THE

SPLASH THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC.

POLKADOT STINGRAY (FEMALE)

In this Issue:

Eretmodus cyanostictus...Say what? Plus

The Thrill of Competition

April Board Meeting – Andrew Camoes Freshwater Stingrays

April/May 2001

MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY SOCIETY OFFICERS President: Dwight Lehman (414) 332-3735 Vice President: Ken King (262) 284-2684 Secretary: Heather Hertziger (414) 875-7831 Treasurer: Jerry Michels (414) 353-5370 Sgt. At Arms: Virginia Lehman (414) 332-3735 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairperson: Ray Gettler (262) 662-5591 Splash Editor: Naomi Gettler (262) 662-5591 Board Members: Bonnie King (262) 284-2684 Joe Martin (262) 252-3148 Ron Revolinski (414) 353-7680 Bob Suchocki (262) 246-8739 Past President: Ray Gettler (262) 662-5591 THE SPLASH STAFF Editor: Naomi Gettler (262) 662-5591 Exchange Editor: Ralph Bahrke (262) 377-6546 Technical Editor Joe Martin (262) 252-3148 Publisher: Judy Martin (262) 252-3148 COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS Breeders Award Program (BAP): Kevin Korotev (414) 332-9785 Tom Wojtech (414) 527-0399 Librarian: Bob Suchocki (262) 246-8739 Participation Awards (PAP): Bonnie King (262) 284-2684 Program Committee: Dwight Lehman (414) 332-3735 Ray Gettler (262) 662-5591 Membership: Judy Martin (262) 252-3148 Bowl Show: Ken King (262) 284-2684 VISIT US AT OUR WEB SITE AT: www.fishclubs.com/WI/MAS

PRESIDENT’S PAGE

From the desk of the President: Many thanks to Tom Wojtech and Kevin Korotev, who spoke at our February meeting on the Breeder’s Award Program. And thanks to Mike Hoffer, who spoke in March on non-fish tank in-habitants. Even though a couple of the ladies present were squirmish about the snake, it was an informative evening for all. Get out your calendars out and start marking down dates. We have planned activities galore. Next up is the Spring Auction on April 22. Then we have the fish collecting trip on June 16 with a cookout at the Gettlers afterwards. The MAS Picnic is on July 29 at Jacobus Park. Our Speaker Workshop is on September 15 with the Fall Auction the following day. On October 20, we will be going to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago with the club supply-ing the bus. And, of course the Christmas Party on December 9. These activities are in addition to our regular monthly meetings. There are activities for one and all. We hope that you will be able to participate in as many of these activities as possible. This is your club and this is where all the hard work at the auc-tions pays off. The club covers many of the expenses of these activities so come and enjoy the fruits of our labors. These ac-tivities have always been a good time. Ray Gettler has done a wonderful job of getting speakers for our meetings and workshops. If there are any speakers or topics that you would like to see covered, talk to Ray. We have had sporadic participation in our bowl shows. Do you know that you get PAP points for entering the shows and even more points for 1st, 2nd or 3rd place? Just something to think about.

Dwight Lehman President, MAS

MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC

APRIL MEETING PUBLIC WELCOME

ANDREW CAMOES FRESHWATER STINGRAYS

FRIDAY, APRIL 27, 2001 7:30 P.M.

(No Admission Charge)

ST. PETER IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH 7801 W. ACACIA – MILWAUKEE

MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC. 1955-2001

General Club Information & Assistance: (262) 662-5591

2001 MAS BOWL SHOW SCHEDULE

April A. Platys B. Gouramis C: Stuffed Fish smaller than 12 inches D: Youth Entry in above categories May A. Angels B. Mother’s Day Fish (your best looking female) C. Killies D. Youth Entry in above categories D = Youth 2 to 14 years old, any fish in categories A, B or C

“DID YOU KNOW???” A LITTLE GOSSIP, NEWS, ETC. ABOUT OUR CLUB MEMBERS

THAT’S NOT NECESSARILY FISH-RELATED.

Did you know that Woody Tews will be celebrating his 76th birth-day on May 27th? Woody is also proud of the fact that he has been blessed with two more great grandchildren, for a total of three. Also celebrating birthday in April is Tom Wojtech, one of the ‘49 gang. A trivia question for you: do you know who the other two members of that gang are? Did you know that J.R. Gettler caught the garter at Joe and Judy Martin’s daughter’s wedding? Ask him about the girl who caught the bouquet, and why he turned so red. Congratulations again to the newlyweds, Jan and Jeff Rasch. Also in attendance at the wedding was that wild and crazy guy, Doug. He even was wearing a three piece suit. Did you know that Doug keeps appearing at all sorts of events like board meet-ings, general meetings and now a wedding. I wonder if he’ll be at the ACA in July? Be sure to ask Jerry Michels and Bonnie King what Doug has been up to lately. Don’t forget about our t-shirt design contest. The deadline to en-ter your original design is the April general meeting. The entries will be voted on that night and the winning design will be proudly displayed on our new t-shirt, which will be available this summer. There will also be a sign up sheet at the April general meeting to visit the Shed Aquarium, which will be on Saturday, October 20th. There are a limited amount of seats available on the bus, which is provided by the club. “Dwight Lehman, do you know where your briefcase is?” Until next time,

