modern aquarium november 2012

November 2012volume XIXnumber 9

ON THE COVERThis month's cover features Betta balunga, an easy-to-keep, mouthbrooding betta from Borneo. For more information on keeping and breeding this fish, see Al Priest's article on page 14.

Photo by Alexander A. Priest

GREATER CITY AQUARIUM SOCIETY

Board MeMBers

President Dan RadebaughVice-President Edward VukichTreasurer Jules BirnbaumCorresponding Secretary Sean Cunningham Recording Secretary Tommy Chang

MeMBers at Large

Claudia Dickinson Pete D’OrioAl Grusell Ben HausEmma Haus Jason KernerLeonard 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 A. PriestMembership Marsha RadebaughPrograms 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. 2012 Program Schedule

3President’s Message

4 Bowl Show Rules

5Last Month's Caption Contest Winner

6Cartoon Caption Contest

8A History of the Greater City Aquarium Society

9by Joseph Ferdenzi

Betta balunga 14An Easy Mouthbrooding Betta from Borneo

by alexander a. Priest

Wet Leaves 17by susan Priest

Sharks of St. Martin 19by stephen sica

Pictures from our Last Meeting 22by susan Priest

Our Generous Sponsors & Advertisers 24

Fish Bytes 25by stephen sica with donna sosna sica

G.C.A.S. Happenings 28

The Undergravel Reporter 29The Case of the Disappearing Fish

Fin Fun (Puzzle Page) 3090 Years Young

Series III Vol. XIX, No. 9 November, 2012

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)2 November 2012

From theEditor by Dan Radebaugh

As I’ve previously mentioned in this column, our twin themes in this 90th Anniversary Year’s Modern

Aquarium have been the history of our hobby, particularly in the Greater City of New York, and conservation, a subject that seems to grow more crucial with each day’s news. The contents of this issue exemplify those themes.

Joe Ferdenzi, our club’s most notable hobby historian, exceeds all expectations this month. Not only is he speaking this evening on the significance of Greater City’s ninety years of continuously serving the aquarium hobby in the New York area (and indeed beyond), but he has also provided this issue of Modern Aquarium with a detailed history of our club, its antecedents, and its leaders through the past ninety years!

Sue Priest, who has devoted her Wet Leaves column this year to the issue of conservation, very neatly combines the themes of conservation and history this month by reminding us of the history of our CARES program. It’s a good read, and a great introduction to an inspired program.

Since Greater City is, after all, an aquarium society, we haven’t forgotten what brought us all together here in the first place—the fish! Al Priest shares his experiences with (and photos of) Betta balunga, a mouthbrooding Betta from Borneo. Along with his typically thorough profile of this species, Al reminds us as a conservation note that, due in large part to the nearly unrestricted habitat destruction in that region, virtually any species endemic to that area should, by default, be considered endangered. This lovely fish is no exception.

Steve Sica makes two contributions this month, his Fish Bytes column, which

reviews items of interest in other society magazines and newsletters, as well as one of his signature photo essays, “Sharks of St. Martins,” a self-explanatory title if ever I saw one. The Undergravel Reporter tells us about fish equipped with stealth technology,

* * *Remember, as always, we need articles!

Modern Aquarium is produced by and for the members of Greater City Aquarium Society. Our members are our authors, and with ten issues per year, we always, always need more articles. I know several of you are keeping and/or breeding fish that I would like to know more about, and I’m certain other members would be interested as well. Share your experience with us. Write about it! If you’re a little unsure about the state of your writing technique, don’t worry – that’s why there are editors.

If you have an article, photo, or drawing that you’d like to submit for inclusion in Modern Aquarium, it’s easy to do! You may fax it to me at (877) 299-0522, email it to [email protected], or just hand it to me at a meeting. However you get it to me, I’ll be delighted to receive it!

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) November 2012 3

GCASPrograms

2012It 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! Enjoy!

Claudia

March 7 Meet the Experts of the GCAS

April 4 Felicia McCaulleyTips and Tricks to Aquarium Photography on a Budget

May 2 Jeff MichelsDwarf Cichlids

June 6 Rich LevyVirtual Fishroom Tours: Joe Ferdenzi and Jules Birnbaum

July 11 Rich LevyVirtual Fishroom Tours: Jeff Bollbach and Rich Levy

August 1 Silent Auction

September 5 Dan RadebaughParatilapia Sp. 'Fony'

October 3 Rachel O'LearyFreshwater Invertebrates

November 7 Joe FerdenziGCAS 90th!

December 5 Holiday Party!

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 2012 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


President’sMessage

by Dan Radebaugh

First of all, a big Thank-You to Ron Wiesenfeld, who, inspired by Joe Ferdenzi’s call for volunteers, stepped up last month and volunteered to be Treasurer’s Apprentice. I can’t overemphasize how much we need our members – especially our newer members – to

help out with the often unnoticed services that must be performed to keep our club running. Thanks, Ron! And Thanks, Joe! On another matter of timely importance, Emma Haus has completed negotiations to hold this year’s Awards Banquet at the Flagship Diner. Flagship is located at 138-30 Queens Boulevard, in Briarwood. The phone number for the diner is (718) 523-6020. The cost for members will be $20 per person. Please see Emma this evening to sign up, or give her a call at (718) 776-5451. She’ll accept your payment, and note your entrée preference. The banquet will be held on the first Wednesday of the month, December 5, at 7:30 PM. Parking is available, and it’s also accessible by bus or subway. With the Banquet being next month, tonight is our final regular meeting this year here at the Queens Botanical Garden. This would be a great time to renew your memberships for next year, if you haven’t already done so. You can renew your membership with Marsha Radebaugh as you collect your copy of Modern Aquarium. Individual and family memberships are still only $20 per year! I hope to see all of you at the Awards Banquet!

Dan

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) November 2012 5Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)6 March 2010

BOWL SHOWRULES

There is a Bowl Show at every GCAS meeting, except our Silent Auction/fl eamarket meeting and our Holiday Party and Awards Banquet meeting (December). These shows are open to all members of GCAS. Rules are as follows:

Only current GCAS members may enter fi sh in the Bowl Show.There is a limit of 2 entries per member per meeting.Unlike some other clubs, every month is an “open” Bowl Show at the GCAS (i.e., there is no “theme,” such that one month cichlids are judged, the next livebearers, the next anabantoids, etc.).Any fi sh that wins any prize (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) may not be entered again in the same meeting year.The current Bowl Show Coordinator is Leonard Ramroop, who usually also serves as judge (although guest speakers are often asked to do the judging honors).2.5 gallon containers are available for use (brought to the meetings by the Bowl Show Coordinator), but entrants are responsible for providing enough (and suitable) water for their fi sh. For a fi sh too large (or too small) for those containers, entrants must supply a suitable container, which must be clear on at least three sides.Only one fi sh per container (i.e., no “pairs”).No plants, ornaments, or equipment (fi lters, airstone, etc.) are allowed in the judging tank (an external mirror, or opaque cards between containers is acceptable, as is a cover that does not obstruct side viewing).Points are awarded: 5 points for 1st Place, 3 for 2nd Place, and 1 for 3rd Place.Ribbons are awarded: blue for 1st Place, red for 2nd Place, and green for 3rd Place.The person with the most points at the end of the meeting season receives the Walter Hubel “Bowl Show Champion” trophy at the Awards Banquet.The decision of the judge(s) is fi nal.A running UNOFFICIAL total of the points awarded is printed in Modern Aquarium. Only the tally of points maintained by the Bowl Show Coordinator is offi cial.In case of ties:1st Tiebreaker – most 1st Places2nd Tiebreaker – most 2nd Places3rd Tiebreaker – most entries


October's Caption Winner:Denver Lettman

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Hey, these buffalo sure are getting small...

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The G.C.A.S.

