modern aquarium june 2007

modernAQUARIUM Series III Vol. XIV, No. 4 June, 2007

ON THE COVER

The fish on our cover this month isAcarichthys heckelii (a.k.a. the Thread-Finned Acara). It just happens to be on thecover of Aquarium Care of Cichlids, thatjust happens to be in the hands of itsauthor, Greater City’s own ClaudiaDickinson. Read more about this book inthe award winning “Wet Leaves” column,and more about cichlids in general in this(mostly) cichlid-themed issue.

Photo by Brad Dickinson

GREATER CITY AQUARIUM SOCIETY

Board MembersPresident . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph FerdenziVice-President . . . . . . . Mark SobermanTreasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack TraubCorres. Secretary . . . . . Warren Feuer &

Sharon BarnettRecording Secretary . . . . Edward Vukich

Members At LargePete D'Orio Jason KernerCarlotti De Jager Ben HausLeonard Ramroop Emma HausArtie Friedman

Committee ChairsBreeder Award . . . . . Warren Feuer and

Mark SobermanEarly Arrivals . . . . . . . . . . . . . Al GrusellF.A.A.S. Delegate . . . . . Alexander PriestMembers/Programs . Claudia DickinsonN.E.C. Delegate . . . . Claudia Dickinson

MODERN AQUARIUMEditor in Chief . . . . . Alexander A. PriestAssociate Editors . . . . Susan Priest and

Claudia DickinsonCopy Editors . . . . . . . . . . Sharon Barnett

Dan RadebaughExchange Editors . . . Stephen Sica and

Donna Sosna SicaPhoto/Layout Editor . . . . . Jason KernerAdvertising Mgr. . . . . . . Mark SobermanExecutive Editor . . . . . . Joseph Ferdenzi

F E A T U R E SEditor’s Babblenest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

President’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Wet Leaves (Book Review Column) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Spotlight on Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Members Night - A Galaxy of Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Adventures on the Rio Negro - Part 1 . . . . . . . . . . 10

The Contrary Cichlid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

The Good Ole Days - Or Were They? . . . . . . . . . . . 17

A Fishkeeper’s Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Something Betta(er...Better) This Way Comes! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Looking Through The Lens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Fish Bytes (Exchanges and more) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

The Seahorse Chronicles: Another Five Questions & Answers . . . . . . . . . 24

Amusing Aquarium (cartoon) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Fishkeepers Anonymous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

InterFish Net (Internet column) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

A Good Idea... At The Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

G.C.A.S. Happenings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Fin Fun (Puzzle Page) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Articles submitted for consideration in MODERN AQUARIUM must be received no later than the 10th day of the month, three months priorto the month of publication. Copyright 2007 by the Greater City Aquarium Society Inc., a not-for-profit New York State corporation. All rightsreserved. Not-for-profit aquarium societies are hereby granted permission to reproduce articles and illustrations from this publication, unless thearticle indicates that the copyrights have been retained by the author, and provided reprints indicate source and two copies of the publication aresent to the Exchange Editor of this magazine. Any other reproduction or commercial use of the material in this publication is prohibited withoutexpress written prior permission.

The Greater City Aquarium Society meets every month, except during January and February. Members receive notice of meetings in the mail. For more information, contact: Joe Ferdenzi (516)484-0944. Find out more, or leave us a message, at our Internet Home Page at: http://www.greatercity.org or http://www.greatercity.com

The Editor’sBabblenest

by ALEXANDER A. PRIEST

Iran out of blackworms. Since I have some fish

that eat exclusively blackworms (it took me a

while to get my Leopard Ctenopomas to accept

worms instead of live fish), I needed a “worm fix”

immediately, and the store I usually get them from

did not get in its scheduled delivery. So, I went to

a local branch of one of the pet “chain stores,”

which just happens to be where one of our GCAS

members works. As GCAS member Mario

Bengcion saw me enter the store, he said, “We

have Claudia’s book.” No further explanation was

needed, I knew “Claudia’s Book” meant Aquarium

Care of Cichlids, authored by the GCAS

Membership and Programs chairperson (and Editor

of the American Cichlid Association’s Buntbarsche

Bulletin), Claudia Dickinson. Of course, we (that

is my wife, Susan, and I) already had our copy —

from an advance pre-publication order through

Amazon.com.

Since Susan writes our book review

column, “Wet Leaves,” including her review of

“Claudia’s book” in an issue of Modern Aquarium,

along with several cichlid-related articles our

generous members were kind enough to provide,

was what generated the issue you are now reading.

At least during my tenure as Editor of this

magazine, no Greater City member has had a book

published. Yes, many GCAS members have had

articles published in national publications

(I understand that a few articles I wrote were even

reprinted in the journal of the Internationale

Gemeinschaft für Labyrinthfische — the German

anabantoid association); but to have a published

aquarium book author in our midst is something

very special, and I hope you agree.

It is an editor’s dream come true when,

one by one, members approach with a disc, an

envelope, a handwritten loose-leaf page, or an

e-mail, each offering a portion of their experience

and time to the benefit and enjoyment of all of us.

Thirty -four pages of original material in a monthly

publication is a rarity, and a treasure. I want to

thank everyone who contributed to this issue.

Also, I continue to invite new contributions,

especially from those of you who have never

written for our magazine before. Modern

Aquarium is one of the best local aquarium society

publications in the country. Our magazine has won

many awards, and has been mentioned numerous

times in national publications. Not all of us can

have a book published, but any member can write

an article, and have it printed in one of the most

highly awarded amateur aquarium hobby

publications, Modern Aquarium. In addition to

original articles on specific fish and fishkeeping in

general, original fish and aquatic plant drawings,

and high quality photographs of tanks and aquatic

life are also needed.

Please remember that Greater City no

longer takes a summer “break,” and that we will

have a meeting in both July and August. Because

of construction at the Queens Botanical Garden,

we will not be meeting there, at least not through

the end of this year. Also, our next few meetings

will be on the second, not the first, Wednesday of

the month. Paid-up members will get a postcard

reminder before each meeting.

If you are a paid-up member and have not

been getting a postcard, please stop by the Modern

Aquarium distribution table and let me know. It

could be that there was a typographical error on

our mailing list, or that you moved and forgot to

notify us. Whatever the reason, if you are a

paid-up member, but have not been getting a

monthly meeting reminder postcard, please let me

know. It is very important that we have a way to

notify you of changes. Our website

(http://greatercity.org) will also have the latest

information on our meeting schedule (of course,

you have to take the first step, and log on to that

website).

2 June 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

President’sMessage

by JOSEPH FERDENZI

Idon’t remember exactly when the idea hit me. Maybe it was after returning from a NortheastCouncil weekend in Connecticut. Maybe it was

after attending a North Jersey Aquarium Societyshow. Or, perhaps, the idea hit me after going toan American Cichlid Association convention, or anAmerican Killifish Association convention, or anAmerican Livebearer Association convention, allheld in New Jersey. The idea that hit me first camein the form of a question: “Why aren’t any eventslike this held in our part of New York?”

What struck me even more as I thoughtabout it was the fact that we have four majoraquarium societies that are headquartered in eachof the four counties located on Long Island (two ofthese counties are also in New York City). Whycouldn’t we combine our resources and bring amajor event to this area?

Greater City had recent experience inputting on shows, usually every two years,including one at a hotel near La Guardia Airport. The other clubs hadn’t done shows recently, butthey staged giant one-day auctions just about everyyear. It was clear to me that, among the four clubs,there were some talented and experienced peoplewho could pull off a major event.

So, sometime in 2005, I decided to holda meeting at my house to discuss this idea. Iinvited all of the current Presidents, as well assome other current or former officers — in otherwords, my personal list of the local “shakers anddoers.” Of course, I had no idea how my conceptwas going to be received, but, heck, if even oneother club wanted to join Greater City in theundertaking, I was prepared to recommend that wedo it.

To my delight, my proposal was wellreceived. This did not totally surprise me because,of course, we are all friends and dedicated to thishobby. As friends, we trust each other — a keyingredient for a group to work well together. Andour dedication informs us that we need to bothserve our members and promote our hobby — amajor weekend event was a missing ingredient inthe New York City/Long Island aquarium hobbyscene.

Each President had to discuss the projectwith their membership or Board, and gain thenecessary approval. All of these discussionsrequired a few months. Once this occurred (and,

by the way, each society was very much in favor ofthe project), we faced our first major step: findinga location for the event.

The representatives of all the clubs weresent to scour the countryside for a suitable location,much like missionaries being sent to proselytize intheir native land. Many options were considered,but one feature was eventually agreed upon — ithad to be a hotel. Our joint experience told us thatonly a hotel has all the amenities and resources thatmake for a successful weekend event. Of course,we also wanted to find a hotel that was somewhatcentrally located and reasonably priced. Centrallylocated probably meant Nassau County. But, as wewere to learn, Nassau and reasonably priced weremutually exclusive concepts. The search for asuitable hotel became a frustrating and prolongedprocess.

Eventually, Greater City’s Frank Laudatocame forward with a proposal that seemedpromising. Astutely, Frank had been in touch withthe Long Island Tourism Bureau. When hementioned bringing a convention to Long Island,they were pleased to help. At some point, theymentioned that the founders of the public aquariumAtlantis Marine World in Riverhead were planninga new hotel right next to the aquarium. Althoughthe location, Riverhead, was in eastern SuffolkCounty, the sacrifice of distance seemed to becompensated by the ability to have an event nextdoor to a well-regarded public aquarium. Everyone seemed to think that this was the onevenue that held promise. So, Frank and I began tofocus on this location.

The other consideration was when to havethe event. Initially, I had suggested the ColumbusDay weekend. I chose that weekend for severalreasons. One, a three-day weekend gives all thepeople who work or attend the convention an extraday of relaxation. Two, the weather on LongIsland is beautiful at that time of the year. Three,it wouldn’t fall on the same weekend as other areaaquarium events. Four, it wasn’t prime-timewedding season (which can “bump” you out ofmany hotels).

