Founded in 2004, CARES means: Conservation, Awareness, Recognition and Responsibility, Encouragement and Education, and Support and Sharing

The purpose of the CARES Preservation Program is to create a network between hobbyists worldwide and the conservationists and scientists, all of whom are working to the same wonderful goal: preserving and caring for endangered fish and distributing them to fellow hobbyists.

Why? For the most part, the massive organizations that might normally undertake such conservation work for larger animals (such as zoos) can’t devote the individual time and tank space to these fish that they need to thrive. That is the type of care that hobbyists excel in. On the flip side, hobbyists can’t make such a meaningful difference as individuals without the support of the scientific and conservation organizations.

How does that network happen? How can you, as an individual, connect to and become a part of that worldwide network?

Through the CARES program. CARES works through various aquarium clubs and organizations. The ACM is a part of the CARES program, and all ACM members can contribute their own fish colonies to the registry kept by CARES.

How to participate:

1 PHOTO: If you keep one of the species on the CARES list, then the first step to register them on the CARES website is to take a photo of the fish with a clear side-view. The photo has to be of your fish, and it doesn’t have to be high quality, but you can’t use internet photos, it must be of the specific colony of fish you are registering.

File name format:

“species name_your name_CARES club_submission date”

For example:

“Ameca Splendens_Geoff Castellucci_ACM_8.10.23”

2 GATHER YOUR INFO:

*Your name and email address;

*Species name;

*Where or from whom obtained;

*Collection location, if available;

*When obtained (approximate date is fine);

*Whether or not the colony has produced fry;

*Your CARES affiliate organization: ACM;

*Your postal address (optional) and

*Your telephone number (optional).

3 REGISTER ONLINE:

Go to the CARES website, where you will enter that information into a message box and upload your photo. One species at a time, please! https://caresforfish.org/?page_id=879.

4 CONFIRMATION

You will receive an email notification from CARES when your registration email is received, and again when it is approved (or not, but let’s think positively!). The ACM CARES Club Chair will be copied on email notifications.

That’s it!

As a part of CARES, the ACM shares its four major goals:

First, by bringing awareness to the critical situation that fish are facing as a result of changing habitats, climate, and other causes. We believe that it is vital that we as responsible aquarists have a part in educating the public and raising that level of awareness.

Second, to encourage and offer support to hobbyists who are maintaining these at-risk species, and to recognize them for putting in the work to make a difference in our world.

Third, to grow our knowledge base as fish keepers through notes, articles, stories, and tank journals so that others may learn to care for these species. Many of them are very hardy, but as we all know, having the correct information can make all the difference in the success of a breeding project.

And finally, to ensure that future generations will be able to gaze in wonder at these beautiful fish living and thriving in aquariums. Only by acting sooner, rather than later, and by doing it together, instead of singly, can we make sure that our grandchildren and their children won’t just be seeing recordings of fish that we had at one time, but had been lost.

*Note: Photo from Amazonas Magazine, 2017.