Modern Aquarium September 2009

September 2009volume XVInumber 7

ON THE COVER

Our cover photo this month features Neolamprologus similis, a small, shelldwelling cichlid from Lake Tanganyika. See Jules Birnbaum’s article, “A Small Fish for a Small Room,” on page 11. The photo was taken by Jules’ granddaughter, age 13, without a flash, using natural sunlight. Photo by Alexandra Horton

GREATER CITY AQUARIUM SOCIETY

Board MeMBers

President Dan RadebaughVice-President Mark SobermanTreasurer Jack TraubCorresponding Secretary Warren Feuer Recording Secretary Edward Vukich

MeMBers at Large

Claudia Dickinson Pete D’OrioArtie Friedman Al GrusellBen Haus Emma HausLeonard Ramroop

CoMMittee Chairs

A.C.A. Delegate Claudia DickinsonBowl Show Leonard RamroopBreeder Award Warren Feuer Mark SobermanEarly Arrivals Al GrusellF.A.A.S. Delegate Alexander PriestMembers/Programs Claudia DickinsonN.E.C. Delegate Claudia DickinsonTechnology Coordinator Warren Feuer

MODERN AQUARIUM

Editor in Chief Dan RadebaughCopy Editors Sharon Barnett Susan Priest Alexander A. PriestExchange Editors Stephen Sica Donna Sosna SicaAdvertising Mgr. Mark Soberman

In This IssueFrom the Editor

2G.C.A.S. 2009 Program Schedule

3 President’s Message

4Our Featured Speaker: Joseph Graffagnino

7by Claudia Dickinson

Bermuda Blues 9by Donna Sosna and Stephen Sica

A Small Fish for a Small Room 11by Jules A. Birnbaum

Member Classifieds 12

The Fishkeeper’s Wife’s Top Ten 13by Marsha Radebaugh

Looking Through the Lens 14Flash Through the Past

by Claudia Dickinson

2009 Breeders Award Program 16

On the Road 17A Visit to Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium

by Dan Radebaugh

Wet Leaves 19by Susan Priest

Cichlidically Speaking 21by Claudia Dickinson

The Undergravel Reporter 24

G.C.A.S. Happenings 25

Fin Fun (Puzzle Page) 26

Series III Vol. XVI, No. 7 September, 2009

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)2 September 2009

From theEditor by Dan Radebaugh

We have a puzzle that you’ll find relevant to our Speaker’s presentation, and The Undergravel Reporter checks in with a cogent political/biological commentary, to which I can only add “Amen”!

One unusual item we’ve included this month is an update of points accumulated so far this year in our Breeders Award Program. So all you breeders take a look, and see what the competition’s up to! For more information on the Breeder Award Program, see Warren Feuer or Mark Soberman.

One other new item of note is that Modern Aquarium now has an ISSN number. The ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) is an eight-digit number which identifies periodical publications as such, including electronic serials. You’ll see it noted in our informational paragraph that appears in this issue on page 4.

Have you gone on a trip lately? See anything fun and interesting? Were fish involved? Did you take pictures? Have you had any new and interesting experiences with your fish or tanks? Sit down and write a story about it! I always need more! This is your club, and your magazine. I thoroughly enjoy getting stories from our members. Everyone here has a slightly different take on the hobby, and all of us are curious about what others are doing that might work for us. So share your experience!

You can send me your stories, pictures, or drawings by email ([email protected]), fax (877-299-0522), or just hand them to me at a meeting. Remember, I always need more!

Last month in this column I made note that we were in the “travel” part of the year, when many of us escape from the heat of the city.

Well, this issue will show that to be true, and that, like most people, we fishkeepers take our interests with us when we travel.

Bermuda is featured as a destination for the third time this year, as the Sicas recount their scuba-diving trip to that popular island retreat in “Bermuda Blues.” As all experienced travelers will agree, when you go is often as important as where, with weather often being the key.

Marsha and I also got away for a little while, and spent part of that time visiting the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, in Sarasota, Florida. I give an overview of that visit in “On the Road.” Marsha also chips in this month with “The Fishkeeper’s Wife’s Top Ten,” though I can’t imagine where she would come up with some of these ideas. Members might want to use some judgment about letting your spouses read this.

Ever since Marsha and I became members and started reading Modern Aquarium, one of my favorite regular features has been Sue Priest’s “Wet Leaves.” This month she reviews a book on saltwater fishkeeping. I have always felt that keeping freshwater tanks already allows ample opportunity for cultivating frustration and poverty, and that saltwater would be just too much of a good thing. However, judging from her review, maybe if I’d had this book available as a reference I might have been tempted enough to try it.

Claudia Dickinson contributes three items this month. First is her introduction of our featured speaker, Joe Graffagnino. She follows with a “Flash Through the Past” pictorial review of meetings from the early years of this decade. (Is it just me, or do fashions really change this much in a few short years?) Claudia’s third contribution is her “Cichlidically Speaking” column, where she keeps us up to date with developments at the American Cichlid Association, and with the cause of cichlid conservation.

Speaking of cichlids, our featured species this month is Neolamprologus similis, a small, shelldwelling cichlid from Lake Tanganyika. Yes, there are cichlids you can keep that don’t require massive tanks and double the normal filtration (or my personal favorite, chain-mail gauntlets for water changes). Our author is Jules Birnbaum, and the photos were taken by his 13-year-old granddaughter, Alexandra Horton.

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) September 2009 3

GCASPrograms2009

It is our great fortune to have another admirable cast of speakers who have so graciously accepted our invitation to join us throughout the coming season, bringing us their extensive knowledge and experiences. You certainly won’t wish to miss a moment of our prominent

guests, not to mention the friends, fish, warmth, and camaraderie that accompanies each meeting. I know I can barely wait to see you here!

Claudia

September Joseph Graffagnino Comparing New and Old World Catfish

October Tim NurseDiving Lake Tanganyika

November Joseph FerdenziHistory of the GCAS

December Holiday Party!


Internal Revenue Code. This status carries many benefits for an organization such as Greater City. First, we are exempt from income taxes as well as local real estate taxes on property owned, and sales taxes for items purchased. Second, any contributions made to us are deductible as charitable contributions. Needless to say, this is a big deal for organizations such as Greater City.

In addition to his guidance on matters like this, Jack has organized our finances into simple, easy-to-read reports that are nevertheless robust enough to give us the necessary operational understanding of our financial situation to make well-considered decisions.

Jack may have missed one of our meetings at some time in his life, but I can’t recall a meeting when I was here and he wasn’t. That level of dedication and dependability takes such a load off the rest of our shoulders that it simply cannot be overstated.

