Modern Aquarium December 2009

December 2009volume XVInumber 10

ON THE COVER

Our cover photo this month, featuring a male Betta splendens, illustrates why the species was so named. For information on breeding these “splendid” fish, see Al Priest’s article, “Breeding Betta splendens,” on page 10. Photo by Alexander A. Priest

GREATER CITY AQUARIUM SOCIETY

Board MeMBers

President Dan RadebaughVice-President Mark SobermanTreasurer Jack TraubCorresponding Secretary Warren Feuer Recording Secretary Edward Vukich

MeMBers at Large

Claudia Dickinson Pete D’OrioArtie Friedman Al GrusellBen Haus Emma HausLeonard 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 PriestMembers/Programs Claudia DickinsonN.E.C. Delegate Claudia DickinsonTechnology Coordinator Warren Feuer

MODERN AQUARIUM

Editor in Chief Dan RadebaughCopy Editors Sharon Barnett Susan Priest Alexander A. PriestExchange Editors Stephen Sica Donna Sosna SicaAdvertising Mgr. Mark Soberman

In This IssueFrom the Editor

2G.C.A.S. 2010 Program Schedule

3 President’s Message

4G.C.A.S. Sponsors and Advertisers

5Wet Leaves

7by Susan Priest

The Twelve Days of Christmas 9(Fishkeeper Version)

by Jannette Ramirez

Breeding Betta splendens 10by Alexander A. Priest

The Bobbeh Meisseh 11by Elliot Oshins

Photos from Last Month’s Meeting 14by Alexander A. Priest

G.C.A.S. Past Award Winners 16

G.C.A.S. 2009 Awards 17

The G.C.A.S Author Award Program 18

The G.C.A.S. Breeders Award Program 21

N.J.A.S. Certificate and Letter 24

Member Classifieds 27

The Undergravel Reporter 28

G.C.A.S. Happenings 29

Fin Fun (Puzzle Page) 30

Series III Vol. XVI, No. 10 December, 2009

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)2 December 2009

From theEditor by Dan Radebaugh

Well, here we are in December, and it’s time to celebrate our award winners for this year. You will find the awards section beginning

on page 16, with a review of past honorees. This year’s winners are honored on page 17, with more competition details on the following pages.

The Bowl Show championship this year was hotly contested, with a very thin margin of victory, whereas the Breeders Award competition proved to be pretty much a runaway. All participants and winners deserve our congratulations. We all know that it takes a lot of work and attention to be consistently successful in this hobby. You don’t win awards like these by running on auto-pilot. Please take a moment to look through the detail pages to see what your friends and colleagues have been up to.

Naturally, as Editor of Modern Aquarium, I was particularly interested in the Author Award Points program and very gratified by the level of participation by our members in continuing to make our magazine one of the best aquarium society publications in the country. As we do each year, we’ll have a special raffle this evening for Modern Aquarium authors only, so Thank You and Good Luck to all our authors!

Speaking of bowl shows, one of the consistent stars at these competitions is the Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens. One of those species that transcends the hobby, virtually everyone at least knows of this spectacular-looking fish. This month it not only graces our cover, but has a starring role in Al Priest’s article on “Breeding Betta splendens.”

In this month’s installment of “Wet Leaves,” Sue Priest reviews “Theatres of Glass,” a biography of Anna Thynne, a nineteenth century naturalist and marine aquarist previously unknown to me. Books still have their uses!

Quite apart from the fascinating story of Ms Thynne, Sue’s review reminds us (or me, anyway) of the great tradition in the 18th and 19th Centuries of what we today might call “amateur” science, and how

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 2009 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

much of our current foundation of knowledge was laid down by people who often saw to their own education, didn’t depend on high technology (not that they would have scorned it!), consulted with like-minded friends, and weren’t afraid to follow their passions. Sounds a little like an aquarium society, doesn’t it?

Quite coincidentally, we have a story from Elliot Oshins that is much in this same intrepid vein. I love it when a plan comes together! And we even have a Christmas carol!

In closing, I’d like to again thank all our authors―these stories and articles don’t write themselves. We’ve had great member participation this year, and I’d like to see even more. We can all learn from one another. Remember, what you do every day might be unknown and inspiring to the rest of us.

If you do 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) December 2009 3

GCASPrograms2010

It 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!

