modern aquarium

How to Move Really Fishby WARREN FEUER and MARK SOBERMAN

We've all had it happen to us. Whatwas once a small, cute fish hassuddenly (actually, it probably has

taken a while, but seems sudden) become alarger, and usually not cuter, "tank buster". Nowwhat do you do? There are generally two optionsopen to you; one, move the fish to another, lesscrowded, and hopefully larger, tank of your own,or, two, locate another home for the fish(hopefully in someone else's tank). In eithercase, the fish will have to be moved. By sharingsome of our experiences with moving fish, wehope to help you make the transition less stressfulfor both you and your fish.

The first decision is where the fish willgo. If you are locating the fish to another tankwithin your fish room, or even your house, thelogistics of moving said fish are much lesscomplicated, but not necessarily simple. Forexample, check out what happened when we triedto move a 12 inch Leiarius pictus (a SouthAmerican predatory catfish) from Mark's livingroom, where it was temporarily quartered in a 30gallon tank to Mark's basement/fish room whereit was slated to go into a 55 gallon tank. Wealready knew that we could not use a net to getthe fish out of the 30 gallon tank because: a)having long barbels and fins it would becomeentangled in a net, and, b) we had no net largeenough to hold the fish! We decided instead touse a plastic spaghetti colander to lift the fish outof the tank and into a 5 gallon bucket we hadplaced on the floor specifically to carry the fishdown stairs. About 50% of the water wasdrained out and we positioned the colander underthe fish, preparing to lift the fish out. Then theunexpected happened. The fish leapt out of thetank, and, somehow, landed in the bucket! Bothof us stood there dumb struck. One observer,author Feuer's son Eric, had the followingcomment: "Did you train the fish to do that?"

Actually, we were lucky. Had the fishnot landed in the bucket, it might have beenseriously injured — perhaps even killed. As itwas, the fish separated one of its pectoral fins,but this quickly healed. With this in mind, here'slesson 1: Prepare carefully for the move, nomatter how large or small, and after you've madeall your preparations, prepare for the unexpected.Anticipate what you suspect cannot, but probablymight, happen. Always have contingency plans,just in case your well-planned move hits a bumpin the road.

When it is necessary to relocate a fish orseveral fish outside of your own location to somewhere else, even more planning and equipment iscalled for. We had to move two rather large TinFoil Barbs that had actually out-grown their 75gallon home. Unlike the quandary we faced withthe pictus, here we could use a net to catch thefish, but then had to decide how to transportthem. The fish would be in a car forapproximately one half-hour. We needed to carrythem in a container that would accomplish thetask. A five gallon bucket would not nearly belarge enough for these behemoths. Fortunately,Mark was in the possession of a 30 somethinggallon plastic container with a secure lid.Catching the fish turned out to be easier than wethought as both of the fish to be moved swamright into the net we were using and did notcreate any fuss at all once they were lifted out ofthe tank. We would not be so lucky with oneother fish we were attempting to move.

Also resident in the tank was oneMegaladoras irwinei. If you are not familiarwith this fish, it is a South American catfish thattends to be totally inactive by day, lying aroundalmost totally immobile and waiting for eveningto become active. Unlike many nocturnal, largecatfish, the irwinei is most peaceful, anddecidedly not predatory. Although it has a ratherlarge mouth and could easily make a meal ofmany of its tank mates, the irwinei never would.It had, however, become rather large andappeared to also be out-growing the 75 gallontank that was its home. Using the time testedcolander method, the fish was quickly gatheredand brought up to the surface for transport.Then, all hell broke loose. As the fish wasbrought out of the water it began thrashingviolently, lifting its body out of the colander andsplashing about. As author Feuer tried to coverthe colander to contain the fish and lessen thesplashing, the barbed extensions on the fish'scaudal peduncle caught his hand and left a ratherlarge gash. From this experience we learned theimportance of proper equipment. Had we notbeen able to transport the Tin Foils in the largecontainer we had available to us, the stress of themove might have harmed them. Fortunately, thefish transported quite well and quickly adapted totheir new 125 gallon home. We also learned thatmoving armored, barbed fish such as the irwinei,and many other catfish requires more preparation

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 1999

A Weekend To Remember:The North Jersey Extravaganza

by JOSEPH FERDENZI

W hat a weekend it was. It was thewidely publicized Fall 1999 TropicalFish Weekend Extravaganza, hosted

by the North Jersey Aquarium Society. Held onthe 22nd through 24th of October at the HiltonHotel in Parsippany, New Jersey, it was billed asthe last great aquarium event of the millennium.Well, it lived up to the advance billing. Therewere several ingredients that added up to producea fantastic hobby event.