Life moves on for all of us though, and Jack has informed us that this will be his final year as Treasurer. He has earned our deepest gratitude for all he has done, and our sincere best wishes for the future.

Thanks, Jack!

President’sMessage

by Dan Radebaugh

How do you define “successful” when speaking of an aquarium society? Membership stability? Having an

easy-to-reach meeting site? Good auctions? Bowl shows? Interesting speakers? Camaraderie? A good newsletter/magazine? Each of these is important; which of them is more important probably depends a lot on where you are. In some cases, such as smaller communities, just having a place where a few aquarists can gather together, exchange information, and have a little fun is the most important consideration. In other cases, such as here in New York, with a greater, more concentrated population, and more aquarists involved, goals may be more expansive.

Whatever your club’s goals, one of the pre-requisites to achieving them is―just as in your corporate or personal life―having stable, well-managed finances. Greater City has for many years been fortunate to have Jack Traub as our Treasurer. Jack is solid. With initials like CPA and PhD after his name, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. And, unlike many I have known who have sported those initials, he also is a good-natured guy with a well-developed sense of humor.

Jack has done just a great job as our Treasurer. Well before my time here he guided us to achieving federal tax-exempt status as a 501(c) (3) organization under the

Articles submitted for consideration in Modern Aquarium (ISSN 2150-0940) must be received no later than the 10th day of the month prior to the month of publication. Please fax to (877) 299-0522, or email to [email protected]. Copyright 2009 by the Greater City Aquarium Society Inc., a not-for-profit New York State corporation. All rights reserved. Not-for-profit aquarium societies are hereby granted permission to reproduce articles and illustrations from this publication, unless the article indicates that the copyrights have been retained by the author, and provided reprints indicate source and two copies of the publication are sent to the Exchange Editor of this magazine. Any other reproduction or commercial use of the material in this publication is prohibited without express written prior permission.The Greater City Aquarium Society meets every month, except January and February. Members receive notice of meetings in the mail. For more information, contact: Dan Radebaugh (718) 458-8437. Find out more, or leave us a message, at our Internet Home Page at: http://www.greatercity.org or http://www.greatercity.com



The North American Native Fishes Association (NANFA) is pleased to announce their annual convention,

hosted by the Central Florida Region, Oct. 1 - Oct 4., 2009.

Workshops, Speakers, Displays, Raffles, Auctions and a choice of 8 collecting trips on Saturday and Sunday.

Experience the thrill of collecting aquarium-friendly fishes with fellow enthusiasts, scientists, experts and newcomers.

Attend wonderful and informative workshops all day Friday,

Learn about our precious, beautiful and challenging native fishes.

Convention Schedule Thursday, October 1: 12:00 Noon - 10:00pm

Registration and local collecting on your own (maps provided) Friday, October 2: 9:00am - 10:00pm:

Hobbyist/conservation presentations, and a Live Foods Workshop Saturday, October 3: 9:00am - 3:00pm: Local Fish Collecting

Hillsborough, Myakka, Alafia Rivers and Tampa Bay Followed by a Banquet, Auction, and a Photography Workshop

Sunday, October 4: 8:00am to whenever we are done: Choice of All-Day Fish Collecting in beautiful and diverse habitats Santa Fe River, (West coast) Ocala National Forest (North Central) Avon Park (South Central) and Wacissa Springs (Big Bend area).

Register early - Collecting group size is limited

Single. Registration: $65 ($75 after Sept 1): Spouse/student: $50 Includes banquet, and all convention activities

Hotel: Clarion Hotel and Conference Center $69.00/night for Conven-tion attendees (approx. $77/night with taxes). www.TampaClarion.com

2701 East Fowler Ave. Tampa, FL. 33612, 813-977-0155

North American Native Fishes Association Annual Convention, Oct. 1 - 4, Tampa, FL.

For registration online or mail-in forms, go to www.nanfa.org For additional information contact:

Brian Skidmore: [email protected], (813) 813-493-0663 or Charlie Nunziata: [email protected] (727-393-3757)


The

GCASProudly Extends a most Warm Welcome

to

Joseph GraffagninoSpeaking on

“Comparing New and Old World Catfish”

September 2nd 2009

By Claudia DickinsonPhotographs by the author

The long hours spent tending to his business were eased by Pete Graffagnino’s four 10-gallon tanks, which lined the wall of the Graffagnino Meat Market. These aquariums, housing black mollies and guppies, prevalent fish of the early 1950s, also served as a great attraction to customers, as well as catching the fascination of his young son. Joseph Graffagnino took after his father, for to this day he is just as passionate about his fish (aquatic that is!) as he is his meat and potatoes!

When Joe’s own children were young and constantly under his wife’s feet, Joe recalled how his father’s fish had captured his attention, and so he purchased a 20-gallon tank and stand, much to his children’s (and his wife’s) delight! The aquarium housed a wide assortment of fish, including livebearers, killifish, tetras, and barbs. Naturally, soon it was time for an additional 10-gallon tank to place underneath for all of the offspring! The acquisition of that first 20-gallon tank was

thirty-five years ago, and Joe’s great love of the hobby has grown and flourished over the ensuing decades.

His various positions with the U.S. Postal Service over the years have dictated the species of fish Joe has kept. During the periods that he has held administrative roles, his tanks were inhabited by the more demanding South American cichlids. When his job took him traveling for lengths of time, his aquariums reflected that manner of life through the less demanding residents of African cichlids and catfish.

Whatever the species of fish, Joe’s accomplishments have been great as he has attained the rank of Premier Breeder in the Brooklyn Aquarium Society, achieved the status of Senior Grand Master Breeder in our own Greater City Aquarium Society, and was Breeder of the Year in the Brooklyn Aquarium Society for the years 2000 and 2003. Current President of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society, Joe serves as the club’s Breeder Award


Program Chair as well. He is also a member of the American Cichlid Association, the Greater City Aquarium Society, and the North Jersey Aquarium Society. We all know Joe here at the GCAS as that most special man who is always ready with a warm smile, welcome words of wisdom, and the kind offer of a helping hand!

An author of numerous articles on fish as well as plants, Joe has had his writing and photographs published in Tropical Fish Hobbyist, the ACA’s Buntbarsche Bulletin, as well as in society publications, which include the pages of our own Modern Aquarium. Entering his fish in shows across the tri-state area, as well as Rhode Island,

Joe’s entries continue to do exceptionally well, consistently winning top honors. His extensive knowledge and personable nature have brought Joe several invitations to serve on panel discussion sessions of local societies.

Maintaining a small seasonal pond, Joe is also interested in plant propagation. His knowledge of plants in regards to their individual needs and maintenance is further evidence of his consummate understanding of the “complete aquarium.”

