modern aquarium

September 2013volume XXnumber 7

1994 — 20th Anniversary — 2013

ON THE COVER

Our cover this month features Dario dario, a tiny beauty from India. For more information on this little labyrinth fish, see Al Priest’s “The Ultimate Nano Fish,” on page 9.

Photo by Alexander A. Priest

GREATER CITY AQUARIUM SOCIETY

BOARD MEMBERS

President Dan RadebaughVice-President Edward VukichTreasurer Jules BirnbaumAssistant Treasurer Ron WiesenfeldCorresponding 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 RadebaughN.E.C. Delegate Claudia DickinsonPrograms Claudia Dickinson

Mark SobermanTechnology 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. 2013 Program Schedule

3President’s Message

4 August's Caption Contest Winner

5Cartoon Caption Contest

6This Month's Speaker: Mark Denaro

7by Alexander A. Priest

Our Generous Sponsors & Advertisers 8

The Ultimate Nano Fish 9Dario dario, the Scarlet Badis

by Alexander A. Priest

The LFS Report 13Fish Town USA

by Dan Puleo

G.C.A.S. Bowl Show Rules 14

Your Fish Are What They Eat 15by Jules Birnbaum

The Frugal Aquarist: Part I 18by Alexander A. Priest

My Favorite Marine Fish 21The Sand Tilefish

by Stephen Sica

Wet Leaves 23Mark Denaro's TFH column, “Into the Labyrinth,”

by Susan Priest

Member Classifieds 26

G.C.A.S. Happenings 28

The Undergravel Reporter 29The Ultimate Waterbed?

Fin Fun (Puzzle Page) 30In The Labyrinth

Series III Vol. XX, No. 7 September, 2013

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)2 September 2013

From theEditor by Dan Radebaugh

From the nano to the deep blue sea. This corrupted line from an old song is not a bad description of this issue

of Modern Aquarium. Our cover features a tiny labyrinth fish from India that might be ideally suited to a nano tank, and, with many points of interest along the way, we’re also treated to some photos of the sand tilefish, a beautiful marine fish from the Caribbean and our southern Atlantic coastal waters.

Mark Denaro, a longtime friend of Greater City, is this evening’s speaker (on labyrinth fishes), and thanks to Al and Sue Priest, we’ve addressed both Mark and his topic in this month's issue. Be sure and see our introduction to Mark, as well as Al Priest’s article on our cover subject, Dario dario, the scarlet badis (no, it’s not a new action movie, it’s a small labyrinth fish from India). Sue, in her “Wet Leaves” column this month, tells us about Mark’s “Into the Labyrinth” column in Tropical Fish Hobbyist. And in further honor of Mark’s visit, our Fin Fun puzzle is entitled “In the Labyrinth.”

But don’t worry; you don’t need to start channeling Theseus to enjoy this issue. Jules Birnbaum treats us to a treatise on food (“Your Fish Are What They Eat”), Steve Sica tells us (and shows us) about Malacanthus plumieri, the sand tilefish, and Al presents us with Part I of “The Frugal Aquarist”—always a relevant subject!

Also, Dan Puleo continues his survey of local fish and aquarium shops, this month featuring Fish Town USA, which I know many of us frequent, and the Undergravel Reporter wonders if some fishkeepers may go a little too far in their quest for the spectacular.

These are all really good articles, and we need more! We always need more 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 or plants 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) September 2013 3

GCASPrograms

2013It 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 6 Joe Ferdenzi90 Years of GCAS!

April 3 Larry JohnsonLake Malawi

May 1 Sal SilvestriApistogrammas

June 5 Leslie DickLivebearers

July 3 Joe FerdenziDo-It-Yourself Aquarium Gadgets

August 7 Silent Auction

September 12 Mark DenaroBettas/Labyrinth Fishes

October 2 Sam Fu, of Pacific AquariumNano Tanks

November 6 Mark SobermanKeeping and Breeding Corydoras

December 4 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 2013 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’s Message by Dan Radebaugh

First of all, hats off to Dan Puleo for arranging the weekend sale for Greater City members at Pacific Aquarium last month. Marsha and I

were there late Saturday morning, and made a couple of necessary purchases. It’s a shop that I had not been aware of prior to Dan’s LFS Report. They had a polite, helpful staff, and a good collection of healthy-looking stock, including some very interesting oddballs. It’s located just a few blocks’ walk from the F train stop on Delancey Street. Excellent experience all around. I’m not sure how many of our members made the trip, but several were there during the hour or so that I was, so I’d call this a successful event. And, as a further bonus, Pacific’s proprietor, Sam Fu, is going to present a program to us at next month’s meeting. Good work, Dan!

Pacific Aquarium was not our only pilgrimage last month. A recent episode of Animal Planet’s Tanked recounted the installation of a large saltwater aquarium at the Applebee's Restaurant in Coney Island, so we combined a trip to the New York Aquarium, open again now after Sandy, though not yet fully recovered, with a visit to the Applebee's to see

the tank. A couple of days before our visit, we saw a news piece that there had been a problem. One of the sharks had died after colliding with the ferris wheel centerpiece of the tank, and another shark had gone a feeding frenzy, victimizing several of its tankmates before being removed. By the time of our visit order

had been restored, but it was certainly a cautionary tale. Watching both of the custom tank shows on TV, I've often questioned the amount of tank space devoted to ornate decoration. I've had to reduce the amount and size of decorations in several of my tanks in order to minimize the number of injuries from collisions with driftwood, rocks, filter intakes, heaters, etc., so I have been very

doubtful when looking at the level of attractive “junk” in some of these high-end tanks. Nevertheless, I do wish I had the space and the cash to really “go large” like this.

Speaking of going large, our Silent Auction/Flea Market last month drew a very large crowd, and sported an impressive collection of sale items. I’d have to rate it a huge success! Thanks and Congratulations to all who participated!

Dan


August's Caption Winner:Horst Gerber

The picture in the middle looks just like your mother!


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


The Greater City Aquarium Societywelcomes this month’s speaker:

Mark Denaro

Mark Denaro is no stranger to the Greater City Aquarium Society. He has spoken at

Greater City in the past. In addition, his dedication to the aquarium hobby is such that

he has also served as chauffeur for other speakers, driving from his home in

Pennsylvania to pick up and return them

back. (In fact, the photo on this page was

taken at a Greater City meeting last year,

when Mark served as chauffeur for our

speaker that month, Jeff Michels.)