First, there were the people. There werelots of them, from allover the U.S.A.,including as far awayas California. Thisgave everyone achance to speak withk n o w l e d g e a b l ea q u a r i s t s t h e yo t h e r w i s e w o u l dprobably never get achance to meet. Forexample, noted cichlidbreeder Myles Neimanwas there — he'sfrom California (he

Discus), Lee Finley (on catfish), Mark and AnneBroadmeyer (on the aquarium Internet and showfish, respectively), Tom Neal (marine tanks),Dr. Sallie Boggs (on anabantoids), and NorthJersey's own Dr. Ted Coletti (biotopeaquariums) and Matt Kaufman (on killifish).

Imagine having access to all these peoplein one place, at one time. But, of course, therewere many other great hobbyists to share theweekend with, including many from the localsocieties here in the tri-state area — Mike

McNamaee (formerpresident of the LongI s l a n d K i l l i f i s hAssociation), SalSi lves t r i ( formerpresidentNorwalkSociety),K o l k e rPresidentBrooklyn

of theAquariumand Seth( c u r r e n t

of theAquarium

Society), just to namea few.

Our own clubwas well represented

probably came, in part, Left to Right; Lee Finley? who writes columns for by long-time membersto get away from those both TFH md AFM and expert on both catfish and s u c h a s M a r k

annoying earthquakes). aquarium literature; Joe Ferdenzi; Ted Coletti, NJAS Soberman, formerC o n v e r s e l y , the member and columnist for FAMA: and Mark GCAS p re s iden tout-of-towners could Soberman Vincent Sileo, Rosieget to t a lk to Sileo, Greg Wuest,well-known New York hobbyists such as GinnyEckstein (although you know she's not much ofa conversationalist — said tongue-in-cheek).These noted hobbyists were present even thoughthey were not among the scheduled speakers —that says something about the drawing power ofthe event.

And, speaking of speakers, there wasquite an assortment of interesting presentations.I was able to see several of them, and found themall informative and entertaining. The list ofpresenters included: Rosario LaCorte (storiesfrom the legendary hobbyist), Dr. Stan Weitzman(the famous ichthyologist on tetras), Chuck Davis(on show fish), Mike Sheridan (on New Worldcichlids), Neil Frank (on planted aquariums), Dr.Wayne Leibel (Geophagus cichlids), SteveLinblad (on Malawi cichlids), Mark Weiss (on

Carlotti DeJager, Ellen Halligan, and Tom Miglio(who is also a very active member of theBrooklyn Aquarium Society), and newermembers such as Claudia Dickinson, HarryFaustman, Bill Adams, and Bob Wranovics.Well, by now, I'm sure you get the idea — itwas a lot of fun to be with all these people.

There were many great hobbyist itemsfor sale, including rare fish, gorgeous plants,aquarium artwork, custom blended fish food, andboth new and antique books. In short, if moneywas burning a hole in your pocket, you couldeasily quench the fire (when asked how much my"fire" cost by my wife, Anita, who participated inthe show, I "took the Fifth").

One of the highlights of the weekendwas the Saturday evening banquet. Here was atruly convivial gathering of aquarists, punctuated


by fine food and conversation. (In my case, itwas also punctuated by my buddy, Ray"Kingfish" Lucas, poking fun at my inability totalk without frenetic hand gestures.) The showawards and various tokens of appreciation forthose who had worked so hard on the show werepresented during the affair to enthusiastic roundsof applause. A feature presentation of thebanquet was several skits staged by Wayne Leibeland Lee Finley, who spoofed past, present, and"future" hobbyists. This production includedcostume and "scene" changes, and anaccompanying musical score. It was quite arollicking affair (their not bad actors, I must say).For example, they donned period costumes togive their version of an imagined conversationbetween the famed William T. Innes and C. H.Peters, from the 1930s. They surprised RosarioLaCorte with a very funny version of "This IsYour Life." (I should also mention that NorthJersey's own "nut," Ricky Geis, did a short, buthilarious imitation of Dr.Paul Loiselle, when theabsent doctor, who wasaway on another expeditionto Madagascar, washonored with a LifeMembership in theirsociety.)

Oh, and there wereshow fish at this event, too!Three hundred and fortyentries to be exact — thatis a tremendous number fora contemporary show. Thecompetition was fierce.Several GCAS membershad entries in the show,claims to be a "disciple" of the author!) enteredover 20 fish! Tom garnered four prizes,including First Place in the Killifish Class. (Tomdoes so well at fish shows — he recently won theBest of Show trophy at the 1999 Norwalk eventwith a beautiful Betta splendens — that I accusedmy "disciple" of using "holy water" in all hisshow tanks.) As for myself, I took First Place inthe Smooth-skinned Catfish Class, and First inthe Armoured Catfish Class (with my new "star,"a Corydoras schwartzi, the same one that won theCatfish Championship at the 1999 NorwalkShow). And, since Mark Soberman took Secondand Third Place in the Armoured Catfish Class(he had several beautiful Corydoras entries), itbecame a clean sweep for GCAS — the onlyclass sweept by an outside club. This leads meto hereby issue a "challenge" to North Jersey totry and do the same — sweep any class — at our

GCAS members Mark SobermanFerdenzi with their trophies

Tom Miglio (who

upcoming show on May 6-7, 2000. Incidentally,the Best of Show trophy was won by a fish fromthe Suckermouth Catfish Class (there were threecatfish classes in the show) — a huge (about afoot in body length) chocolate-brown "pleco"type with magnificent orange streamers on itslyre-shaped caudal fin. The fish is owned byNorth Jersey's long-time treasurer, FrankPolicastro. Frank has been in the hobby fordecades — a nicer guy you won't meet — andeveryone was pleased for him.

