and save up for the Convention--so how many are going who participate on this list? What do do you plan to bring? What are you looking for? How can you help make the Convention better? How many newcomers can you bring to the convention? Time to 'pony up'...

Unfortunately, most of us are not very successful in breeding the quality livebearers that some, like D. Mefford produces. I barely have been able to keep the quality up on the fish that I've had from time to time [maybe not as ruthless a culler as I chould have been], and I suppose I didn't have the 'eye' as to 'good' livebeares--that's why I don't write about them. Those with success, and who have developed desirable strains are unfortunately in the minority in the ALA and therefore this lack forces those few to be the major contributors, , unless people want to hear about the lack of success of fish keepers.
Besides, I learn more by reading what the good breeders do...

There are a couple collections of wild guppies that have been maintained within the hobby; not many, but a few. They are seemingly not very interesting to most breeders since domesticated culls seem to appease the need for feeders, and for 'uninteresting guppies'. I haven't seen wild guppies [the ones I had were from Trinidad and Venezuela] since the early 1990's.

Yes, basically true. I used a 70 gallon tank, 6 inch depth, elevated to 'mud bank' one end. Tough customers to work with and breed. Lots of live food--gambusia/guppies, etc. Young had to be graduated from smaller to larger food, which meant breeding many other fish in quantity for them.
A couple of articles in The Livebearer by the Bridges tell of their experiences, and they bred them long-term.