Mark has been keeping freshwater

aquariums since 1972 and marine

aquariums since 1976. He has always

been very interested in planted and

biotope aquariums and has been keeping

reef tanks since before that term was

coined. Mark has bred over 200 species

of freshwater fish and propagated over

150 species of aquatic plants. He has also

spawned several species of marine fish

and has propagated over 30 species of

marine invertebrates.

Mark has been involved in the

organized hobby since joining the

Indianapolis Aquarium Society in 1984.

He has served in almost every possible elected office in aquarium societies since that time,

including serving as the President of the Indianapolis Aquarium Society, as well as the

International Betta Congress.

Mark is one of the founders, and currently the first President, of the American Labyrinth Fish

Association (ALFA). He is also the president of the Bucks County Aquarium Society. He is well

known as a speaker and judge, having spoken to over 40 aquarium societies in 16 states plus

Canada. Mark has also presented educational programs on reefs and rainforests at numerous

schools in several states.

Mark worked in the pet industry for over 25 years at all levels, including working in store

management for both independent retailers and big box chain stores, sales manager and warehouse

manager for a regional livestock wholesaler, as well as owning a retail shop, a marine wholesale

operation, and several aquarium installation and maintenance companies.

Mark operated “Anubias Design,” a specialty importer of new, rare, and interesting

freshwater fish , invertebrates, and plants. (That business was taken over by Josh Wiegert and

renamed “Batfish Aquatics.”)

Mark has written articles for club magazines as well as Aquarium International and

Tropical Fish Hobbyist (TFH) magazines. He currently writes the column “Into the

Labyrinth” for TFH (see Modern Aquarium’s “Wet Leaves” column this month) along with

feature articles. Mark’s main interests in the hobby are anabantoids and related species, as well

as the breeding of marine fish.

So please welcome Mark Denaro, speaking this month on “Bettas and Labyrinth Fishes.”

18 September 2013 M odern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)


NEED COMPUTER HELP?All Work Guaranteed

Professional, Friendly ServiceOn-Site Service in Your Home,

Office or Business

Call: 718-469-5444 [email protected]

CompTIA A+ Certified

$39.00*Optimization Special Test Hard Drive and MemoryEliminate Windows build-upRemove Internet activity and accumulationAccelerate Windows start-up

Virus/Spyware Removal $79.00*

Wireless Setup $49.00**

* $15.00 Mobile charge** Labor only. Equipment additional

Repairs & Upgrades DSL & Cable Modems Installed Home & Office Networking Wireless Networks Installed Computer & Peripherals Set Up Troubleshooting & Optimization

Virus & Spyware Removal Specialist Data Recovery One-on-One Training

R


Dario dario ~ the Scarlet Badis by ALEXANDER A PRIEST - photo by the author

Calling them “fads” will likely get quite a few

people upset, so I’m going to call them

“trends.” There is/was the trend of the

“natural” aquarium, the “Dutch” aquarium, the

“biotope” aquarium, The “planted” aquarium (as

opposed to an aquarium with a few plants), the

“high-tech” aquarium (you know, automated

feeders, automated water changes, UV

sterilization, carbon dioxide infusion, LED

lighting, etc.), and so on. One of the most popular

current trends in the aquarium hobby is the “nano”

aquarium, generally understood to mean a very

small tank. One obvious factor (at least I HOPE

it’s obvious to anyone reading this), is that a

“nano” aquarium needs “nano-sized” fish. Well,

what about the smallest species in the largest order

of fish? (For anyone who needs a refresher in

taxonomy, individual species are members of a

genus; several genera belong to a family, and

several families constitute an order, so the smallest

species in the largest order means a really small

fish!)

The species I’m going to introduce you to in

this article has the common name of “scarlet

badis.” Despite that common name, it is not a

member of the genus Badis, although it is a

member of the family Badidae, which is in the

order Perciformes (perch-like fish), the largest

order of fishes. Members of the Badidae family

(which include the genera Badis and Dario, are

often grouped with the “labyrinth fish” (along

with gouramis, bettas, paradise fish, and

snakeheads), even though they lack a labyrinth

organ (the maze-like structure in the head

allowing labyrinth fish to take in oxygen directly

from the air, instead of taking it from the water

through their gills).

Before describing, and getting into the

husbandry of the Scarlet Badis, I’d like to clear

up a few things about its scientific name, which is

Dario dario. Once, there was a fish with the

scientific name of Labrus badis. That fish was

later renamed Badis buchanani and then renamed

again to Badis badis. It was, for a time, the only

member of its genus (by the way, a scientific

name in which the genus and species names are

the same is called a tautonym). Further

discoveries and investigations resulted in the

placing of additional species in the genus Badis,

including the “scarlet badis” which was named

Badis bengalensis.

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) September 2013 17


Scientific Name: Dario dario

Common Name: Scarlet Badis

Temperature: 64.4 - 78°F (18-26°C)

pH Range: 6.5 - 8.5

Hardness: 3-15°DH (soft)

Adult size: males: 0.79 inches (2 cm);

females 0.51 inches (1.3 cm)

Sexual dimorphism: Males larger,

much more colorful

Temperament: Males can be aggressive to each

other

Native habitat: India

Aquascaping: Heavily planted

Nutrition: primarily carnivore (live or frozen

daphina, brine shrimp, etc.)

Later studies revealed that some of the fish in

w ha t w a s th en

classified the genus

Badis were actually

a distinct but similar

species: dario .

Badis and Dario

now form the family

Badidae in which

there currently are

15 to 16 species

(with several more

identified, but as yet

unclassified, species

likely to be placed

into one of these two

genera in the future.)

B a d i s

benga lensis w as

then determined to

be in the genus

Dario, and scientifically renamed Dario dario, but

the common name “scarlet badis” which it

acquired continued to be used, as it seemed so

appropriate (see the photo in this article and on our

cover this month and you’ll see why).

To distinguish between the genera, Badis

species have “tube-bearing scales in the lateral line

(versus absence of bony tubes in Dario) and a

shorter pelvic fin in males (pelvic fin not reaching

beyond the anterior base of anal fin versus pelvic

fin in males reaching beyond the anterior part of

anal fin in Dario.” 1

All of the members in family Badidae (i.e.,

species in either the Badis or Dario genera) are

small, but Dario dario is the smallest of the small.