And, you may ask, what was ReserveBest of Show? Well, leave it to North Jersey tohave as the second best entry in the showsomething that looked like a cross between acrocodile and Godzilla. No, it wasn't a fish —it was some gigantic lizard. Yes, you see, NorthJersey shows are somewhat unique (actually,come to think of it, this won't be the onlyreason they are unique — the year Ricky Geisentered a chicken in the "Egg-layer" division

comes to mind) becausethey have reptile andamphibian classes (thingsthat live in tanks). I don'tknow much about lizards,but whoever owned thatbeast deserved the awardjust for being brave enoughto lug it to the show.(Now, aren't you wishingyou were there?)

In short, the NorthJersey club is to becommended on a jobwell-done. The showlogistics were under the

able command of Show Chairman Chris Borgeseand society President Helen DiBartolomeo (whoclaims she must be nuttier than most because shedoesn't even keep fish — her husband Joe isreputed to have some, however). They hadeverything very professionally organized — thiswas a fun event and easy to participate in. Forexample, the fish room, under the auspices ofLarry Jinks and Jack Borghese, had tanks andbowls already set-up and pre-labeled so that allan entrant had to do was put the fish and thewater in the container. This freed you to go onto other things quickly (beer, for example, needsto be drunk when it's fresh).

I know this weekend will go down inaquarium history (or, at least, in a future TedColetti "time-line") as one of the mostmemorable events of the '90s. Members ofNorth Jersey — thanks for the memories.

Joe


Bernard Harrigan, Artist; Warren Feuer, Research

Scientific Name: Apistogramma pertensis

Common Name: Net or Amazon Dwarf Cichlid

Adult Size: 2%"<J — 13/4n9

Native Habitat: Brazil, Amazon & Rio Negro

Water Conditions: pH 5.5; temperature 73°F-86°F

Degree of difficulty to keep: 3 (Moderate)

Degree of difficulty to breed: 3 (Moderate)

GCAS Breeders1 Point Value: 15

Articles about this fish in Modern Aquarium:None to date ~ can YOU write one?

December 1999 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

&by CLAUDIA DICKINSON

As I return to Montauk each month, I amtotally rejuvenated and full ofexhilaration from our Greater City

Aquarium society meeting! In my greatexhuberation, I always want to pick up the phoneand let you, the membership, know how veryspecial that each and every one of you are andhow important that you are to the club.

Upon my return from November'smeeting, I immediately wanted to call and thankWarren Feuer. He has been my hero by takingthe membership data and entering it into a database system. This has been an invaluableassistance to me in organizing my membershipprocedures, as my computer is not yet set up torecord this type of information. Thank youWarren!

What would we all do without PeteD'Orio? I will call him right now...but no, hemust be at work. Well, I will call Roberta andtell her how wonderful that Pete is...but, shealready knows that! Pete is unassuming, alwaysright there for any of us who need a hand. Petequietly goes about the business of making surethat our meetings run smoothly. Thank you somuch Pete - you are TERRIFIC!

Tom Miglio ~ well, what more can Isay? Tom along with many of you, has been oneof those generous contributors to our auctionsthat really keep GCAS auctions exciting andhelpful in defraying overhead for the club. Ihave been so very fortunate as to have several ofTom's fabulous fish become a part of myfishroom. Tom ~ a big thank you!

When I finally curl up for the night, Iindulge in the treasured ritual of opening upModern Aquarium. Al and Susan Priest, what

would we ever do without you? Thank youcould never be enough!

Speaking of the treasured ritual ofindulging in the Modern Aquarium, I am workingwith Rainbow fish and there appears a Rainbowfish article, just fiill of all the information that Iam looking for! I am working with Killifish andtrying to locate information; and what appears inModern Aquarium, but great Killifish articles!My Killie egg packets have all been labeled,placed away for different lengths of time, broughtout, hatched and producing their next generations.These articles were and are referred to manytimes.

Now comes November's meeting and Ihave received some lovely tetras and killies thatare just craving a spawning mop. The frontcover of Modern Aquarium features the spawningmop with the most precisely written article ontwo methods of creating ones own mop! Thediagrams that accompany the article areinvaluable, and the directions couldn't be easierto follow.

