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 prestigious high points in 2004 and 2013, 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.
The RMCA is the oldest continuously operating cichlid association in the United States. We welcome keepers of cichlids from around the world, but we tend to lean toward those of the African Rift Lakes. Many of our members are active in the CARES (Conservation, Awareness, Recognition and Responsibility, Encouragement and Education, and Support and Sharing) Preservation Program. The purpose of the CARES Preservation Program is to encourage hobbyists worldwide to devote tank space to one or more species at risk and distribute offspring to fellow qualified hobbyists, while forming an information network where possible between aquarists, scientists, and conservationists.
We meet monthly, usually on the second Friday of the month during the months of January through June, then September through November. We take the months of July, August and December off. We currently meet at the American Legion, Post 1 at 5400 East Yale Avenue, Denver, CO 80222. We hold large auctions in the spring and fall at the DC Oakes High School in Castle Rock, CO.
DC Oakes High School is also the home of our junior club, the Oakes RMCA, a club dedicated to learning about cichlids and aquarium keeping. The ORMCA is led by Chuck Pollet.