According to Wikipedia: “Badidae (the

chameleonfishes) is a small family of perciform

fishes. Members of this family are found in

freshwater habitats in southern Asia from India to

China. They are small fish with the largest, Badis

assamensis reaching a length of 6.8 centimetres

(2.7 in) while the smallest, Dario dario, does not

exceed 2 centimetres (0.79 in)” “with the females2

being even smaller around 1.3 centimetres (0.51

in). Apart from the size difference, it is very easy

to distinguish the sexes by the vibrant colors and

prominent fins of the male.” It should be noted3

that Badidae are sometimes called chameleonfish

because of their ability to change color rapidly,

especially when breeding or stressed.

I also mentioned that members of the

Badidae family, while lacking a labyrinth organ,

are often grouped with the “labyrinth fish.” This is

based on both their morphology (biological

structure) and spawning behavior.

Bone (osteological) studies indicate that

members of the Badidae family may have diverged

in their evolutionary history from the anabantoids

before acquiring a labyrinth organ. “This family

appears to have

descended from the

p r o to - a n a b a n t o i d

stock.” In addition,4

the members of the

B a d id a e f a m i l y

spawn in a manner

quite similar to that

o f m a n y

anabantoids, with

the male embracing

the female to expel

her eggs, although

Badis species tend to

be cave spawners

and Dario species

generally lay their

eggs in plants.

Now, as to

D a r i o d a r i o

specifically, “the distribution of this species

appears to be restricted to tributary systems

draining into the Brahmaputra River in parts of

the West Bengal and Assam states of India,

although it might also range into Buthan. It

typically inhabits shallow, clear water streams

with sand or gravel substrates and dense growths

of marginal and/or aquatic vegetation.”3

Adult males have bright scarlet-red vertical

bars on a light, silvery body. The caudal and anal

fins have a thin white outer edge. On the other

hand, females have a rather plain gray body,

sometimes exhibiting very faint pale red or

orange vertical bars. Males, while very small, are

stunning to look at. If you can find Dario dario

at all in a local fish store, you probably won’t see

any females — there’s not much of a commercial

market for extremely tiny gray fish!

Because of their small size, these fish

should have filtration that produces minimal

water movement (otherwise, they simply would

be tossed around by the current produced by most

power filters). I use both a box filter (with

Poly-Filter®, and carbon-impregnated sheets cut

to size, along with filter floss) and a dual-head

cylindrical foam filter.

Dario dario do not appear to require

specialized water parameters, as long as the water

is kept clean. Mine seem to be doing just fine in

dechlorinated New York City tap water (pH 7.0

and very soft) and a temperature around 75F.

While there may be some small and very

peaceful fish that could be kept with Dario dario

as tankmates, I don’t recommend it. Ideally, they

should be kept in a species-only tank.

18 September 2013 M odern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)


Their natural environment is heavily planted,

and they lay their eggs in plants, so a layer of Java

moss (Vesicularia dubyana) or another hardy

aquatic moss is the best choice for a substrate. I

prefer tanks without gravel, and with fish this

small, using a gravel-cleaning syphon without

sucking up the fish themselves is a real challenge!

A heavily planted tank also keeps aggression down

if you have more than one male in the tank

(although I have never witnessed, or seen any

evidence of, aggression among my colony of

mixed sexes). I’d also throw in several small

caves. Even though Dario dario are not cave

spawners, I’ve found caves also help reduce

aggression.

On some Internet fish forums I’ve visited,

hobbyists have claimed success in having Dario

dario eat dry fish flakes. However, the general

consensus is that these fish rarely eat anything that

is not “live,” although floating pellets or thawed

frozen morsels that “move” due to water current

might be accepted. I feed my Dario dario live

microworms, live brineshrimp, and chopped live

blackworms. They are hearty eaters!

I have never been lucky enough to witness

Dario dario spawning, but here is a description I

found on the Internet. 5

“As they come into breeding condition

males will begin to form territories and display

courtship behaviour towards females

swimming nearby. During this process they

display some intense changes in patterning

with the body intensifying in colour.

Courtship can go on for days with the

female often being chased away then courted

again minutes later. The male will make a

non-aggressive approach towards the female

and appear to ‘invite’ her into the centre of his

territory – if ready to spawn she will follow.

The act itself is over in just a few

seconds with eggs being scattered in a

random fashion on the underside of a solid

surface such as a plant leaf.

Post-spawning the female is ejected and

the male takes sole responsibility for the

territory. If you want to maximise the

numbers of fry raised now is the time to either

remove the medium to a container containing

water from the spawning tank or the adults as

the fry will be preyed upon once hatched.

The incubation period is 2-3 days after

which the fry may need up to a week to fully

absorb the yolk sac. They are very small

indeed and will require an infusoria-type diet

until large enough to accept microworm

and/or Artemia nauplii.”

Of course, when fish are under an inch long,

newly hatched fry are almost microscopic in size.

Here’s where that Java moss and sponge filter

really help. As a tank matures, microorganisms

naturally build up on the surface of filter sponges

and within the moss. Fry will readily feed on

those microorganisms. Note the mention in the

above quoted section to an “infusoria-type

diet”—this is how to achieve that! If you remove

the fry to a “grow-out” tank, include some of the

moss from the original tank, and use the same

sponge (one of the reasons I like the “dual

sponge” arrangement is that it allows me to keep

one mature sponge in the adult tank and still have

one for a fry tank). Newly hatched brine shrimp,

daphnia, and microworms can also be fed to fry as

they mature.

There you have it — a scarlet badis that

isn’t a Badis and that lacks a labyrinth organ, but

is grouped with labyrinth fishes. Well, it IS

scarlet (the males at least), and in any event, it is

a tiny jewel of a fish I would recommend to

intermediate or experienced fish keeping

hobbyists (the live food requirements being

perhaps a bit more difficult than a beginner can

handle).

References

Schindler, Ingo and Linke, Horst (2010) Badis juergenschmidti – a new species of the Indo-Burmese fish1

family Badidae (Teleostei: Perciformes) from Myanmar. Vertebrate Zoology, 60 (3): 209-216.

ISSN 1864-5755, 21.12.2010

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badidae2

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_badis3

Barlow, G. W., Liem, K. F. and Wickler, W. (1968), Badidae, a new fish family–behavioural,4

osteological, and developmental evidence. Journal of Zoology, 156: 415–447. doi:

10.1111/j.1469-7998.1968.tb04363.x

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/dario-dario/5



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.


This month the LFS Spotlight falls on Fish Town U.S.A., a shop that I’m sure many of our members are familiar with. Fish Town

is the largest aquarium shop in Queens, with about 4,000 square feet of retail space dedicated solely to the fresh and saltwater hobbies.