Naomi

BAP SPAWNS 2001 Date Member Species NEW POINTS

FEBRUARY Cram, Dan Neolamprologus gracilis 5 10 FEBRUARY Cram, Dan Corydoras aeneus albino 10 FEBRUARY Cram, Dan Placidochromis electra 5 10 FEBRUARY Cram, Dan Haplochromis sp. "Salmon Hippo

Point" 5 10

FEBRUARY Curran, Ed Corydoras julii 5 20

MARCH Evans, Mark Hypselecara temporalis 15

MARCH King, Ken Limia perugiae 5

FEBRUARY Korotev, Kevin Nothobranchius guentheri 10 FEBRUARY Korotev, Kevin Apistogramma cacatuoides 10 MARCH Korotev, Kevin Thysochromis ansorgii 5 MARCH Korotev, Kevin Badis badis 10

MARCH Martin, Joe & Judy Haplochromis ishmaeli 10 MARCH Martin, Joe & Judy Haplochromis sp. "Green Bloyetti" 10 MARCH Martin, Joe & Judy Haplochromis sp. "Porthole" 10

FEBRUARY Michels, Jerry & Jeff Limia perugiae 5 MARCH Michels, Jerry & Jeff Apistogramm cacatuoides 10 MARCH Michels, Jerry & Jeff Pseudotropheus sp. "Pompo Rock" 5 10 MARCH Michels, Jerry & Jeff Eretmodus cyanostictus 5 20

MARCH Nemeth, Rick Copadichromis sp. "Virginalis" gold 5 10

MARCH Nourse, Robert Neolamprologus leleupi 10

FEBRUARY Randell, Ed Haplochromis "Ruby Green" albino 10 FEBRUARY Randell, Ed Metriaclima barlowi 10

MARCH Resul, Ismail Labidochromis sp. "Lundo zebra" 10

MARCH Tankersley, Terry Labeotropheus fuelleborni 10 MARCH Tankersley, Terry Pseudotropheus demasoni 10 MARCH Tankersley, Terry Metriaclima barlowi 10 MARCH Tankersley, Terry Poecilia reticulata 5

FEBRUARY Timmer, David Telmatochromis dhonti 10 FEBRUARY Timmer, David Ancistrus sp. Bristlenose 10

Wading Through the Exchanges…

By Ralph Bahrke, MAS (RBahrke@aol.com)

That’s literally what I have been doing…we have quite a stack of ex-changes (about knee high) that I have agreed to “review”. This is fairly new for me, so please be patient dear reader. Here goes… REVIEWS For you Betta enthusiasts out there, the February 2001 issue of “The Calquarium” , the publication of the Calgary Aquarium Society contains an interesting article by Earle Shim titled “ Betta Akarensis “. The author reports keeping and breeding this species that he person-ally collected on a trip to Malaysia. “The natural habitat of Betta Akarensis is small lowland streams that are coffee-colored. The water in these streams is soft, the pH as low as 4, and the temperature at 30’ C. A stress pattern consisting of ver-tical stripes is displayed by both sexes. They are relatively peaceful in the aquarium but are avid jumpers” Keep the lid on! And more on Bettas… “Betta Genetics” by Linda Olson in the “Colorado Aquarist” explains the “most exciting factors in breeding Bettas is the broad spectrum of genetic possibilities”. By the use of diagrams Linda proceeds to de-tail dominant/recessive traits (i.e. doubletail vs. singletail) and the color of Betta iridescence. The simple progressions are used to pre-dict spawning outcomes. And now for something completely different…Ever want to raise dwarf frogs? Check out Darrell Clendinnen’s article “Dwarf African Aquatic Frogs” in the Vol I, Iss 2 of the “Colorado Aquarist”. He describes his adventures breed-ing these engaging amphibians and raising the tadpoles. In the same issue, Keith Langley’s article “ Aquatic Triage, Practical

Fish Medication in a Large-scale Environment” details his practical ex-periences with a variety of fish species, common symtoms, and suc-cessful treatments he has used. Well worth reading. It’s not too soon to start planning a summer vacation…the February 2001 issue of “All Cichlids” from the Michigan Cichlid Association has a great suggestion from Jan Benes. In “Great Lakes Aquarium – Duluth, Minnesota”, Jan details her trip to this largest of freshwater aquariums. Jan explains “there are over 1 170,000 gallons of exhibits, featuring over 70 species of freshwater fish, as well as birds, river otters, and other animals found in and around Lake Superior”. She goes on that “there are 5 habitat exhibits and 49 other aquariums, including African cichlids and 30 interactive displays…a wave tank, a Lamprey Touch Tank ( cool ), and a hands-on display for the kids where they can raise and lower locks and sail small boats and ships through all five Great Lakes on the Great Lakes Water Table. Sounds like a very interesting place to visit! REPRINTS Kevin Korotev’s definitive and entertaining article on “Hypancistrus Ze-bra” was reprinted in its entirety with the addition of several photos of this delightful pleco in “Tropic Tank Talk” February 2001 of the Greater Detroit Aquarium Society. Kevin’s article on “lories” (i.e. plecos) entitled “It Started With Wal-green’s ‘After Christmas Sale’” was reprinted in the Sep/Oct 2000 issue of the “Bravos Valley Newsletter” of Bryan, Texas. REVIEWED MAS ARTICLES Tom Wojtech’s article on “Contaminants” was favorably mentioned in the Nov/Dec 2000 issue of the “Brazos Valley Aquarium Society News-letter”. Kevin Korotev’s article on “Nanochromis Transvestitus” was also re-viewed in this issue. Until next time…if the are any topics you want me to watch for, please contact me.