Claudia

January Winter Break

February Winter Break

March First Meeting of 2010


Earlier, I mentioned our Board of Governors. Please take a moment and look at the contents page of Modern Aquarium. You’ll see the names of our current Board members. These folks go above and beyond to make this a better organization for all of us. We currently have a couple of openings on the Board that we’d like to fill. If you’re up for a little more involvement and responsibility, talk to me during the meeting, or contact me by phone or email. Use the contact information at the bottom of the Editor’s column of page two.

Tonight we’ll be handing out numerous awards to talented and dedicated members of GCAS for their contributions over the past year (or years). This is a great tradition, and it showcases the skills and talents of many of our members. It also shows that we as a group appreciate the knowledge and energy they are sharing with us. This is what a society is about. So if you know someone is good at something―breeding, research, speaking, whatever―but who may shy about pushing themselves forward, give them a little nudge. Invite them to participate. Sometimes all a person needs is to be asked.

Enjoy the party, and the Holidays! See you next year!

President’sMessage

by Dan Radebaugh

Last month’s speaker, former GCAS President Joe Ferdenzi, gave us a marvelous, thought-provoking review

of the history of our society, as well as that of the tropical fish hobby in general. As fascinating and informative as history is though, it also reminds us that the future is unlikely to be the same as the present. The things we love will change, as surely as the things we hate. The really annoying part is that it’s already happening. Just when we think we’re getting a handle on things, we find that the handle is not attached to what we thought it was. As the late George Allen said, the future is now.

One of the changes I’ve mentioned in previous columns is Jack Traub’s impending retirement as Treasurer. Jack has been a rock during my time with Greater City, and before my time as well. It’s hard to imagine him not being here, but it’s soon to be a fact. I had hoped to be able to announce a successor to Jack in this month’s column, but so far I have nothing to report.

This meeting marks the end of my first year as President of Greater City. I sincerely thank all of our members, our stalwart Board of Governors, and former President Joe Ferdenzi for helping me get through this year. It’s been nerve-wracking at times, but fun.

Our ongoing challenges as a society are the same as they have always been―to make it worthwhile for us all to continue to show up. For that, we mostly just need to not be shy. If we see someone we don’t know, let’s be curious. What kind of fish do they keep? What are they here to learn? What can they teach us? The only way to know is to ask.


GCASThanks You!

our generous sponsors and advertisersThe Greater City Aquarium Society extends our heartfelt thanks to the following manufacturers for their generous donations. Thanks also to our advertisers, whose contributions to our success as a Society are deeply appreciated. Please patronize our supporters.

Ecological Laboratories HBH Pet ProductsMicrobe LiftRed SeaOcean Nutrition AmericaOmega SeaSan Francisco Bay BrandZoo Med Laboratories Inc.Rolf C. Hagen

Cameo Pet Shop Coral AquariumNassau DiscusWorld Class AquariumZoo Rama Aquarium


www.northeastcouncil.org

2010 NEC CALENDAR

February

14 PVAS Auction 26-28 NEC Annual Convention March 21 NAS Benefit Auction 21 TFSRI Auction

April 18 NJAS Spring Auction October 15-17 NJAS Fall Show & Auction

The NEC does not coordinate dates for club events, but does publish a monthly calendar for your convenience. Prior to

selecting a date for your club’s next event, please check the NEC calendar for availability, and then notify the Editor of the

new date immediately at [email protected].

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) December 2009 718 December 2009 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

Theatres of Glass: The WomanWho Brought the Sea to the City

By Rebecca StottShort Books, 2003

a Series On Books For The Hobbyistby SUSAN PRIEST

Do you know what a madrepore is? I didn’tuntil I read this book. There is a drawing ofone in the two lower left “sections” of the

accompanying cover illustration. A madrepore is atype of coral. The wordmadrepore means “mother ofrock.” They are “islandbuilders,” architects of thecontinents of coral reefs whichtook billions of years to form.(That last statement is a clue tothe controversy which liesahead.)

This book is not quite a biography, isdescriptive of history without being a treatise on thesubject, and is replete with both religious andevolutionary approaches to the topic of reproduction(gasp!), which was not a topic to be discussed inpolite society of the nineteenth century. I wouldhave to describe it as an a r r a t i v e w h i c hdoesn’t lend itself tomy usual approach, soI f i n d m y s e l fscratching my head asI ask myself where tobegin.