Joe Ferdenzi, there isn't a month thatgoes by that I don't return home and wish tosend you a big thank you, and I'm certain thatgoes for all of us at GCAS! Your articles arearticulate, educational, easy to comprehend andperfectly seasoned with your great sense ofhumour. For this, we all thank you! (I wasgoing to tell you all about how I ran out andbought 20 skeins of different shades of greenyarn, had huge plans of making spawning mopsfor ALL of Greater City, didn't have a 2x4handy, so I wrapped the yarn around the gearshift and the seat belt...well another time!)

Next month (January), there NOT be a regular meeting (that means no speaker, no bowl show,no auction). Instead, the Greater City Aquarium Society will be having its annual HolidayParty and Awards Banquet at the Palace Diner. Advance reservations are required. Tonight'smeeting is your last chance to register for this very special event!

Members participating in the Breeder's Award Program (BAP) are reminded that strict"witnessing" rules are in effect. Consult your BAP booklet or our BAP chairpersons, Greg

vWuest or Carlotti DeJager, for details and witnessing forms.

Modern Aquarium is available at meetings for MEMBERS ONLY. Don't even ask for acopy, unless you have renewed your GCAS membership for our current season.


News From:

The Northeast CouncilOf Aquarium Societies

by CLAUDIA DICKINSON

ilver Anniversary Celebration!

Come celebrate the Northeast Council's big 25th

Anniversary and the bright new Century 2000 with whatpromises to be the convention of a lifetime! If it could bepossible, it may even top last year's extravaganza, as ourincredibly enthusiastic convention team has been busy all year with exciting preparations. Word hasit that they have an unbelievable speaker line-up so far, which includes Stuart Grant, who will travelall the way from Malawi, and Claus Christensen from Denmark. The ever-fabulous Chuck Davis willbe there, as well as our beloved Ginny Eckstein, Rosario La Corte, Wayne Leibel, Lee Finley, AdKonings, and Mike Shadle.

The weekend will be full of action-packed "fishy-fun " with seminars, vendors galore, booksand auctions like you've never witnessed of dry goods, plants and fish. Most of all, there will be thewonderful people to share the time with ~ lots of good friends and many new people that will fastbecome your best fish pals.

The dates are March 17th through the 19th. For further information please contact myself and/orour Convention Chairperson Janine Banks at 802-372-8716; e-mail [email protected].

Chuck Davis ~ December 5th General Meeting!Don't miss out on meeting that most wonderful fish person who shares his great ideas and

knowledge with us in his monthly Aquarium Fish Magazine "Society News" column. Chuck istraveling far to make a special appearance for us at the NEC general meeting. It is a short and lovelydrive to the Farmington Marriott where I will see you at 12:30. Please come to me with any questions~ I can't wait to see you there!

NEC Coming Events!December 5th: NEC General Meeting - Special Guest Star ~ Chuck Davis! You are

welcome and encouraged to join in this great fun-filled afternoon!February 13th: Pioneer Valley Aquarium Society Auction.March 5th: Tropical Fish Society of Rhode Island "Buck-a-Bag" Auction.March 17-19: NEC 25th Annual Convention.April 2nd: Worcester Aquarium Society Auction.April 30th: Monadnock Region Aquarium Society Auction.May 5-9: Greater City Aquarium Society Show & Auction.May 19th~21st: Aqua-Land Aquarium Society Show and Auction.

You Could Be A Judge!The Northeast Council is planning on conducting another one of its well-known judging

schools held by the prestigious Anne Broadmeyer. The knowledge to be gained from this experiencewill broaden your fish-keeping horizons and remain with you forever! Please contact Anne Broadmeyerat 203-775-0030. I know I'm going to go call her right now!

Until next month...

Take Care!

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 1999 11

Exchange Editors:Send all mail, including exchange publications, for ModernAquarium, or for the Greater City Aquarium Society to:

Alexander A. Priest% Greater City A.S.1558 McDonald StreetBronx, NY 10461-2208

To contact us via e-mail, send your message or inquiries [email protected]

Or, leave us a message on our website athttp://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/greatercity

If you are sending an electronic file (including any article), please save thefile as either: (1) .RTF (Rich Text Format); or (2) ASCII (or text); or(3) WordPerfect 5.1 for MS-DOS. Please use an "8 plus 3" file name (thatis, no more than 8 letters or numbers, no spaces, and with an (optional) fileextension of no more than three letters or numbers). You can send 3.5"(Amiga, Macintosh, MS-DOS/Windows) or 5.25" (CBM, MS-DOS) size disks, either high or lowdensity. If you mail a disk, keep a copy of the file on your hard drive or on another floppy (the PostOffice has been known to "cancel" programs on a disk), and include a printed copy, along withinformation indicating what program you used to create the file.