Eretmodus cyanostictus…say what?

By Jeff Michels, MAS

Fortunately the fish is as unusual as its name, otherwise who would care!

The shallows of Lake Tanganyika are home to some very spe-

cialized fish that make for some out of the ordinary aquarium resi-dents. One of these specialized groups of fish is the goby cichlid complex. There are three genera Eretmodus, Spathodus, and Tan-ganicodus, which are then comprised of several species making up this group of “clown cichlids”.

Have you ever seen a fish that couldn’t swim? These

guys all lack a swim bladder and they sort of hop and beat their fins to move. After watching the “gobies” attempt at loco-motion for a few minutes it’s easy to see why these fish are called clowns.

I’d seen numerous goby cichlids over the past six or seven years, but had always been scared to try these peculiar dwarf cichlids. Finally, about a year ago, a local store re-ceived six wild caught adult E. cyanostictus and I purchased what I thought was a pair. I had been watching the tank care-fully for over a week and had noticed one large fish and one small fish keeping close together. This is what I assumed might be a pair.

The goby cichlids live in the extreme shallows of the lake, the surge zone, where they graze on algae growing on the rocks. In this high-energy location the fish need to be exceptionally stable so they don’t get pounded into the rocks or pulled out to deeper water by the surf. To insure that the fish “stays put” the clown cichlids have short stubby fins, a low squat build, and as mentioned before, no swim bladder. All these things insure that the fish stay low in the water and safe in the shallows. To make it easier to get at their food source, algae, their mouths are turned under, much like that of the Troupheus complex. This allows the little cichlid to eat with out having to change its angle, an otherwise impossibility in shallow water.

My two new prized possessions were placed in a bare

bottom 40 breeder that had five or six 6” long by 2” wide PVC tubes for shelter. No other fish were in the aquarium. An

Aquaclear 300 power filter and a submersible heater were the only other amenities present. Regular, let’s be real, semi-regular partial water changes were done using Milwaukee tap water. Things were left this way for about half a year and nothing was happening. The fish were being fed flake food several times daily and the occasional helping of frozen brine shrimp to help fatten them up. The “male” had a total length of 3” and the “female” was 2 ½”. Even though the two fish hadn’t killed each other, a very common thing with goby cich-lids, I wasn’t sure if I had a pair.

As if the water itself didn’t pose such a threat towards life you still have to worry about getting eaten. Very few aquatic predators, such as eels or large cichlids, come out of the lake into a few inches of water to get a snack. The birds keep these other predators away by eating them. But how do the goby cichlids deal if with livening in the bird-feeding zone? The goby cichlids have dealt with attacks from above in several different ways. To start with, the birds don’t care to eat a mouth full of spines. And these guys take advantage us this; they have one of the highest spiny counts in the cichlid world with up to 25! Not a bad way to keep a bird from trying to throw you down his throat. The color and patterning of these fish also helps to keep them alive. Down the length of their bodies they have vertical bands that help to blend the animal in with the sun spots that the con-stantly moving water make as the sun shines through. In addition to patterning the fish are pigmented with darker colors like browns, blacks, and grays. In addition to the dark and light alternating bands these cichlids come with bright blue spots on their heads, backs, and bodies. Geographic variants may have greater or fewer dots. And if neon blue spots weren’t enough many of the color varieties have fins edged in red and blue or gold. These muted colors with splashes of brilliance help to conceal the fish in with the earth tone pebbles and stones found on the edge of the lake.