Consisting of fourteen aquariums, varying in size, with his two largest at 180 gallons each, Joe’s basement fishroom is currently focused on African cichlids, Central American cichlids, and both Old and New World catfish. Joe’s lovely wife, Rose Marie, is supportive of her husband’s hobby, and will gladly help him out by feeding the fish while he is away on business trips. There is little doubt that Joe’s grandchildren will have the great delight of owning their own aquariums—and so the Graffagnino aquatic tradition will carry on!

It is with great warmth and pride that we welcome Joe tonight as he brings us his wealth of knowledge gained through years of experience in Comparing New and Old World Catfish.

Joe is always on hand with a warm smile and cheerful greeting. Here, Joe (on right), along with Joe Ferdenzi and Al DiSpigna, presents British catfish expert Ian Fuller with a special gift of particular cheer.

www.northeastcouncil.orgBoard Meeting – Sunday, August 15TH @12:00 p.m.

at the PVAS picnic in buttery brook park in south Hadley, MA If you cannot attend the meeting, please contact Joe Masi at

[email protected] or 845-896-4793

NEW LOCATION FOR NEXT GENERAL MEETING ON SUNDAY September 27th Crowne Plaza Hotel, 100 Berlin road, Cromwell, CT 06416

2009 NEC CALENDAR 2010 NEC CALENDAR

August February15 PVAS Picnic/NEC Board Meeting 14 PVAS Auction 29-30 TFSRI Show & Auction 26-28 NEC Annual Convention

September March27 NEC General Meeting 13 NJAS Swap Meet

October April3-4 NAS Show & Auction 18 NJAS Spring Auction 11 DAAS Auction 18 NHAS Auction October23-25 NJAS Show & Auction 23-25 NJAS Show & Auction

November8 TFCB Auction 15 NEC BOG Meeting (conference call)

December6 NEC General Meeting

The NEC does not coordinate dates for club events, but does publish a monthly calendar for your convenience. Prior to selecting a date for your club’s next event, please check the NEC calendar for availability, and then notify the Editor of the new date immediately at [email protected].

REMINDER TO THE BOSTON AQUARIUM SOCIETY, THE NORTHEAST LIVEBEARERS ASSOCIATION & THE NEW HAMPSHIRE AQUARIUM SOCIETY: ANNUAL NEC DUES IN THE AMOUNT OF $30.00 ARE PAYABLE ON JUNE 1ST OF EACH YEAR. PLEASE FORWARD YOUR CHECK TO: FRANK POLICASTRO, LYNNFIELD DRIVE, EAST WINDSOR, NJ 08520 ASAP.


























BERMUDA BLUESby Donna Sosna and Stephen Sica

Imagine pink sand beaches, billowy white clouds, and warm, balmy breezes. That’s the Bermuda of the tourist brochures. Unfortunately, that’s not the

Bermuda that we encountered during the first week of this summer.

We went equipped with all of our scuba gear, looking forward to diving some of Bermuda’s signature shipwrecks. Enter the monsoons. The locals told us that the island was in a serious drought situation until the week prior to our arrival. Well, we managed to remedy that! The driving rains began within hours of our arrival. All of our scheduled boat dives were cancelled due to gale force winds and rough seas. By the fourth day, the suitcase that contained our diving gear remained unopened.

As we prepared for our departure the next morning, a crack appeared in the clouds, and the sun strained to make an appearance. The dive shop―anxious to recoup some of its losses―offered to take us on a guided shore dive from one of our hotel’s nine beaches. Reluctant at first to unpack our gear and risk taking home damp or wet equipment, we ultimately relented, and decided to give it a go. We were warned that the water was very shallow, and that we would have to undertake a significant surface swim to find water that was at least ten feet deep. When we were finally able to submerge, we found the water to be even murkier than we feared. As they say in the business, it was an opportunity to search for macro sea life, with visibility at ten feet (at best).

It was difficult to take photos. First, because there was very little subject matter to photograph, and second, it would have meant losing our guide in the gloomy sea. We did encounter a few small schools of bream and Bermuda chubs, one lobster, one small moray eel, and an occasional sergeant major. There was one extremely striking fish―a mature blue angelfish. I took one photo not knowing what it was at the time because the water was so dark and murky. When I later edited the few photos that I had attempted, I discovered that the angelfish was one of a pair. It was the first pair that I had ever seen, but its colors were lost in the gloomy sea. We decided to describe this experience as a “muck dive.”

Meanwhile, here are some of our experiences on land. The rooms were romantically described as soft-sided cabanas with terraces and views of the sea. In

Donna submerges in the shallows above sea grass to begin “muck dive.”

Bermuda bream, more popularly known as the silver porgy, Diplodus argenteus.

Blue angelfish, Holacanthus bermudensis.


reality they were tents with windows. It was raining too heavily to use the terraces, but we were told that the views were lovely when there was no rain. Returning from dinner on our first night, we narrowly avoided stepping on a huge bullfrog. The tree frogs were so abundant and loud that it was difficult to sleep.

When the wind blew from a certain direction, it carried a very unpleasant and pungent aroma. When the housekeeper was finally able to brave the elements and bring fresh towels, we asked her about the smell. She smiled, and said that after a while the tourists get used to the neighboring chicken farm! A loquacious taxi driver told us that we were also downwind from a dairy farm, and its milking station was adjacent to the resort. Believe me, fresh eggs and milk were definitely not worth that smell.

Early on our second morning, the smoke alarm went off, and could not be silenced. The resort staff graciously moved us to a cabana on “the point.” The cabana was light and airy, and the vista was beautiful. Unfortunately, the wind and rain kicked up again furiously on our third night. The canvass walls rustled angrily, and it seemed that we would be blown out to sea. Miraculously, we were not.

After another night that was rather peaceful, we awoke to a beautiful Bermuda morning, just in time to be driven to the airport for our flight home. Fortunately, we had been to Bermuda on several prior occasions, upon which we had much more positive experiences. Who knows? Once we dry out, we may even be brave enough to venture back.

Slippery Dick, a wrasse, Halichoeres bivattatus.Giant anemone, Condylactis gigantean.

Donkey dung sea cucumber, Holothuria mexicana.


A Small Fish for a Small Room

by Jules A. Birnbaum

Most of us at one time or other made the mistake of buying young fish that grow into monsters. Although the pet shops try, many

just love that cute little Oscar. How about buying six of them? They should fit nicely in my 20 gallon tank. (Don’t do it!)

However, there is one little fish that will stay small that is worth your attention. It will give you hours of enjoyment just quietly watching their daily life.