Proudly extends a most Warm Welcometo

Our Guest SpeakerJoseph Ferdenzi

Speaking OnGreater City at 90


The Modern AquariumCartoon Caption Contest

Modern Aquarium has featured cartoons before. This time though, you, the members of Greater City get to choose the caption! Just think of a good caption, then mail, email, or phone the Editor with your caption (phone: 347-866-1107, fax: 877-299-0522, email: [email protected]. Your caption needs to reach the Editor by the third Wednesday of this month. We'll also hand out copies of this page at the meeting, which you can turn in to Marsha before leaving. Winning captions will earn ten points in our Author Awards program, qualifying you for participation in our special "Authors Only" raffle at our Holiday Party and Banquet. Put on your thinking caps!

Your Caption:

Your Name:

Cartoon by elliot oshins


A History of theGreater City Aquarium Society

by Joseph Ferdenzi

As we celebrate the 90 t h anniversary of the founding of the Greater City Aquarium Society, it is sad to note how little of its

history is known. This, then, is an attempt to record that which is known to this author. It is to be hoped that this history will serve as foundation for the addition of future knowledge of the past. Those who have that knowledge are encouraged to share it with the author, so that future generations of aquarists may peek into the grandeur of what history reveals.

It is accepted history that the society was founded in 1922. Indeed, in the Society’s 1968 Show Journal, Charles Elzer, then the President, wrote that it was founded in August of that year. Unfortunately, no written record exists to document that fact. It is known from published accounts that at least three other aquarium societies existed in New York City before 1922. They were the New York Aquarium Society, founded in 1896 (the first to be founded in America), the Brooklyn Aquarium Society, founded in 1911 (the third to be founded in America; it was preceded by the Aquarium Society of Philadelphia in 1898), and the Ridgewood Aquarium Society (date of founding unknown). Regrettably, none of these societies survived uninterrupted into the present. The New York Aquarium Society, often simply referred to as The Aquarium Society because it was t h e first, lasted into the early seventies, and the Brooklyn Aquarium Society was non-existent for decades, though its descendant, the current Brooklyn Aquarium Society, re-founded in the mid 1950s, is now prosperous and growing. From the last, Ridgewood, probably began our own stirrings.

In 1922, there was only one “national” aquarium magazine. It was entitled “Aquatic Life.” The Ridgewood Aquarium Society also published a magazine entitled Aquarium News, which was very short-lived. To say the least, the aquarium literature of the day was sparse. The classic

E x o t i c A q u a r i u m F i s h e s by William T. Innes was not to be published until 1935. However, one of the best books up to 1922 had been published by the Innes family publishing company in 1917; it was entitled Goldfish Varieties and Tropical Aquarium Fishes and was written by Innes himself, who noted on the cover page that he was the “Former President, Aquarium Society, Philadelphia.” This book was very popular, and went through many editions from 1917 into the 1930s. It may have been “the aquarium bible” in 1922. The first great aquarium magazine, The Aquarium, also published by Innes, did not appear until May of 1932. Nevertheless, in those rather Spartan times, Greater City was founded. Indeed, the very lack of information from literary sources may have been one of the reasons behind the proliferation of aquarium societies in those days.

How “Greater City” was chosen as the name for the aquarium society is not revealed in any of the society’s documents that I have been able to examine. Clearly the members wanted the society to be cosmopolitan in scope, and since the name “New York” had already been taken, “Greater City” may have seemed an obvious choice for this New York City group. A clue does exist for this hypothesis. When New York City was created in 1898, it was officially known as the “Greater City of New York.” In 1922, with the city only twenty-four years old, the term “Greater City” must have been quite familiar, and therefore presented itself as an outstanding alternative to “New York.”

So that the year of the Society’s founding may be placed in proper perspective, one might remember that in 1922 the New York Yankees had yet to win a World Series (they were swept 4 - 0 by the New York Giants that year, and did not win the first of their record number of triumphs in the Fall Classic until 1923), the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade did not take place until some four years later (1926), and the first


talking movie (“The Jazz Singer”) was released in 1927—five years after our Society was founded. In 1922 the President of the United States was Warren G. Harding, and the Mayor of New York City was John F. Hylan. On the international scene, 1922 saw Benito Mussolini become Premier of Italy, and it also witnessed the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Greater City, thankfully, has outlived both Mussolini and the USSR.

The earliest known written record of Greater City is in a letter to pioneering aquarist Herman Rabenau, dated May 5, 1929. The letterhead read “The Greater City Aquarium Society of Brooklyn, New York” and was signed by George Wade, Secretary, who lived at 1151 82nd Street in Brooklyn. The letter made Mr. Rabenau an honorary member of the Society. This historic letter was donated to the Society in 1971 by his widow. Tragically, the letter disappeared, but not before its existence was preserved in the pages of “Modern Aquarium” (February 1971). Fortunately, there is a published description of the Society that appeared in the September 1929 issue of the then popular magazine Aquatic Life. This article was reprinted in the April 1997 issue of “Modern Aquarium.”

Not all of our archival material is lost. We do have several show journals from the early 30s, such as our 1934 show journal. It is a very interesting little booklet. It heralds the show as its “Sixth Annual Exhibition.” This means that Greater City must have been holding shows as early as 1928. The journal includes a welcome message from the chairman, one Harry Plotnick, who apparently sold fish and lived in Brooklyn. The journal also contains a one-page article by Mr. Plotnick on “The Home Aquarium.” The advice is very basic, but sound. In keeping with the simplicity of the day, there is no mention of filtration or heating devices. As a beginner's fish, he recommends “guppyi” (as guppy was then spelled) or the “Helleri” (swordtail). The journal also lists and describes the show classes, of which there were only four: livebearer, egg layer, labyrinth, and guppy. Incidentally, the angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare), is described as “the most beautiful” member of the cichlid family—high praise for what was, of course, the emblem fish of the society. The journal featured numerous ads, mostly pet shops and breeders, and a few manufacturers. The three judges for the show were Henry Kissel (an apparently well-known breeder whose impressive hatchery was photographed for the back cover advertisement of the show journal), Richard Buettner (another well-known breeder), and Frederick H. Stoye (who was perhaps the most prominent, both as a breeder and writer; he was an editor on Innes’ The Aquarium magazine,

and the author of Trop ica l F i shes For The Home, the second edition of which was advertised in the show journal).

Stoye and Buettner, along with Herman Rabenau, were judges at the previous year’s show in 1933. Luckily, we also have a precious relic from the 1933 show—a medal. The medal is made of sterling silver, with a dark blue ribbon. The front features an angelfish whose ventral fins are greatly splayed. The front also displays the name of the Society, the year, and the word “Judge.” Inscribed on the back is the name “C.H. Peters.” Presumably, he had also been selected to judge that show. C.H. Peters was the editor of a popular magazine, The Home Aquarium Bulletin, and the author of several books, including The Home Aquarium, published by the Boston Aquarium Society. This last fact is noteworthy because Peters lived in New Jersey, but the medal was returned to us in 1982 by the Boston Aquarium Society. For a more detailed story about Peters and the medal, see the article appearing in the February 1997 issue of Modern Aquarium. Fortunately, the Society is in possession of an even older medal, a gold one from our 1932 show. This medal has the same design and colored ribbon as our 1933 medal. The medal was won by Carl Kaplan, cousin of renowned hobbyist Ross Socolof, and was donated by Carl at our 1997 show (for a complete story regarding this medal, see the November 1997 issue of Modern Aquarium). Significantly, the medal appears to prove that the angelfish was our Society’s emblem as early as 1932. For interesting contemporary reports on the 1932 and 1933 shows, one should read the articles from The Home Aquarium Bulletin and Aquatic Life that, among other articles about Greater City, were listed in an article appearing in the April 1997 issue of Modern Aquarium. These early shows were so popular that a report on the 1937 show appeared on the front page of the New York Times for August 29, 1937 heralding the first showing of the neon tetra in New York—this article was reprinted in the January 1997 issue of Modern Aquarium.