Now I had a problem, my Paracyprichromis ni-gripinnis were getting picked on and needed to be moved. Where could I put them? You already know the answer. So in the two pair went with a few floating plastic plants for shel-ter. This seemed to be a good mix. The Paracyps. were much happier and the Eretmodus started coming out into sight more. But then it happened. While watching every one at feeding time and enjoying the happy mix I didn’t see the smaller goby cichlid. Great, the larger “goby” had been chas-

ing the little one, did he kill her or did she jump out. It had to be one of the two. I did a quick look at the floor, nothing, just a happy breeding colony of dust bunnies thriving on the occasional dropped flake of food. The little one wasn’t in the tubes or plants either, where’d it go? Then I noticed a fish hiding vertically near the surface behind the Aquaclear intake tube. I grabbed a net and caught the fish out, assuming it had gotten beaten up. No, it looked fine. Just on the off chance I decided to have a look in the mouth. The first thing I saw were huge red fangs where teeth should be. And then I saw the babies. There were seven of the cute little guys with adult color and partial egg sacks. These beautiful 3/8” babies were placed in a tumbler and set bubbling in a separate 10gal tank. In the wild goby cichlids form pairs that “mate for life”. The pair

bond is so strong that the fish even take turns housing the fish in their mouths, which is called bi-parental mouth brooding. This way both adults get to continue eating even when caring for the immature brood. As with most Tanganyikan mouth brooders a small number of eggs is produced, in this case 20-30, but the eggs are large. Because of the large amount of yolk the fry take several weeks longer to fully develop and digest all of their started food. Expect hungry babies when they are able to start “swimming” and begin looking for food.

The seven little babies looked great and were left to bubble. When I came down latter that night to feed every one I stopped to check on my latest spawn. They were dead! The other fry in the tank had picked at the egg sacks through the screen and killed every last goby cichlid. I learned my lesson about using small sponges on the bottoms of each tumbler. Trust me, I won’t forget again. The good news was I had a pair of Eretmodus. And since this first horror story I’ve learned the pairs spawning ritual of chase, chase, chase, and then hide. It hasn’t failed yet and I’ve happy to say I’ve now been able to raise several batches of fry each over twenty fish in size. I’ve yet to have the male hold any of the fry despite taking the juvenals out at several different ages. I wonder if the rich food, compared to algae, allows the female to hold them longer or if the male just hasn’t read the sec-tion of the book on bi-parental mouth brooding yet. I’ll have to copy that section for him.

The Thrill of Competition

By Mark Evans, MAS

When the Milwaukee Aquarium Society (M.A.S.) announced a 6-month growing contest, my first thought was “great idea”. It was September 1999, and a devoted M.A.S. member, had 200 fry of Chocolate cichlids ready to donate to the thrill of the com-petition. Hmm, “Like Chocolate for Water”, but I digress. The idea of the contest was for each competitor to buy a bag of six to seven, 1-inch Chocolate cichlids for the outrageous price of two dollars. Once again, membership pays! The antici-pated climatic end to the growing contest would be in March of 2000 (6-months later), with prizes awarded to the top three larg-est fish. Now I agree with you, it sounds easy to grow large fish, “you just feed them, right”? Well, that is what I thought too, silly me. I went at this contest with a most devilish plan of feeding 3, 4, 5, 6, oh you get the idea, as many times a day as I could re-member too. They received a few compatible playmates to share their 65-gallon home, (which I was hoping they would out-grow in 6-months) and the most generous food in all the land (ER, my basement), to make them grow, grow, grow. The con-testants were all given a growing and feeding form to keep sim-ple records, with which to track our, a…the chocolates pro-gress. The chocolates became quite good subjects, with little to no bickering amongst themselves or their tank-mates. They were over fed with spirulina pellets and frozen brine mainly, with shrimp pellets, flake, and freeze dried added for the sake of a rounded body, er…diet. This I was sure, would propel me into the owner of the largest chocolate cichlid this side of the county. As time went by, I figured they looked okay and then the big day came. It was the night of the March 2000 meeting and with my two-gallon tank tucked under my arm, I headed for the car and my walk down “Limpet” lane. A side note needs to be inserted here amongst this gibberish, with an actual lesson in the transporting

of fish. “Don’t use a tank”. For you see, I had put previously stated two-gallon on the floor of my car in the backseat. This is not a good thing! Here, let me say this again, “don’t use a glass tank on the floor of your car, behind the backseat of a average person (and there are a lot of average people). The reason for this, was the fact of when I arrived at the M.A.S. meeting and reached into the backseat for my most prized chocolate, I noticed the water level had dropped about two inches. I was aghast, what could it be? Of course you’re already ahead of me, but I’ll tell you anyway. I had put a two-inch crack running down the top edge of the tank when I had pushed my average body into my average car and pushed my average seat back, for the ride into town. I dodged a major bullet and learned a most valuable lesson. Well luckily, we made it okay, and as I laid my very heavy fish upon the judging table, my eyes set upon the biggest Chocolate cichlid I had ever seen. He was like 6 feet, or maybe inches long, but how could this be? I fed like crazy and I changed water, like I owned the lake. I was to receive second place, and let me tell you, it was the most exasperating fish thing I have ever done and I can’t wait for another growing contest, hint, hint. When it was all over and we were back home I slowed down the feeding program and at 12 months I had the first spawn. Of course, this one didn’t work out and I waited until the 14th month for the spawn that instigated this writing. But it was the thrill of the competition that will keep the Chocolate cichlid at the top of my average (fish) memories.