I spoke with store manager George Jacome and found out that Fish Town had started at a differ-ent location, 189th St & Northern Blvd., in 1969 and moved to their permanent home just off Francis-Lewis Blvd. in the early 70s. I also learned that they operated a store in Manhattan for many years. They closed that store about 15 years ago, just before George started at Fish Town.

If you haven’t been there you’ve been miss-ing out. They have 28 tanks devoted to African rift lake cichlids alone, and 15 tanks plus a small pond for Goldfish. I was particu-larly impressed by their black moors ($8), which looked hearty and had a healthy velvet-black color. Their other freshwater tropical tanks are filled with specimens for every hobbyist’s taste. There are nice red tuxedo platies (3/$8.50) and red wag plat-ies (3/$5.75) for the livebearer lovers, and metaes (2/$11.75) and paleatus (3/$8.50) for the cory col-lectors. They also had threadfin rainbows (2/$15) and yellow rainbows (2/$24) on my most recent visit, and for the catfish fanatics in our club they have snowball plecos ($60), 2 ½” gold nugget ple-cos ($30), twig cats (2/$21), candy stripe Plecos ($40), and young red-tailed sternella ($50).

For those interested in starting or adding to a discus tank, Fish Town currently has some sweet two-inchers on sale for only $15 each! Come and get them before they’re gone!

For those who have joined the nano tank craze, there are red trifasciata pencilfish (2/$21), and for your community tank the emperor tetras (3/$8.50) had beautiful color, as well as the Congo tetras. For those on a budget, Fish Town always keeps an “Anything for 99ȼ” tank, and this week it had head-&-tail-lights, black skirts, & albino Buenos Aires tetras, plus brilliant rasboras, among others.

Fish Town is also a haven for the planted tank aficionado, with broad-leafed sag and mondo grass (both 3/$8.50) and Ludwigia peruensis ($6), among many others.

Though I don’t get into the salty side of the hobby, I can still recog-nize that what they have in that depart-ment is of the highest qual-ity. There is a reason why they have such dedicat-ed saltwater

clientele—they regularly get direct imports from the Red Sea, Hawaii, Bali, and many other parts of the world.

Another great thing about Fish Town is their vast stock of aquarium equipment. They have choices of lighting that will boggle your mind, and every type and brand of filter you could think of. Their selection of tanks and cabinets is unmatched in our area, and I found when buying my own tanks that they have the best prices on them that I could find. Whatever you need, you can bet they have it and the prices will be fair.

So, if you haven’t been to Fish Town U.S.A. yet, all I can say is that it’s time you made the trip. Just make sure you have some tank space ready at home, because you probably won’t be coming home empty-handed.

The LFS Reportby Dan Puleo

LFS in the spotlight:Fish Town U.S.A.

196-33 Northern Blvd. Flushing, NY 11358

Mon - Fri 10am - 9pm Sat 10am - 7pm Sun 10am - 6pm


Your Fish Are What They Eat!

by Jules Birnbaum

There are two old expressions: “you are what you eat,” and “variety is the spice of life.” Of course today, we add several other factors for

a long and healthy life. These two sayings can also be applied to your fish.

The first book I came across that discussed the subject of fish food was Exotic Aquarium Fishes, written in the 1930s by William T. Innes. Mr. Innes begins the chapter concerning feeding and fish food with a quote from an unknown author, “Now good digestion waits on appetite, and health on both.”

One of the great pleasures of fishkeeping is watching our fish eat; however this can be our downfall as fishkeepers. Tropical fish are cold-blooded, and thus require very little food compared with us mammals, who use a lot of energy keeping our body heat at the proper level. Uneaten food can easily foul the water and encourage algae to flourish. Excessive fish waste from over feeding can also be detrimental to water quality. A few successful GCAS members feed their adult fish just three times a week, while others skip one day a week—especially before introducing a new food.

There are several things you should look for when your fish are eating. Are they ravenous, which is what you want, or just casual (a warning sign), or not eating at all? (real trouble). If they are not eating, I perform one or more major water changes, clean the filters, clean the bottom of the tank, and test the water and the water temperature. Temperature and oxygen directly affect the amount of food fish can properly consume. Metabolism of all cold-blooded fishes is affected by temperature. The warmer they are, the faster they breathe, digest, eliminate, and grow.

In his book Mr. Innes states that one should feed as much as your fish can eat in 5 minutes. In my opinion 5 minutes is too long. I prefer using a 24 second clock, like in pro basketball. Most fish food manufacturers recommend feeding two or three times a day. I feed adult fish once a day. These guidelines

don’t apply to fry, which should be fed several times a day. There are usually a few cory catfish in my fry tanks to clean up after these extra feedings.

If we should go on vacation for a few days, we don't bother arranging for feeding except for the fry. For them, small plastic pill containers, one for each day, containing a daily portion of powdered fry food, are placed on top of each fry tank for my fish-sitter.

Before the proliferation of commercially prepared fish foods, most of the early books in the hobby provided recipes for making your own food. This was messy, but many hobbyists, including myself, tried this before finally getting thrown out of the kitchen. We used liver, beef heart, cooked cereal, wheat germ, shredded shrimp, and cooked greens. These were blended, dried in a flat pan, and then ground up. I also tried baby foods, which I blended with Knox Gelatin to form a gel food. I should add that some say Knox

gelatin is not easily digestible by tropical fishes.Most successful breeders recommend using

live foods for conditioning the pair in order to get the best results. However, live food, unless you grow it yourself, has become very expensive, and I use such food only when conditioning my breeding pairs.

There is always a risk fry will die if they don’t get live food in the first few days. Microworms are easy to culture. A starter culture can easily be obtained from some of our expert breeders. The cost of brine shrimp eggs is also becoming costly (over $50 for a 1 lb. tin). Blackworms are readily available, but again the cost is high—1/2 lb. costs approximately $20. They will last for months, but must be refrigerated, and rinsed daily in cold water. Unless you have a dedicated refrigerator your mate will scream at the thought of these wigglers near human food. Although live food will make breeding more productive, it is not necessary on an everyday basis.

I recently switched to frozen live food, especially during the warmer months. Frozen foods are 80% water, and freezing does destroy some nutrients. However,

Various types of prepared fish food. Photo from Wikipedia


storage is easy, it is ready for use when needed, and the fish love it. Frozen brine shrimp, mysis shrimp (high in protein), and bloodworms can last a year in the freezer. If you have a garden, earthworms should be available during the summer. They can be made to eliminate their soil by placing them in damp shredded newspaper. For smaller fish you can chop them up with a razor blade. Do not use earthworms if insecticide or weed killer has been sprayed anywhere near the area they are taken from.