The Neolamprologus similis (big eye), under two inches fully grown, has very interesting breeding habits. The species comes from Lake Tanganyika, and is a shelldweller, which means it runs for the cover of a shell when your mother-in-law comes to visit (only kidding). It’s called similis because it looks similar to the Neolamprologus multifasciatus.

I purchased five at the AFISH Convention last year that came from Ed Vukich’s fish room, and placed them in a 10-gallon tank with white, sandy substrate. I’m currently using a box filter, but I’ve been thinking of going to more sponge filters to lessen maintenance. It really does not matter what type of filter you use, but I would recommend a box or sponge filter. I can’t stress enough the importance of doing 20% water changes at least once a week for small tanks. The only way to avoid these frequent water changes is to feed very lightly once a day, and skip a day at least once a week. Most of us just love watching our pets eat. We are all overweight anyway, so why not our fish?

I ordered a dozen shells (Babylonia spirata) from an online source. Many shells should be used, so that each fish will find a home. There are other places to acquire shells at very low cost, such as arts and crafts stores. Since these fish like to move things around, small shells with round openings are preferred.

I keep the pH in my tank at 8, and I perform regular, once a week, 20% water changes. I use a buffer with each water change to maintain the pH. My plants don’t seem to grow well in the high pH these fish prefer, but if you like a planted tank, a few Java

ferns should stay alive.Snails can be a problem, since they will go after

the eggs, though my shelldwellers produced fry even with the snails around. The parents are very good at moving snails away, but at night the snails have the advantage. I keep the temperature at around 78 degrees F, but during the summer months my room reaches about 80.

Though N. similis are not fussy eaters, they prefer not to come to the surface for food (maybe they don’t trust us). I break up flake food to make a fine

mix, and add water before pouring it into the tank. This way the food sinks to the bottom. They will also eat small sinking pellets, and every once in a while I give them frozen brine shrimp or tubifex worms (washed thoroughly).

Now came the patience (I’m working on this) required by this hobby. Nothing really happened for six months,

and I just observed the behavior of the three females and two males. The males are bigger, and as they get older they develop somewhat of a nuchal hump. Also it seemed to me they are more aggressive, showing off for the females (just like us humans). Use a fine substrate. The future parents love to move it around, making depressions in the sand where the shells are moved, keeping the openings on the top.

The adult fish split up into two colonies, and about two months ago a male and a female were watching over about 8 young. The size of the fry when they ventured out of their shell indicated they were a few days old. Like most shelldwellers, these fish are great parents, will not eat the fry, and will start breeding again even with their prior brood still around.

I feed the fry microworms and brine shrimp at least twice a day. The parents will also eat this. If you are going to be successful breeding these fish, live food for the new fry is important. You will have a greater number of fry survive if you give them a nice home-cooked meal.

The second colony of one male and two females recently produced ten more fry, for a total of


approximately 18. If you want to be frustrated, try counting fry.

Now comes decision time. What to do with so many young in a ten-gallon tank? The easy part is getting them out of the tank. Just net the shells with the fish in them out of the tank. But where would they go? I can’t give you an answer to this question, at least not yet, but I’m running out of room! I could set up a tank in the den or living room, taking up wall space, but there would be lots of screaming from my wife Elaine, but we’re married 54 years, and she knew I was nuts when she married me.

One of my fellow Nassau County Aquarium Society members told me he set up a 55 gallon tank for several Neolamprologus families, which formed an interesting community, but I prefer a smaller tank such as a ten or twenty gallon for observing these interesting

Member Classifieds

EQUIPMENT:

3 Rena Filstar XP3 Cannister Filters -- Up to 350 GPH -- $50 each1 Eheim Pro II 2026 $651 Emperor 280 Power Filter (single bio-wheel) $201 Emperor 400 Bio-Wheel HOB Power Filter $301 Coralife Turb Twist 18 watt with 3 extra (never used) UV bulbs $50All nearly new, in original boxes. Call (631) 563-1404-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2-10’s---complete $15 each2-20 Longs complete, no lights 20 each1-20 high-complete, no filter 202-29’s complete 30 eachRefrigerator 301-55 complete 601-65 with canister filter, full lighting, Laterite in gravel metal stand---$250Some large wood, meds, rock, caves.“Complete” means heater, filter, full lighting (they were used as plant tanks), canopy.Call Charley: (917) 837-6346-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------46 bow tank, light, stand, all oak finish $310Looking for Oak stand for 36g bowfrontCall Ron: 718-464-8408

little fish. If you can find any of the small shelldweller species, these wonderful little fish are worth a try. I hope my experience is of some interest.

Photos by Alexandra Horton.


THE FISHKEEPER’S WIFE’STOP TEN

by Marsha Radebaugh

Aquarium hobbyists have occasionally been known to suffer from an obsessive syndrome. Sometimes it’s hard for them to determine objectively when things are getting out of hand. As a hobbyist’s wife, I’ve developed a list of the top ten clues that might indicate someone needs to get a grip. Here they are.

You know things are getting out of hand when:

your kids invite their friends over and charge admission1.

your water bill is higher than your mortgage payment2.

you can’t pass any of the 100 Petland Discounts in the tri-state area without stopping 3.

in “just to see what they have”

the other party in your divorce proceedings is named “Oscar”4.

you’ve been abducted by terrorists but your spouse doesn’t notice because he/she 5.

assumed you were just in the fish room

you encourage your 15- and 16-year-old kids to move to a kibbutz so you can have 6.

more space for tanks (they were a pain in the butt anyway)

Dr. Foster calls you to place an order7.

vacation destinations depend on where the next fish convention is being held8.

his or her teacher counts your kid’s birthday party as a “field trip”9.

And finally, you know things have gotten out of hand when

10. you buy a bigger house so you can have more tanks, not more kids!

14 September 2009 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)

Champion of conservation Dr. Paul Loiselle and Joe Ferdenzi in 2002.

Flash through thePhotos and captions

There is nothing like curling up with a cup of hot tea and boxes of old photographs on a rainy day. This month, “Looking Through the Lens” brings us a bit of that same warmth and rainy day nostalgia as we take a “Flash Through the Past” through time, with photos, many of them scanned from pre-digital images, from yesteryear. See if you remember when…

A great part of the GCAS framework for many years, and forever GCAS family, Vince and Rose Sileo are honored in 2002 by Joe Ferdenzi.

Surprise, Joe!!! Our GCAS Roll of Honor Award is now officially named in your honor. What fun!!!

Surprise presentation in 2002 of the renaming of the Joe Ferdenzi Roll of Honor Award. Do you think that Joe knows what’s in store??

Joe Ferdenzi makes special note of Harry Faustmann’s 2002 spectacular achievement of his fish being honored with Best in Show at the American Killifish Association’s annual Convention.