After many months of exploration andnegotiation, mostly by Frank, we had a hotel and adate. As it turned out, it did not appear that thehotel to be built next to the aquarium would beopen by 2007. So, we booked the nearby BestWestern Hotel, which is on the same street and isright next door to a popular shopping mall, TangerOutlets. We wanted to have our Saturday nightbanquet at the aquarium, but they were bookedwith wedding after wedding. So, instead, wedecided to have the Saturday night banquet at thehotel in 2007, and we booked the aquarium for thebanquet in 2008. However, the aquarium hasgenerously agreed to donate one hundred free

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) June 2007 3

admissions for 2007, which we will probably offerto the first 100 registrants, or use for some otherfund raising purpose.

Also, as we went along, we discoveredthat all the venues would be considerably cheaperif we changed our dates from the Columbus Dayweekend to the Veterans Day weekend (it seemsthat the weather is so nice in October, that LongIsland is still prime wedding territory). Now thatwe had the location and a date, we were ready foroverdrive.

This first event has been modeled on thevery successful Northeast Council (NEC) eventheld every year in Hartford, Connecticut. It is athree day event that features speakers from aroundthe nation and the world, vendors, a Saturdaybanquet, and a giant Sunday auction. Everyone hasa great time, and not having a fish show componentreduces the work almost in half. And, althoughthere is no fish show, there are plenty of fish. Theyare displayed and sold by the vendors, they getsold or swapped by attendees, and they are ondisplay at the giant Sunday auction. The NECformat will be used in 2007 and 2008. It allows usto get our “feet wet” while not drowning atthis beginning stage. Once we’ve gotten our “sea

legs,” we can venture into more complicatedwaters, such as bringing the annual conventions ofthe national speciality associations to New Yorkevery two years (with a one year break betweenevents so that the organizers don’t collapse fromexhaustion).

* * *By the time this event comes to fruition

on the Veteran’s Day weekend of 2007, some of uswill have been working on this event for over twoyears! Despite all the effort and worries, I haveexperienced something gratifying. What has beenwonderful has been the genuine camaraderieexhibited by all my fellow organizers. We areindeed fortunate to have a great group of people atthe helm of each of the four clubs. Frankly, I don’tthink you could pull off an event like this if weweren’t all friends and shared the same goals. I amhonored to have been asked to be the Chairman ofthis event. I just hope I don’t disappoint anyone. But, regardless, I think that no one who attends thisconvention will be disappointed, because I knowthe quality of the people working on this event. Ihave supreme confidence in their ability to put ona show that will make the aquarium world proud.

Important InformationAs many of you already know, the Greater City Aquarium Society will NOT bemeeting at the Queens Botanical Garden until further notice; probably early nextyear. Our alternate meeting location will be:

The VFW Post136-06 Horace Harding Expressway

Flushing, NY 11367

Also, our meeting DAY will be changed to the SECOND WEDNESDAY of the month, unless otherwiseannounced. Regardless of the location, meetings will, as always, begin promptly at 7:30 pm.

Please read your monthly postcards for any last minute changes. Please spread the word to people whootherwise might not know. The most up-to-date information can always be found on our website: http://GreaterCity.org/

In December, our annual Holiday Party and Awards Banquet will, however, be held at the Palace Diner,as it has been in recent years; date to be announced.

Remember: there will be NO meetings at the Queens Botanical Garden until furthernotice.


Aquarium Care of CichlidsBy Claudia Dickinson

T.F.H. Publications, 2007

a Series On Books For The Hobbyist

by SUSAN PRIEST

Over the years I have written more than sixty-five book reviews for Modern Aquarium. Ican’t help but feel that each one has been

part of a grand plan, a stepping stone, if you will,leading up to this very special opportunity. Whatmakes this one so special? Why, the author, ofcourse!

As if there weren’talready enough reasons for us totake pride in being able to claimher as one of our own, ClaudiaDickinson has written a bookjust for us! When I say “US,” Iof course include aquarists from throughout theentire English-speaking world. (I wonder how longit will be before Aquarium Care of Cichlids istranslated into other languages.) However, those ofus here at Greater City can’t help but to take anextra-personal interest, as well as to indulgeourselves in some not-so-modest “boasting rights.”

In between the table of contents, the list ofresources, and the index, there are eight chapterssimply overflowing with advice and information.The titles of the chapters are: Why Cichlids?,Understanding Cichlids, Preparing the CichlidAquarium, Water Changes! (And OtherMaintenance), The Cichlid Diet, Prevention is theBest Medicine, So Many Cichlids To Choose From,and lastly, Breeding Cichlids and Beyond. Ofparticular interest are the various text boxes whichdraw the reader’s attention to those items whichClaudia hopes we will remember most. You maywant to take a separate tour through the book,focusing only on the yellow circles most aptly titled“The Expert Knows.”

Our author starts us off with the question“Why Cichlids?” I find this to be so much morerefreshing than “what is a cichlid?” which I havecome across countless times. Intelligence, heartand mind, personality-plus; right from the beginningshe makes us want to know more!

On a scale of one to ten (one being a rankbeginner, and ten being a top expert), this book is agood choice for readers in the one through eightrange of fishkeeping experience. Those readers inthe upper twenty percent levels of expertise may notfind it to be challenging, which is not to say thatthey won’t enjoy it. The writing style is friendlywithout being flippant!

Main themes which Claudia returns tothroughout the text are water changes, goodbacteria, water changes, conservation of energy,and water changes. I offer you a few quotes whichemphasize these concepts: “Treat your ‘goodbacteria’ with as much care as you do yourcichlids” (Chapter Four). “Will they (cichlids) goout of their way to kill another cichlid that is not intheir territory? No, because that would expendenergy that they could not afford to waste”(Chapter Eight). “Nothing matters more to thehealth of your cichlids, and indeed of all fish, thanregular water changes. Other maintenance isimportant too, but nothing trumps changing water.”(Chapter Four).

I have often heardhobbyists bemoan thedownside of the waterchangers which hook up to afaucet (of which there are afew different brands). Theywaste large amounts of cleanwater in the process of

removing water from the tank. Claudia offers us asolution to this problem. After the siphoningaction has been started by running the faucet, it willcontinue to “suck” (my word) even if the faucet hasbeen shut off. She gives us no excuses forpostponing this most important task!

Chapter Six could just as aptly be called“Prevention of Stress is the Best Medicine.” Stress is described by our author as the “root ofillness.” So, what puts a fish under stress? A“Stress Checklist” may contain such items as:overcrowding, overfeeding/poor nutrition,insufficient good bacteria, insufficient “hidey-holes” (my word) which will lead to fear, water toohot or too cold, inappropriate tankmates, etc. Hopefully when you start thinking about it, andlook around at your own fish’s environment, yourstress checklist will be a short one.

If you are someone who doesn’t actuallyread aquarium books, but is best described as abrowser, there are a few highlights I would like tomake sure you don’t overlook. I guarantee that the the description of “fish stuff” (her words) on page37 will strike a chord of familiarity in every one ofyou. Page 48 has a text box entitled “Keep a LittleExtra,” which recommends tucking a “spare” (myword) sponge filter or two in your established tanksso that you are prepared for the unexpected. Youshould go out of your way to read the explanationof what makes water changes so important on page57. Aggression management, which is discussedon pages 102 and 103, tells you when to grab thenet, when to set up another tank, and when to let“Mr. Hot-to-Trot” (her words) pace for a while. And, to soothe the soul of the browser within you,


Tyler and Emily

don’t miss out on the photo of the “cichlid paradise”(my words) on pages 36 and 37.

Does anyone know the name of the fish onthe cover of this book? It is an Acarichthys heckelii(a.k.a. the Thread-Finned Acara). How do I knowthis? I had to ask our author. I would not be doingmy job as a reviewer if I did not point out anyobvious shortcomings. To me, one that stands outis the lack of identification of the fishes in thephotos, including the one on the cover. Themajority of the photos were taken from the T.F.H. archives, and Claudia did not make the choices ordo the design layout. Newcomers to the world ofcichlids, as well as more seasoned aquarists, need toknow this information, and will have to doindependent research when a fish face jumps off thepage at them that they want to know the name of.

Now that I have gone on the record with agripe, I must make a qualified retraction. Chapterseven, “So Many Cichlids ToChoose From,” was notauthored by Claudia, but byDavid Boruchowitz (T.F.H.editor extraordinaire). In thischapter, virtually all of thephotos are labeled with theirscientific names. The intent ofthis chapter is to help thereader make an informedchoice when they are ready topurchase a cichlid. “Let’s takea look at the world of cichlidsand point out a few specieswhich are particularly goodambassadors for the family.”

Having a bit of aninsider’s advantage, I can offer you a couple of“tidbits” that other reviewers won’t know about. For example, the reference to temperature on page44 was written on the night of Thanksgiving, 2006. I can also report to you that the photo of theNandopsis (formerly Cichlasoma) haitiensis onpage 103 is of a fish which once belonged to noneother than our own Joe Ferdenzi (this being the oneand only fish of Joe’s among the T.F.H. photoarchives).

This may actually be the most fun I haveever had while reading a book. I can see Claudia’sface beaming out at me from every page while shecarefully chooses each idea, concept, and fact, as well as the words to express them. On one page shebecomes an historian, on another a scientist, and onmany others she is a hobbyist just like you or me.Where does the hot cocoa mix fit into the equation?You will have to look that up on your own. “If thephone rings or the dog needs to be let out whileyou’re changing the aquarium water, you can become distracted and end up with a drenched

floor.” I even know that the dog is a BostonTerrier! (See photo inset on this page.)

Published by T.F.H., a name we all knowwell, this book is also part of the Animal Planet PetCare Library; “Expertly written, these user-friendlyguides are bound to delight the entire family.” Tofind out more about this series, visitwww.animalplanet.com

Our publisher wants us to know thatClaudia Dickinson is an award-winning author, themanaging editor of the American CichlidAssociation’s Buntbarsche Bulletin, and that herpersonal focus is on cichlids from South America,Central America, Madagascar, and West Africa. Oh, there’s more, including the fact that she writesfor Modern Aquarium. How often has she labeledone of us a “STAR?” Now it is our turn to returnthe sentiment. Claudia, you are our “STARAUTHOR,” and we are so very proud of you!!!