C o o k e d table food, such as chicken (white meat is less fatty), salmon, and shrimp, can be chopped into small bits. Make sure to rinse it before feeding

to the fish. This food goes over big time with most tropical fish. Sliced zucchini or lettuce, weighted down, are great foods for some catfish. Frozen peas also work well.

Flakes, pellets, and wafers seem to be the primary choices for most fishkeepers. Each manufacturer states on the label whether it is for carnivores, omnivores, or herbivores. In the wild, even herbivores eat small insects, and carnivores eat fish guts loaded with vegetable matter. The ingredients should be listed on the package. Manufacturers a l l say theirs is the best, but I haven’t seen any independent, impartial comparisons. Most fish food containers do not show an expiration date. Outdated fish food can contribute to some fish diseases. Consumer beware!

I’m not a chemist, but I will try to give you in simple terms what I look for in a fish food. Proteins are the building blocks of life, but food package labels do not always tell you about the quality of the protein. We want animal protein, and to avoid too much grain, which is harder to digest and can cause digestive problems. Carbohydrates, in the form of grains, are used primarily to hold the food together. Grains are cheaper, so watch out for a high content of grains. More undigested waste is produced by an excessive amount of carbohydrates.

Lipids (fats like omega 3&6) are high-energy nutrients. Some fish food manufacturers recommend that lipids should comprise no more than 5 to 10% of your fishes’ diet. Moisture should not be any more than 10%. Why pay for water?

Ash (from bones, shells, and scales of marine animals) should be kept to a minimum. The fish can only assimilate so much mineral content, and the rest will add to unwanted pollution. The highly digestible food usually costs more, but is worth it. Less food is needed, and fish waste is reduced.

Microworms. Photo by Wallace Deng

Preservatives are needed to prevent the oil found in fish foods from becoming rancid in a short time. I still refrigerate (and sometimes freeze) my fish food. My hands are always thoroughly dried before handling the food. If the food package is large, I place a two-week supply in a smaller container. Good quality fish foods do not use hormones. Any color enhancers should be natural. Variety is the spice of life, and since you would be bored eating the same food day in and day out, why serve the same thing to your fish every day? However, fish do not get bored, and many species in the wild do eat the same thing every day. As long as the food is of high quality to maintain maximum health it would be safe using one high quality food every day. I use flakes, pellets, wafers, gel, table food, freeze-dried, frozen, and live. (Did I miss a form of food?)

Should you use flake or pellet? Pellets are much more nutrient-dense, and much more stable in water, whereas flake foods are paper-thin, absorb water more quickly, and tend to leech out into the water. Since flake food spreads out, even your timid fish will get some. Pellets will remain more stable in the water for a longer period of time, thus the chance of fouling the water is less. Commercial aquaculture has proven this since the inception of pellets. To prove the point, take this test: put some flake food in a container, and pellet food in another container. Then add water to each container, and wait a few minutes. The water in the flake food container should become cloudy, and the container with the pellet food should be less so.

Gel foods can be made from recipes available on several websites, and one gel food is being sold in powdered form. Just add hot water, mix, let stand to harden, and store it in the refrigerator. This powdered form uses a natural gel that is much more easily digested. I use this prepared gel food with much success. Cubes of gel can be placed in the tank, it stays together, and the fish graze on it. This is especially beneficial for fry and bottom feeders.

Remember, your fish are what they eat (and so are you). Try some variety—it will add to your enjoyment watching your fish eat and thrive.

Mysis shrimp.


Norwalk Aquarium Society 47th ANNUAL

TROPICAL FISH SHOW Sponsored by the

Earthplace, the Nature Discovery Center Saturday, October 5th, 2013 (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)

&

AUCTION NAS Annual Auction

Sunday, October 6th, 2013 Auction Starts at 1:00 p.m.

At Earthplace, the Nature Discovery Center

Westport, Connecticut

For more information visit websites: www.norwalkas.org or

Call Barry at (203) -363-9808 or contact Sal at [email protected]


Figure 1 - empty containers

Figure 2 - two “aquarium-safe” caves

Figure 3 - a Pseudosphromenus dayi

under the floating half of a food container

Figure 4 - the top left object used to be

a bottle of tap water conditioner!

~ Part I ~by ALEXANDER A PRIEST - photos by the author

OK,I admit it. I’m a “hoarder.” I

can’t throw anything out because

I just know that once I do, I’ll

desperately need it soon thereafter and won’t be

able to get it when I need it the most. Also, while I

don’t mind paying for something I think is worth the

price, I don’t like overpaying for anything. Having

said that, how much would you pay for a hole?

Yes, a hole, because when all is said and done,

as far as I’m concerned, a cave is nothing more than

a hole surrounded by walls. Go to any store that

sells aquarium supplies and, if they even have

anything at all that passes for a cave, look at the

price. Or go on-line and check out prices for

aquarium caves (try Amazon.com and eBay.com as

well). After looking at the prices (plus shipping and

maybe tax as well), I ask you, “Is a hole worth that

much to you?”

The photo below is part my collection of

empty containers of fish (and turtle) food.

Now look at what two of these containers

were transformed into, using only a sharp knife,

some aquarium silicone cement, and rocks:

And, for those of you who are keeping (and

trying to breed) bubble-nesting fish, you can just

cut one of these containers in half and float it on

the surface of the water.

It need not even be a food container. In the

photo below, the floating object on the left is half

of an aquarium water conditioner bottle.

In some of my tanks I have internal power

filters. These are great, but unless they can rest on

the bottom of the tank, or on some other object, I

find that, in almost every instance, the filters start

sliding to the bottom, as their suction cup brackets

don’t hold them in place for very long. What’s

more, the tanks in which I use these power filters

are too tall for them to rest on the bottom and

provide the filtration and water agitation that I

need.

So, to give these filters something to rest on

and keep them near the surface of the water instead

of the bottom of the tank, I use some of my “food

container caves” without gluing rocks or pebbles to

hold them down (as the power filter does that for

me). This also provides the same benefits of any

other cave (giving my fish a place to hide, spawn,

or just rest) while helping to keep my power filters

in place.

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) August 2013 17


Figure 5 - “caves” supporting power filters(the ugly blue and brown pads above the

caves are my “pre-filter/fry savers” )

Figure 7 - a slate chips and silicone cave

Figure 8 - if this photo looks familiar, then you probably saw it on page 44 of theMarch 2013 issue of Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine. Note the slate-chip cave

in the center and the coconut-shell caves on the lower left and right.