Our GCAS Panel of Experts in 2003, Charley Sabatino, Anton Vukich, Harry Faustmann, and Joe Ferdenzi.


Mark Soberman, Joe Ferdenzi, and Tom Miglio enjoy a Grande time as our GCAS 2001 Expert Panel. I wonder if they ever got the question answered?!

Past with the GCASBy Claudia dickinson

Joe Ferdenzi gives our guest speaker and dear GCAS friend, Ginny Eckstein, a special Valentine teddy.

“Did you see that?? The guy poked his head in the door, took one look at this roomful of fish nuts, turned back around, and couldn’t get out fast enough!” Joe Ferdenzi and Brad Dickinson share the laughter of dear friends in 2001.

Joe Ferdenzi, Joe Graffagnino, and Warren Feuer in 2004.

Joe Ferdenzi honors Carlotti de Jager in 2003 with the GCAS Aquarist of the Year Award. Noted speaker Sally Boggs is given heartfelt thanks

by then-President Joe Ferdenzi for her memorable 2004 visit with the GCAS.

16 September 2009 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)

GCAS BREEDERS AWARD PROGRAM 2009TOTALS THROUGH JULY

NAME SPECIES BRED Points 1st - GCAS CARES DATE

JEFF BOLLBACH CERT #1743 PACHYPANCHAX ARNOULTI 30 3/4/20091744 MELANOTAENIA NIGRANS 5 3/4/20091746 AULONOCARA RUBESCENS 20 4/8/20091747 LABIDOCHROMIS CAERULEUS 10 4/8/20091748 EPIPLATYS CHAPERI 10 4/8/20091749 RIVULUS HARTII 15 4/8/20091750 APHYOSEMION POLIAKI 5 5/6/20091751 SAWBWA RESPLENDENS 20 5/6/20091752 PSEUDOCRENILABRUS MULTICOLOR 10 5/6/20091753 RIVULUS TENIUS 15 5/6/20091760 APLOCHEILUS LINEATUS 10 7/1/20091760 APLOCHEILUS LINEATUS 10 7/1/20091761 ALLOMOGURNDA NESOLEPSIS 25 8/5/20091762 XENOTACA VARIATA 15 8/5/2009

Number of species 13 Total Points 190

JOSEPH FERDENZI1745 NEMATOBRYCON LACORTEI 10 3/4/2009

N b f i 1 T t l P i t 10Number of species 1 Total Points 10

JOSEPH GRAFFAGNINO1741 APHYOSEMION CASTANEUM 15 3/4/20091742 HYPHESSOBRYCON COLUMBIANUS 15 3/4/20091763 POECILIA RETICULATA 5 8/5/2009


MARK SOBERMAN1754 CORYDORAS NAPOENSIS 25 5/6/20091755 DANIO MARGARITATUS 5 5/6/20091756 ANCISTRUS SP. "ALBINO" 15 5/6/2009


EDWARD VUKICHPSEUDOCRENILABRUS MULTICOLOR 10 7/1/2009PACHYPANCHAX SAKARAMYI 10 7/1/2009LAMPROLOGUS CAUDOPUNCTATUS 15 7/1/2009Number of species 3 Total Points 35

indicates first recorded breeding of the species in the GCAS Breeders Award Programindicates a species at risk that is listed in the C.A.R.E.S. Preservation Program


On the RoadA Visit to Mote Marine Aquarium

by Dan Radebaugh

Back in July, Marsha and I spent a week down in Tampa. I know―Florida in the summertime? Are we nuts? Well, parents’ birthdays are when

they are, and my mother isn’t old enough yet that I can convince her she was really born in February. Ah, well!

While we were there, we took a couple of days to visit some old friends of Marsha’s from the Bronx, who are now living further down the coast in Cape Coral. Having made it a practice in recent years to visit fishy points of interest on our journeys, we noticed that Mote Aquarium in Sarasota would be an easy side trip on the way down, so we decided to stop and check it out.

I’ll digress here to note that my family moved to Tampa right after the New Year of 1955 (I was of course -38 years old at that time). I mention this because what is now Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium was founded in that same year. Despite that coincidence, and that I lived in Tampa for the next twenty years, I had never heard of the place until just a few years ago, from reading some of the Doc Ford novels of Randy Wayne White.

The road signage in Florida being in general much better than it is here in New York, we found the aquarium without much trouble, and pulled into the parking lot in the late morning. After easily finding a sunny spot for the car beside the seabird rescue area, we walked over to the ticketing area, and began our tour.

The facility is appears to be laid out in three general sections: the Aquarium proper (which also includes research facilities), the dolphin/manatee/turtle building (which includes a hospital for sick and injured animals), and a seabird rescue facility, which, as it turns out, is not really part of the facility, but is operated by the State of Florida. Eco-tours of Sarasota Bay are also available. Visitors can see the sections in any order they choose, but since the ticketing is at the Aquarium, we began there.

A modestly sized facility, the Aquarium is well laid-out and clean, with knowledgeable and helpful docents scattered about. For kibitzers, at least some of the research areas are viewable through glass walls. This is a nice touch, and reinforces the idea that the Laboratory/Aquarium is there to share its research findings with the people who live in the area and who help support it.

Another nice touch: The Aquarium building is surrounded by a series of ponds that capture rainwater coming off the roofs of the Lab and Aquarium. These are decoratively planted, and are home to a number of snook (Centropomus undecimalis). A warmwater fish wildly popular among recreational anglers, and therefore under some population pressure, the snook is one of the subjects of the Laboratory’s aquaculture research programs.

A giant hermit crab (Petrochirus diogenes)

A pair of toadfish All species of toadfish have sharp, hollow spines along their dorsal fins, and some are venomous.

One of the rainwater ponds around the Aquarium. Snook are not visible in this photo, but they’re there!

A scrawled cowfish (Acanthostracion quadricornis)


Leaving the Aquarium, a walk across the parking lot, and then across a street, brought us to the dolphin and whale hospital, and the sea turtle hospital. Most of the residents here are transients, being cared for until they can be released back into the sea, but there are a few permanent residents that will live out their lives at Mote. These include a spotted dolphin that had beached itself, and suffered permanent liver damage. It now requires regular shots to keep it alive.

This dolphin shares a large pool with a long-nosed spinner dolphin that was rescued as a youngster, and therefore never learned how to hunt on its own. Both these creatures had favorite toys in the pool, from which they are pretty much inseparable. The spotted dolphin constantly clutches under one flipper a large, black hula-hoop type object, only occasionally letting go long enough to do a quick length of the pool and back. The spinner’s toys are a couple of large ball-like objects that it jealously guards. Rather like kids with their “blankies.”