As I re-visit eachchapter and page, I wish Icould relate many more pearlsof wisdom. I could squeeze ina few more by foregoing avisit with Tyler and Emily,but some things are just toogood to give up!

I had chosen a fewof her own words from thetext of Aquarium Care ofCichlids to bring this reviewto a close, however Claudiahas written a personalmessage just for us.

“My greatest wish was towrite a book that offered an

understanding of why cichlids act and thrive (ornot, as the case may be) as they do in ouraquariums through an awareness by the reader ofthe extent to which their behavior is driven bynatural inclinations. I wanted it to be a book thatwould inspire those new to cichlids to discover thejustified allure of this captivating, diverse family offishes, and one that would start them out on theright foot, thereby securing a place for cichlids intheir tanks for years to come. We can all learnfrom each other, just as we do at each meeting ofthe GCAS, and hopefully those who already keepcichlids, and other fishes as well, will findsomething new within these pages, too.”

Sometimes we have to read between thelines, and sometimes she comes right out and saysit. Basically, Claudia is telling us that she wants toshare her love of all things “cichlid” with us. Ofcourse, it is easy for us to see this because she hasbeen sharing her love with us for years.


by CHARLEY [email protected]

The Toninas:Beautiful and Demanding Gems From South America

The purpose of this ongoing series is to expose you to the vast array of plants available in the hobby, theirorigin, characteristics and structure, growing requirements, common names and synonyms, availability, andcost. I will try to sprinkle in any personal experience I have had with these plants and will also try toanswer any of your questions—so feel free to email me.

This month we will talk about plants of thegenus Tonina. More specifically, I will discussthe yet to be described Tonina sp. and Toninafluviatilis.

Origin and Structure: As I stated in the title ofthis article, both plants originate from SouthAmerica. Tonina fluviatilis is considered anamphibious plant usually found in shallow waterand on river banks. It has short, oblong shapedleaves that are bright green. When doing well, it isan interesting plant that gives nice contrast in aplanted tank. Each stem has a snake-likeappearance in my opinion, or better yet, they looklike the carnivorous plant “Cleopatra” from the oldAdams Family television series (I am showing myage).

Tonina sp. has several variants comingfrom different areas of South America. Two mostoften seen are Tonina sp. Belem and Tonina sp.Manaus. They are difficult to distinguish from oneanother to all but the most educated in aquaticplants (at least in my opinion). Both have whirls oflong slender leaves that taper to a point. Theseleaves flow up and out of the top of each stem andseem to form a fountain of bright green—quitespectacular!

Growing Requirements: The literature states thatthese plants are demanding to grow. The mostimportant thing they need is soft acid water (statedsoft with a pH range of 4-7). Fortunately, NewYork City water is wickedly soft, and can be made

acidic quite easily, so Tonina are quite at homehere. In other parts of the country, reverse osmosis(RO) or rainwater would be required.

Water chemistry, while extremelyimportant, is not the only part of the equation. Tonina need high light—3 watts per gallon (WPG)would be a minimum. Nutrients would be a goodidea and CO2 could not hurt.

I have found that a tank with high light,occasional adding of nutrients (meaning, when Iremember), and no CO2 will be sufficient to keepTonina. They will root and grow, albeit slowly.

Common Names and Synonyms: These plantshave no common names.

Availability and Cost: You will probably neverfind Tonina in a local fish store. They require veryspecific water conditions and lots of care. Theyare available online from many sources. Expect topay $5-8 per bunch.

I hope this article has helped you toappreciate this gem of a plant and has inspired youto try to cultivate it.

Lots of Luck!!!!


THE GCAS PROUDLY PRESENTS

“MEMBERS NIGHT!” A GCAS GALAXY OF ÚÚÚ STARS!!!ÚÚÚ

Tonight, the GCAS stages our annual series

of mini-programs

to be presented by our fellow members!

We extenda most

Warm Welcometo

Our Member SpeakersBy Claudia Dickinson

Throughout the year we have the great fortune of learning from a diverse group of speakers who

come to the GCAS from near and far as they enlighten us with their aquatic erudition and share their

experiences. Each meeting, as I speak with you individually, I never cease to be enormously impressed by

the wealth of knowledge that is held within the room. As I write the captions for ‘Looking Through the

Lens,’ I envision what you are saying, as I think of the numerous varied topics of conversation that are

being carried on. If only we could be so fortunate as to be a part of them all ~ think of the wisdom we

could pass along to one another!

Tonight is our opportunity to do exactly that as seven of our very own GCASers have so

generously offered to present a mini-program on a topic that is relevant to their fishkeeping experiences.

The skills, talents, and knowledge that each has acquired through working with their own fish will be

shared with us, so that we may bring this home to our tanks and fishes.


*****************************************Crystal Mattocks and Sharon Barnett

“Got Rocks?”

******************************************Rich Levy

“Fish at School — Focus on Our Youth”

******************************************Carlotti De Jager

“Bettas”

******************************************Harry Faustmann

“Live Foods”

*****************************************Dan and Marsha Radebaugh

“Cheap Tricks!”

*****************************************

Our deep and heartfelt appreciation to each of you! It is with greatpride, and to our great good fortune, that we welcome you tonight.


Immense, flamboyant mansions stand out in thismetropolis that lies in the middle of the AmazonRainforest as reminders of the early twentiethcentury rubber boom in a city now marked bypoverty.

Taking 15 years to reach its 1896 completion, thefamous Manaus opera house, Teatro Amazonas, islavishly decorated throughout with crystalchandeliers and Italian frescoes, exemplifying theenormous wealth of the rubber boom era.

Adventures on the Rio NegroPart I

by CLAUDIA DICKINSONPhotographs by the author

Agreat dream of mine has been to visit theRio Negro. On January 20th, 2006, thatdream was hours away from being fulfilled

as the plane took off from JFK, made its180 turnin the star-studded midnight sky, and headed south. I would soon once again be looking down at thebreathtaking sight of the Amazon River, gentlywinding back and forth, making its way eastward inserpentine fashion through the dense jungle cover.

Arriving in the city of São Paulo insoutheastern Brazil by early morning, a planechange takes me back north to Manaus. We willhave the great fortune of Dr. Labbish Chao, ScottDowd, and Captain Mo Jr. leading our group, andI will finally visit Project Piaba, and the wonderfulpeople and land of Brazil — and my dream — theRio Negro. The riverboat, the Victoria Amazonica,will be our home for 2 weeks, and much time willbe spent in the jungle with the fish, the birds, thewildlife, and the natives. I am bringing themlots...and lots...of gifts — my greatest joy! Brazil isvery strict about exports and no fish are to be taken

out at the current time. Therefore, what collectingwe do will strictly be for the aquarium facility atProject Piaba. What I will be able to bring homefrom this journey is a new, broadened horizon, andthe knowledge and appreciation gained from theexperience. I am so excited and glad to have youjoin me!

Manaus, capital of Amazonas State, is awell populated city in the heart of the AmazonRainforest in northwestern Brazil on the RioNegro, close to the convergence with the AmazonRiver. An integral part of the rubber boom of thelate nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, thecity was enormously prosperous for thelandowners, and flooded by desperately poorpeople seeking hope for a better life. Massive,elaborate mansions were erected, some actuallybrought from overseas, emanating the city’s rapidrise to wealth. The discovery of processingsynthetic rubber brought financial ruin in 1920, andManaus was left with a congested, impoverishedpopulation.


Freshly caught Cichla. In the US—a cichlidaquarist’s dream, in Manaus—dinner!Was another bag of produce really going to be

placed upon this worker’s shoulders? The abilitiesof these hard working people never ceases to amazeme as they push their bodies and souls to the limitwith seemingly tireless grace.

As the ships unload in the back, the entrance to theimmense market is well-traversed, particularly in theearly morning hours when the raw foods are at theirfreshest. As I step in the door, I am overwhelmed bythe enormity of the market, and the diversity of thefare.

Revered livelihood of the people, the majestic riveris portrayed in a vast expanse of black and white tilesdepicting the celebrated “Wedding of the Waters,”where the blackwaters of the Rio Negro meet thewhitewaters of the Rio Solimões.

Today, the bustling port of Manaus is the hub of lifein this region of the Amazon. Goods of all sorts areconstantly being brought in by boat to supply thecity’s large populace.


Next, we are off to an exporter who specializes inexquisite discus, straight from the Rio Negro!

Dried krill of all sizes, relished by our aquariumfishes in the US, is a staple on the human table inBrazil, and likely to be found in numerous dishes inwhich it is quite delicious! Purchasing fresh produce is a bit different in Brazil

than in the US!

The seemingly endless piles of fish appear to stretch on for miles. All of this will sell today!


Fellow travelers are enthralled by the catfish inLabbish’s outdoor tubs while the doctor looks on,identifying the inhabitants.

What treasures Randy Carey and I found as we weregiven the opportunity to peruse the many interestingartifacts in Labbish’s office!

On to Labbish’s home where his aquaria are kept onthe outdoor terrace. Here, the sun shines over themthrough the overhanging garden palms.

The fish flourish in Labbish’s natural aquariums intheir outdoor tropical setting.

Tub after tub of beautiful discus, one more breathtaking than the next, many larger than the palm of a man’shand!


As the sun sets, we look down the steep embankment upon the mighty river, our eyes coming to rest on ourhome for the following weeks, the Victoria Amazonica!

Part II of “Adventures on the Rio Negro” finds us heading upriver towards Barcelos, over 300 milesto the north, and only degrees south of the equator.

The 2007 American Cichlid Association Convention Sacramento, California

Thursday, July 19th through Sunday, July 22nd, 2007This year, the Convention is being hosted by the Sacramento Aquarium Society (SAS). Registration is nowavailable online (at http://www.aca2007.com/). By ACA policy, all registrants for the convention must bea current member of either the American Cichlid Association (ACA) or the Sacramento Aquarium Society(SAS) at the time of the convention.