In the March 1934 issue of The Aquarium magazine, there appeared a directory of aquarium societies then existing in the United States. This


During the 1940s the club reorganized itself and became very successful. It sponsored shows at the Mineola (Nassau County) Fair during that time. Its president from 1946-49 was Elliot Whiteway of Jamaica (Queens). During his tenure, the Society grew to a membership of 125. From 1950-51, the president was Robert Greene, who in 1958 moved to upstate Delancey, New York to become a dairy farmer. Mr. Greene was succeeded by the following Society presidents: 1952-53, Robert Maybeck; 1954-55, 1958, Leonard Meyer; 1956-57, Sam Estro; 1958-64, Eugene Baiocco; 1965, Andy Fazio; 1966-68, Charles Elzer, Jr. (in 1967, the terms of office changed from calendar years to September to June terms); 1968-69, Walter Hubel (for whom our Bowl Show trophy is named).

In 1957, the Society began publishing a modest magazine dubbed Modern Aquarium. Its first editor was a man named Peter Nicholas, who was followed by Gian Padovani. In personal correspondence, Padovani recalls that the name for the magazine came from the concept of imitating Innes’ venerable The Aquarium magazine, but with a more “modern” slant. This first series of Modern Aquarium was discontinued in the early 1960s.

By 1971, the Society was meeting on the second Wednesday of the month at the Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park (Queens). The Society had moved there from Ridgedale Hall on Myrtle Avenue in Glendale (Queens). Indeed, the time during which the club met at the Hall of Science marked one of the golden eras of the Society. Beginning in 1968, the Society began publication of the second series of Modern Aquarium, destined to become one of the finest club publications in history. Dan Carson was the first editor, who was followed

list was republished in the 1935 book Tropical Fish and Home Aquaria by Alfred Morgan. The directory included the following societies as existing in New York City and the surrounding counties: Greater City (Brooklyn), Marine Park Aquarium Society (Brooklyn), United Fish Fanciers’ Society (Brooklyn), Glendale Aquarium Society (Queens), Nassau County Aquarium Society (Hempstead), Queens County Aquarium Society (Long Island City), Rockville Center Aquarium Society (Nassau), Aquarium Society of New York City (meeting at the American Museum of Natural History), Richmond County Aquarium Society (Staten Island), and the Westchester Aquarium Society (White Plains). As one can see, there were many societies in those days. Except for Greater City, none survived into the present day (Nassau County was non-existent for decades, only to be re-founded in 1971). Greater City m e t back then on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month from September to June. Indeed, this tradition of meeting on Wednesdays, albeit now it’s once a month, has carried into the present. In 1934, the Society met at the Highland Park Y.M.C.A. at 570 Jamaica Avenue in Brooklyn. Its Recording Secretary was a man by the name of Harry E. Cronk, Jr., who lived at 125 Decatur Street in Brooklyn.

Sometime between 1934 and 1946, the Society moved from meeting in Brooklyn to Queens. By 1946 it was meeting in Jamaica Hall on 91st Avenue in Queens. In the interim, the Society had also held meetings at the Episcopal Church in Woodhaven, Queens. It seems clear from these early meeting sites that the Society was first formed of members from the “border towns” along the Brooklyn-Queens line. Indeed, it is altogether possible that Greater City may have been formed as a “split” from the Ridgewood Aquarium Society (Ridgewood is situated on the Brooklyn-Queens line). This theory is strongly supported by the printed recollections of Robert Maybeck, who joined Greater City in 1931, and was later its President from 1952 to 1953. He remembered that, upon joining, he was told Greater City was founded by a group from the Ridgewood Aquarium Society.

Some of the recorded minutes from 1947 reveal that each meeting featured a guest speaker or program, and that refreshments were served at the meetings. Both of these features are continued in the present day, though refreshments were briefly discontinued in 1947 because financial problems. Unfortunately, the actual minutes and records of the early years also “disappeared” sometime after 1974. It would be wonderful if we could rediscover those precious archives.


by Herb Fogal (who held the position the longest), and Jay Fryhover. What was significant about the 1968-74 series was its quality. Compared to other local club publications, it had few rivals (only the journal of the San Francisco Aquarium Society comes to mind in that regard). Even today, it would probably surpass most of the publications produced by local

clubs. Why? It was professionally published (indeed, it was sold over the counter in pet shops), contained a good mix of articles (especially significant were its interviews and articles about prominent hobbyists of the day), and it was often illustrated with black and white photography (something no local club does regularly, even now).

At a January 1970 meeting of the Society, it was recorded that over 300 people were in attendance. Also during that time, the Society sponsored annual fish shows, including one commemorating the Golden Anniversary of the Society in 1972. The design for the Society’s current official emblem, an angelfish inside a circle surrounded by the

words “Greater City Aquarium Society – Established 1922,” was created in 1969 by Frank Margiotta, an artist and member. Big shows were held, including one at the Gertz department store in Jamaica (see the January 1968 issue of Tropical Fish Hobbyist for a story on one of them). During the

1970s, the Society presidents were: 1970-72, Dave Williams; 1972-73, Dan Carson; 1973-75, Herb Fogal; 1975-76, Richard Hoey; 1976-1977, Ted Tura; 1977-78, Eugene Baiocco (the same person who served as president a then record six terms in a row in 1958-64); and 1978-79, Louis Kromm.

This golden age of the Society somehow came to an end during the late 70s. Why this occurred is

unclear. Undoubtedly, a number of factors conspired to lead to such a result. Some of its more active members moved out of New York; some drifted over to the newly formed Nassau County Aquarium Society and Long Island Aquarium Society; other, more complex, demographic changes occurred. The club eventually had to leave the Hall of Science, and for a short time met in the back room of a pub in Queens. Eventually, as the 1980s dawned, the remaining membership (which at one point was as low as six members) decided to seek a new meeting place. Board members Marcia and Nick Repanes found it in the Queens Botanical Garden. The first meetings there were held in the 1979-80 season. This wise decision led to a rebirth of the Society.

During the 1980s the club was ably led by its presidents Don Sanford (for whom the B r e e d e r s Award trophy is named), 1979-80; Brian Kelly, 1981-84; and Jack Oliva, 1984-86. Jack was succeeded by the author, who stepped down as President following the 1997 season. Thereafter, Vincent Sileo served two terms as President, from 1997 to 1999. He was followed by Jeff George from 1999 to 2000. The author then served another eight years as President from 2000 to 2008. Upon my retirement, Dan Radebaugh was elected President and has continued in that role to the present.

In the 1980s, the society promoted a very successful Breeders Award Program, and began publication of t h e newsletter Network (originated and first edited by former member Terri Lombardi). During this decade, the Society co-sponsored Dr. Kenneth Lazara, Jaap-Jan de Greef, and Dr. Klaus Kallman on collecting expeditions to the tropics; was active and successful on the local show circuit; lent financial support to environmental causes and scientific institutions; and under the steady hand of our former Membership Chair, Marcia Repanes, grew to a membership in excess of 100.

On the occasion of its 70th Anniversary, the Society resumed holding fish shows (the last one had been held in 1980); the first show of the 90s took place in November of 1992, and was held at the Queens Botanical Garden. Since then, shows have been held in 94, 96 and 97 (the 75th Anniversary).

A n o t h e r significant event took place in the 1990s. The Society resumed publication of its signature magazine,


Modern Aquarium. The first issue in this third series was published in January of 1994. Under the able guidance of editors Warren Feuer and Al Priest, this series has even surpassed the quality of the 1968-74 series. In both 1994 and 1995 it was judged the best U.S. club publication by the Federation of American Aquarium Societies, and it won the corresponding award for best magazine of the North East Council of Aquarium Societies in 1995 and 1996.

As the new millennium dawned, Greater City continued to be a very active society. Major shows were held at the Queens County Farm Museum in 2000 and 2002. Then in 2007 and 2008, Greater City spearheaded the first two conventions of the Aquarium Federation of Independent Societies and Hobbyists (AFISH). These major events were co-sponsored by the Brooklyn, Long Island, and Nassau County aquarium societies, and featured guest speakers from around the globe.