I think that I mustfocus as concisely as Ican on our heroine.Her name is AnnaConstantia Thynne.As a very young girlshe was adopted by ana u n t , t h e r e b ybecoming the onlychild of a very wealthycouple. She grew upw i t h a c c e s s t ovoluminous librarieswi th in her ownhome(s), as well asm i c r o s c o p e s ,telescopes, and anything else, scientific orotherwise, which shemight fancy. Shemarried the ReverendLord John Thynne in

1824, one month prior to her eighteenth birthday,and she was to become the mother of ten children.

We will now fast-forward, bypassing themany formative events and relationships in her lifewhich nurtured her voracious curiosity, to the year1847. Anna had developed a thorough knowledgeof, and an intense interest in natural history. Inaddition to visiting fields and meadows, she oftentook her children on “collecting trips” to thenearby seashore. Among the rock pools theyfound many living specimens, including those ofmadrepores, the fossils of which she had in a glassdisplay case in her home. She never imagined thatthey would be soft, with blindly probing tentacles

and tiny red mouths. Whenher children asked suchquestions as “can it feel,”and “what did God make itfor,” she wasn’t sure how toanswer their queries about a“natural theology” whichgives testimony to thewonder of God’s divine

order. Was it possible to reconcile the story toldby fossil records with the story told by the Bible?(The “nauralists” of today are still asking thisquestion.)

Anna and her children took thirty of themadrepores home, along with some seawater.

T h e y w e r e“displayed in pied i shes on thedrawing room floor.”When she wanted totransport them to herhome in London, she“carefully sewedeach one onto a seasponge with a needleand thread.” Annafed her madreporescut-up shrimp. Shemoved them intoglass tanks, and diddaily water changeswith fresh seawater.When this becamecumbersome, herhousehold staff tookon the task ofaerating the “used”water by passing itback and forthbetween containersin the sunlight.Even tua l ly shediscovered that theaddition of livingseaweed to the tanks

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)8 December 2009Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2009 19

meant that she didn’t need to aerate the water asoften. By processes of trial and error, Anna notonly kept her madrepores alive, but was able toobserve their asexual reproduction.

I must utilize a few quotes at this point. “Whileothers were drying and pinning their specimens fordisplay cases, Anna’s [specimens] were alive intheir own environment.” “Marine invertebrates,with their budding and splitting, provide opportunityto determine nature’s laws of reproduction.” “It wasdifficult to maintain the supposed superiority ofmale sexual vitality when some organisms seemedto be able to dispense with males altogether.”

By the spring of 1849, Anna had established thefirst self-sustaining, balanced marine aquarium inLondon. This era was a hotbed of naturalistactivity. Dozens of luminaries were publishingaccounts of their achievements, and

many were making claims to being “first” in themarine arena, but none of their documentation canplace them before Anna Thynne and hermadrepores. Anna’s notes were published underthe title “On The Increase Of Madrepores,” in theAnnals and Magazine of Natural History in1859, which is the same year that Charles Darwinpublished On the Origin of the Species.

The story of Anna Thynne takes place in atime of enlightenment, a crossroad in history, anda scientific as well as religious environment. Mostimportantly, it is the story of remarkable womanwith immeasurable curiosity and vision who hasforever influenced our understanding of the naturalworld. Our author, Rebecca Stott, has done amuch better job of telling Anna’s tale than I haveof reviewing her book. Nevertheless, I hope I havearoused your interest in this multifaceted story.

by SUSAN PRIEST

Fifty miles, maybe one hundred; how far from New York City do you have to go before you can safelysay “Merry Christmas” to friends, neighbors and people in passing without fear of offendingsomeone? I know you can do it in Laconia, New Hampshire, as well as in Marysville, Pennsylvania.

One of our club members once told me that she was often wished a “Happy Hanukkah,” which she doesnot celebrate, but she never felt offended by it. If someone makes their best effort to wish us what theyconsider to be an appropriate greeting of the season, let’s all try to accept it in the spirit with which it isoffered, even if they miss the mark once in a while. I’m going to go out on a limb, so to speak, and sayit; “Merry Christmas!”