THE ANTIQUAIUUM

GLO-STONES.Another NEW, FASCINATING INVENTION from HYDRO-ELECTRONICS!THE FIRST LUMINOUS DECORATION FOR FRESH WATER AQUARIUMS.SOLD IN PLASTIC VIALS, JUST HEAT VIAL WITH HOT WATER ANDPOUR LIQUID CONTENTS INTO AQUARIUM. IT WILL IMMEDIATELYUPON TOUCHING WATER, SOLIDIFY INTO SYNTHETIC STONES OFMANY DIFFERENT SHAPES. IN LESS THAN A MINUTE, THEY WILLBEGIN TO GLOW BRIGHTER AND BRIGHTER, UNTIL THEY ARE THEBRIGHTEST OBJECTS IN THE AQUARIUM!

NOW, TURN OUT THE LIGHTS!UNBELIEVABLY BEAUTIFUL, GLOWING RED, BLUE, AND GREEN, GLO-STONES LIGHT UP THE WHOLE AQUARIUM!PERFECTLY HARMLESS TO TROPICAL FISH, GLO-STONES KEEPTHEIR BRILLIANCE FOR 25 YEARS OR MORE.GLO-STONES ARE AVAILABLE IN 3 COLORS AT YOUR LOCAL PETSHOP OR BY SENDING $3.49 for either Red, Blue, or Green to

HYDRO-ELECTRONICSP.O. BOX 181

FLUSHING, N.Y. 11352Please add .500 shipping, OR ORDER ALL THREE COLORS FOR $10.47AND WE WILL PAY SHIPPING. Dealers, please use letterhead whenwriting for details.

12 December 1999 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

North Jersey's Grande Extravaganza!by CLAUDIA DICKINSON

It was heralded as one of the last greataquarium events of the 20th century ~ andthat it was! Greater City Aquarium Society

turned out in full force with Joe and AnitaFerdenzi, Mark and Robin Soberman, Tom Miglio,Seth Kolker, Vince and Rosie Sileo, HarryFaustman, Bob Wranovics, Greg Wuest, CarlottiDeJager, Ellen Halligan, and Bill Adams. Alongwith the many other attendees, we were treated tothe extravaganza of a lifetime!

The North Jersey Aquarium Society staffgreeted us, led by dynamic President HelenDiBartolomeo and Vice President Chris Borgesewho, besides running a top notch show, seemed tobe everywhere, handling all aspects of theconvention with apparent ease. Undaunted by themany long hours of pre-event work, Larry Jinks'patience never missed a beat as he cheerfullyorganized contestants with their assigned showtanks. Larry's right-hand man, Jack Borgese, wasalways ready to lend a helpful hand. Ted Colettihad certainly done a top-notch job advertising theevent as the crowds poured in and filled the hotel,spilling out into a neighboring hotel. The friendlyRicky Geis, Frank Policastro, and Kevin Carrollnever hesitated to find a moment in their busyschedules to answer questions, offer assistance andto engage in amicable fish talk with their guests.

Christine Colonna ran an unbelievablespeaker program that drew an impressive audiencefrom all walks of the world such as TFH EditorMary Sweeney, Pam Chin, Ginny and CharlieEckstein, Tony Orso, Pam Marsh, and RandyCarey to name a few.

Friday evening kicked off with a "Meetthe Speakers" and "Speaker Roundtable" emceedby Chuck Davis. Wayne Leibel treated a packedroom to his expertise on Geophagus Cichlids andwas followed by a Giant Dry Goods Auction. Theshowroom filled with entrants and was open forpublic viewing, as onlookers were given theopportunity to see 25 classes of fabulousspecimens of fish and herps, as well asphotography, original art work, and tank beautifulsetups.

The vendor room was a bustle of activity,the air filled with chatter and laughter as peopleconverged to rehash "the good old days" and viewthe array of wares. You know you're at a majorevent when Ray "Kingfish" Lucas has taken histime and efforts to travel so far and set up hishuge booth of manufacturer's goods; and Lee andAline Finley have brought their incredible

collection of books from Rhode Island. GCASstars Vince and Rosie Sileo had a wide selectionof plants displayed for sale and Tom and PeggyNeal had come down from New Hampshire withtheir wonderful selection of fish foods and plasticbags. Tony Orso had his fabulous variety of hardto find fish for sale, and Pam Marsh had herbeautiful and creative T-shirts displayed.

Saturday brought on Dr. Ted Coletti, Dr.Sallie Boggs, Mike Sheridan, Marc Weiss, Dr.Stan Weitzman, Mark Broadmeyer, SteveLundblad, Tom Neal, Neal Frank, Matt Kaufman,Rosario LaCorte, Anne Broadmeyer, and ChuckDavis Wow!!! Need I say more?!

Saturday night's awards banquet washighlighted by Wayne Leibel and Lee Finley, whoshowed their extraordinary talents in theperformance of a three-act play on "The History ofthe Aquarium Hobby." Their creativity andingenuity met with thunderous applause as theyglided through costume changes, period music andprops as well as a hilarious and well-deliveredscript.