Other notable events during this period included the early participation of Greater City in the CARES preservation program, which was begun by Greater City board member Claudia Dickinson. This nationwide program has done much to educate hobbyists and the general public regarding the critical dangers facing aquatic habitats and the need to preserve fish species that are at risk.

With regard to publications, 2007 was notable as the year in which Claudia’s book Aquarium Care of Cichlids was published as part of the Animal Planet series of TFH Publications. This became the first hobby book written by a Greater City member since Paul Hahnel’s book on guppies. Modern Aquarium has continued to excel. After Warren Feuer passed the editorship reigns to Al Priest, Modern Aquarium surpassed all previous series of the magazine in longevity, while consistently maintaining its preeminence in the field of society magazines. Al was succeeded as Editor by Dan Radebaugh, who has continued the magazine’s extremely high level of quality. As 2012 comes to a close, the magazine’s nineteen year run has far outstripped those of previous series of Modern Aquarium. In addition to the efforts of its editors, the magazine has been able to preserve its quality and originality because of the many fine authors found among Greater City’s membership.

In 2005 the membership voted to alter the meeting schedule so that the society, which for many years did not meet in July and August, would now meet in those months, but would no longer meet in January and February. Another meeting change occurred in 2007, but was of a temporary nature. In that year Greater City needed to find a new meeting place while the Queens Botanical Garden razed

its old main building and constructed a new one. The Society consequently met at the VFW Post on Horace Harding Expressway in Flushing, only a few miles from the Garden, on the second Wednesday of the month. Upon completion of the QBG’s main building in 2008, the Society returned to its regular meeting place and schedule.

Perhaps other changes will occur before Greater City achieves its 100th anniversary in 2022, but one thing will remain constant. Greater City’s achievements and contributions to the aquarium hobby during its 90 years of continuous existence will shine brightly for as long as there is an aquarium hobby.

Acknowledgements: I am indebted to a number of secondary sources for this article. First have been the pages of Modern Aquarium (1968-74), and especially two articles: “Old Timer’s Night” by Mary and Dan Carson in the February 1971 issue, and “Nostalgia” (author anonymous) in the December 1974 issue. Second, courtesy of Terri Lombardi, have been the pages of Network, especially the Nov/Dec 1982 issue. For perspective and background, I have borrowed from Albert Klee’s monumental work, A History of the Aquarium Hobby in America, which was first published as a 22-part series in The Aquarium magazine from December 1967 to September 1969, and republished in book form by the American Cichlid Association in 1987. I have also used the 1935 edition of the Alfred Morgan book mentioned in the text. In addition, I have accessed the pages of Aquatic Life, The Home Aquarium Bulletin, The Aquarium, and Tropical Fish Hobbyist. I am also indebted to the late Jare Sausaman, and to Lee Finley, for providing copies of various publications. For much of the material I researched, my primary sources have been Marcia Repanes, Jack Oliva, ·and Gene Baiocco, who were members of Greater City for a combined total number of years in excess of 100! To all, I give my thanks, but I accept the sole responsibility for any errors appearing in this history.


Scientific Name: Betta balungaCommon Name: Balunga Betta Origin: Initially found in a tributary of the

Balung River in Malaysia, northernBorneo.

Special consideration: anabantoid (air breather)Size (SL): 5" (females slightly smaller)pH: 5.2 to 7.0 (acidic to neutral)Water hardness: softTemperature: 70 - 80 F (21 - 27 C)Distribution: BorneoReproduction: paternal mouthbrooderTemperament: peacefulEnvironment: low-light, caves and/or driftwood,

tight-fitting cover with no gapsNutrition: primarily carnivore (live or frozen

daphnia, brine shrimp, etc.)

Betta balungaAn Easy Mouthbrooding Betta from Borneo

Article and photos by ALEXANDER A PRIEST

There are many aquarists who prefer toautomate as many things as they can withrespect to the chores of fishkeeping. Timers

certainly make it easier to turn on and control thelighting in aquariums in an orderly and uniformway. Hoses that connect to faucets certainly makefilling tanks a great deal easier. But some tasksare, in my opinion, best done manually. Oneexample is an automatic feeder. I consider themuseful only for occasional use if a fishkeeper isa w a y f o r a nextended period oftime and there is noone else available tofeed the fish. Ithink it’s importantto feed each tankseparately and toobserve which fishare eating, theirinteractions, and touse that time to takei n v e n t o r y a n dremove any deadleaves (or even deadfish!), and identifyand isolate any sickor injured fish. Those tasks cannever be performedby an automaticfeeder (or automaticanything, for that matter).

When it comes to maintenance, I prefer tosyphon water into five gallon buckets rather thanusing a method that removes the water withoutgiving me a chance to inspect it. I mention this inconnection with this article on Betta balunga for agood reason.

As is common with many Betta species, Bettabalunga is native to areas where the substrateconsists of leaf litter and the water is dark (oftencalled “black water”) due to the effect of tanninsleaching into the water from decaying roots andleaves. In order to mimic, as much as possible,their natural environment, the pair of Bettabalunga that I started out with were placed in atightly covered tank (virtually all Betta species are“jumpers”) with plants tied to driftwood, andIndian almond leaves on the otherwise bare bottomof the tank. The tank was filtered by a spongefilter and a box filter.

In only a few months, the water was the colorof strong tea, and the formerly bare glass bottomhad a fairly good layer of mulm. When doingwater changes I tried not to disturb the mulm layer. Yes, you read that correctly, I intentionally tried toavoid removing the bottom “muck” as I knew thewater parameters (including the nitrate level) wereoptimal.

In removing water during one change, I didsuck up a bit of mulm, along with the dark-colored

water. I do my waterchanges by syphoninginto a five gallonwhite bucket ($8 at ahardware store). Justin case, I always let thewater settle before Idiscard it. Initially, allI could see in thebucket was brown,dirty water. However,when the water settledin the bucket, I sawmovement, and notjust of some uneatenblackworms. Therewere Betta balunga fryin that bucket! If I hadused a direct syphon tosink (or for someaquarists, a syphon tofloor drain), those fry

would have been “flushed” away!As is unfortunately true for most of the

species that have spawned in my tanks, I was notable to witness the actual spawning. I wouldexpect the spawning ritual to be the same as formost of the other mouthbrooding Bettas, and asdescribed in this account: “The female plays themore active role in initiating courtship anddefending the area against intruders. Eggs and miltare released during an ‘embrace’ typical ofosphronemids, in which the male wraps his bodyaround that of the female. Several ‘practice’embraces may be required before any eggs arereleased.

“Once spawning commences, eggs are laid insmall batches and picked up in the mouth of thefemale before being spat out into the water for themale to catch. Once the male has all the eggs in his

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) November 2012 17


After a few months of “benign neglect,” this is what I wound up with!

I started with one pair of Betta balunga

mouth the cycle is repeated until the female isspent of eggs, a process which can take some time.“The incubation period is 14 – 21 days, at whichpoint the male will begin to release fully-formed,free-swimming fry.”1

I have always left the fry in with the parentsin my tanks with mouthbrooding Betta species (and

removed the parents in tanks of bubblenestingBetta species). This time, I took the fry I found inthe bucket and moved them into a separate tank,filled with water from their original tank. Eventhough I gave both tanks microworms and finelypowered food for the fry, the fry left in the parent’stank grew faster, larger, and had lower mortality

18 November 2012 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)


(the latter could, however, be attributed to parental“culling” of weak fry).

Betta balunga is in the “Akarensis Complex,”a group of closely related Betta species havingphysical similarities. Akarensis Complex membersall have pre- and post-orbital stripes (thepost-orbital stripe is faint or interrupted in somespecies); chin bar present; caudal-fin lanceolatewith highly extended median rays in mature males;caudal fin usually with transverse bars; greenish orbluish iridescent scales on body of males in somespecies; opercle without iridescent scales, except injuveniles. Other species in the Akarensis Complexare B. akarensis, B. aurigans, B. chini,B. ibanorum, B. pinguis, and B. obscura.