The hospital also cares for sick and injured manatees, pygmy killer whales, and others, and is a part of the Laboratory’s marine mammal research unit. There are also display tanks, a hospital, and a research program for sea turtles.

The sea bird rescue center is back across the street, across the parking lot from the Aquarium. This facility is a hospital and refuge for sick and injured birds of all kinds from the surrounding area. As with

the turtles and mammals, not all can be returned to the wild because of the severity of their injuries. There were gulls, hawks, owls, and a distressingly large number of sandhill cranes with broken (or missing) legs.

Mote is one of the few private marine research laboratories, and it seems to me that they have done a good job of combining their research mission with public outreach through this very user-friendly aquarium. If you find yourself in the Sarasota area, I recommend stopping in.

A Brief History of Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium(Courtesy of Mote Marine)

Dr. Eugenie (“Genie”) Clark, renowned today for her research on sharks and other fish, founded Mote Marine Laboratory — originally called the Cape haze Marine Laboratory — in 1955 in Charlotte County, Fla. Five years later, the Lab relocated to siesta Key in sarasota County, where Clark’s cutting-edge research centered on sharks drew prestigious scientists from the U.s., Japan, israel and several european countries to collaborate and share the facilities.

in 1967, Clark took a professorship in Maryland, leaving the Lab in the capable hands of dr. Perry gilbert and a new benefactor, William r. Mote. the Lab was re-named in honor of Mr. Mote and his wife and sister. Bill Mote was a tampa native who, upon retirement from the transportation industry, moved back to Florida with a desire to give back to the sea he had loved as a boy.

in 1980, Mote formalized the outreach and education it had long been committed to with the opening of Mote aquarium. the aquarium later expanded to include additional exhibits and today houses dolphins, manatees, sea turtles and sharks. its focus is on bringing the current research being conducted at the Lab to the public.

Bill Mote passed away in 2000. today, Mote’s governance includes long-time President dr. Kumar Mahadevan and an active Board of trustees chaired by arthur armitage. the Lab today is organized into seven centers for research focusing on sharks, marine mammals, sea turtles, environmental toxins, coastal ecology, coral reefs, aquaculture, fisheries and, of course, it is still committed to the study of sharks.

Mote research is conducted at the main Laboratory on City island in sarasota. Mote also has research field stations in eastern Sarasota County (Mote Aquaculture Research Park), in Charlotte harbor on Pine island (Lee County), in summerland Key in the Florida Keys (Monroe County), and a public outreach exhibit housed at the Florida Keys eco-discovery Center in Key West.

“Edgar” the sea turtle. Photo courtesy of Mote Marine Lab.

All other photos by Marsha Radebaugh

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) September 2009 1918 September 2009 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

Saltwater Aquariums MakeA Great HobbyBy John Tullock

Howell Book House, 2006

a Series On Books For The Hobbyist

by SUSAN PRIEST

Recently a friend I have known for quite a longwhile said to me “I’d like to keep seahorses.”Inwardly I groaned (could she have heard

me?). More than once I tried talking to her aboutfishkeeping, but she never tookan interest. As patiently as Icould, I explained to her thats e a h o r s e s w e r e h i g h l yendangered, and that only themost experienced of aquaristsshould keep them. You willnever guess whathappened next; sheactually listened tome! She still wants tokeep seahorses, butshe understands thatshe needs to learn(marine) fishkeepingfirst.

I wanted to helpher get started. I amnot a marine hobbyist,but after havingwritten this columnfor so many years, Iknew exactly where tobegin. I headedstraight for thebookstore. “Thisbook is intended fort h e f i r s t - t i m eaquarium owner, andalso for the familylooking to add anaquarium to theirlives.” Only a coupleof other shopperslooked my way when I said “bingo!”

Chapter one is called “Are you ready to get asaltwater aquarium?” and chapter ten is called“Your aquarium as part of the family.” In betweenare multiple broad categories which are filled inwith countless details. For example, chapter three,“Understanding how a saltwater aquarium works,”starts with the broad category “physical andchemical cycles.” This is followed by the slightlymore narrow subheadings of the nitrogen cycle, thediurnal light cycle, the carbon cycle and the

phosphorous cycle. Did you know that every fishcarries nitrifying bacteria on its body, which iswhy one or two hardy fish which are secretingammonia can nitrify a new tank? There are manymore details like that.

Mr. Tullock repeatedly asks you to thinkabout your desires and resources. When he wrotethis book three years ago, he expected that youwould need to spend a minimum of $1,000 on abasic 30 gallon marine tank along with thenecessary equipment. Of that amount, only $50would be for the fish. Prices have risen in the pastthree years, of course.

Throughout the text there are a wide varietyof worksheets, checklists, andcharts. The aquarium floorload worksheet, the testing-supplies checklist, and chartsof fishes for fish-only tanks,fishes for minireefs, andrecommended invertebratesalong with their basic needs,

are but a fewexamples.

By the time youreach page 134 (outof 256) the author istesting you. “I’veincluded an obviousmistake in the 75gallon plan. Did youcatch it?” This isquickly followed bya worksheet whichexpects you to beable to “list the fishesyou plan to includei n t h i s t a n k ,beginning with theleast aggressive andending with the mostaggressive,” and“next to the name ofeach species, writedown the type offood it eats.” Wow!How many of youcould do that with a

freshwater tank which you have been keeping foryears?

There are frequently asked questions, tips onrelocation (relocation of a household withaquariums, not of a tank from one room toanother), and how to cure “Brooklynella,” (no, Ididn’t make that up). Do you know why and howto create a “hurricane” in your reef tank? Thisbook supplies countless answers to countlessquestions you never even knew you had.

20 September 2009 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) September 2009 19

Freshwater hobbyists will find much that is usefuland interesting, but it is not written for you.

Speaking of interesting, our author couldalmost get me to take up marine fishkeeping withhis descriptions of individual fishes. I can’t resistoffering you a very few examples: The Atlanticpygmy angelfish (Centropyge argi) “rarely reachingthree inches, are dark blue with an orange face anda bright blue circle around the eye, a feisty species!”The golden butterfly fish (Chaetodon semilarvatus)“can command several hundred dollars in price.”(Hmmm!) The flame hawkfish (Neocirrhitesarmatus) “perch in a delightful way which suggeststhey are supervising all events within the tank, andare hardy, a good choice for beginning aquarists.”

I think that one of the best pieces of adviceoffered is to keep a “specimen acquisition record.”Every time a new fish comes under your roof, writedown the name of the fish, the date, and where yougot it. How many times have you looked at one ofyour fish and wondered “when did I get that one?”I do it all the time (especially with my ??? years oldkuhli loaches).