Figure 6 - a Betta channoides above a coconut shell cave

Of course, you can make caves from otherthings, for example, a coconut shell (Figure 6). But, the truly “frugal aquarist” makes use ofitems already available, such as left-over slatechips.

In my next installment, I’ll go over,among other things, old airstones (no, I won’tbe recommending using them as a substrate).

18 August 2013 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)


My Favorite Marine Fish:The Sand Tilefish

Story and Photos by Stephen Sica

Whenever I dive among the sandy patches in reef systems, I scan the sand for any kind of unique sea life. Every so often I’m

rewarded by the sight of a unique animal. One such is the sand tilefish, Malacanthus plumieri. This is a slim-bodied fish that can grow to two feet in length, though its usual length is about twelve to eighteen inches. It has a long white body that can vary from yellowish white to light bluish gray. It has a crescent shaped tail with a dark area on the upper portion near, the base of the tail. I personally believe that it is an attractive fish for a species that lacks multi-colors. If you disagree, I think that you would agree that it is quite distinctive at the very least.

These fish are common in the Caribbean, and occasional to the Bahamas and Florida. They can travel north to Bermuda and North Carolina, and south to Brazil. You may even find one in the Gulf of Mexico. Their depth range is twenty to seventy feet. I have always seen these fish at fifty feet or less. Most inhabit shallower depths from twenty to forty feet.

They build burrows in the sand, and frequently use coral rubble to enhance their homes. They are

most often found hovering near the entrance of their burrow, their long dorsal and anal fins undulating. They are very wary of divers, and disappear when approached, so it is difficult to get a close view of this fish. A worthwhile sand patch may be fifty yards

or more across. While appearing barren from afar, a close inspection will reveal the sand teaming with fish of all sizes.

I have been fortunate to have observed a few specimens through the years, in various locations throughout the seas. Many live in sandy areas near the fringe of a reef system. Very few are out in the open in just a sand patch. I have always observed the fish

hovering above its burrow. When disturbed it dives in headfirst. The burrow of this fish is so unassuming that a diver might pass over it without realizing where the fish went. On numerous occasions I have observed this fish, but on others failed to locate either the fish or its burrow. Experience has taught me to photograph the sand tilefish from a safe distance of at least fifteen feet. Any closer and the fish won’t hang around. If it is aggravated a sufficient number of times during an encounter, it won’t come out. In 2012 I was fortunate enough to spot a tilefish before I got too close and possibly spooked it. We were finishing a shallow reef dive in about thirty feet of water off Grand Bahama

Sand tilefish hovers very close to its burrow keeping a wary eye on approaching diver.

Unassuming sand tilefish hovers above its burrow in a typical sand patch. This sandy patch is its home territory. Notice garden eel colony in the far background.

Close-up of sand tilefish’s head and upper body. Notice the long undulating dorsal and anal fins. I used my camera’s digital telephoto lens for this distance photo.


Island. The prior afternoon we had conducted a shark feeding dive.

I have never seen more than a solitary sand tilefish at any specific location. Each fish has its own burrow. I have never seen two or more fish or burrows close together. It is a mystery to me how they reproduce.

I saw the tilefish because I was swimming right at it. I stopped swimming immediately, and lay prone on the sand, being careful not to make a sudden movement. I positioned my camera, and turned off the strobe, since I was too far away from the fish for it to be effective. This specimen appeared to be silvery white with a bluish tint. At my fifteen foot distance from the fish, the telephoto mode of my compact digital camera was mandatory. I took about a dozen photos before deciding to approach the fish in order to photograph it entering its burrow. Ignoring my own advice, I approached the fish several times. Before I could get close enough to even attempt a

photo, it would scurry into its burrow. If I made a quick or sudden move, it would rapidly retreat. If I moved slowly, it would likewise do so. If I raised my body higher off the bottom, the fish would sink into its burrow. It reminded me of riding a seesaw. I’m sure I would appear ridiculous to an outside observer. Hopefully, so would that fish. It would dive headfirst into its burrow and then back out. Most fish usually stick out their head to look around. This sand tilefish did it in reverse. After a few moments, I swam toward the fish and managed one photograph as it darted into its burrow.

At the time, I had no way of knowing that I had “successfully” photographed the fish in its burrow. Upon returning home, I downloaded the photos to my notebook computer. I carefully studied them to discover that I barely caught the tip of the tail as the sand tilefish dove back into its burrow. Well at least I had one “action” shot, if you can describe the rear one percent of the fish a shot!

I slowly approached the fish and took this photo just before it dove into its burrow.

Top section of tail is hardly noticeable after fish dove into its burrow as the diver approaches too close.


“Into the Labyrinth”Mark Denaro

A Column in TFH Magazine

a Series On Books For The Hobbyistby SUSAN PRIEST

Even regular readers of Tropical FishHobbyist magazine (TFH), don’t readevery feature. The cichlidiots, reef-o-

philes and catfishafficionados among youmight be forgiven forskipping over a columnon the topic of labyrinth fishes. But even if anyof the descriptionsabove apply to you, and especially if you arealready a fan of airbreathing fishes, thenprepare to embark on an adventure. Prepare tobe transported “Into the Labyrinth.”

This column is authored by Mark Denaro,a frequent visitorand long time friendof the GCAS. Thefirst installment appeared in TFH Inthe January 2012issue. It appearsregularly, but is nota monthly feature. There were sevenarticles in 2012.

If you arealready feeling likea fish out of water,let me elaborate bystarting you off witha definition from anarchival copy of Modern Aquarium. “Ananabantoids (sometimes also referred to asAnabantids) are distinguished from all otherfish by a structure known as a ‘labyrinthorgan.’ This organ is located in the fish’s head,near its gill cavities. It consists of foldedmembranes covering maze-like (or ‘labyrinth-like’) compartments of thin bony plates calledlamellae (from the Latin lamella, meaningsmall thin plate). The membranes are filledwith blood vessels through which oxygen isabsorbed from the air, much like a terrestriallung.” Gouramis, paradise fishes, and bettas

are among the most familiar of the labyrinthfishes, but there are many others.

Mark has a very approachable style ofwriting. He doesn’t chit-chat about his ownlifestyle issues. He smoothly and efficientlycombines facts with his personal experienceson a seemingly endless variety of airbreathingfishes. This offers his readers guidance as tohands-on husbandry techniques, along withthe reasoning behind them. To rephrase thatlast thought, if you know why you are doingsomething, you are more likely to follow

through on it. You cancount on Mark to offeryou direction in both ofthese areas.