Dr. Robert J. Goldstein provides this physicaldescription of Betta balunga in his excellent book, The Betta Handbook: “This robust 5 inch (12.5cm) mouthbrooder (females are a bit smaller) isdark gray with blue highlights in the anal fin andsometimes the lower caudal. A broad black linefrom the lips through the eye crosses the gill platesand continues to a basicaudal spot near the base ofthe tail. The band may fade behind the gill covers.The male's caudal fin has a netlike pigment patternand the central rays extend beyond the fin. Theanal fin is dark margined with a white submarginalband. In nuptial coloration, the male develops adark mask, a second black line extends downwardfrom the eye. and the iris becomes red. The nuptialfemale lightens. and develops a dark band on theback and another in the midline of the flank.”1

Aside from some fin count differences(virtually impossible to detect on live fish in anaquarium), Betta balunga can be distinguishedfrom other members of the Akarensis Complex byan interrupted second postorbital stripe on theopercle and a reddish-orange eye.

This is one of the easiest fish to care for Iever had. They eat almost anything. I feed minelive blackworms and Atison’s Betta Pro pelletsfrom Ocean Nutrition™. (I believe this exactproduct is no longer available, but the companystill sells “Atison’s Betta Food” pellets.) Once fryappeared, I included microworms and powered dryfood. (And, of course, fry will feed from the naturally occurring infusoria on the surface of a

mature sponge filter.) Occasionally I feed liveadult brineshrimp rinsed in freshwater and treatedwith a few drops of liquid vitamins (I use VitaChem from Boyd Enterprises, Inc.), because adultbrineshrimp, while apparently a treat for the fish,have little nutritional value.

For a fish that is so easy to keep and thatbreeds so easily in the home aquarium, it’ssurprising to me that they are not more wellknown. Apparently, they were first described backin 1940 by the American ichthyologist AlbertWilliam Herre3 and I have read nothing about themever having been considered extinct. They are notlisted in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species,or in the C.A.R.E.S. Preservation ProgramConservation Priority Species at Risk List.

However, Betta balunga is endemic toBorneo, which is the third largest island in theworld, and home to three countries (Indonesia,Malaysia, and Brunei). Borneo “was once coveredwith dense rainforests, but along with its tropicallowland and highland forests, there has beenextensive deforestation in the past sixty years. Inthe 1980s and 1990s the forests of Borneounderwent a dramatic transition. They were leveledat a rate unparalleled in human history, burned,logged and cleared, and commonly replaced withagricultural land, or palm oil plantations.”4 “Theisland historically had extensive rainforest cover,but the area shrank due to heavy logging for theMalaysian plywood industry. The rainforest wasalso greatly destroyed from the forest fires of 1997to 1998.”5 So, as far as I am concerned, allanimals endemic to Borneo should be consideredto be a conservation risk.

As I indicated, I have found this to be an easyspecies to keep. They spawned in a tank havingsoft, acid water, aquascaped with many caves andhiding places (important for mouthbroodingspecies). Some of the fry left with the parents mayhave been eaten, but those that were not (and therewere many!) faired far better than fry removedfrom the parents and reared in a separate tank.

For someone eager to try an “easy”mouthbrooding Betta species, I can certainlyrecommend Betta balunga.

References1 http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/263424/2 Goldstein, R. J., The Betta Handbook, Barron's Educational Series, 2004. p. 713 Herre, A. W. C. T., Additions to the fish fauna of Malaya and notes on rare or little known Malayanand Bornean fishes. Bulletin of the Raffles Museum, July 1940, No. 16: 27-61. [see also: http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/16/16brm027-061.pdf]4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deforestation_in_Borneo5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borneo



a Series On Books For The Hobbyistby SUSAN PRIEST

The time has finally come for you to roll yoursleeves up and get your hands wet. The timehas finally come to make sure that each of

you knows about the C.A.R.E.S. PreservationProgram. C.A.R.E.S. is an acronym. The lettersstand for the following: Conservation AwarenessRecognition Encouragement Support.

Claudia Dickinson is the founder andcoordinator of C.A.R.E.S. Claudia is a long-timemember of GCAS, and we take pride in calling herone of our own. I quoteher briefly here from theC.A.R.E.S. website: “Ifeach one of us is todedicate at least oneexisting aquarium, or setup one new aquarium,with the intent ofdevoting that aquariumspace to a species atrisk, the aquariumhobby as a whole hasthe opportunity to makea major impact inensuring a positivefuture for these fishes.”

B a s i c a l l y ,C.A.R.E.S. representsan organized means ofpreserving as manyspecies of conservationpriority fishes as there are hobbyists, of which thereare a whole lot of both. (Don’t hold back if you area beginner. You will get all the support you need.) Carried to its farthest extension, it can include anexchange among hobbyists which will provide for across-breeding of the gene pool within each species. If or when these fishes become extinct in the wild,they will thankfully not be lost forever as they willbe preserved in our aquariums, and if the day shouldcome when they can be safely reintroduced intonature, they are ready to go, thanks to the efforts ofhobbyists from all over the world. The C.A.R.E.S.Preservation Program has crossed many oceans andborders, and has become an international initiative.

The first mention of the C.A.R.E.S.Preservation Program in Modern Aquarium was inthe January 2005 issue. Once again I quote ClaudiaDickinson: “Hope has been found for a future thatseemed bleak for countless species, through the

diligence and care of concerned hobbyists such asyou.” You have probably read about theC.A.R.E.S. program in other venues, includingmost notably Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine,and the Buntbarsche Bulletin (the publication ofthe American Cichlid Association).

The heart of this program, and the key to itsultimate success, is “the priority list,” that is, thelist of fishes which are most at risk. In the earliestdays of C.A.R.E.S., this list was printed out, andwas available at GCAS meetings. Even at thattime, this list was in constant flux, and waschanging as often as hourly. In 2012 a hard copyof the list would be obsolete by the time it cameout of a printer. Fortunately, we live in an age ofaccessability. Fortunately, the most up-to-dateinformation on this subject is at your fingertips viathe internet. Unfortunately, the list has grownexponentially since then. Anyway, this is where

you want to start yourp a r t i c i p a t i o n , b ychoosing a fish from thislist to care for. If youneed help in getting holdof a fish from this list,you can talk to ourGCAS C.A.R.E.S.Coordinator TommyChang, our PresidentDan Radebaugh, or, ofcourse, Claudia. Oncey o u h a v e y o u rC.A.R.E.S. fish(es),close observation andcareful note-taking areo f p a r a m o u n timportance.

Many f i shes ,especially those withinthe same genera, look so

much alike that telling one from another can be areal challenge, however, accurate speciesidentification is critical for a fish to be acceptedinto the C.A.R.E.S. program, particularly with theinitial registration. Most applicants can expect tosend in a photo for correct identification by theC.A.R.E.S. team of noted experts. Even if thefish(es) you are keeping turn out to be “look-alikes” to some from the C.A.R.E.S. priority list,don’t be disappointed. You are still doing the rightthing, and you may even be playing a role inkeeping them OFF of the list!

This seems like the best place to tell youabout the C.A.R.E.S. website. (All you have to dois Google it.) This is a very nice piece of work. Ifyou are anything like me, and have been draggedkicking and screaming into the wide world of theinternet, even you will find it to be welcoming andeasy to navigate. The priority list of fishes, as well



as pretty much everything else you need to knowabout becoming a “caregiver,” can be found here.

The R in the C.A.R.E.S acronym stands forRecognition. This part of the program is a finelytuned series of honorariums, beginning with a“certificate of recognition.” To this certificate willbe affixed gold, green, blue and red hearts. Theywill designate (gold) that you have dedicated onetank to a species at risk, (green) shared yourknowledge through the writing of an article, (blue)shared fry with a hobbyist from your home club, and(red) shared fry with a hobbyist from another club,respectively. This is quite an impressivepresentation, and you will surely consider it to beworthy of being framed. Of course, there is no limitas to the number of these you can earn.