Our author has provided us with an excellent23-page glossary. When you use it in combinationwith the index, you will be well informed on everytopic.

As a reviewer, I have a responsibility toreport on any shortcomings I encounter, but Mr.Tullock has made this tough for me. I didn’tbump into anything problematic, so I actually wentlooking for something. The only thing I couldcome up with is that the information on food andfeeding was tucked into chapter eight, “keepingyour aquarium healthy,” rather than earlier on, andin closer proximity to the information and chartson the recommended fishes and invertebrates.

There is one omission from this book whichhelps me make my point to my friend much betterthan I could do on my own. Nowhere in this book,written by someone who is a member of the boardof directors of an organization which rears rare andendangered fishes for environmental recovery (amore complete list of his credentials is on the backcover of his book), nowhere in the lists, the charts,or the index, has he named any species of seahorsein his book for “first time (saltwater) aquariumowners.” I will be giving this book to my friend,along with a copy of this review. I feel confidentthat it will be able to guide her to the best choicesfor her.


Cichlidically SpeakingYour Link to the

American Cichlid Associationwww.cichlid.org

by Claudia Dickinson

The Babes in the Cichlid Hobby do it again for Cichlid Conservation and Research!A mainstay in accruing monies and bringing continued growth to the Paul V. Loiselle Conservation Fund

and the Guy D. Jordan Research Fund, the Babes in the Cichlid Hobby have done it again at this year’s annual convention! The famous oral auction of rare and at risk cichlids, lasting almost two hours, brought in $2,407, and the renowned silent auction brought in $5,151, for a total of $7,558. Of this, $4,242 will go to the Paul V. Loiselle Conservation Fund, $1,816 will go to the Guy D. Jordan Research Fund, and $1,500 will go to the Stuart M. Grant Cichlid Conservation Fund. The Stan Sung original painting, Tanganyikan Dreams, brought $300, and the lovely cichlid quilt, hand-sewn with the beautiful t-shirt designs of Pam Marsh, brought $200.

A warm and heartfelt thank you to Pam Chin, Caroline Estes, Pam Marsh, and all of the Babes in the Cichlid Hobby for your boundless energy, commitment, and enthusiasm in your continued efforts to champion cichlid conservation and research! What great fortune we, and cichlids, have in the Babes in the Cichlid Hobby!

It’s Time to Vote for the ACA Board of Trustees!The ACA Summer Newsletter contains the BOT ballot and the chance for ACA members to be a part of

deciding who will run the organization over the coming years. Steering the ACA on a course that ensures that it continues to be the best that it can be is a challenging endeavor that, through the diligence of the BOT, has been met with steadfast resolution.

The slate of nominees is made up of a wonderfully talented, knowledgeable, and creative group, each bringing with them their own unique ideas. A warm thank you to Michael Atkins, Phil Benes, Mo Devlin, Rich Dietz, David Hansen, Dean Hougen, Ted Judy, and Kevin Kubista for stepping up to the plate and volunteering to


CARES Species at RiskThoracochromis brauschi (Poll & Thys Van Den Audenaerde 1965)Inhabiting the densely vegetated Fwe River of Zaire in the African Congo, Thoracochromis brauschi is a rarity in the hobby. Knowledge of the conservation status of this exquisite species is obscured by the inability to collect in the region due to intense political unrest. The addition of T. brauschi to your fishroom, along with participation in the ACA Paul V. Loiselle Conservation Fund, www.cichlid.org, will offer assurance that this stunning beauty will remain with us for generations to come. For further reading, please see the article by Greg Steeves at: http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/thor_brauschi.php. Photo credit: David Hansen

With the proper water flow and tank setup, rheophile cichlids, such as this Steatocranus sp. ‘square head,’ will flourish.Photo Credit: David Hansen

Eretmodus cyanostictus Boulenger 1898Inhabiting the surge zone along the coastline of Lake Tanganyika, Eretmodus cyanostictus thrives off of algae scraped off of the rocks. Like other goby cichlids, the small swim bladder allows it to sink to the bottom where it avoids being pummeled about by the strong currents and buffeting waves. The fascinating breeding method of this bi-parental mouthbrooder, as well as its aquarium antics and lovely looks, makes E. cyanostictus well worth a place in your tanks.Photo credit: David Hansen

place the next two years into this role. We wish good luck to all of you!

For those GCAS members who are also members of the ACA (and I hope you are!), please take a moment to visit the candidates on the ACA forum, www.acaforum.com, and ask any questions that you may have, and learn what they are looking forward to bringing to the ACA. This is your opportunity to decide who will be at the future helm of the ACA. Let’s make this the greatest voter turnout ever! Please vote!

Setting up a Rheophilic Tank for CichlidsHave you read about the well-oxygenated water

necessary to maintain and breed rheophile cichlids, created through the innovative placement and use of filtration and powerheads, and wondered just how to replicate that in your own tank?

Making use of his exceptional photographic skills, in the current issue, number 253, of Buntbarsche Bulletin, David Hansen shakes out the myths and misconceptions of the needs of riverine cichlids, and

gives us an excellent step-by-step explanation of how to provide the essential well oxygenated water without sending the fish into a tailspin in his photo essay on “Setting up a Rheophilic Tank.”


Ad Konings and the Lady Louise II in Lake Malawi.Photo Credit: Claudia Dickinson

Until next time…

Keep on Enjoying Your Cichlids!Claudia

Claudia Dickinson, Manuel ‘Melo’ Salazar, Pam Chin, Mauricio de la Maza Benignos, Steve Lundblad, Ad Konings, Mehmet Kurgun, Kim Martin, and Alejandro Espinosa at the Stuart M. Grant Cichlid Compound in Malawi, Africa.Photo Credit: Juan Miguel Artigas Azas

Join in membership and the camaraderie of the ACA—you never know where it will lead you!

Enterochromis sp. ‘red back scraper’ Seehausen 1996 While exploring the northern portion of Mwanza Gulf in 1991, Yves Fermon and Ole Seehausen discovered this beautiful cichlid, Enterochromis sp. ‘red back scraper,’ inhabiting papyrus and reed beds along the shores of Nyegezi Bay. They were able to collect a sampling that included one holding female. All specimens of E. sp. ‘red back scraper’ in our aquariums today are descendants from this one collection. Unfortunately, this colorful little haplochromine has not been seen in the wild since and is now thought to be extinct. Hopefully, wild populations of E. sp. ‘red back scraper’ are yet to be found, but as with so many other Lake Victoria cichlids, it might now be up to the hobbyist to ensure the existence of this beautiful little treasure. With many thanks to David Hansen and Greg Steeves! Photo credit: David Hansen

24 September 2009 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) August 2009 17

In spite of popular demand to thecontrary, this humor and informationcolumn continues. As usual, it doesNOT necessarily represent theopinions of the Editor, or of theGreater City Aquarium Society.

