


Bucephalandra - Cultivation over Exploitation
Friday, September 4th, 2026 @ 7 PM PST
location
St. Francis Episcopal Church
Parrish Hall
399 San Fernando Way
San Francisco, CA 94127
For the Month of September, we will have Jebriel Houdroj, Presenting on Bucephalandra - Cultivation over Exploitation.
Jebriel Houdroj is a proud Lebanese American, born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. He works as the store manager at The Wet Spot Tropical Fish in Portland, Oregon, where he has also served as the resident plant specialist for the past five years.
Jebriel has been keeping aquariums on and off for over 12 years, though his passion for aquatic flora truly began about seven years ago. In his free time outside of work, he cultivates and documents his process of (amateurly) dissecting species of Bucephalandra and their inflorescences.
His fascination with Bucephalandra began in 2018 after learning about their endangered status, and his interest has only grown since. His mission is to combat misinformation in the hobby about Bucephalandra and other rheophytic plants, while educating others on the importance of cultivation over exploitation.
Jebriel’s talk, titled “Cultivation over Exploitation,” will cover how to properly grow Bucephalandra in the aquarium and how to identify—or at least attempt to identify—the species in your collection. He will also share insights from his adventures in dissecting Bucephalandra and his methods for species identification.
Additionally, Jebriel will offer a practical guide to growing Bucephalandra terrestrially and cultivating emersed plants. He will explain the differences between "epiphytic" and "rheophytic" growth habits, addressing how these terms have often been misused in the hobby—and why accurate terminology and sustainable cultivation matter.
Hospitality (food & Social time) and live Auction to follow the Speaker
Auction is open to the public. Anyone is welcome to bid on items for sale at the auction, but selling is limited to SFAS members only.
For Sellers: Please be familiarized with the Auction rules which can be found here

Open to everyone- hobbyist, families, anyone new to the hobby and those just curious about keeping aquariums.
Join the San Francisco Aquarium Society at:
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St. Francis Episcopal Church
Parrish Hall
399 San Fernando Way
San Francisco, CA 94127
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Check out our Meetings page for a list of speakers and topics that have been scheduled for 2026.
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Established in 1923 in association with The Steinhart Aquarium, San Francisco Aquarium Society (SFAS) is the West Coast's original tropical fish club. Each month we host a lecture on how to breed a particular species, how to grow beautiful aquarium plants, how genetics is used to predict environmental impact, virtual tours of club member aquaria, aquaponics, collecting across the world, or anything else on topic.

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