O c c a s i o n a l l yMark will layer hismaterial. By this I

mean that he will make a reference tosomething he has discussed in a previouslyappearing article. This will be to your benefitas well as his. Regular readers of “Into theLabyrinth” will find themselves building a

c o mp r e h e n s i v emental library onthe subject.

L e t ’ s g e tspecific. Here area few examples ofwhat you will find:

! Within thesplendens complex,“ b e t t a s f r o mstagnant waterbuild bubblenests,and bettas fromflowing water aremouthbrooders.”

! In talking aboutpikeheads, Mark says “If you are unable toprovide a steady diet of live food, these arenot the right fish for you.”

! A good addition to a biotope aquarium forAfrican bushfishes is the tiger lotus water lily. If breeding is not in your game plan, thenpinch the pads off before they reach thesurface. The plant will produce moresubmerged leaves, which our author describesas very attractive.

18 September 2013 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)


! The climbing perch will need a tightly fittinglid which is held down by weights(!). In natureit can travel over land, and will usually do so ingroups.

! Mark recommends blue gouramis as anexcellent fish for a grow-out contest.

! Kissing gouramis are egg-scatterers, which isnot a typical breeding strategy for labyrinthfishes: “upon release, the eggs rise to thesurface due to the presence of an oil dropletinside the egg, and no brood care is providedby either adult.”

I don’t think of most air breathing fishesas being particularly large, so I was amazed byhow many of the species under discussion weredescribed as needing 75 to 125 gallon tanks. Going back to those kissing gouramis for amoment, “This is a large and prolific species,with large females capable of producing 10,000eggs or more each time they spawn. Spawningis best accomplished in large tanks or indoorponds with base dimensions of 6 by 2 feet.” (Has that house in Truth or Consequences,New Mexico with the indoor pond been soldyet?)

In taking my lead from Mark, I have beenalmost exclusively using the common names offishes. For the most part, Mark does the same,but I want to assure you that he alwaysincludes a reference to the scientific name ofevery fish he discusses.

Appearing at the base of Mark’s column,there is a smaller version of the photo which isreproduced on the previous page. It has alwayslooked (at least to me), like Mark has thebusiness end of a bagpipe in his mouth. But, inthis enlarged and enhanced version (thanks,Al), you can clearly see that it is a fish net. Now that I know what it is, I can’t helpwondering if he has caught some climbingperch in there!

I would suggest to Mark that he be a littlemore mindful of his uninitiated readers. Forexample, in conjunction with a statement suchas “then [the male] entices a ripe female tospawn below the bubblenest in the typicalanabantoid spawning embrace,” you mightwant to include either a brief description or aphoto of said embrace. Otherwise some of thereef-o-philes will be jumping ahead to the nextarticle.

I know that there is a bio of Markelsewhere in this issue, so I will keep mybiographical remarks very brief. It must beput near the top of his list of credits that Markis an accomplished photographer, asevidenced by the fact that many of the photoswhich appear in his column were taken byhim. I also want to make mention of the factthat he is among the founding members, aswell as the first President, of the AmericanLabyrinth Fish Association (ALFA), whichis a newly established organization by and fordevotees of labyrinth fishes.

So, now you know what to expect. Even the cichlidiots among you won’t bypassthe bold red Betta splendens at the head ofeach installment of “Into the Labyrinth.” Whenever you see it you will know that anadventure is about to begin.

REFERENCE;

Priest, Alexander A., “An Almost PerfectPearl,” Modern Aquarium, February 2002.

REMINDER

There are still three more issues comingup in this, the 20th season of ModernAquarium. That gives you plenty of time tobe included among its pages during thislandmark year. We would especially like toknow what is on the minds of some of ournewer members. And to you old-timers whohave never written (you know who you are),one or two of you might find that you have afew words to say about Modern Aquariumitself. Hmmm. I can tell that you are thinkingabout it!


26 September 2013 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)

Member Classifieds

WANTED:

For Restoration Project: Does anyone have some pieces of bubble-edge glass? Perhaps from a broken or old tank? Need three pieces -- Will pay! Please contact Steve: shhinshaw@gmail.com.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FOR SALE:

Need to part with 10 fully set up tanks:6 Ten-gallon tanks 1 20-gallon-long2 3 0-gallon tanks1 125 gallon tank with wood stand and canopy

Call Gerry: 347-837-5794------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FOR SALE: Fish Hobbyist’s Dream Home: $169,000!

Fishroom: 15 X 26 – Almost 400 square feet. 10 Picture-window tanks, with built-in wall shelving underneath for storage. Room for more tanks, with pressurized air system throughout the room. Full sink (hot/cold) with work space; ceramic tile floor.

Pond Room: 12 X 16 – Almost 200 square feet. 300 gallon indoor pond for tropical fish. Mag pump, ceramic tile floor, large cathedral windows, lots of light for growing plants. Gorgeous views. Great place to read the Sunday papers.

Rest of House: 2 BR, 2 BA, HUGE kitchen with 49 cabinets and drawers. All rooms huge, LR/desk area. Almost 2,000 square feet. Central A/C.

Climate: 340 sunny days last year. Mild winters with absolutely NO snow shoveling.

Location: Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico. Great name, huh? Was formerly called Hot Springs (and yes, we’ve got ‘em). Very friendly community. Cars actually stop for you to cross the street. Rarely hear a car horn. Two blocks from town.


House Location: On historic site for Geronimo and his braves, where they ground holes in huge boulders (on the southern edge of the property) for cooking maize. Evidence still there (placard next to property). Just 20 feet below us stands a fi sh pond stocked with trout, and another hundred feet down is the Rio Grande River, for rafting, tubing, and fi shing. For even greater bass fi shing, we’re only fi ve miles from Elephant Butte Lake, the largest lake in New Mexico, which also

features water sports such as boating, swimming, fi shing, jet skiing, etc. There are two marinas.

View: Tremendous! From the front porch (completely tiled) you have the best view of Turtleback Mountain rising majestically above the park and river in front of you. Breakfast on the porch is breathtaking! Lunch too!

Taxes: Only $600 per year.

Summing Up: We’ve lived here for 19 years, and I both the fi sh pond and the fi shroom built for my hobby, but I’m now 83, and it’s time to retire from the hobby. We watched our grandchildren grow up as they spent all their summers here. Irreplaceable memories. You could have them too.

Charlie Kuhne: (575) 894-2957

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FOR SALE: African Cichlids -- Fry to Adult size; plus fi lters heaters, etc.