Confirmed Speakers:Dr. Tim HovanecAd KoningsDr. Ron ColemanAndrew SohOliver LucanusChris CleversRainer StawikowskiAlex Saunders

Banquet Speaker: Chuck Rambo


Drawing by Bernard Harrigan

The Contrary CichlidPelvicachromis pulcher

by BERNARD HARRIGAN

What else would you call an African cichlidthat comes from soft, acidic water,whose female seems more like a male in

that she is more colorful, more aggressive, andshe’s the one who chooses the spawning site, andlures the male over to breed? Its name is really thename of another fish. Who is this fish? Noneother than the “contrary kribensis.”

Over 30 years ago, kribs were importedunder the scientific name Pelmatochromiskribensis. Then, Dr. Paul Loiselle and hiscolleague, Dr. Thys, nullified the Pelmatochromisgenus. The new genus is Pelvicachromis. Then itwas realized that the name “kribensis” didn’t suitthis fish, since the name is derived from “Kribi,” atown in Southern Cameroon — an area where ourmisnamed fish isn’t even found. So, its new namebecame Pelvicachromis pulcher, “pulcher”deriving from the Latin word for “beautiful.” Withall the reclassification of Pelvicachromis, another

fish ends up with the name Pelvicachromiskribensis. But, our intrepid little cichlid held ontoits common name, “kribensis,” a name that’s astenacious as the fish itself.

The kribensis has a typical dwarf cichlidprofile, with an elongated body and an upwardsweep of its dorsal fin. Males can grow up to fourinches, and the females are stubbier, growing totwo and three-quarter inches. The body’s base hasa brownish-yellow tone. A brownish-black lineextends from the snout, along the lateral line, andthrough to the tail. Another line runs along the topof the body and across the base of the dorsal fin. Splashes of gold and touches of blue are common. There are several different color patterns,depending on the strain. The female’s abdomen isrounder, and can take on a magenta coloration. Her dorsal fin can have one or more black spotstrimmed in gold. All in all, this is a very strikingfish.


Kribs originally come from Nigeria,predominantly the delta area of the Niger River, inWest Africa. Odds are that the kribs in the tanks oflocal stores have been commercially bred inFlorida. That’s not a bad thing. Kribensis havebeen bred in the hobby to such a point that they are more at home in your aquarium than they are in astream from the African rainforest.

I’ve heard of them being kept at pHsranging from 5.0 to 8.0. There are not too manyfish with a range like that. They are kept in waterfrom soft to hard, tolerate a temperature range from72 to 82F, and are undemanding as to feeding orbreeding.

I’ve had kribensis spawn as young as sixmonths old. As noted earlier, they are not fussy. They will breed in a tank as small as 5½ gallons,and you don’t have to let them pair off on theirown. I find it a plus to be able to choose whichfish to breed. I think that goes back to my guppybreeding days.

A basic breeding setup consists of a tengallon tank, a clay flowerpot on its side, a boxfilter, aged tapwater that has been adjusted to thesame water chemistry which the kribs are alreadyused to, and some Java Moss. Place theconditioned pair into the tank, and let nature takeits course.

Once in the breeding tank the female willtake on the role of the aggressor, taking herposition at the opening of the flowerpot, andflashing her red belly like a red light outside abordello. When you see the female staying insidethe cave, and the male guarding outside, you canbe fairly certain that they’ve spawned. In about tendays the fry will be free-swimming, and need to befed infusoria.

Kribs are beautiful, captivating,intelligent, and make excellent parents. No wonderthey’re part of the “bread and butter” of theaquarium trade, even if they can sometimes be contrary.

The Aquarium Federationof Independent Societiesand Hobbyists (AFISH) presents....

The AFISH ConventionAt the Best Western Hotel

Riverhead, Long Island, NYNovember 9th thru November 11th 2007

This is a partial list of the speakers that are slated to appear at the AFISHConvention:

Anton LambojJoe YaiulloTodd Gardner Tullio Dell AquilaJack WattleyRosario LaCorteChuck DavisMo Devlin

For more information, visit the Convention website at:http://www.afishconvention.org/


by CHARLES KUHNE

As a boy, I remember summers so hot thatthe tar blistered in the streets. Every winterhad snow, with snowball fights and

sledding down hills for days, sometimes weeks,before it melted. There were few cars to interruptstreet stickball games. Baseball players hadcolorful names like Van Lingo Mungo, BoboNewsome and Vinegar Bend Mizell. If you wantedto go somewhere, you walked, and you could walkfor hours. Distance wasn’t measured in miles ortime; after all, you had a whole lifetime ahead. Buses and subways ran every few minutes, and costa nickel, no more than a dime, but why waste it? You could buy a Mello-roll ice cream for 6¢.

It was during the War, perhaps 1943, thata friend started me inthe hobby, with a 2½gallon tank and some ofhis extra fish. I couldbe trusted — I wasexperienced. Everyonekept “goopies” in thosedays. It wasn’t till laterwhen prices rose thatguppy was pronouncedcorrectly.

Anyway, itwas soon after thatwhen I got my big tank,a 15 gallon, and Iplaced it in the cornerof the livingroom where the morning sun hit it. Vallisneria (6 for 25¢) and a bunch of Anacharisor Elodea, also a quarter, grew quickly; the Valspread runners along the bottom and the Anachariswas budding branches all over the top. Why can’tI buy and grow plants like that today? On sunnydays you could see streams of bubbles exudingfrom the plants. These were the oxygenators; nosophisticated air and filtering systems in thosedays. We went for “balance.” I also had a naturalalarm—it was called Mom. When she held hernose, it was time to break down the tank and cleanthe gravel thorough1y. That’s when I held mynose!

I kept mostly livebearers, and there werealways young of various sizes among the plants. Green Swordtails were a favorite. Who wouldwant that new strain that was actually more of abrownish rust than red? Fancy colors and finnageweren’t common yet. For example, a big fuss was

made over Trinidad Guppies, where the female hadcolor - a black spot with a yellow smudge on thetail.

Woolworth’s, the 5¢ and 10¢ store (yes,it actually had many items for that price), inJamaica, Queens, was my first fish source. Whenyou saw someone walking home with a little whitecontainer with a wire handle, you knew they werebringing home a goldfish, not Chinese food. Chinese takeout hadn’t been popularized yet. Whocould afford 60¢ for Chow Mein?

In a second-hand bookstore on JamaicaAve., just off Sutphin Blvd., I found themother-lode of booklore - back issues of THEAQUARIUM MAGAZINE for 10¢ (new issues

were 25¢). One issue,around 1938, showed anangelfish on the cover. Inside, it told how theGermans finally foundthe secret of breedingangelfish. It was all inthe water. Great watermakes great beer so, itmust be great forhard-to-breed fish. Toobad, America.

At about thistime, I discoveredmail-order catalogs. The Aquarium Stock

Co., in N.Y.C., and Eastern Gardens, on eitherKissena or Parsons Blvd., had the best. Theyshowed the greatest variety, the most fantastic,exotic displays of fish; drawn, not photographed—fish I had never heard of. The discus - $50.00! Until that moment, the most expensive fish I hadseen were in Henry’s fish store on Jamaica Avenuein Richmond Hill or Woodhaven. In a hugedisplay tank in his tiny shop were very impressiveschools of Neon Tetras and Rasboras, selling for$1.00 each and swimming around a two foot highMadagascar Lace Plant, one of the most exoticplants imported. It was selling for $10.00, and hadno takers. Those prices were mind-boggling.

Occasionally I’d take the Jamaica El, withmy 2 hobbyist friends, into downtown N.Y.C. We’d walk over to Nassau Street, where guppies,platys, zebra danios, etc., sold for 9¢ each. PlainCorydoras catfish sold for 19¢ (the albino versionhad not yet made an appearance). Then we’d walk


over to Aquarium Stock Co., around Worth St.,and one more store whose name and locationescapes me. There, I fell in love with and boughta beautiful pair of Black Platys with greenhighlights, two for 50¢. When I arrived home, Iremoved the lid from the round sweet buttercontainer before plastic — God, did I say that?(Was there ever a “before plastic” time?) Well, tomy surprise, she had delivered a load of babies. She must have been the sex goddess of theprevious tank, because in her offspring no twowere alike. They provided me years andgenerations of varied colored platys.

Fish feeding in those days caused someunique problems. There weren’t any freeze-driedor frozen foods and no live brine shrimp. However, the sewer outside my house constantlybacked up after a rain. It had a plentiful supply ofmosquito larvae which I’d catch, rinse, and put inmy tank. My mom and sister would sometimes paythe price of indulging me as they swatted arms and

faces from the bites of full grown mosquitos thatescaped. Daphnia was another food, but I couldnever locate the duck ponds where they supposedlyflourished.

Once I biked to Forest Park onWoodhaven near Myrtle Avenue. In the smaller oftwo ponds, I saw a red fuzz in the water, just offshore, that disappeared as I approached. Finally itreappeared, and I scooped up a handful of mud andtubifex worms. At home I placed them in a buttercontainer and let cold water drip onto them in thesink in the cellar. That night, there was ablood-curdling scream from my sister, who never,I mean never, ever, went into the cellar. After I gotyelled at by my mother, I watched sadly as myworms were flushed down the toilet. I pleadedwith them that it was better than the live snakes Iused to bring home.

Yes, well so much for nostalgia.

A Fishkeeper’s Storyby BILL AMELY

It is nothing short of amazing, when I think backto the time when I received my first fish tank asa Christmas present! That was back in 1973, so

it will be 34 years this Christmas that I officiallybecame a hobbyist/fishkeeper. So long goldfishbowls, or so I thought. I still use them today tohouse bettas or pregnant livebearers.

Time flies, doesn’t it? Little did I knowthen what I would be getting myself into. Over thattime, I’ve gone through many fish tanks, hoods,filters, pumps, fish food, and of course, fish.

I’ve had my share (probably even morethan my share) of triumphs as well as setbacksthrough my involvement in the hobby. I’ve madeplenty of mistakes, but they didn’t deter me fromkeeping tropical fish.