At last year’s GCAS party, I made a determined effort to subdue my spirit. I chose a seat off to theside, and tried to stay put. This didn’t come naturally to me. In fact, I almost didn’t come at all. I was infear of picking up a “bug” of some kind. The reason for all of this was that I was facing open heart surgerya week later. I had just resigned from my job of ten years because I was the only employee in a smalloffice. I didn’t know when or if I would be able to return, and someone else needed to be hired. I had somuch on my mind that celebrating anything was out of the question for me. I’m telling you these thingsbecause my holiday message to you goes like this; it’s never too early or too late to celebrate. OnDecember nineteenth, the day I came home from the hospital and slept in my own bed, it was Christmasat my house! So, if you’ve got some pretty good stuff going on in your life, you find yourself to be intouch with your spiritual side, and maybe you have a little dog around to make you smile, well, don’t letthe opportunity pass you by to enjoy them. But if something heavy is weighing you down, and this holidayseason just isn’t happening for you, you can always celebrate it when the time is right. If you think thattime might not come at all, then celebrate right now, today, and with gusto!!

Anyway, here I am a year later, a newer version of a not-too-old aquarist. I’ve got a lot to be thankfulfor, and a lot to celebrate, not the least of which is my association with everyone at Greater City. I wantto add a few last salutations of the season. I would like to wish one and all happiness, prosperity, and mostespecially, abundant good health in 2010. Peace on Earth, that would be a big bonus, so while we’remaking wishes we’ll wish for that, too!


The Twelve Days of Christmas(fishkeeper version)

by Jannette Ramirez

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…The largest aquarium anyone could see!

On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…Two power filters and the largest aquarium anyone could see!

On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…Three submersible heaters, two power filters and the largest aquarium anyone could see!

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…Four gallons of conditioner, three submersible heaters, two power filters and the largest aquarium anyone could see!

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…Five silver dollars! four gallons of conditioner, three submersible heaters, two power filters and the largest aquarium anyone could see!

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…Six egg-laying fishes, five silver dollars! four gallons of conditioner, three submersible heaters, two power filters and the largest aquarium anyone could see!

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…Seven schooling angels, six egg-laying fishes, five silver dollars! four gallons of conditioner, three submersible heaters, two power filters and the largest aquarium anyone could see!

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…Eight cute Madagascar fishes, seven schooling angels, six egg-laying fishes, five silver dollars! four gallons of conditioner, three submersible heaters, two power filters and the largest aquarium anyone could see!

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…Nine active leopard cories, eight cute Madagascar fishes, seven schooling angels, six egg-laying fishes, five silver dollars! Four gallons of conditioner, three submersible heaters, two power filters and the largest aquarium anyone could see!

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…Ten emperor tetras, nine active leopard cories, eight cute Madagascar fishes, seven schooling angels, six egg-laying fishes, five silver dollars! Four gallons of conditioner, three submersible heaters, two power filters and the largest aquarium anyone could see!

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…Eleven precious platys, ten emperor tetras, nine active leopard cories, eight cute Madagascar fishes, seven schooling angels, six egg-laying fishes, five silver dollars! Four gallons of conditioner, three submersible heaters, two power filters and the largest aquarium anyone could see!

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…Twelve types of dwarf \cichlids, eleven precious platys, ten emperor tetras, nine active leopard cories, eight cute Madagascar fishes, seven schooling angels, six egg-laying fishes, five silver dollars! Four gallons of conditioner, three submersible heaters, two power filters and the largest aquarium anyone could see!

10 December 2009 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2009 17

Breeding Betta splendensby ALEXANDER A. PRIEST

Many books on breeding the “SiameseFighting Fish” (Betta splendens) implyyou need only put two fish together and,

voilà, you have babies—not so, as many havelearned. This article highlights basics you need toknow for breeding bubblenesting bettas.

Nutrition: A high protein diet is important. Ifyou can get disease- and parasite-free live or frozenworms, that’s great; but any high quality floatingfood will suffice. Avoid foods whose firstingredients listed are “fish meal,” “fishby-products,” plants, or grains (wheat, rice, etc.).

Conditioning: Keep the male and femaleseparate, but able to see each other. This can beaccomplished by putting them in the same tankseparated by a glass divider, or with the female in aclear container (a hurricane lamp sleeve or jar)whose top opens above the waterline.