EDITOR’S NOTE This month’s issue has three new contributors of articles. Many thanks to them and to the author’s of a few articles that I didn’t have room to publish. It’s nice to see Tom Wojtech and Kevin Korotev get a little competition. I am hoping that more of the participants in the Breeder’s Award Program will spawn those 15 and 20 point fish, so I can have even more articles to publish in the future. So keep on spawning those hard to do fish, along with the easy ones. It’s also interesting to read about guppies, angel fish, etc. You will notice that Ralph Bahrke is now our exchange editor. He seems to enjoy “wading” through the exchanges, and I am sure will have more information for us in the next issue. Naomi

MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC. T-SHIRT DESIGN CONTEST

ENTRIES ACCEPTED AT

THE APRIL GENERAL MEETING VOTING ON THE DESIGN AT

THE APRIL GENERAL MEETING

NEW T-SHIRTS WILL BE AVAILABLE THIS SUMMER!! WATCH FOR MORE DETAILS

A Peaceful Fish From Lake Malawi

By Rick Nemeth, MAS

Yes, a peaceful fish, copadichromis sp. Virginalis Gold, and what a gem this fish is. Virginalis Gold has been found only in Nkanda in the northernmost part of Lake Malawi on the Tanzanian shore. The Gold's were first seen in 1994. We saw the first photographs in 1995 and 1996. This fish really caught my eye. Virginalis Gold are found at a depth of 36 meters and deeper. They are not much bigger than 7-cm to 9-cm total lengths. The body of this small utaka is laterally compressed and relatively deep. The tail and the caudal are considerably smaller than that of a similarly colored species found in the southern part of the lake and with which it has been confused, the Copadichromis sp. Virginalis Kajose or Gome Virginalis. The latter species can attain a total length of about 18-cm and is found in much shallower water than the deeper Virginalis Gold. The coloration of ripe males resembles that of male Au-lonocara Maylandi. The entire body is dark brown to jet-black, from the tip of the snout to the upper edge of the tail, running along the dorsal part of the body, there is a brilliant golden yel-low band. Excited males exhibit black bars superimposed on the dark body. The anal fin, which is a very dark color, is adorned with 5 to 7 egg-spots, which are arranged like a string of golden pearls on the edge of the fin. The females are a gor-geous silver color with a black dorsal fin. Many other colors can be seen in the female when the light shines on them. Males, females, and babies are all beautiful to look at. Because of the depth that these fish come from, I have

reduced the light over the tank. I used a 40-gallon breeder tank. I used fine black gravel and placed a few stones in the tank, forming caves, which are frequently used, as shelter by males as well as females. In the aquarium, males construct small spawning pits, often using the cover of a cave created by rocks. The spawning crater is not perfectly round and normally includes part of the stones, which give it protection. As far as I was able to conclude from my observations of the spawning, which took place mostly inside the cave, the eggs are taken up immediately by the female and therefore probably fertilized inside her mouth. A 5-cm to 6-cm female released only 6 to 10 fry so far. That's apparently why these fish are so expen-sive, unlike Lake Victoria's Cichlid that has larger numbers of fry. Virginalis Gold is a problem free aquarium fish that exhibits a very peaceful behavior. I keep several males together in a rela-tively small tank (40-gallon breeder) and although some of them exhibited breeding coloration simultaneously, no serious problems arose. Juveniles are kept together with the adult breeding group and no harm was done to them. Virginalis Gold have taught me that they are not bold enough to stand up against most other ag-gressive species. Keep them with your Rainbows and Discus or in a planted tank of Rasboras and Neons or other small fish. Get a

Board Meeting February 2, 2001 Present – Bonnie and Ken King, Ron and Ingrid Revolinski, Joe and Judy Martin, Dwight and Virginia Lehman, Naomi Gettler, Jerry Michels and Heather Hertziger. Absent – Bob Suchocki Nominations were taken for the Chairman of the Board Position. Virginia nominated Ray Gettler, Dwight seconded the nomination. Ray was elected Chairman of the Board. Treasurer’s Report- We have $1988.73 in the treasury $84.53 belongs to the library. The January mini auction had 29 bags and brought in $78 dollars. PAP- Bonnie will be scheduling a meeting to revamp the PAP guidelines. Further information will be announced at the general meetings. Membership – As of now we have 30 paid members, 13 lifetime members, and 6 honorary members. Bowl show – The categories for February are: Rainbowfish, Valentine’s day fish (Red or Pink), Stuffed fish 12” or bigger The categories for March are: Goldfish/Koi, St. Patrick’s day fish (Green) A photo of your best fish 8” or bigger Ken will have the bowl show rules and copies of the schedule available at the meetings. The quarterly participation drawing will be at the March meet-ing. Speakers – February will be a Breeders Forum hosted by our own Kevin Korotev and Tom Wojtech. Our speaker for March will be Mike Hoffer who will talk about anything but fish that you can keep in an aquarium. Speaker Workshop – Ken King will be chairing this year’s Speaker Work-shop. FAAS – Big changes are coming up, Ken will keep us informed. Splash – Deadline for articles is tonight. We are looking for a new exchange editor, please see Naomi if you are interested. The club will be sending let-ters to those clubs we send our newsletter to that do not exchange with us. We will be cutting down our exchange list to only those clubs that either re-spond to the letter and let us know they wish to continue or they have al-ready been exchanging publications with us. BAP – Tom Wojtech and Kevin Korotev have expressed an interest in taking over the BAP from Dan Cram.