I’ve had both large and small fish,egglayers and livebearers, freshwater and marine. Even with the errors I’ve made and the losses I’vesuffered, I still enjoy fishkeeping, and I wouldn’ttrade it for anything.

I can still remember the first time my fishbred. It was December 31st of 1973, and a greenswordtail female gave birth to about a dozen or sofry. I rescued them from the community tank, soI’m sure many more fry were born andsubsequently eaten. Over the years, I have bredZebra Danio, Pearl Danio, bettas, Convict Cichlids,kribensis, guppies, swordtails, and platies. I wasnot successful in rearing any fry from other fishthat bred for me: angelfish, Black Paradisefish,Dwarf Gouramis, and the Black Tetra.

I used to have a 16" Black Pacu (youdon’t see those in the stores lately) named George,who was very tame and would allow me to handfeed it. I used to utilize a plastic shopping bag tomove him out of his 20 gallon High tank to dowater changes. I lost him in November of 1988,while I was away on my honeymoon (the result ofnot performing a water change the day prior to myleaving).

It has been a lot of work maintaining myfish and their tanks, but the experience has beenworth it. It has been interesting to observe theirbehavior, whether it’s territorial displays, spawningrituals, or establishing hierarchies. Thesebehaviors are as varied as the number of speciesI’ve kept.

Bettas are my favorite fish. Not only arethey amongst the most beautiful fish in the hobby,I’ve seen various pairs of these fish spawn in themost interesting ways, demonstrating their ownindividual character.

I can go on and on about my experienceswith the hobby, but I would need to write an entirenovel about it. Suffice it to say that it has been apleasure keeping tropical fish, and I know I’ll bedoing it for the rest of my life. I am a “fishperson,” and I’m proud of it.

Happy fishkeeping!


by JANNETTE RAMIREZ

When I first joined this fish club, theGCAS, I was going through a lot of“firsts” in my life. I was newly engaged

with my boyfriend of 5 years, and I was leaving acurrent job that I had for 10 years for a new onewith new opportunities. This new job wouldrequire many sacrifices which I did not see at thetime, but it allowed me to experience manyrewards that I would not have partaken in, had Iremained in my original employment. Last but notleast, I became a member of an aquarium society.I had never been a member of any type of clubwhere people gathered together regularly to discussand share a common interest or hobby. I was newto the fishkeeping hobby, and I wanted to learn allthat I could about properly caring for, raising, andmaintaining my water-living creatures.

The club met only once a month, and yetthose hours shared were (and still are) socherished. The knowledge obtained by our guestspeakers on various topics, the auctions, the raffles,the monthly magazine full of interesting articles,and the laughs we share with our fellow clubmembers on trivial occurrences during ourmeetings! The friendly and warm atmosphere ourclub emits is amazing (and at times…veryoverwhelmingly loud!).

Throughout our lives, whether we intendto or not, we touch and affect people in differentways (and vice versa). A simple smile, a word of

advice, or simply lending an ear can be all it takesto change someone else’s life and direction.

During these last four years of being aGCAS member I have learned a lot, and this hasopened my eyes to other areas in my life that werelacking due to ‘settling,’ and feeling that what I hadwas all there was to be. Although sometimes one’slife experiences can overwhelm one and take theirtoll…by the same token those same experiencescan change you and make you stronger in ways youdidn’t know that you could ever be.

In my case, it took four years of monthlymeetings for me to see that there was someone outthere who could clearly see what my fiancé couldnot in the nine years that we were together. Although I had felt disconnected and taken forgranted, the engagement kept us bound to eachother. I got tired of trying to salvage what lovewas left, and decided to move on. The engagementwas off, and a nine year relationship endedironically (but not intentionally) two days prior tothe 4th of July—Independence Day!

Now I am being courted by a ‘SplendidBetta,’ or is it ‘Betta splendens’? Hmm… I havetrouble getting that straight, but I’m sure all of youcan understand what I’m trying to say. Who wouldhave thought that Oscars and Bettas were socompatible? I will keep a thorough log, and letyou know if there are any signs of a bubblenestforming…;)


A warm welcome is given to MikeHellweg by GCAS President JoeFerdenzi, as Mike brings us asuperb presentation on the “Joy ofGoldfish!”

The antics of fish buddies ArtieFriedman and Ed Vukich nevercease to make us all smile!

LaMonte Brown already has hispresentat ion prepared for“Members Night” 2008. We canbarely wait, LaMonte!

Susan Priest is honored by theNortheast Council of AquariumSocieties for her original,outs tanding “Fishkeeper ’sAnonymous,” a Modern Aquariumcolumn that is the best thing sincevanilla ice cream and apple pie!

Temes Mo is thrilled with his BlueAcara!

Bennie Graham is wondering howhis African cichlids would feelabout being surrounded by a fewtanks of goldfish!?

After time away due to a busyschedule, it is wonderful to haveAndrew Jacovina’s cheerful smileback with the GCAS!

Elliot Oshins has a new treasure tobring home to brighten his fishes'day!

Photos and captions


With his passion for goldfish, thisis the perfect night for MarioBengcion.The evening’s presentation, and his

Door Prize win of the GoldfishAqualog Special, has Ben Yaconowell on his way to experiencing“The Joy of Goldfish!”

Rod DuCasse holds the winningticket to “The Goldfish,” a DoorPrize most generously donated byFinley Aquatic Books!

The author steps on the other sideof the lens to spend a moment withher dear friend, and fellow goldfishafficionado, Mike Hellweg.

Doug Curtin, Jason Kerner, andDon Curtin have their tickets readyfor the night’s big raffle drawing!

Warren Feuer, our GCAS guestMike Hellweg, Ed Vukich, andElliot Oshins celebrate anotherfabulous evening with the GCAS!

by Claudia Dickinson


An occasional column for societyexchanges, guest appearances,articles and items of generalinterest. We try not to bite off morethan we can swallow. If you wishto offer comments, suggestions, orany information that you would liketo see in this column, the authorsencourage you to contact usthrough Greater City, or at amonthly meeting.

by Stephen Sica with Donna Sosna Sica

Here I am sitting at the dining room table onthe President’s Day holiday. Donna justcleared some old clothes out in one of her

closets and I just finished reviewing her parent’sincome documents to determine if they could goanother year without filing a tax return. Yes, theycan go one more year! Perhaps it’s the only joy ofbeing poor. With this chore out of the way I’mthinking, “should I begin our taxes or should I tryto begin our next column?” And the column wins,as I ask Donna to relocate our stack of clubpublications to see if there’s anything to writeabout. I vaguely recall filing them in one of myclosets so that they would avoid holiday company.

Paging through some of last year’s clubpublications, the exchange editor in the SeptemberParadise Press of the Long Island AquariumSociety mentioned several Modern Aquariumarticles ranging from Bernard Harrigan’s “SeahorseChronicles” series to Claudia Dickinson’s“Expedition to the Peruvian Amazon Jungle” toAlexander Priest’s “Have a Great Dayi! - Day’sParadise Fish,” and finally Mike Hellweg’s “TheBlue Pin Tail Gourami.” In the same issue ofParadise Press, club President Arie Gilbert writesabout divers’ sightings of lionfish from southFlorida to North Carolina, and even Long Island. I have my doubts; but if it is true, these fish mustbe migrating, because I don’t believe that they canadapt to the winter water temperatures off LongIsland. I have seen Gulf Stream tropical fish offLong Island, but they perish once winter arrives. Ibelieve that lionfish would also perish.

Bernard Harrigan was reprinted in theJanuary/February Youngstown Aquarist for his “ASwimming Dragon” about the saltwater LeafySeadragon, a member of the Sygnathidae familywith seahorses, of course, and pipefish. Anoriginal article that caught my eye in the same issue

is “It’s Greener On The Far Side!” by Curt Smith. This is a good basic primer on aquarium plants,and I learned that the roots of good plants shouldsmell good, bulb plants rarely do well without thebulb, and too fine a substrate packs the roots tootightly to encourage good root development. Also,a fine reference book on planted aquariums hasbeen written by Barry James. But what is the nameof the book?

I read somewhere that there are abouttwelve-hundred species in the Characin family. Ifso, why are there only twenty or thirty tetra andrelated species in pet stores?

The January issue of the New HampshireAquarium Society’s The Granite-Fisher caught myeye with a club member’s essay about Marvin, aBlack tetra that the author had for approximatelytwenty-two years. During its lifetime Marvinsuffered through a broken home life (the tank’sseams gave way). This was matched by anunpleasant divorce by his owner that included adeath threat by flushing. Next, Marvin was forcedto live on the quiet in a two gallon desk topaquarium in a no pets allowed apartment. Happily,his owner remarried and purchased a small house. Marvin was able to live his golden years in aplanted twenty-nine gallon home…the March issuehad a Dwarf Gourami breeding article; the authorgot his females from Wal-Mart. He claims thatthey almost always have females in stock and thesefish most likely came from the same wholesaler asother pet stores.

The Nassau County Aquarium Society’sPisces Press closed out 2006 by reprinting ElliotOshins’ brief essay, “Counting The Days,” aboutthe ancient calendar…the September/October 2006Cichlidae Communique of the Pacific CoastCichlid Association has an article on a homebuilttank stand that was designed and built to support a


This pair of Banded butterflyfish is seekinga hiding place to trade a good tidbit or twoof fishy gossip. Donna says not toworry...she can read lips. Anyway, I knowthat she can read my mind.

fifty gallon acrylic aquarium. An interesting noteis that the back of the stand is anchored to a wallstud to prevent movement during Californiaearthquakes.

The Februaryissue of the North JerseyAquar ium Socie ty’sReporter has an articleabout caves for fish. Chuck Davis, the author,claims that under reptileaccessories are severalcaves perfect for fish: theyare less expensive thanaquarium décor; they looklike rock; they are safe anddurable, and they come ina variety of sizes. Thelarger models can househefty fish. Say goodbye toPVC?