Aquascaping: Bare-bottom is best. The maleputs the eggs he squeezes from the female (andlater, immature fry) into the bubblenest. Substrate

makes it harder for him to find them. Plants areoptional (and beneficial), with floating plantspreferred.

Caves, driftwood, or rockwork help femaleshide from overly aggressive males.

A Styrofoam™ cup cut in half will assist malesin anchoring bubblenests.

Filtration: A sponge filter with moderateairflow will not disturb bubblenests. The spongealso hosts infusoria as first food for newly hatchedfry.

Timing: When should you release thefemale? Females who bulge slightly indicate theyhave ripe eggs. Darker colored females also showvertical body stripes as a sign of readiness. Malesshow their readiness by building bubblenests andby trying to get at the female.

Environment: I’ve always found a 2.5 or 5gallon tank to be best. Start the sponge filter in thetank where you are conditioning the adults (betteryet, use a mature sponge from another tank). Floatthe Styrofoam™ cup half on the water (or tape it tothe glass).

While some “wild” bubblenesting Bettaspecies require special water parameters (usuallysoft, acidic water), Betta splendens does fine inalmost any not-too-extreme range of waterhardness and acidity. They breed more readily inwarmer water, so try to maintain a temperature ofabout 80EF.

Monitoring: Spawning almost always resultsin torn fins and bites. If either fish appears unduly

dis t re s sed (yes ,females can and willkill males who theyf e e l a r e n o ts u f f i c i e n t l yresponsive), removethat fish. Wait until itheals before tryingagain.

A f t e r asuccessful spawning,remove the female (ifshe tries to eat theeggs, the male willattack her). Removethe male once the frya r e s w i m m i n ghorizontally.

Fry Care: Usually by their second day ofswimming, the fry have used up their yoke sacsand should be fed microworms, newly hatchedbrineshrimp, and finely ground flake food.

One spawning can produce 300-500 eggs, sobe prepared!


THE BOBBEH MEISSEH*

Story and Illustrations byElliot Oshins

In an article called “Remarkable Creatures” in The New York Times Science Section of October 20, 2009, author Sean B. Carroll

writes about the ability of fish to learn to discriminate shapes and forms. At the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, a research team led by Ulrich E. Siebeck trained damsel fish to eat from a feeding tube by attaching a variety of visual stimuli. Needless to say, I found this to be a very interesting and informative article.

And speaking of fish stories…

In the 1960s, I lived in Jackson Heights, Queens. One summer night when coming home from work, I stopped by Coral Aquarium to pick up some bloodworms for my fish. After that I stopped at Mac’s Pub, my local watering hole on 37th Avenue, for a cold one. There, as usual, was Mac, the owner, pouring the locals their usual Happy Hour fare. Mac and I had a lot in common: I would tell him stories about tropical fish, and Mac would tell me stories about his mother’s uncle Nigel, a fish and art aficionado. A man after my own heart.

Again as usual, when the place emptied out Mac poured himself a small glass of fine Port from his “private stash,” and walked down to the end of the bar where I was warming my usual barstool. I really don’t know if his stories were true or not, but at the time they seemed fascinating and informative. Since Mac was the consummate storyteller and I had no place to go, I was all ears.

Mac’s Uncle Nigel was from Cambridge, England. A professor at the university there, he was a well-known botanist and an artist who dabbled in watercolors. His specialty was landscapes of the English countryside. Uncle Nigel also had another passion. He was a lover of cats. In fact, he had six cats: two British domestic short-hairs and four Cornish Rexes.

In the small hamlet where he lived was the local pub, “The King’s Fish & Chips,” where Nigel was affectionately known as Nigel’s Fish

& Cats. Around 1896, the university sent Nigel to Africa to study, sketch, and do watercolors of the local plants. Early one scorching afternoon while traveling in the Lake Tanganyika area, Nigel decided to take a swim in a lake. There he saw different schools of fishes: blues, oranges, yellows―a brilliant array of colors. Quite an assortment, he thought. However, upon diving a little deeper, he came across a school of small, inch-and-a-half to two inch, vertically striped fish. Having never seen this kind of fish before, he became very curious and engrossed in their look and, more importantly, in their behavior. He noticed that the fish were swimming in and out of shells. At that point, Nigel decided that he would return to the lake the next day and capture a few to take back to England. So the next day, his trusty guide provided him with a few waterproof containers, and between the two of them they were able to catch at least twenty-five of the extraordinary little fish. His guide was also able to secure some of the shells that these fish called home. When the time came for the professor to leave Africa, he was able to transport at least ten fish and some shells back to England.