It was time for the awards presentation,and the GCAS beamed with pride as Joe Ferdenzitook 1st place in the Smooth Skin Catfish classAND 1st place in the Armored Catfish class. MarcSoberman cleaned up the Armored Catfish class,with his prize fish taking 2nd and 3rd places. TomMiglio took home 4 prizes, his spectacular fishhitting a home run with 1st place in the Killifishclass. The competition was fierce and all of thewinners, as well as those who tried, deservecongratulations for having made the effort.

Sunday was an early start with theauction lot sign-in and registration. Lee Finleyconducted a "Catfish Chat," and Jan Bastmeyer a"Plant Chat." The viewing of the auction fishbegan at noon, and at 1:00 it was standing roomonly for a HUGE auction of hundreds of bags offish. The auction carried on at a lively pace foreight hours until the last bag was reached.

Our goodbyes were said and we eachtraveled home in our separate directions, but ourthoughts, our hearts and our spirits were as one ~and THAT is what makes a great convention!

In 2001, the North Jersey AquariumSociety will be hosting the ACA Convention. Ifyou attended this event, I know you won't missthat, and if you weren't able to come to this, youhave a great weekend to look forward to ~ I knowI'll see you there!


WET LEAVES

A Series On Books For The Hobbyist

by SUSAN PRIEST

With all of this hoopla about what toexpect from the year 2000 andbeyond, everything around us seems

larger and more demanding of our attention. I'llbet that many of you have already made a NewYear's resolution. Have you considered whichfish or fishes you will be keeping in the future?Many factors may affect your choice. (I know,I know; I'm supposed to be writing about abook. Just give me a couple more sentences.) Istarted scanning my library with an eye for acentury-spanning fish with enough backbone tocarry the aquariumhobby firmly forward.Out of the many worthycandidates, my focuskept narrowing, and I hope that many of you willagree with my choice; the humble and honorableguppy.

"The aim of this book is to present aguidebook to producing beautiful, healthyguppies." I feel that there are two other equallydistinguishing features. The photographs andillustrations are dazzling. Sometimes, there areseveral pages in a row of photos with barely aparagraph of text, and each photo is morearresting than the one before it. If you want tosee photos and more photos of gorgeous fancyguppies, this book is for you. It also serves as aprimer on genetics in general, and guppies inparticular. (The topic of genetics is one which Ihave long wanted to see covered in the pages ofModern Aquarium, but I don't feel myself to beequal to the task of writing about it. Is thereanyone out there who would like to tackle it?)

The first three chapters cover basic fishkeeping information, including water preparationand changing, filtration, lighting, feeding, andcommon illnesses. "In an aquarium withoutgravel, the water gets dirty quickly, and quicklybecomes acidic. If the pH drops below 6.0, theguppy's tail doesn't open well, and its caudalfin becomes ragged." Large-grained sand isrecommended, and plants are considered a"must."

The chapter on Classification andCharacteristics gives detailed descriptions of themost popular varieties. Some of those featuredare Mosaic, Grass, Tuxedo, Leopard; top, bottom,

and double Swordtails. The description of aKing Cobra says, in part, that "their definingcharacteristic is a cobra design that covers thewhole body, not dots but a connected pattern.The design is not on the caudal peduncle section.The dorsal fin is not very long; it is evenskimpy."

The chapters on "Breeding Techniques,"and "Special Points of Breeding" offer detailedinstructions on producing top quality guppies. Itis clear to this reader that the author is describinghis personal techniques and experiences. Thereare many charts illustrating the results of"outbreeding" different established varieties.

In selecting the parents:outward appearance is not as importantas confirmation of family line,choose a male with a thick caudalpeduncle which swims energetically and

a c t i v e l y p u r s u e sfemales.

An establishedstrain will bemore expensive

to purchase, but cheaper in the long runbecause they will produce larger litters.

A litter should be separated by sex as soon aspossible (about three weeks after birth) to ensurevirgin females.

The author is billed as Japan's foremostguppy breeder. This is the English version of abook that was originally published in Japan. TheContents page refers to a bibliography. Inactuality, this is a list of suggested reading; othertitles (by the same publisher) that may be ofinterest to readers of this volume. There is aGeneral Index, as well as an Index of Illustrations.

As natural habitats fall prey toever-increasing varieties of pollution, the humbleand honorable guppy may need a little help fromsome dedicated aquarists to carry the hobby intothe future. Let's give them a hand!

There are some expert guppy breeders inthis club, and you can usually find examples oftheir fish in our monthly bowl shows andauctions. Where can you go for some goodquality "seed fish?" Check the Happenings Pagefor two Guppy Clubs that meet right here at theQueens Botanical Garden.

Let's all slow down and take stock of ourspiritual present, strength from age-old promises,and hope from each other. Happy Holidays


In the year 2000, you'll see many "Y2K Millenium Ultimate (etc., etc.)" fishshows announced. Only one will be held by Greater City, one of the oldest (78years young by show time) & most respected aquarium societies in the nation!