Taking a brief step back to ModernAquarium for just a moment, I want to make sureyou know that as participants of the C.A.R.E.S.Preservation Program, you are eligible for a coupleof extra perks. They are 1) double points in theGCAS Author Award Program for any article youwrite on a C.A.R.E.S fish, and 2) double points fora photo or drawing of a C.A.R.E.S. fish whichappears on the cover of Modern Aquarium. Also,the GCAS Breeder’s Award Program gives an extraten points for breeding a C.A.R.E.S. species at riskfish.

Before I leave the topic of perks, I want tomention The Federation of American AquariumSociety (FAAS) Publication Awards, which is anannual competition designed to reward excellence inwriting by tropical fish hobbyists. (See the July2012 issue of Modern Aquarium for the results ofthe 2011 competition.) There are 31 categories, andone of them is called “Best Conservation-RelatedArticle.” An eligible article can be about anythingfrom water pollution to global warming (or, yes,even a species of fish at risk). BUT, if you write an article for another category (such as spawning orcollecting, to name only two), about a species whichcoincidentally happens to be on the C.A.R.E.S.priority list, that article can also be entered into theconservation category. Even if you are not writingabout the conservation status of the fish, you couldstill win one of these awards just because youCARE. Cool! Obviously this is not the whole story when itcomes to C.A.R.E.S. Think of this article as a briefintroduction. Check out the website, talk tohobbyists who are already participating, and do asmuch homework as you can on those species whichyou are most interested in helping to save.

Before I bring this article to a close, here area few words from our GCAS C.A.R.E.S.coordinator, Tommy Chang:

This past April the GCAS brought backC.A.R.E.S. to promote the conservation of at risk

species of fishes. For several months I had theinformation out on the table between MarshaRadebaugh (membership), and Jules Birnbaum(treasurer). The information was printed on color-coded paper, and I did my best to distribute it. Idid this from month to month until around Augustwhen I suddenly seemed to have disappeared, forwhich you have my humble apologies. I amcurrently taking an online course which takes a lotof time, and is very important to me.

All in all it has been a slow re-boot for theGCAS C.A.R.E.S. effort. My online course ends inearly January. I expect to have the species journalbooklets ready by the first meeting of 2013. Thepositive side of this is that GCAS C.A.R.E.S. isback! How exciting! Now new members who maynot be aware of C.A.R.E.S. species maintenanceefforts will be informed of this most worthwhileendeavor.

I wish everyone a great end to 2012, andhope to see all of you at the 90th anniversary bashcoming up in December. Tommy

The A in the C.A.R.E.S. acronym stands forAwareness. I sincerely hope that the 2012 seriesof Wet Leaves columns has heightened yourawareness of the many problems facing ourenvironment and its inhabitants. In addition tovisiting several continents and meeting lots ofpeople, we have learned much about theseproblems along with their causes and effects, aswell as a variety of potential solutions. Have youfigured out where you fit in?

Next month I will be closing out this serieson conservation, not by reviewing a book, but byreviewing an author. This person has beendubbed “the patron saint of the environmentalmovement.” If you all ready know who I’mtalking about, and are familiar with the works bythis author, you will surely enjoy revisiting yourfavorite among them. If you don’t yet know whothis is, then you are in for a treat.

Last Minute Revision

I sent a preview copy of this article toClaudia so she could check it for accuracy. Shewould like all of us to be informed as to somechanges to the C.A.R.E.S acronym. The most up-to-date version reads as follows:

Conservation, Awareness, Recognition andResponsibility, Encouragement and Education,Support and Sharing



Sharks of St. MartinStory and Photos by Stephen Sica

We awakened early Monday morning as our ship was cruising into the harbor for the first stop on our itinerary. In a couple of

hours a bus would pick us up for the ride to a local dive shop that Donna had found on the internet. We had dived in St. Martin once before on an offshore wreck that was washed by a raging current, and in a shallow bay close to shore that had very poor visibility. Donna did not enjoy our first encounter, so I was curious as to where this adventure would take us.

We found the bus, and were accompanied by a Canadian couple from our ship who had also booked a morning of diving with the same shop. The sultry and exotic proprietress, Luciana, greeted us. She and Donna had corresponded via the net. Her best advice was to suit up and assemble our gear at the shop, and that we leave everything behind except our dive gear, because the seas were rough, and we would get wet in their small dive boat. Luciana spoke the truth. On the trip to the first dive site the Canadians got seasick and remained so for the duration of the trip. Donna was okay, as were two male divers who made up the complement of guests. I felt my stomach churning with each bump we hit. Fortunately, I had eaten a very light breakfast, so all I got were dry heaves. Every wave that we sped into broke over the boat’s bow

into our faces. Finally, we arrived. Two dive masters would accompany us; the third crew member remained on the boat to help us board upon completion of the dive. The location was only a mile or two offshore. The bottom was white sand, except for the metal hull of a sailboat. The hull was about thirty meters, or almost a hundred feet long, and ten feet wide. It was broken open in several places and surrounded by small schools of fish, as well as many individuals. Over a hundred feet away were concrete blocks from a rebuilt bridge. The relief of these blocks was perhaps ten feet at the highest point, and stretched for only a few yards. This structure was also swarming with fish. We swam around both the boat hull and bridge for forty-five minutes, in fifty feet of water. I took a great number of photos, already thinking that the closely packed schools would make a good photo-essay follow-up to an article I had written about schooling fish.

After our second dive, I knew that this day of diving was going to be a worthwhile writing experience. We were taken to the entrance of the harbor where our cruise ship was docked, and told that we would be diving a deep, expansive reef in fifty to sixty feet of water. We were also informed that there was a narrow blue hole, just inside the mouth of a small cave on the reef. We could look into the blue


hole from the cave mouth, but we were warned not to enter the cave because of the tight confines of both the cave and the blue hole.

We entered the water by rolling backwards from the sides of our small boat, and began swimming toward the bottom. As our vision and equilibrium adjusted to our downward plunge, I looked around to see us being buzzed by a large shark. We began to follow the dive master, and I noticed that this reef was inhabited by three sharks. One was fairly large, in the eight to nine foot range; another was about six feet; and the last one was four feet—a nice “family,” I remarked to myself. We were under water for about forty minutes, and all three sharks were continually circling around us and swimming near us, but always maintaining safe distance, until I attempted to cut the big one off in order to try to photograph it. They appeared to be ordinary reef sharks, which are usually not considered dangerous, so I thought my tactic was sound. Sharks are wild animals in their own element, while I’m clumsy and considerably less mobile, so my tendency is to be careful, though sometimes my camera takes over my body, causing me to chase after sharks foolishly, on the assumption that overall I’m too big to eat and my appendages do not have snack appeal. The big shark wasn’t interested in being photographed, so I could never get a closeup of a signature “head, mouth, and teeth” shot.

After a while we swam by a small opening. I stuck my head into it and recalled that this must be the blue hole cave. It was inky-black and scary. I swung my camera arm downward and snapped two or three photos. The dive master had said that a local diver swam down into it for ninety feet before returning. I had no desire to emulate that daring person; I thought that it was spooky! Just turning around in its narrow width was an act of bravery. Imagine if you had an equipment malfunction, and had to swim out of that narrow cave entrance after swimming up through the narrow hole. My thoughts were causing me to breathe heavily through my regulator. I caught myself and calmed down, taking slow, deep breaths. All I did was look through the entrance of that cave and I was becoming stressed! I backed away and turned around. Where was everyone? I was alone. There were no other divers. They had all continued on their way—even Donna. I gazed through the clear water column, searching for divers or their air bubbles.

The dark spot is a small blue hole about eight feet in diameter inside a small cave. This blue hole is only a few feet inside the cave entrance at a depth of about sixty feet. A local diver swam ninety feet down the hole before turning back after reaching a total depth of 150 feet.

