Mission: A non-profit organization devoted to the furtherance of knowledge regarding cichlids and encouraging the keeping of cichlids as aquarium subjects
Based in Denver, Colorado, the RMCA serves as the only dedicated Cichlid Club in the state of Colorado. For over 30 years, the club has been a resource and meeting place for hobbyists interested in these unique fishes.
In 1973, several members of the Colorado Aquarium Society came together to form a new club, one dedicated to focusing on cichlids. Bob Bartels was the first President of the Rocky Mountain Cichlid Association, with Mike Wilson as Vice President, and Bob Blackburn taking care of secretarial duties. Several other members, including Mike Haverland, handled the various roles necessary to make the club work. Meetings were held at the Washington Heights Community Center, in a basement space that soon became too small for the growing membership. It was not long before the first show was held, at the North Valley Shopping Center at 84th Ave. and Washington St. in Thornton. The club’s popularity grew, and they held their first auction in 1975, in a room in the W.H. Community Center.
From those beginnings, the club continued to meet, have auctions, and grow. There have been low points, when only a handful of active members held the club together, to a prestigious high point in 2004, when the RMCA played host for the American Cichlid Association Annual Convention. Today, the club is going strong and forging forward to grow its membership, and get more hobbyists involved in cichlid keeping.