Call Derek: 917-854-4405------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FOR SALE: 210 Gallon Tank, wood stand. Both need some repair.

Call Dan: 718-458-8437------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NEEDS HOME: Beautiful young orange & white tabby. Neutered male with chip. Smart, loving. Needs to be your one and only kitty.

Call Dan or Marsha: 718-458-8437


GCAS Happenings September

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

GREATER CITY AQUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: October 2, 2013Speaker: Sam Fu, of Pacific AquariumTopic: Nano TanksMeets: 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: September 13, 2013 Speaker: Joe GraffagninoTopic: Knowledge of Useless Stuff I Acquired...Meets: 2nd Friday of the month (except July and August) at 7:30pm: NY Aquarium - Education Hall, Brooklyn, NYCall: BAS Events Hotline: (718) 837-4455Website: http://www.brooklynaquariumsociety.org

LONG ISLAND AQUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: September 20, 2013Speaker: TBA Topic: TBA 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: October 8, 2013Speaker: TBATopic: TBDMeets: 2nd Tuesday of the month (except July and August)

at 7:30 PM Molloy College - Kellenberg Hall ~1000 Hempstead Ave -

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

NORTH JERSEY AQUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: September 19, 2013Speaker: TBD Topic: TBAMeets 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: September 19, 2013Speaker: TBATopic: TBAMeets: 8:00 P.M. - 3rd Thursday of each month except for

July & December at: Earthplace - the Nature Discovery Center - Westport, CT

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

A wArm welcome bAck to renewing gcAS member SeAn cunninghAm!

A SpeciAl welcome to new gcAS memberS FernAndo gonzAlez And michAel ng!

Last Month’s Bowl Show Winners:There was No Bowl show iN augusT.

uNofficial 2013 Bowl show ToTals To daTe:richard waizmaN 14 Jerry o'farrell 11 mario BeNgcioN 9 ruBeN lugo 6 carloTTi deJager 5


In spite of popular demand to the

contrary, this humor and information

column continues. As usual, it does

NOT necessarily represent the

opinions of the Editor, or of the

Greater City Aquarium Society.

The UltimateWaterbed?

A series by “The Undergravel Reporter”

Ienjoy just looking at my aquariums. The time I

spend looking at them is enjoyable and, for me,

restful. BUT, I’m not sure about sleeping

directly under a 650 gallon tank.

The custom-made headboard pictured above

was made by Acrylic Tank Manufacturing. It was

featured on an episode of Animal Planet’s

“Tanked.” The headboard costs $11,500 ( including

the matching bedside tables and reading lamps). 1

First, I’m wondering about tank maintenance.

Look at the “reading lamps.” Did anyone say

“algae?” What about glass cleaning? (Yes, I know

it’s acrylic, but that only further limits the cleaning

options available.)

But, an even greater consideration (for me, at

least) would be the safety of anyone who might

actually want to use this contraption as a

headboard for a bed and try to sleep under it. With

water weighing around 8.3 pounds per gallon, that

means almost 5,400 pounds of water flowing

directly over the head of anyone sleeping in the

bed below!

I don’t care how thick the walls of this

headboard/aquarium are. A shark aquarium in the

Dongfang shopping mall in Shanghai, China had

TEN INCH THICK walls, yet it suddenly burst

last year without warning, injuring 15 people

(mostly from injuries caused by that thick glass)

and killing three lemon sharks and dozens of

smaller fish and turtles.2

I’ve had tanks break and/or leak on me. But,

it generally only meant a messy cleanup

afterwards. On the other hand, five thousand plus

pounds of water dumped on my head while I’m

sleeping just might result in situation a bit more

serious than a messy cleanup. (Imagine the

headline: “Fishkeeper Drowned in Bed by Broken

Headboard!”).

If I had a spare $11,500 and wanted to apply

it to my tropical fish hobby, I think I could find

better (and safer) ways to do it.

References

http://technabob.com/blog/2012/09/07/aquarium-bed/1

http://www.digitalspy.com/odd/news/a446432/aquarium-containing-sharks-bursts-open-in-shopping-2

mall.html



Fin Fun

The term “labyrinth fish” includes many different species in many different genera. We’ve selected a fewof those genera and put them in this month’s word search puzzle. See if you can find them all.

Words in the puzzle:

BelontiaBettaCtenopmaCtenopsLuciocephalusMacropodusMalpuluttaMicroctenopomaParosphromenusPseudosphromenusSandeliaSphaerichthysTrichopsisTrichogasterTrichopodus

K W O D O W P D H T X N Q P E S N D C P N Q S L K X I B G G L Z Y P U L B P T Z P C Q U K E E B E A Q G Y N X W L S E Q D A N C W U Q S T L E N E D X U P S N T A N R I X Q S T U E O M L V I H I U O K U T D O X Q U H Z D O N N X A Q E D P T W T T C S L M I C R O C T E N O P O M A R T W E U P H X H V S P R I I B I P A Q X M U P B J H P Q A V I O M A H H O Y Z K H L H C O S R N S C J C H W E D R S Q K A E A I O S D O H N A V Q C W W C R Y M P B L D K E D T M Y G F U E I I A U S M H P U T L I H I D E K V N Q C R M S I X H E S I F Y R S P O N E T C O I T I C J S Z A J S E V T T H E U C Y M L Y U V P R E T S A G O H C I R T S V S A T K E A S A T G K C D F L T R I C H O P S I S Q P Z C A Q L A H B X W P C C N D A V Z E X O A K L N M L O S M T Q N I T J I D A W L D W T M B J X P Q F X H R C K J B

Solution to our last puzzle:

City, State Public AquariumSan Francisco, CA ------------------------- Steinhart Aquarium

Sarasota, Fl ------------------------- Mote Marine LaboratoryChicago, IL -------------------------- Shedd Aquarium

Dubuque, IA ------------------------- National Mississippi River Museum & AquariumNew Orleans, LA ------------------------- Aquarium of the Americas

Nantucket, MA ------------------------- Maria Mitchell AquariumRiverhead, NY ------------------------- Atlantis Marine World

Greensboro, NC ------------------------- SciQuariumSeaside, OR ------------------------- Seaside Aquarium

Burlington, VT ------------------------- ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science CenterSource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_aquaria_in_the_United_States

24 September 2013 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

modern aquarium

Documents

tiny labyrinth fish

small labyrinth fish

little labyrinth fish

ultimate nano fish

labyrinth column

favorite marine fish

beautiful marine fish

delegate alexander