This large Caribbean Reef shark circled around us as we explored a deep reef. It kept its distance, so I took several photos using high magnification that unfortunately hindered my ability to get a sharp image.

This shark cruised a sand patch below the reef. It was probably looking for treats in the sand and the lower portion of the reef.

Seeing nothing, I began swimming in the direction that I assumed the others would be traveling. After a minute, I rounded a sea bank and came across my wife, giving me a stern stare. Donna had not looked into the cave or blue hole, so I knew it would be hopeless for me to try to telepathically communicate my anxiety.

Back on the boat, Donna told me not to dally any more taking photos. She has told me all this before, so I knew the drill. I tried to explain to her how scary the blue hole was. Looking downward, it had reminded me of the funnel of a tornado. Donna was not impressed.

When we arrived back at the shop, we were told that a bus had overturned on a hilly section of the main—and only—road to town. The road was now closed, and it was anyone‘s guess when it would be reopened. If we wanted to return to our cruise ship before it left for its next destination, St. Lucia, we would have to take the dive boat back along the


shoreline. Off we went. Since the water was still quite rough, the boat went very slowly. The woman from Canada soon became seasick again, and remained so for the hour-plus passage. I felt sorry for her. Once I was seasick for an entire two and one-half hour trip to Belize’s famous blue hole. I think that perhaps I’m beginning to see a parallel here.

We finally made it to the harbor, and walked several hundred yards with our water-soaked

equipment to the ship itself. Returning from a dive is often tedious, because your wet gear weighs a lot more than it did when dry. We hauled it to our room, where I put it in the tiny shower area to rinse it and set it out on our balcony to dry. It had been a long and strenuous day, when Donna proclaimed, “I’m hungry and thirsty. Let’s get some refreshments.” It sounded like a capital idea to me, so off we went!

This shark came in for an up-close pass. It seemed to be investigating me, and posed no danger.

Kingfish Services.net(http://www.kingfi shservices.net/)

Good for theHobby – Organizations – Industry

Ray “Kingfi sh” LucasCelebrating 23 years in the business

(1989-2012) of participating at your events.

22 November 2012 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)

Rachel O’Leary gave us an interestingprogram about “Little Critters.”

Our Auctioneer, Bill Amely

Jeff Bollbach and Leslie Dick Steve Sica and Herb Walgren

Sharon Barnett Ron Wiesenfeld

Pictures from our



Gilberto Soriano

Joseph Ferdenzi

2nd Place: Bob Hamje 3rd Place: Bob Hamje

1st Place: Ruben Lugo

last meetingPhotos by Susan Priest

A warm welcome to our newest member:

And to “Old Timer”:

Last Month’s Bowl Show Winners



Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) Misc 5

Aquarium PharmaceuticalsAquarium Technology Inc. Cameo Pet ShopCobalt Aquatics Coral Aquarium Ecological LaboratoriesHBH Pet ProductsKingfish Services.netKoller-CraftKordon, LLCMarineland

Microbe LiftOcean Nutrition AmericaOmega SeaRed Sea RenaRolf C. HagenSan Francisco Bay BrandSeachemWorld Class AquariumZoo Med Laboratories Inc.Zoo Rama Aquarium

Support Fish in the Classroom!If you have any 5 or 10 gallon tanks, or any filters, pumps, or plants that you could donate to NYC teacher Michael Paoli's classrooms, could you please bring them in or email Rich Levy ([email protected]). If you'd like to donate larger tanks, be sure and email Rich so he can make sure Michael can accommodate it.


An occasional column for society exchanges, guest appearances, articles, and items of general interest. We try not to bite off more than we can swallow. If you wish to offer comments, suggestions, or any information that you would like to see in this column, the authors encourage you to contact us through the Editor ([email protected]), or at a monthly meeting.

by Stephen Sica with Donna Sosna Sica

Well, that was another fast summer! It’s already well into autumn, although I did start this column a few months ago. Let‘s

peruse our first publication for this go-round, because I have a really large batch to choose from. Most are mailed to me electronically, but I also have a small pile of hard copies. Let me put my hand into that grab-bag. Out comes the Tri-County Tropical Fish Society’s Fish Tales—the newsletter of course, not an actual fish part. Ha! You knew that! I wonder how things are going in Peoria, Illinois. My wife Donna has a friend who was raised in Peoria. Her father co-owned an airplane, so he used to fly his family to neighboring cities and states for lunch. Ah—the good life!

In the July 2012 issue, Sarah Rosengrant, the club’s Secretary, wrote “How To Build A Paludarium.” When I see this word I can’t help but think of the London Palladium. Plus, the London Summer Olympics just ended yesterday as I am writing, so it’s especially on my mind. After I read Sarah’s first few sentences I thought that I should try to build one, but by the time I finished her article I had decided that the undertaking was well beyond me. The author was quite frank, and kind enough to discuss some of her design and construction errors in an attempt to keep history from repeating itself for her imitators. She corrects flaws that might collapse the inner “land” structure or foul the substrate in a year or two. Oh well, I think it’s time for me to change some water in my guppy’s fishbowl; I’ll leave the difficult stuff to Sarah.

The same issue had a news story of a piranha-like fish being caught in a small Illinois lake. It turned out to be a pacu, but residents were still afraid to swim in the lake. They can reach fifty-five pounds with teeth quite human-like. The fish were presumed to have been illegally dumped in to the lake by an aquarist. What else is new? The next time someone in the media annoys me, I’m going to tell him or her to jump into a lake. Can I send them to Lake Lou Yeager in Litchfield? Okay, back into the grab-bag.

Next, all the way from Hawaii, for only one, presorted postage stamp, comes I’a O Hawai’I, or Fishes of Hawaii, from the Honolulu Aquarium Society. Since I have been your Exchange Editor this publication has come every month like clockwork. Like our club, they always include photos of their members and meetings. For live-bearer enthusiasts, member Franklin Lau writes in his “The Return of the Magnificent Green-Blue and Black Marble Swordtail” in the August 2012 issue, that a late club member had developed a local strain in the early 1970s, only to take his well-guarded secret to the grave. Another member spent years trying to recreate the strain without success. Finally, after six more years with two fish, the author was able to succeed.

Back to the grab-bag, but not for long, because while I’m writing this there is a shout at the screen door. It’s Howard, my loyal mailman. He never forgets our travel dates, and does an outstanding job. Nowadays, you can input a hold mail request via the internet, although a substitute mail deliverer is still quite apt to err if your regular mailman is on leave or taking days off.

Oh no—Howard just delivered the August issue of Fish Tales! I guess I’m switching back to a non-Hawaiian theme. There were no articles or good news in this issue. Currently I have the September issue, that has an “Undergravel Reporter” type story. A seam in a 13,000 gallon saltwater aquarium on the second floor at Gulfstream Park sprang a leak, spilling out all but 3,000 gallons of water. Ohmygosh! Two casinos at the track had to be closed! Well at least the fish, including sharks, survived, and were transferred to another aquarium. The leak was almost plugged with towels from the bar. I think that if it happens again they should call the laundry room for larger towels!

Sometimes I download publications to my notebook computer and review them many months (or years) later. The Durham Region Aquarium Society’s on-line publication, Tank Talk, is an exceptional


publication, with color photos and well written articles. The DRAS is located in Ontario, Canada. Many articles are written by a few dedicated members. The June 2011 issue has an article about four early botanists. Numerous plants, flowers, and trees have been either discovered or named for these men. Many are aquatic plants. “The Names You Know, the People You Don’t: The Plant People!!!” by Derek Tustin, is a biography about these pioneers who lived in the eighteenth and twentieth centuries.

A spawning article about Hemichromus cristatus, or the crown jewel cichlid, in the July/August 2012 issue of The Youngstown Aquarist, caught my eye. The photos of these fish are striking. The article, “From Out of the Past—Crown Jewel Cichlid,” by Jim Graham of the SWMAS, appears to be a rerun, but I think that any cichlid lover will really enjoy these fish. They are quite attractive.