At the MarchGCAS meeting, somehomegrown Goodeidae were auctioned. If anyoneis interested in a “tankbuster” goodeid, the Amecasplendens, or Butterfly Goodeid, can reach almostfive inches at maturity. This fish is probably tooactive for a community tank; but it’s quite hardyand easy to keep. Most goodeid species comefrom Mexico and Central America…Fancy Fins ofthe Circle City Aquarium Club in Indianapolis hasan article on spawning the Desert goby. Theauthor describes his fish as “sort of dopey and kindof ugly…charming pets…like little puppy dogs”that “always seem happy to see you…and makeyou think they want to be petted.” I wonder what’sin the water out there.

The Greater Pittsburgh Aquarium Society,Inc. is celebrating its sixtieth birthday! As early as1914, Pittsburgh has been home to aquarium clubs. Its monthly publication, Finformation, is only eight

pages, but the coveralways has a large,beautiful color photograph. Most recent photos areaquatic plants. If theprimary subject is a fish,t he b a ckgr o und i sp l a n t e d … i n t h eMarch/April YoungstownAquarist Karen Gumandescribes her purchase of avery young pair of albinoBristlenose plecos thatproceeded to spawn twelveoffspring a few weekslater. Karen claims thatthe male was “not muchover 2.25 inches and thefemale less than two

inches.” Then they spawned again a week later andyet again two weeks later! The earlier article onspawning the Desert goby was also reprinted in theYoungstown Aquarist…rumor has it that the nextissue has a story by Sigourney Weaver matinggobies and plecos titled Fish Alien. TheMarch/April issue also has an article aboutspawning the Zebra pleco (L46)…there’s a lot ofnice fish out there being bred nowadays.

Finally, Mark Soberman will be giving apresentation on June 28th at the North JerseyAquarium Society on African catfish…is this amisprint? What happened to “Corydoras Mark”?


ANOTHER FIVE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERSby BERNARD HARRIGAN

1 . H o wlong do seahorses live?

T h eknown life expectancy ofseahorses is based on captive specimens. Theyrange from three to five years for the largerspecies down to one year for the very smallspecies. In the wild, predation, disease,and human carelessness can reduce thosenumbers.

2. What’s the largest seahorsespecies?

The largest seahorsespecies is the Pot-Bellied Seahorse, Hippocampusabdominalis. Its maximum recorded height was 35centimeters. It can be found in the waters betweenAustralia and New Zealand. The second largest isthe Pacific Seahorse, Hippocampus ingens, with amaximum recorded height of 31 cm. This species isnative to the west coast of the Americas, fromCalifornia to Colombia.

3. How long does a seahorsepregnancy last?

Dependingon the species, the latitudinal

location, and the temperatureof the water, it can lastanywhere from nine to 30days. As most of youknow, the female transfersher eggs to the male, whofertilizes them and holdsthem in his pouch until they

hatch, at which point hegives birth. A maleHippocampus ingens can

give birth to approximately2,000 fry; while a dwarf seahorse,

like Hippocampus zosterae, cangive birth to as few as five at a time.

4 . A r e s e a h o r s e smonogamous?

Based on my own experiences,and those of other breeders, I would have to sayno. Studies from the wild claim that all speciesappear to be monogamous within a single breedingcycle, that is, the male accepts eggs from only onefemale. I’ve known of tanks where one female iskeeping two to three males pregnant almost all ofthe time. He might be monogamous, but clearlyshe isn’t. As far as I’m concerned, more fieldworkneeds to be done in order to make this claim.


5. Are there any freshwaterseahorses? If so, can you tell us anything aboutthem?

T h e C a p e S e a h o r s e ,Hippocampus capensis, is sometimes referred to asthe freshwater seahorse. That’s because it cantolerate salinity levels from one to 59 parts perthousand (notice I said, “tolerate”), but it’s not atrue freshwater fish. It was the first seahorse to beput on the Threatened List in 1994. It also has the

smallest natural range of any seahorse, which is offthe southern tip of South Africa. It can reach amaximum height of 12 cm, but can start breedingat 5cm. Males have a longer and heavier body thanfemales, as well as a longer tail.

From time to time, I will do more Q&A,as questions arise. (See the June 2005 issue ofModern Aquarium for my last Q&A column.) Ifyou have questions about seahorses, please e-mailthem to [email protected]. If it isn’tsomething I’ve covered already, or something Iplan to cover in an upcoming column, I’d be happyto include it on the next Q&A that I write. Thankyou for the positive responses I’ve gotten so far tothe “Seahorse Chronicles.”

THE AMUSING AQUARIUM


Suggested Questions Please introduce yourself. Tell us about your favorite aquarium. What was your very first fish? Tell us about your education as a fishkeeper. Is there someone you think of as a mentor? Tell us about him or her. Describe your “Fantasy Fish Tank.” If you were a fish, which one would you be? Who is your “Hobby Hero?” What fish which you have never kept would you like to acquire? Describe your biggest fishkeeping “blooper!” Describe your most memorable fishkeeping experience. What advice would you give to a beginning fishkeeper? What are your fishkeeping goals?

- OR write a narrative story -

by SUSAN PRIEST ? ? ANONYMOUS ? ?

Ihope all of you missed this column last month,and are glad to see its return. I will be tappinga few more of you on the shoulder so that I will

have a couple of articles on hand, just in casesomeone can’t complete theirs in time. Whoknows; I may even receive an unsolicitedsubmission or two, and even I won’t know whowrote it!

This month’s autobiographer has chosena narrative style to tell us about their life as afishkeeper. I’m sure you will all agree with me thatit is most enjoyable reading.

Fishkeeper Anonymous/June 2007:

Fish, turtles, salamanders, frogs, toads,snakes, and any otherexotica that I, or mytwo older brothers,caught in the woodsa n d s t r e a m sbordering our homeand the surroundingarea were kept in anarray of buckets andreceptacles, wherewe observed andcared for them untilthe last container thatwe could devise wasfilled, and it wastime to release theanimals back into thewild and go in searchof more. One day,wh i l e kn e e l i n gquietly on the moss-laden rocks that layresting amongst asmall trickling stream, my searching eyes spottedwhat seemed like a miracle. There sat the tiniest,most beautiful little green slider turtle, identical tothe ones found for sale in Kresge’s five and dimestore. That little turtle, soon to become known as‘Mudbank,’ came home with me, where it eagerlywatched for me, ate from my hands, and remaineda cherished pet for years to follow.

My father, a scientist and naturalist,brought me an invaluable appreciation for thebeauty in all creatures, from insects, to largemammals, to aquatic life. For this, I am forevergrateful.

At the age of eight, the first ‘real’aquarium came into my life. In fact it was not one,but eight aquariums — all at once! A friend of oneof my father’s patients, out of unexpectednecessity, had to give away his entire collection oftanks, equipment, gravel — even fish! To ourchorus of pleas, and much to my mother’s chagrin— my father said ‘yes!’

I will always remember those coming daysand subsequent years. In one day, in came amassive amount of tanks, stands, and equipment.

Of course, through achild’s eyes, theenormity of it wasimmense! Through mymother’s eyes, I amcertain it was more thanimmense!

There was onetank that seemed largerthan life. In thinkingback, it was probably125 gallons, but youcould have told me 300gallons and my eightyear old mind wouldhave believed that. Theother tanks ranged insize from there down. They all had metalframes and slatebottoms, and amidst theplethora of supplies,there were several tubes

of epoxy, which I came to know well!The person who owned this collection

previously had obviously been a true afficionado,for it was a fish lover’s dream consisting of everybit of paraphernalia imaginable. Once unloaded,with fish in buckets strewn all about the basementintermingled with the trappings, the next feat wasto sort through and set up the aquariums and getthe fish placed in them. Mind you, I had never had


a ‘real’ aquarium before! It is amazing to thinkback to the number of fish that actually survived!

The overhang filters were filled withangel hair floss that sliced through your hand if nothandled with care, as the media was actually madefrom the finest slivers of glass. There were boxesof loose charcoal, foil background papersembossed with circular swirls in blue, green, red,and gold, gravel in a wide assortment of brilliantcolors of the rainbow, nets of all sizes, pumps,heaters, thermometers, and the incandescent lightsthat I still wish that I could revisit. There wassomething about those lights — the bulbs were red,blue, and green — I loved that! Oh, and then therewere books. I loved the books. They were old andwell-used with notes from another era, and held adelicious musty aroma of a time gone by. Idreamed of the person who had read these booksbefore me, and hoped that I too could one daycome to understand these fishes and their needs,just as my predecessor had.

My brother’s attentions would soon go onto other creatures and facets of life, but I remainedimmersed in the affairs of the basement, and thefishes that now lived there. Among the lot, therewere two blue gouramis, angelfish, black mollies,kissing gouramis, and I recall a beautiful malebetta that I kept in a ten gallon tank. What did Iknow that bettas were to be kept in bowls? OnceI realized which tankmates could be kept with himwithout bringing harm, this one seemed to flourishin all of his glory under the red incandescent light,with a huge expanse (from a betta’s perspective!)in which to swim.

There was also an enormous, gorgeousmale Jack Dempsey, and a female that was quite abit smaller. It did not take long to find out thatthese two could not be kept in the same tankwithout providing lots of rockwork. Even at that,I am quite certain that the female’s life was notextensive, for I remember much more of the malethan I do the female. With so much personalityand his many intriguing habits, the Jack Dempseybecame a mesmerizing fascination for me.

Later in life, I owned a gift and jewelrystore for many years. Starting out with one store,it was not long and one more adjacent store wasadded, and then another, until the original storewent around the corner. By then my aquariumswere spilling out from my office onto the sellingfloor. There was one more store left and so thatbecame my ‘secret sanctuary’ — filled with fish! That fishroom was such a great joy to me!

For twenty years of my life, more hourswere spent at the store and greeting the public thanwere spent at home. I did love it so, but when Iwas not in sight, those who knew me well alsoknew that I had slipped away into the fishroom,

where I might well remain for hours, to emergerejuvenated, with a particular inner peace as ifholding some sort of secret, when the reality wasthat I had just changed water on a bank of tanks, ordiscovered that a certain fish had spawned, or theireggs had hatched, or the fry had taken their firstfood. I can tell you all of this, for I know that youunderstand exactly what I mean!