Spring Auction – The Spring Auction will be held at Burnham Bowl on April 22. There will be bags, consignment sheets, and a fish bagging demonstration at the March meeting. Christmas Party – The Christmas party will be held at the Mitchell Park pavilion December 9th at 12 noon. There will be a planning meeting in the fall. The Picnic will be July 29th at Jacobus Park. The club is still looking for a store liaison, if you are interested please see any board member for details. FAAS – FAAS is taking nominations for its board of directors. If you are inter-ested in a position with FAAS please see Ken. Treasurer’s Report – We have $1733.73 in the treasury and $84.53 in the li-brary fund. One new member signed up today. PAP – The book will be at the March meeting, if you want more funny money for the Christmas Party start volunteering now for points. Speakers – Tonight will be a Breeders Forum hosted by our own Kevin Korotev and Tom Wojtech. Our speaker for March will be Mike Hoffer who will talk about anything but fish that you can keep in an aquarium. Library – The new book on Fish Health by Terry Fairfield is entered and ready to be checked out. Splash – The next deadline is the March general meeting. BAP – Tom Wojtech and Kevin Korotev will be taking over the BAP from Dan Cram. Just a reminder that all class B and C fish must be accompanied by a report or they won’t be accepted. Thanks Dan for doing an excellent job. Spring Auction – The Spring Auction will be held at Burnham Bowl on April 22. There will be bags, consignment sheets, and a fish bagging demonstration at the March meeting. Exchange Editor – David Mentjes needs to step down so the position of ex-change editor is open. If you are interested in taking over please see Naomi Gettler for details. Constitution – The changes to the constitution were read and voted on. All changes passed. Shedd Trip – The Shedd trip will be October 20th. More details will be an-nounced later. T-shirts – The deadline for designs for the T-shirt contest is the March general

meeting. The designs will be voted on at the April meeting. Christmas Party – The Christmas party will be held at the Mitchell Park pavilion December 9th at 12 noon. There will be a planning meeting in the fall. The Picnic will be July 29th at Jacobus Park. The next board meeting will be Saturday, March 3rd at 5pm. The club is still looking for a store liaison, if you are interested in the position please see any board member for details. The weekend after the Spring Auction the American Livebearer Association will be having it’s convention in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Board Meeting – March 3, 2001 Present – Ray, Naomi, and JR Gettler, Bob Suchocki, Virginia and Dwight Leh-man, Bonnie and Ken King, Ron and Ingrid Revolinski, Joe and Judy Martin, and Heather Hertziger. Absent – Jerry Michels Treasurer’s Report – No report Membership – No report PAP – No report Bowl Show – The categories for March are: Goldfish/Koi, St. Patrick’s Day fish (Green), A photo of your best 8” or larger fish The categories for April are: Platies, Gouramis, Stuffed fish 12” or smaller. The quarterly drawing will be held in March. Splash – The deadline for the next issue is the April Board meeting. Ralph Bahrke is the new exchange editor. Thank you Ralph and Good Luck. Speakers – The March speaker will be Mike Hoffer talking about aquarium in-habitants other than fish. The April speaker will be Andrew Camoes talking about freshwater stingrays. Library – Bob would like to get the library cataloged. A date may be set to cata-logue the library sometime this spring. FAAS – The Fall auction and Speaker Workshop have been published in the FAAS newsletter. The club is still looking for a store liaison, see a board member if you are inter-ested.

Spring Auction – We will have heaters, driftwood, and rocks brought in to sell at the hard goods table. Bags will be for sale at the March meeting. Fish Collecting Trip – The Fish collecting trip will be held June 16th to coincide with Maxwell street days. Picnic – The club picnic will be July 29th at Jacobus Park. Fall Speaker Workshop – The date for the Fall workshop will be September 15th, a meeting will be held in June to plan it. The fall auction will be September 16th. The Christmas party will be December 9th at the Mitchell Park pavilion. Shedd Trip – Prices of a bus rental were discussed. Virginia motioned to re-serve a bus from A to Z, Joe seconded the motion. The motion passed, Dwight will be reserving a bus from A to Z. The prices for admission into the Shedd are $15 for ages 12 and up, $18 for the audio tour, and $11 for those over 65 and under 11. Naomi motioned to adjourn the meeting, Virginia seconded the motion. The motion passed and the meeting adjourned at 6:40. General Meeting – March 23, 2001 Treasurer’s report - There is $2100.88 in the treasury with $84.53 in the library fund. Membership – We currently have 46 paid members, 5 honorary members, and 13 lifetime members. Bowl Show – The categories for tonight are: Platies, Gouramis, Stuffed fish 12” or smaller FAAS – Ken will be putting issues of the FAAS newsletter in the library for members to view. Splash – Tonight is the deadline for articles. If you didn’t bring your article to the meeting you can email it to Naomi, see her for details. Spring Auction – The Auction will be April 22 at Burnham Bowl. We can get into the hall at 9am so please come early to help unload the truck. Naomi has con-signment sheets and labels and Joe is selling bags. Please remember to dou-ble bag your fish. Picnic – The picnic will be July 29th at Jacobus Park. Fish Collecting – The fish collecting trip will be June 16th.

