May 19, 2023 – Speaker: Josh Cunningham

• Speaker: Josh Cunningham

• Josh Cunningham has been keeping and breeding African Cichlids for over 20 years. He started with African Cichlids from Lake Malawi and a couple from Lake Victoria in a 400 sq ft basement. During this time he was mainly breeding four to five different kinds of cichlids and trading the fry back to the pet store for food and filter media.

At some point a decision was made to move to a different area and a bigger house. Once the move was completed he was without cichlids for a couple of years and then acquired a 55 gallon tank. Once the tank was setup and stocked, multiple tank syndrome kicked in again. He then expanded to some different species and kept a few tanks on the main floor of his house. At this point, he decided he wanted a fishroom in the basement. Designs were made and tanks and fish purchased and a "Fish Alcoholic" was born. To date he has spawned over 200+ kinds of African Cichlids and has achieved Master Breeder status in the Michigan Cichlid Association and Ohio Cichlid Association. He was also named Grand Champion Breeder of the American Cichlid Association in 2015 for most spawns in a year.

Josh has spent six years on the Board of Directors of two local fish clubs. He served on the Board of Directors of the Ohio Cichlid Association for two years and on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Cichlid Association for four years, serving three of those years as President including Chairman of the 2017 American Cichlid Association Convention that took place on July 13-16 in Novi,
Michigan. After his time as President of the Michigan Cichlid Association, Josh served two years on the Board of Directors for the American Cichlid Association. He spends his time in the fishroom doing more changes, working with different species and trying to find ways to better the hobby.

Josh is now serving on the Board of Directors of the American Cichlid Association and President of the Southeastern Michigan Aquarium Society and runs a company called Cunningham Tropicals, LLC which has been in business since 2012. Cunningham Tropicals specializes in African Cichlids, plecos, corydoras, shrimp, plants, community fish, and quality fish foods.