The large inhabitants of a 65-gallon tankand a 110-gallon tank behind the jewelry counterwere a great attraction for the men, and we woulddiscuss fish while their wives looked at jewelry. Itwas not uncommon for me to come out of myoffice with bloodworms in one hand to feed thefish, and find myself showing a diamond ring orbrooch to an interested customer with the otherhand. I always did my best to hold the ‘bloodwormhand’ behind the mirror that sat on the countertop,and became quite dexterous at simultaneouslyperforming the distinctly separate tasks. My betterhalf, as well as members of the staff, would lookup that way, and we would exchange a smile. Allof the staff that is but for one, who just could notbear the thought of worms! This individual did notfind it amusing at all! It took me some time torealize that this person was serious, and that mybags of any variety of worms or insects that mightbe left about were met with great angst. As soon asI did realize, I was more careful, but I must admitthat it still brings a smile to this day.

One tank held two immense oscars andfour equally large Hoplarchus psittacus. Thechildren came running in to see the fish, and yearafter year returned to visit their friends, and to seehow much they had grown. I picked the childrenup and we ‘fed’ the fish together, while at the sametime explaining to Dad how the wet/dry filtrationworked, and how it only got better with years ofage and bacterial growth. In between speaking withDad, I did my best to show Mom, through herchildren’s eyes, what an exciting world could beopened up with the addition of an aquarium.

Keeping a stock of TFH magazines in theoffice, as well as several copies of an excellentbook for beginner aquarists, I gave these out tochildren and adults alike who showed that extraspark of interest. People came back in, or wrote tome years later to tell me that they had started uptheir own aquariums, and how they rememberedwhen...

Some days we would go on an adventureinto my secret sanctuary, where the children’s eyesbecame wide with wonder and delight at the rowsof aquariums and fish. As I moved the tall laddersabout and gave them the tour of the continents,Dads seemed to enjoy it as much as their children. Moms often gave way to the heat and humidity andstood outside!


If we can each take a moment to view theworld through a child’s eyes, and from therealization that we gain by doing so, give ouryoung people the opportunity to experience fish, sothat they too may grow to appreciate the beautiesfound in nature. Undoubtedly they will do thesame, and continue to pass it along to futuregenerations, bettering the earth for both humansand fish.

Ten years ago, while attending an NECconvention, I saw my plant friends, Vince andRose Sileo, who told me of an extraordinary fishshow and auction weekend that was coming up atthe Marriott Hotel in Queens, New York incelebration of the 75th anniversary of the GreaterCity Aquarium Society. I was so excited and hadto find out all about it and what could I do, andwhat could I bring? Learning of a naturalaquarium display, and with the auction to followthe next day, my mind went into full gear and theanswer came to me. Once home, the weeks thatfollowed found the living room filled with rocks,gravel, and other assorted decor, along with a verypatient spouse(!), as I practiced setting up mynatural aquarium.

The remainder of this story remains foranother day, but suffice it to say that one of themost special moments of my life was on May 22nd

1997, when, with arms filled with buckets, gravel,rocks, jugs of tap water, filter, heater, and fish(Pseudotropheus demasoni), I walked into theMarriott Hotel and straight into the arms ofPresident Joe Ferdenzi (yes, he was President then,too!), Warren Feuer, Mark Soberman, Al and SuePriest, Bernie Harrigan, Tom Bohme, and all of theGCAS! As so many of us have, I knew that I haddiscovered home, and as they say, the rest ishistory!

Heartfelt thanks to Susan Priest, who created thiswonderfully innovative column, giving us each anopportunity to reminisce, and to share eachother’s stories.

When youg a t h e rt o g e t h e r

your “favorites,” your“fantasies,” and your“memories,” whathave you got? Undoubtedly you aresaturating yourself infun! Many of ourmembers who havealready been anonymous fishkeepers have testifiedto the fact that it was easy and fun. Ourautobiographer for April is one of them. In fact, Ididn’t ask her—she came right out and told me!

My personal favorite answers have beento the question “Describe your biggest fishkeeping“blooper.” When we are forgetful, careless,misguided, or just plain unlucky, the consequenceswill quite often become our most enlighteninglessons. Perhaps they are also our most memorablelearning experiences, as we had to learn them thehard way. Whatever the circumstances, they makefor some interesting and educational reading. Ipersonally have never used an undergravel filter, and based on the experience of our April author, Idon’t expect that I ever will. I thank her forsharing that story, along with all of the others shechose for us.

Speaking of our April author, I believe itis time for me to reveal her identity. We haveknown that it was one of our leading ladies rightfrom her first sentence. That doesn’t narrow thefield as much as it does in some other clubs, but iteliminates all of the gentlemen right from the start.

She is a regular participant in our monthlybowl shows, and Modern Aquarium often has aphoto of her displaying the ribbons she has won. (She is very photogenic, don’t you think?) She isa member of other clubs in the area, and writes forother publications, but her smile is the biggestwhen she is at a GCAS meeting! By now you haveguessed that it is our own Evelyn Eagan. (Youmay want to go back and re-read her bio from theApril issue.)

Evelyn Eagan


http://greatercity.com

Sighting Cichlid Sites

Considering how popular cichlids are in theaquarium hobby, it is no surprise that thereare many websites devoted to, or having

information about, cichlids. Many of these arecommercial websites (that is, websites primarily setup to sell you something). While some commercialwebsites do have useful information, in general Iprefer non-commercial sites, where information isless likely to be slanted to make a quick sale. Hereare just some of what I think are the better websitesfor cichlid information:

No overview of the information contained onInternet websites would be complete withoutmention of the website of the American CichlidAssociation (ACA) at http://www.cichlid.org/ While several areas of the website require ACAmembership before you can access them (e.g., theACA Trading Post and the ACA Forum), evennon-ACA members can browse the variousgalleries of cichlid photographs and make use ofthe helpful Cichlid Genera Pronunciation Guide.

There is something about an angelfish that attractseven people like myself who do not keep othercichlids. The Angelfish Forum II website athttp://www.angelfish.net/ “is dedicated to topicsconcerning the freshwater Angelfish (Pterophyllumscalare and Pterophyllum altum) including:Breeding Angelfish, Angelfish Care, AngelfishDiseases, and other aquatic topics.” This websiteis one every angelfish keeper should visit.

The website Cichlids.com (at, appropriatelyenough: http://www.cichlids.com/) has manyexcellent color photographs and hosts forumswhere you can go to post questions (and, hopefully,get answers) about the care and breeding ofcichlids.

While it does have some articles, and a small “buy,trade and sell” section, the claim by All Cichlids(http://www.allcichlids.com/) to being “The #1resource for cichlid keeping” seems to besomewhat overstated. Nonetheless, it’s certainlyworth a visit.

Billing itself as “The largest and most visitedcichlid site on the web!” Cichlid-forum.com(http://www.cichlid-forum.com/) features abi-monthly photo contest, a trading post, adiscussion forum, an extensive library of articles(including some videos), product and retailerreviews, and more.

The website of The Cichlid Fishes of Lake Malawi,Africa (http://malawicichlids.com/index.htm)declares that it is “a scientifically oriented,noncommercial site devoted to a fascinating troveof tropical biodiversity — both the largest lake-fishfauna and the largest vertebrate species flock onearth — the cichlids of southeastern Africa’s LakeMalawi.” This website claims to have informationon more than 415 species, with “800 pages, 1000pictures, 1200 references, and 300 links.”

Among many other things, this website features “a complete checklist of Lake Malawi'shaplochromine genera and species that have beenformally described, with the authorities who namedthem, the year they were described, a link to thecomplete bibliographic citation of the originaldescription, often a link to a page with pictures atthis site, and a few links to resources elsewhere onthe Web.” This “Hap checklist” is accessible bothby genus and species (alphabetically) and by colorpattern. There is also a complete Mbuna checklistwith all species formally described from LakeMalawi, again with the names, authorities, yeardescribed, bibliographic citation, usually a link toa picture page at this site, and any links to othernotable Web resources.

For those looking for information on Africancichlids, www.africancichlids.net is a resource forcichlids from the three major African rift lakes:Malawi, Tanganyika, and Victoria. This websitecontains a helpful gallery of over 500 photos,discussion forums, an “e-store” (from which youcan purchase books in connection withAmazon.com), and articles. It also has a fun jigsawpuzzle (of an African cichlid, of course) that youcan solve on-line.


T h e C i c h l i d R e s e a r c h H o m e p a g e(http://cichlidresearch.com/) is maintained by Dr.Ron Coleman, PhD. The website describes itselfas “A web site dedicated to collaboration betweenscientists and hobbyists interested in cichlid fishes(family Cichlidae), featuring extensive informationabout cichlids, plus the online science experimentknown as the Cichlid Egg Project.” (The CichlidEgg Project is an attempt to gather data on the eggsize of fishes of the family Cichlidae by involvingaquarists in an ongoing scientific investigation.) While there are some “dead” (i.e., outdated and nolonger available) links, information that is availableon, for example, "Introduction to Cichlids,""Frequently Asked Questions," "Glossary ofterms," and "Anatomy" seems to be very useful andeasy to understand.

Mongabay.com is a website that “aims to raiseinterest in wildlife and wild lands, while promotingawareness of environmental issues.” Although it isnot a cichlid-specific website, it does have anexcellent area devoted to cichlids (athttp://fish.mongabay.com/cichlids.htm). While Ihave no doubt most of the cichlid keepers in oursociety knew about them, as an anabantoidspecialist, I had not known (until I visited thiswebsite) that there were any Asian cichlids.

Internet discussion groups are becomingincreasingly popular. These groups are placeswhere you can ask and/or answer questions and,depending on the rules of the group and itsmoderator, even buy and sell. Most groups are freeand open to the public, but require registration. Once you are registered, you can select to receivemessages sent to your e-mail address every time anew message is sent, once a day (with all e-mailssent that day rolled up into one large e-mail), oryou can elect to have no e-mail sent to you(meaning that you will have to visit the groupyourself to read any messages).