Later in the same issue is Joe Graffagnino’s “Breeding the Blue Angels,” reprinted from the May 2012 issue of Modern Aquarium. Joe recounts how, after an angelfish hiatus of twenty-five years, he bred blue angelfish.

For all you snail admirers and "breeders," the September 2012 issue of the Kitchener/Waterloo Aquarium Society’s Fins & Tales published Don Rhodes “At a Snail’s Pace—A BAP Article.” It’s a good basic primer on several common snails that aquarists encounter in pursuit of the hobby.

The September 2012 issue of Cichlid Blues, of the Pacific Coast Cichlid Association, publicized a great idea on page 9. The Federation of American Aquarium Societies “offers an online searchable database of speakers…available to aquarium clubs at www.faas.info.” You may search the database by topic, speaker name, or zip code. Anyone can use this search tool, but “only FAAS member clubs may download speaker contact information and speaker photos.” Of course the FAAS encourages speakers to register on the site. You may enter your biography, photograph, speaking topics, and descriptions. You may also include travel preferences and other details.

Finally, the July/August Cichlidae Communique has Pam Chin’s “A Tanganyika Cichlid Paradise, Nkondwe Island.” The East African Lake Tanganyika, with its clear waters, offered both excellent snorkeling and diving opportunities. The snorkeling for Pam and her travel companion, Claudia Dickinson, was exceptional. Pam’s travel photos almost make me wish that I was there—but only if I could eliminate the long flight over and back. Traveling can be difficult, with much pleasure in its anticipation. On that note, I have nothing to anticipate, because this column is done…and so am I.

So many fish…so many fish stories…


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GCAS Happenings November

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

GREATER CITY AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: december 5, 2012Speaker: NoneEvent: Holiday Party!Meets: Meets the first Wednesday of the month (except

January & February) at 7:30pm: Queens Botanical garden 43-50 Main street - Flushing, NY Contact: Dan Radebaugh (718) 458-8437Email: [email protected]: http://www.greatercity.org

BIG APPLE GUPPY CLUBMeets: Last Tuesday each month (except Jan, Feb, July,

and august) at 7:30-10:00pm. Alley Pond Environmental Ctr.: 228-06 Northern Blvd. Contact: Donald Curtin (718) 631-0538

BROOkLYN AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: November 9, 2012 Speaker: gene ritterTopic: Reef DivingMeets: 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: November 16, 2012Speaker: harry Faustmann Topic: Killifish Meets: 3rd Fridays (except July and August) 8:00pm. room 120 in endeavor hall on thestate University at

stony Brook Campus, stony Brook, NY Email: Margaret Peterson - [email protected]: http://liasonline.org/

EAST COAST GUPPY ASSOCIATIONMeets: 2nd Tuesday 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: November 13, 2012Speaker: arie gilbertTopic: Aquarium PlantsMeets: 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: November 15, 2012Speaker: tBa Topic: TBDMeets at: the Lyndhurst elks Club, 251 Park avenue, Lyndhurst, NJ 07071 Contact: NJAS Hotline at (732) 332-1392Email: [email protected]: http://www.njas.net/

NORWALk AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: November 15, 2012Speaker: tBa 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) 219-4NASEmail: [email protected]: http://norwalkas.org/

A speciAl welcome to new GcAs member Gilberto soriAno!

Last Month’s Bowl Show Winners:1 Ruben Lugo CaLiCo anCistRus

2 RobeRt Hamje Red seveRum

3 RobeRt Hamje maRbLe angeL

unoffiCiaL 2012 bowL sHow totaLs to date:RiCHaRd waizman 17 RobeRt Hamje 14 jeRRy o'faRReLL 10 Ruben Lugo 10 wiLLiam ameLy 8 CaRLotti dejageR 3


The rare Chaunacaops coloratus anglerfishPhoto from Discovery News

A series by The Undergravel Reporter

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.

Arecent article in the October 2012 issue ofthe journal Nature Photonics was titled:“Non-polarizing broadband multilayer

reflectors in fish.” That title isn’t very descriptiveas to what this study is about (at least not to meand I would guess most folks). Basically, thearticle reports that PhD student Tom Jordan and hissupervisors Professor Julian Partridge and Dr.Nicholas Roberts of theUniversity of Bristol’sSchool of BiologicalSciences in Englandfound that fish such asherring, sardines, andsprat (fish they term as“silvery” in appearance)are “breaking” a basiclaw of physics. No, it’snot the law of gravity(although sometimeswhen I see a fish jump,or when I view theunfortunate result of anunseen fish jump, I’minclined to think thatthey somehow defiedthe law of gravity). The skins of these fishcontain multilayer arrangements of reflectiveguanine crystals. The researchers found that theskins of sardines and herring contain two types ofguanine crystal, each with different optical

properties. By mixing these two types, the fish’sskin doesn’t polarize reflected light and the resultis an optical illusion that can make the fish, attimes, seem invisible to other marine dwellers.1

“We believe these species of fish haveevolved this particular multilayer structure to helpconceal them from predators, such as dolphin andtuna,” Roberts was quoted in a press release.2"These fish have found a way to maximize theirreflectivity over all angles they are viewed from.This helps the fish best match the lightenvironment of the open ocean, making them lesslikely to be seen.” (I’ve experienced invisible fishmyself S one day I turn over and move every cave,plant and rock to look for a particular fish, andcan’t find it, the next day it’s out front begging forfood. But I guess that’s a different matter thatscientists haven’t studied yet.)

Speaking about disappearing fish, a raredeep-sea fish that has never been captured on filmbefore was filmed by the Monterey Bay AquariumResearch Institute (MBARI) using a remoteoperated vehicle (ROV) 7,500-11,000 feet belowthe surface of the ocean off the coast of northernCalifornia. The Chaunacaops coloratus anglerfishwas described in 1899 from a dead specimen, buthas never even been filmed alive, until now.

Research suggests that this fish starts off lifeas a transparent larva. It turns blue as it ages. Finally, when fullymature, it turns red. Once mature, they canuse their fins to “walk”on the sea floor.3

During the filmingof the rare fish, itattempted to use partsof its body to lure ameal. Anglerfish usespecial adaptations toattract food closeenough to eat. MBARIobserved it dangling a“shaggy, mop-like

lure,” called an esca, from a modified fin betweenits eyes. Though the fish didn't catch any food, theobservation of the behavior was helpful indetermining how it hunted.

1 http://news.discovery.com/animals/fish-break-law-of-physics-become-invisible-121021.html2 http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2012/8865.html3 http://news.discovery.com/animals/red-fish-anglerfish-rare-video-first-ocean-120829.html



Fin FunAs the Greater City Aquarium Society celebrates its 90th year of continuous operation, see how many ofthe words associated with our society you can find in the puzzle below.

Answers to our last puzzle: Common Name Scientific Name

Green Terror ---------------------------------- Aequidens rivulatusVampire Pleco ---------------------------------- Leporacanthicus galaxiasBloodfin Tetra ---------------------------------- Aphyocharax anisitsiAssassin Snail ---------------------------------- Clea helena

Dracula Fish ---------------------------------- Danionella draculaBlack Ghost Knifefish ---------------------------------- Apteronotus albifrons

Devil Stinger Fish ---------------------------------- Inimicus didactylusGoblin Fish ---------------------------------- Glyptauchen panduratus

Fangtooth Fish ---------------------------------- Anoplogaster cornutaDevil Fish ---------------------------------- Mobula mobular

Giant Snakehead ---------------------------------- Channa micropeltesViperfish ---------------------------------- Chauliodus sloani

Atlantic Wolffish ---------------------------------- Anarhichas lupus


modern aquarium november 2012

Documents

aquarium hobby

modern aquarium greater

issue of modern aquarium

delegate alexander

greater city of new

themes of conservation

issue of conservation

easy mouthbrooding betta