Queens, New York City - NYproudly announcers its

y 6 -At the Queens Farm Museum: 73-50 Little Neck ParkwayBetween the Grand Central Parkway and Union Turnpike

ERE'S WHAT TO EXPECT AT A WORLOCLASS SHOW LIKE OURS:

Fish & aquatic plant competition - trophies awardedAuction of home-bred and raised fish and plantsAuction of aquarium supplies/drygoodsTop name speakers/workshops

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL FINIO ONLY ATGREATER CITY'S SHOW:

Show held at a "working" farm museum with toursavailable for a real family fun day!

Treasure hunt competition - compete for fun and prizes!

AJNTD EVEN MORE TO COME!Visit the Greater City website j:pr updated information at:

http://ourworldxompusery^.com%omepages/greatercityE-Mail us at: north228@ai^.com^oi7 [email protected]

I c^>r<7\£f|u - / A

Or contact Show Chairpersoii^P^^&id Roberta D'Orio:89-32 118th Street - RichftS^Bffll, NY 11418 (718)847-2030


The Federation of AmericanAquarium Societies

Hby ALEXANDER A. PRIEST

ere is my final report on the activities of the Federation of American Aquarium Societies thisyear (in fact, for this century).

Officers: The new FAAS President is HedyPadgett (a member of the Circle City AquariumSociety of Indianapolis, Indiana), with John Clark(Medina County A.S.of Ohio) serving asV.P. Several majorcommittees have noone to chair them, andHedy has asked forvolunteers. Anyoneinterested in helpingcan contact me for alist of positions, or youcan e-mail Hedy at:[email protected]

The 1998 Publicationawards: Probably dueto the changes madelast year, there weretwice as many entriesfor last year, which hastaken much longer tojudge. (With theelimination of the priorrestriction on multiplesubmissions and theconfusion as to the new categories introduced atthe "eleventh hour," many societies undoubtedlysubmited the same article in as many categoriesas their imaginations would allow.) In addition,the person who chaired the PublicationsCommittee was in the hospital for two monthsand the entries didn't even get logged in untilafter his return home; only then were they sent tothe judges. Based on the latest availableinformation, results from the judging of the lastthree classes have now been received, and themember societies will be receiving notice of theirawards shortly. The list of winners will be in theJanuary/February FAAS Report. There is, as yet,no information about the 1999 awards (such asrule changes, where to send entries, deadlines, etc.).

The logo contest: This has now officially beendeclared to be a dead issue. None of the logosreceived the appropriate amount of votes, and the

FAAS Board ofDirectors could notdecide on how tohandle this, effectivelykilling the contest.

The FAAS Website:The information on theFAAS website is veryoutdated. There areplans for adding manyareas to the websitesuch, as a chat room,an area for questionsand/or comments, asales area (for sellingF A A S p a t c h e s ,booklets, etc.), adelegates' page, apage for FAASsanctioned shows, andan Officers andcommittee personspage.

The FAAS Report: The FAAS Report (FR) isthe main vehicle for communications from FAASto the society delegates (and through thedelegates, to the individual member societies).While the outdated FAAS website (see above)still shows Marge Anderson as Editor of FR, shewas replaced several months ago by RandySeufert (as reported in Modern Aquarium in ourApril 1999 issue), who has now also resigned.Hedy Padgett served as interim Editor for therecent Nov/Dec issue, but there will be a newpermanent FR Editor in January.


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MARINE FISH & INVERTEBRATE

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• SALTWATER FISH

• INVERTEBRATES

• LIVE PLANTS

• BIRDS

• DOG & CAT FOOD

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• REPTILES

• BIRD CAGES

• LIVE ROCKS

• FANCY GOLDFISH

• PROTEIN SKIMMERS

• DOG & CAT SUPPLIES

• RABBITS

• COMPLETE AQUARIUMS

All Major Credit Cards Accepted


A FederalCase

A series by "The Undergravel Reporter"

|̂ ^

Normally, tropical fish hobbyists considerthemselves on the side of the angels.That is to say, we think of ourselves as

pro-environment, and anti-animal abuse. Thisshould put us in general agreement with animalrights groups. However, a recent developmentshows how the good intentions of one group(which logically should be our ally), can doserious harm to another.

Senator Lautenberg authored the SafeAir Travel for Animals Act (S.B. 1193). Theprovisions of that act were added to the FederalAviation Administration reauthorization bill,which deals with many air transport issues, andauthorizes funding to maintain the nation's airtransportation system. However, with theaddition of the provisions from S.B. 1193, itwould have added new rules for commercialairlines carrying live animals — rules whichcould have severely restricted commercial airtransport of animals in the United States.

As reported in a PetAlert distributed tothe industry in early August, Senate Bill 1193would have required airlines to modify both theirplanes and procedures. Air carriers of liveanimals would have been required to

Submit detailed reports about eachincident involving the loss, injury, deathor mishandling of an animal.

• Ensure crew members are alerted thatthe aircraft is carrying animals, andinstitute a training program.

Submit information about each flightcarrying animals to the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture at least 24hours in advance.