I went to one of the most popular of thediscussion group areas, which is “Yahoo Groups”at http://groups.yahoo.com/ and I typed Cichlidsinto the “Find a Yahoo! Group” search field. Hereare only some of the items on the first page thatcame up from that search, with excerpts from eachgroup’s description in brackets. (Note, I said thesewere from the first search page — in total therewere 99 pages of search results from the wordCichlid.)

african_cichlids [For all African Cichlid owners and

lovers. We know how difficult these fish can be,but then their mannerisms and cute antics alwaysgets us coming back for more! Come join the listand talk about the different species, their care,behaviour, and breeding. Pass on your experiencesto new African Cichlid lovers!]

southamericancichlids [This club is for anyone interested in

South and Central American cichlids. All arewelcome--hope to see you here!]

sacsg [This is the official discussion list for all

members of South American Cichlids Study Groupand fans of South American Cichlidae.]

Cichlid_Trader [For those seeking to buy or sell cichlids]

Africancichlids [For cichlid lovers everywhere. The

emphasis of this group will be on Tanganyikancichlids. Breeders, hobbists, or beginners all arewelcome.]

cichlids4sale [This is a list to sell or post want ads for

Cichlids & Synodontis - all types. There are fewrules and here they are: List of fish must includewhere you live, price, do you ship. There will beno flaming. There will be posting only for fish tosell. This is not a list to get info on fish. There aremany other lists that do that. No selling of hybridfish will be tolerated.]

cichlids2 [a place where fellow aquarists can meet

to discuss newly imported species and share tips onold ones. My interests lie primarily in keeping andbreeding South and Central American, WestAfrican, Dwarf, Malagasy, and Rift Lake Cichlids.In addition to the aforementioned all fish relatedtopics are welcome.]

Cichlid_Chat [This club is to discuss Vicious Cichlids:

Managuense, Jack Dempseys, Texas Cichlids,Oscars, any vicious cichlid. Even Africans areinvited.]


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.

A GoodIdea... AtThe Time

A series by “The Undergravel Reporter”

Maybe it was a lack of sleep, or a bad case ofindigestion, or a little too much alcohol, orinhaling various substances, or maybe it

was just a failure to think things through, but somenot-so-great (and some really bad) ideas sometimesseem to be good ideas at the time.

Do you have some fish who just won’t eatthe food you give them? No matter how much youmay want to encourage them to eat what you feedthem, I strongly recommend that you not follow theexample of Elaine Larabie of Ottawa, Ontario. Toget her terrier, “Missy,” to eat dog food, Ms.Larabie decided to eat some of the food herself, infront of her dog.

This seemed to be a good idea at the time,especially since Missy indeed began nibbling at thefood after this demonstration. However, the nextday, Larabie and Missy were both hospitalized,vomiting and foaming at the mouth. This was inMarch of this year, during the first days of the alertover tainted (and possibly even rat-poison-laced) petfood. While the doctors suspected that as the culpritin this case, no definitive conclusion was reached. (Both Ms. Larabie and Missy have since recovered.)

[Montreal Gazette, 3-25-07]

Remember the incident of a woman whothought smuggling tropical fish in bags concealed inan apron under her dress was a good idea (asreported in this column in November 2005)? Well,in March of this year, officials at the Gaza-Egyptborder noticed that a Palestinian woman enteringGaza had a particularly lumpy upper body. Uponsearching her, they found three small crocodilesstrapped to her chest. She had intended to them sellto a zoo. Now that was a really bad idea!

[Columbus Dispatch-AP, 3-26-07]

In trying to get sharks to mate, aquaristsat an aquarium in England plan to pipe Beethoven,Mozart, and Puccini through speakers over thesharks’ open-topped tank. The sharks will beserenaded with classical greats such as Mozart’s“Romanze,” Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma,” andBeethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.” (The aquaristsare trying classical music after having failed to putthe sharks “in the mood” with the love songs of thelate soul singer Barry White.)

This is apparently a result of a study at theRowland Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts,that found fish could hear and process melodieslike human beings. But, that study only found thatkoi could be trained to hit a button for a foodreward when classical music was played with thenotes in correct order (as opposed to being playedbackward, or when no music was playing).

[Gulf-Times.com 5/24/2007]

Tailrank.com recently reported thatMohamad Abou El-Nasr from the Arab Academyfor Science and Technology won third place (and$2,000) at the Lantronix 2nd Annual WirelessDesign Contest for his “Wi-Aquarium.”

According to the description given, “theWi-Aquarium allows users to remotely control andmonitor their aquarium anytime from anywhere inthe world. Users can monitor the fish via acamera, feed the fish, adjust the heater, turn thelights on and off, and control the filter. The devicecan even send an e-mail to the user with updatedstatus ensuring an optimum aquarium environmentand healthy fish.” (And no, you can’t send ane-mail to your fish!)

I put this in the category of bad ideasbecause it gives the user the illusion of control, butis virtually useless for crisis intervention. The usercannot change water, remove a dead fish, isolateand medicate a sick fish, clear a clogged filter, orreplace filter media. Anyone who would want touse this would probably be much better off with afish-themed screensaver!

Finally, a nearly-perfect example of whatmust have looked like a good idea at the time—butclearly wasn’t—happened ten years ago in NewYork City. Bul Lee, a South Korean artist, had anexhibition titled “Majestic Splendor” scheduled atthe Museum of Modern Art for March of 1997. Lee’s exhibition consisted solely of rotting fish insealed bags and glass cabinets.

After only a few hours on display, thisexhibition was abruptly pulled. The reason for thecancellation of this show: the museum’s ventilationequipment failed! (Not only a very bad idea—anundoubtedly smelly one as well.)


TROPICAL FISH AQUARIUMSpecializing in Tropical Fish and Aquarium Supplies

Large Selection of Aquatic PlantsKnowledgeable Staff

Same Location Since 1947.

(718) 849-6678 115-23 Jamaica Avenue Richmond Hill, NY 11418

! Marine Biologist On Staff! Custom Tank Builders for the NY Aquarium! Manufacturers of Aquarium & Filter Systems! Custom Cabinetry & Lighting! Largest Selection of Marine & Freshwater Livestock in NY! New York’s Largest Custom Aquarium Showroom! See Working Systems on Display

2015 Flatbush Avenue Open Saturdays and SundaysBrooklyn, NY 11234 Amex, Discover, MasterCard, Visa(718)258-0653 2 miles off exit 11N of the Belt Parkway

www.WorldClassAquarium.com


Last Month’s Bowl Show Winners:1) Ed Vukich 2) Carlotti De Jager 3) Warren Feuer

Thank you, renewing members:Frank and Concetta Bonnici, and Warren Feuer

G.C.A.S. HAPPENINGS

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

GREATER CITY AQUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting; July 11, 2007Speaker: Ed VukichTopic: “Ed’s Fhishroom”7: 30pm at The VFW Post136-06 Horace Harding ExpresswayFlushing, NY 11367Contact: Joseph Ferdenzi (516) 484-0944E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.greatercity.org

Brooklyn Aquarium Society

July & August: No Summer Events

Meets the 2nd Friday of the month (exceptJuly and August) at 7:30pm: NY Aquarium - Education Hall Surf Ave. at West 8th St., Brooklyn, NYCall: BAS Events Hotline: (718) 837-4455 http://www.brooklynaquariumsociety.org

East Coast Guppy AssociationMeets: 1st Thursday of each month at Alley PondEnvironmental Ctr.: 228-06 Northern Blvd. at8:00 pmContact: Gene Baudier (631) 345-6399

Big Apple Guppy ClubMeets: Last Tuesday each month (except Jan.& Feb.) at Alley Pond Environmental Ctr.:228-06 Northern Blvd. at 7:30-10:00pm. Contact: Donald Curtin (718) 631-0538

Long Island Aquarium SocietyNext Meeting: June 15, 2007Speaker: Charles Riggio Topic: Guppies

Meets: 3rd Fridays (except July and August) atHoltsville Park and Zoo at 8:00pm. 249 Buckley Road - Holtsville, NY

Website: http://liasonline.org/Email: Arie Gilbert - [email protected]

Nassau County Aquarium SocietyJuly & August:Summer Break, no meetings

Meets: 2nd Tuesday of each month at theAmerican Legion Post 1066 - 66 VeteransBlvd. - Massapequa, NY at 8:00pm.

Contact: Mike Foran (516) 798-6766Website: http://www.ncasweb.org

North Jersey Aquarium SocietyNext Meeting: June 28, 2007Speaker: Mark SobermanTopic: “African Catfish”

Meadowlands Environmental Center - OneDekorte Plaza - Lyndhurst, NJ

Contact: NJAS Hotline at (732) 332-1392Website: http://www.njas.net/ or e-mail: [email protected]

Norwalk Aquarium SocietyNext Meeting: June 21, 2007Speaker: Mo Devlin "Today in the FishRoom" or his Mexico Trip

Meets: 8:00 P.M. - 3rd Thursday of eachmonth at: Earthplace - the Nature DiscoveryCenter - Westport, CT

Contact: John Chapkovich (203) 734-7833E-mail: [email protected] our toll free number (866) 219-4NASWebsite: http://norwalkas.org/


Fin FunThe newest author in the world of tropical fish literature is in very good company, indeed. Simply drawa connecting line between each title and its author.

Title Author

Cichlids of the World Dr. Paul V. Loiselle

The Cichlid Fishes Claudia Dickinson

The Cichlid Aquarium Hans-Joachim Richter

The Complete Book of Dwarf Cichlids Dr. Robert Goldstein

Cichlids From Central America Mary Sweeney

South American Cichlids Dr. Wayne S. Leibel

Aquarium Care of Cichlids Dr. George Barlow

The Cichlid: An Owner’s Guide David Boruchowitz

Central American Cichlids Ad Konings

The Guide To Owning Malawi Cichlids David Sands

Solution to last month’s puzzle:


modern aquarium june 2007

Documents

month of publication

publication aresent

month isacarichthys

greater citys

winning wet leaves column

wet leaves book review

live fish

editorsbabblenestby