Speakers – Tonight’s speaker will be Mike Hoffer with anything but fish that you can keep in an aquarium. The speaker for April will be Andrew Camoes on Freshwater Stingrays. And Charlie Grimes will be the speaker for September. Speaker Workshop – The workshop will be September 15th and the auction on the 16th. The workshop will be catered again this year. Lee Finley has been confirmed as one of the speakers. Christmas party – The party will be December 9th this year at the Mitchell Park Pavilion. Shedd Trip – The date for the trip has been set for October 20th. More details will follow. Constitution – Revised copies of the Constitution are on the back table. Raffle – Tonight’s raffle prizes are a $25 gift certificate, a Lee Brand tank si-phon, a power filter, and several goodie bags. T-shirts – The deadline has been extended to the April general meeting, be sure to come up with some great ideas. BAP – There were 14 spawns reported this month. Next month Tom wants 30 spawns so come on breeders, lets not disappoint him. The first quarter drawing is tonight. A big Thank You goes out to Mike Hoffer for tonight’s informative presentation on aquarium inhabitants other than fish. And an even bigger Thank You goes to Mike for taking us to his new building afterward. The new store is going to be great Mike! Thanks for the sneak peak!

THE MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC.

Presents a

TROPICAL FISH AUCTION

SUNDAY, APRIL 22ND, 2001 BURNHAM BOWL

6016 W. BURNHAM MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN

Doors open for viewing at 10:30 a.m. Consignment of fish and aquatic plants taken from

members and the general public New aquariums and equipment will be available

THE AUCTION BEGINS AT 12:00 NOON

ADMISSION IS FREE!

For additional Auction information contact:

Naomi Gettler (414) 662-5591 www.fishclubs.com/WI/MAS

MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY

1955-2001

The Milwaukee Aquarium Society is a non-profit organization promoting tropical fish keeping.

MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC.AUCTION RULES

AUCTION REGISTRATION BEGINS AT 10:00 A.M. VIEWING BEGINS AT 10:30 A.M. AUCTION STARTS PROMPTLY AT 12:00 NOON. 1. MEMBERSHIP IN AN AQUARIUM SOCIETY IS NOT REQUIRED TO BUY OR SELL FISH. 2. LABELS SUPPLIED BY MAS MUST BE USED. The following information is required to appear on each bag: SELLER #, BAG #, QUANTITY OF FISH IN BAG & DESCRIPTION. 3. PROPER BAGGING IS REQUIRED. No Zip lock bags or baggies allowed. MAS will charge the seller a fee of $1.00 for any fish that needs rebagging. 4. ALL FISH MUST BE OF SELLABLE SIZE. Minimum size of 1 inch except in the case of dwarf species. 5. AUCTION SPLIT:( Selling price - $1.00) X 80% = Consignor�s share.

($11.00-$1.00)x80%=$8.00 6. FOR EACH (4) ITEMS REGISTERED YOU WILL RECEIVE (4) DIFFERENT COLORED TAGS. Prior to auction MAS will draw order of colors to be auctioned. 7. MAXIMUM OF 4 BAGS PER SPECIES (A SPECIES INCLUDES ALL COLOR MORPHS). MAXIMUM OF 50 BAGS PER HOUSEHOLD. 8. ALL UNCLAIMED ITEMS BECOME THE PROPERTY OF MAS. 9. ITEMS CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM THE AUCTION AFTER REGISTRATION. 10. NO PERSONAL SALES OR TRADES OF ANY KIND WILL BE ALLOWED ON THE AUCTION PREMISES WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL OF THE AUCTION CHAIRPERSON. 11. ALL RULES WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED. THOSE ITEMS NOT ADHERING TO THE RULES WILL BE REJECTED. THE AUCTION CHAIRPERSON OR DESIGNATED PERSONS HAVE SOLE AUTHORITY OVER THE INTERPRETATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF ALL RULES. EACH ITEM WILL BE SOLD TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER. THE AUCTIONEER WILL SETTLE ANY DISPUTES AS TO THE BIDS AND HIS DECISION ON SUCH MATTERS WILL BE FINAL. 12. ALL PERSONS ATTENDING THIS AUCTION DO SO AT THEIR OWN RISK. NEITHER MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC., ITS OFFICERS, AND MEMBERS OR ANY PERSONS CONNECTED WITH THIS SALE, ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY LOSS, DAMAGE OR INJURY OR ASSUME LIABILITY LEGAL OR OTHERWISE IN ATTENDING THIS SALE.

