WORDS: HOLLY WALFORD
Established in 2002, the British Livebearer Association is proudly and solely dedicated to promoting the hobby of keeping and breeding freshwater live-bearing fishes. This includes anything from standard cultivated species such as guppies and platies, to wild-types and species verging on extinction.
Four regular events are held annually, across multiple locations and dates within the UK. You needn’t be a member just to turn up—events are open to anybody with a keen interest in livebearers and are all contain a lot of socialising, meeting with old friends and copious amounts of fish talk. Often, The Association also donates proceeds from some of their events to organisations that are dedicated to the breeding and conservation work of livebearers, such as those by Tropiquaria Zoo, The Goodeid Working Group, and Chester Zoo.
Events most often consist of a fish auction (where you have the chance to obtain some very rare and sought-after species of livebearers), a livebearer show, the Fancy Guppy UK show, forums, guest speakers, trade stalls and sales tables. Livebearer shows are always a fantastic talking point, with many people taking a special interest in the fish that are out on display waiting to be judged.
Shows are always free to enter. A standard show tank is required, but the organisation is more than happy to loan some show tanks to anybody that has never shown fish before and wants to give it a go. Classes are divided into separate categories so that the species of livebearers can be judged accordingly, with award cards and prizes given to participants who have been lucky enough to of been awarded from 1st to 3rd place in their class.
The finale of the show concludes with awards presented, and the winner of best in show presented with a trophy.
So far in 2023, events have been held in Bristol (April 23rd), Basingstoke (June 18th) and Carlisle (July 23rd)