Publish information on risks associatedwith air travel for animals, conditionsunder which animals are transported, thecarrier's safety record, and plans forhandling animals before and after theactual flight and during flight delays.

Make structural modifications to aircraftwhich include installation of positiveairflow and heating/cooling systems.

If this became law, only planes andcompanies conforming to these rules couldlegally transport animals in a cargo or baggagecompartment after December 31, 2000.

S.B. 1193 and S.B. 82 would haveamended Title 7 of the U.S. Code (AnimalWelfare Act) and Title 49 (regulation of aircarriers). While "animals" in the context of theAWA includes only warm-blooded animals, thisterm is not defined for purposes of Title 49,Chapter 417. Therefore, all animals could besubject to these provisions, including birds,reptiles, amphibians, and even fish. The mostlikely outcome, if these provisions became law,would be that most airlines would simply refuseto transport "animals" (including fish). Thoseairlines who made costly changes to their planesand operations would likely charge hefty fees inorder to recover their costs (fees that would bepassed to the shipper and, ultimately, to you).

Now, I'm not advocating animal abuse.I don't want to see Fido and Fluffy frozen orasphyxiated in an airless cargo hold. On theother hand, common sense should tell politiciansand animal advocates that fish are transported intheir own "environment." They are not subject toasphyxiation as a result of conditions in a cargohold. As a result, fish should be exempted froma law governing conditions of air transport.

Can't our politicians see the differencebetween fish and warm blooded animals in thiscase? Then again, what do you expect from aprofession whose leaders can't agree on adefinition of sexual activity or drug use? Can'tright minded hobbyists and animal rights activistscome to a reasoned meeting of the minds?

The good news is that the Lautenbergamendment was not adopted, and that the FAAReauthorization Bill is dead for this year. Thebad news is we may see it, or a similar bill, nextyear. It is very likely that a bill calling for astudy will be introduced next year. If a study isagreed upon, hearings and a period for publiccomment will likely follow. If that happens, it'sup to aquarists to make our views, and the logicalreasons for those views, known.


G.C.A.S. HAPPENINGSLast Month's Bowl Show winners:

1) Claudia Dickinson - Pseudotropheus demasoni2) Tom Miglio - Red Guppy (male)3) Jeff George - Pseudotropheus saulosi

The standings to date are:Sept '99 — June '200Q Bowl Show Season:

1) Tom Miglio - 19 points ;;;: ; ; :^:^^:<.:,:.^...2) Claudia Dickinson &:ff6mis ^ xx3) (tie) Carl^tti Befager an4 Jeff Ge|||e -ln|ointi iji;

Let's welcomelflie following bfend new GCAS members:Bernard CS|ipbeil[ Kin Tung Ha Richard Levy

and the foJjSwing reii^wals: ^g*&Sharkowitz Evan Rosenthal .̂ ill̂ O1'

J^Svember's O&or Prize: African Cichlids L Cichlidswas won by Al Grusell ...^W

Deceiil&'s Door Prize will be:

(by Horst Link & Wolfgang...^W^'./.<-V^yw &i!9

AquariuiB ft v Bfc Paul V. Loiselle, Tetra Pre|||*;|l

Here aremeeting times and locations of aquarium societies til the Metropolitan New

AQUARIUM|OpiatY

N||iij||eeting : January 5 f^^^^^i^ •HoiicJiay Party and A^vpls Bancjuet ||::iRe§|if||ion requii:0; - sigttyp tonight ! 1|8P1VI : Que|ias jSSlanical piarden |

. comT e l e p e : 18)8-7190

mai :

Melts:montl;;at the Que^Os Botanical GardenContacts ̂ Mf Georp!|;||eneTelephone:

Long Island AqMgriun1 Society

Meets: 8:00 P.M. -'"1^^H|̂month at Holtsville Park and Zoo,Buckley Rd. Holtsville, NY 11801Contact: Mr. Vinny KreylingTelephone: (516) 938-4066

North Jersey Aquarium Society

Meets: 8PM - 3rd Thursday of the month atthe American Legion Hall, Nutley, NJ (exit151 Garden State Pkwy., near Rt. 3)Contact: NJAS Hotline at (201) 332-4415or e-mail: [email protected]

Broc Aquarium Society

ber 10Party and

Hall, N.Y.

: BAS Events Hoge: (718) 837-4411̂ ;

Queens;.JS|aii:ieal:::Ciarcli;

Nassau County Aquarium Society

Tuesday of eachM. Grouse Post 3211

V.F.W., Rte. 107, Hicksville, NYContact: Mr. Ken SmithTelephone: (516) 589-0913

Norwalk Aquarium Society

Meets: 8:00 P.M. - 3rd Thursday of eachmonth at the Nature Center forEnvironmental Activities, Westport, CTContact: Mrs. Anne Stone BroadmeyerTelephone: (203) 834-2253

Viodern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 1999

modern aquarium

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