PISCES PAGE

6767676767 For Sale – Want – Trade – Give away

20 Gallon High Tank, Heater & Sponge Filter: $20.00

10 Gallon Tank, Top, Heater & Sponge Filter: $15.00

Contact Ray Gettler (262)662-5591 E-mail fishfam@core.com Lake Tanganyiika Neolamp leleupi 1 1/2” - 2 1/4” S $ 3.00/ea F1 Altolamprologus black calvus 1” S $ 5.00/ea F1 Opthalmotilapia ventralis Large pair S $50.00/pr Lake Malawi F1 Sciaenochromis Ahli 1 1/2” - 2” S $ 2.50/ea F2 Labidochromis caeruleus 1” S $ 2.50/ea F1 Aulonocara sp. Flame tail Show Pair S $60.00/pr F1 Aulonocara sp. Red top Lwanda Show Pair S $60.00/pr Cyotocara moori 3” - 4” S $10.00/ea F1 Copadichromis sp. Virginalis gold 1” S $12.00/ea “New Fish” Sale 10 for $100.00 Lake Victoria F1 Haplochromis sp. Nyerei 1” S $4.00/ea Will Deliver Chicago Cichlid Classic (cont’d on next page)

(cont’d from previous page) Female Leopard Geckos 1 yr 10 mos. Old S $40.00/ea Reptile Bi-light System and 10 Gal Cage S $50.00 Reptile Bi-light System and 20 Gal High Cage S $70.00 Contact Rick Nemeth (414) 481-1014 To submit a request for an upcoming issue, please send de-sired information to:

Naomi Gettler, S74 W25825 Hi Lo Drive

Waukesha, WI 53189 Or e-mail at

fishfam@core.com Deadline is the last Friday of odd-numbered months. Although anyone may purchase from the Pisces market, you must be a member to have an ad posted

AQUA EXHIBITS

HUGE SELECTION OF FRESH & SALTWATER FISH OPEN DAILY 10 - 6

SUN. 12-5

4000 GALLON SHARK DISPLAY!

1335 N. 3RD (KING DR.) (414) 224-0486

DOWNTOWN 1 1\2 BLOCKS NORTH OF THE BRADLEY CENTER

UPCOMING EVENTS April 22nd: MAS Spring Auction 12:00 Noon – Burnham Bowl Contact Naomi Gettler (262) 662-5591 April 27th: MAS General Meeting Speaker TBA St. Peter Immanuel 7:30 p.m. May 5th: Board Meeting 5:00 p.m. Contact Virginia Lehman May 18th: MAS General Meeting Speaker TBA St. Peter Immanuel 7:30 p.m. May 25th – 27th: Cichlid Classic 2001 Wyndham Northwest Contact Del Calhoun (847) 428-0768 June 2nd: Board Meeting 5:00 p.m. Contact Bonnie King June 16th: Fish Collecting Trip Contact Ray or Naomi Gettler (262) 662-5591 June 22nd: MAS Board Meeting Speaker TBA St. Peter Immanuel 7:30 p.m. July 12th – 15th: 2001 Cichlid Odyssey Parsippany, NJ (877) 903-NJAS www.aca.2001.com July 29th: MAS Picnic – Members Only 12:00 Noon – Jacobus Park Contact Naomi Gettler (262) 662-5591

THE SPLASH The Splash is the official publication of the Milwaukee Aquar-

ium Society, and is published six times per year under the direction of the Board of Directors. Articles are always welcome. Please submit them to the editor (Naomi Gettler) no later than the fourth Friday of odd numbered months to be included in the next issue. Articles should be sent to the editor, Naomi Gettler, S74 W25825 Hilo Drive, Waukesha, WI 53189. Or e-mail to fishfam@core.com.

We will gladly exchange our publication with all interested societies. Please mail exchanges to Ralph Bahrke, P.O. Box 250824, Milwaukee, WI 53225. Reprints of articles published in The Splash are always permitted and encouraged, provided that proper credit is given in reprinting to The Splash, author and Society. It is also requested that a copy of the issue containing the article reprinted be sent to the address above to be shared with the author. This would be in addition to any exchange copies.

Please inform the editor of any address changes in forward-ing of this publication to members or other societies.

ABOUT THE MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY

The Milwaukee Aquarium Society is an organization devoted to the hobby of tropical fish, both freshwater and saltwater. Its mem-bership consists of hobbyists gaining expertise in all phases of raising and breeding tropical fish, as well as area retailers. Our member-ship’s expertise covers a wide range, from beginners to expert breed-ers, but all members are interested in promoting the hobby and en-couraging others to join in the fun.

General meetings are held monthly, generally the fourth Fri-day of the month, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Peter Immanuel Lutheran Church, 7801 West Acacia, Milwaukee. We thank them for their hospitality. Free parking is always available, and guests are always welcome. Annual membership dues are as follows: Families: $20.00 a year; Individuals: $15.00 a year. Membership dues provide for The Splash, monthly speakers, community support, annual events, and show support. A yearly subscription to the Splash is available for $15.00 a year. New or renewal of membership dues should be sent to the treasurer: Jerry Michels. 6333 West Boehlke, Milwaukee, WI 53223

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