Courtesy Village of Wellington

Courtesy of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

BackyardBlunders

A series by “The Undergravel Reporter”

National Public Radio recently reported1 thatFlorida’s foreclosed homes don’t just haveunmowed lawns and broken windows.

Some also have swimming pools full of stagnantrainwater and are overrun with algae. In the villageof Wellington, in Palm Beach County, nearly 9percent of the homes are in foreclosure orpre-foreclosure — the highest rate in the county.The village is struggling to keep up with themaintenance of vacant properties. Pools behindforeclosed houses have become swamps,overflowing with stagnant rainwater and, of course,algae. Instead of hiring pool services, the villagecontracted with Dave Hoy of the Shiner Shack fishfarm to put plecos in the pools of abandonedproperties “to chow down on the scum” collecting inthose pools.

A year of pleco pool service will cost thevillage about $700, compared with $7,000 a year forchemical treatment. The costs, in the form of liens,must be paid by a home’s new owners. Keepingliens low may help foreclosed homes sell morequickly. When the house is sold, the plecos will betransferred to another pool, or destroyed.

However, Hoy says they might also be goodfor eating. He sent some of these fish to Italy,where some chefs experimented using them insome dishes. He was told that it was quite good.

Closer to home, the Bergen County, NJMosquito Commission acquired around 15,000Gambusia affinis, also known as the mosquitofish,from the Hacketstown State Fish Hatchery. Theseason’s wet spring and summer has made for idealmosquito-breeding conditions. The conditionscombined with the rising number of homeforeclosures (which leads to unattended residentialswimming pools and lots of standing water) meansthere are mosquitos everywhere. The commissionstocks abandoned pools with the tiny fish hopingthey will eat the mosquito larvae.2

OK, what am I missing here? Amazonianfish introduced in Florida, “mosquitofish”(notorious for preferring to eat almost anythingelse, including the eggs of native fish) introducedin New Jersey. Both of these done intentionally bygovernment agencies, not by aquarists.

References1http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1121349682http://videos.nj.com/star-ledger/2009/08/mosquitofish_being_used_for_mo.html


GCAS Happenings September

Here are meeting times and locations of some aquarium societies in the Metropolitan New York area:

GREATER CITY AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: october 7, 2009Speaker: tim NurseEvent: Diving Lake TanganyikaMeets the first Wednesday of the month (except January &

February) at 7:30pm: Queens Botanical garden 43-50 Main street - Flushing, NYContact: dan radebaugh (347) 866-1107E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.greatercity.org

BIG APPLE GUPPY CLUBMeets: Last Tuesday each month (except Jan & Feb) at

7:30-10:00pm. alley Pond environmental Ctr.: 228-06 Northern Blvd. Contact: donald Curtin (718) 631-0538

BROOKLYN AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: september 11, 2009Speaker: dana riddle Event: Raising Coral SpawnMeets the 2nd Friday of the month (except July and august)

at 7:30pm: NY aquarium - education hall, Brooklyn, NYCall: Bas events hotline: (718) 837-4455Website: http://www.brooklynaquariumsociety.org

LONG ISLAND AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: september 18, 2009Speaker: John sal silvestri Topic: The Care and Breeding of Apistogramma CichlidsMeets: 3rd Fridays (except July and august) 8:00pm.greenhouse Meeting room, holtsville ecology Center,

Buckley road, holtsville, NY Email: Margaret Peterson - [email protected]: http://liasonline.org/

EAST COAST GUPPY ASSOCIATIONMeets: 1st thursday of each month at at 8:00 pm. alley Pond environmental Ctr.: 228-06 Northern Blvd. Contact: gene Baudier (631) 345-6399

NASSAU COUNTY AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: september 8, 2009Speaker: Jeff BollbachTopic: Meet Me In St. Louis: a tour of the fishrooms of the

Missouri Aquarium SocietyMeets: 2nd tuesday of the month (except July and august)

at 7:30 PM Molloy College - Kellenberg hall ~1000 hempstead ave -

rockville Centre, NYContact: Mike Foran (516) 798-6766Website: http://www.ncasweb.org

NORTH JERSEY AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: september 17, 2009Speaker: Chris Moscarell Event: Breeding ApistosMeets: 8:00 P.M. Lyndhurst elks Club - 251 Park ave - Lyndhurst, NJContact: NJas hotline at (732) 332-1392e-mail: [email protected]: http://www.njas.net/

NORWALK AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: september 17, 2009Speaker & Topic: tBdMeets: 8:00 P.M. - 3rd thursday of each month at:

earthplace - the Nature discovery Center - Westport, CtContact: John Chapkovich (203) 734-7833Call our toll free number (866) 219-4NasE-mail: [email protected]: http://norwalkas.org/

Last Month’s Bowl show Winners:

No bowl show last moNth. sileNt auctioN.

uNofficial 2009 bowl show totals to date:RobeRt hamje 17 maRio beNgcioN 14 RichaRd waizmaN 9 ed Vukich 3 RichaRd leVy 1

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)26 September 200924 September 2009 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

Fin FunEverything Old is New Again!

The topic of this month’s scheduled speaker is “Comparing New and Old World Catfish.” So, this month’spuzzle is asking you to check the appropriate column (“New World” or “Old World”) to the right of thescientific name of several catfish that are either native to South America (meaning they are among thoseconsidered to be “New World” catfish), or African (meaning that, by not being native to North, Central,or South America, they are considered to be “Old World” catfish). Answers next month.

Scientific Name New World Old World

Ancistrus aguaboensis

Amphilius atesuensis

Farlowella acus

Pareutropius buffei

Gogo ornatus

Brochis splendens

Otocinclus affinis

Phractura ansorgii

Hoplosternum littorale

Pseudacanthicus spinosus

Phyllonemus typus

Peckoltia brevissource: http://www.planetcatfish.com/

Solution to last month’s puzzle: More Than Bora Bora Rasbora species scientific name Rasbora species common name

Rasbora argyrotaenia------------Silver RasboraRasbora beauforti------------Spotlight Rasbora

Rasbora daniconius------------Slender RasboraRasbora elegans------------Twospot Rasbora

Trigonostigma hengeli------------Glowlight RasboraTrigonostigma heteromorpha ------------Harlequin Rasbora

Rasbora daniconius------------Slender RasboraRasbora lateristriata------------Yellow RasboraRasbora vaterifloris ------------Pearly Rasbora

Rasbora steineri------------Goldline RasboraSource: http://www.fishbase.org/

Documents

Modern Aquarium September 2009