Upon arriving at home, he quickly set up one of his tanks for his new tenants. At that time, the professor had no idea that the fish were Neolamprologus multifaciatus (a shell dweller), and lived in empty Neothauma tanganyicense (snail) shells. What he also soon learned was that not only did the fish use these snail shells as dwellings; they also used them as spawning caves. Nigel then got this brilliant idea: he wanted to see if he could breed the fish without the shells.

Nigel visited the town pottery and asked Ian, the town potter, to make him an 8-inch by ten-inch castle. Upon its completion, Nigel gingerly took the castle home and carefully placed it in the tank (now containing his new fish but no shells). Nigel treated his guests very well. He changed the water every other day, and fed them culinary delights, such as chopped up worms. After two months of this routine, not a single baby was born. Frustrated, Nigel decided to put back the snail


shells, and after doing so nature took its course, and babies were born. His students were happy, as the professor was so ecstatic that his fish was virtually all he spoke about.

On or about July 21, 1897, castles in fish tanks became more than just a mere aquarium decoration. Story has it that several of the townspeople who saw Nigel’s fish tank fell in love with the castle and bought castles for their own homes as chachkas, even though they had no tanks. The last I heard, Uncle Nigel got married, and it turned out his wife was even more into fish and fish tanks than he was. Talk about getting lucky and hitting the jackpot!

I personally have a fifty-five gallon tank housing N. multifaciatus. The bottom of my fish tank is covered with a special fine sand that brings up the pH level, and shells for my fish to breed and live in. The fish move the sand that covers part of the shells. I put in sand, and somehow when I return a few hours later, the sand has inexplicably changed shapes. The fish are not only expert diggers, but also consummate architects of sand design. As the fish form colonies, I recommend that you feed brine shrimp to the babies, and their

adult parents will also eat the shrimp. No one ever turns away shrimp cocktail!

I have a confession to make, and I hope and pray the highest authority in the fish club will grant me dispensation. I do have a castle in my fifty-five gallon tank. The fish swim in and out of the castle, and use the shells for breeding.

Having a natural tank is fine. However, growing plants in your tank is not always easy, unless you’re the Curtin Brothers. Rocks and plants add a great deal to the design of a fish tank, and give it a natural look. I see nothing wrong with tanks that have decorations (i.e., driftwood, sunken ships, or deep sea divers). Being an artist, anything that contributes a sense of artistic design is okay by me. And as a fish hobbyist, if my fish are happy and healthy, what more can I ask? That’s all that counts. In one of my tanks I have a lighthouse with air bubbles coming out of the top. I don’t think the fish mind it. I personally think they enjoy it.

At club meetings, some members will bring in fish for the Bowl Show which they think will be winners―having brilliant colors and outstanding fins. Those fish may win either a First, Second,


or Third Place Ribbon. My hat is off to them, as this represents a great deal of work. To me though, my fish are like my Piscean family. Some are better looking than others, but who am I to discriminate?

All my tanks are a stage and the fish are the actors playing parts and putting on a show for me. Some say there’s no business like show business. I say there’s no business like fish business. So get a good seat, sit back and relax, and enjoy the greatest show on earth.

*Bobbeh Meisseh is a Yiddish term, translating roughly as “grandmother story.” Commonly pronounced “bubba myssə.”―Ed.

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)14 December 2009Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2009 17

Photos from Last Month’s MeetingPhotos and captions by Alexander A. Priest

Immediate Past GCAS President Joe Ferdenzi displays items of historical interest.

The room was packed, and everyone was paying close attention.....well, almost everyone!

Sharon Barnett (left) Just some of the AND...everyone who bought a raffle buying Raffle tickets night’s raffle items ticket also got a “goody bag”

Marsha Radebaugh (left) and Door Prize winner Denver While Ed Vukich takes Sue Priest (right) debating Lettman collects his the “Idiots” prize the merits of “Idiots” vs. “Dummies” door prize “Dummies” (the night’s two door prize books)

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) December 2009 15Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2009 17

1st Place:Mario Bengcion

2nd Place:Robert Hamje

3rd Place:Richard Waizman

First comes the careful examination Then, the items Finally: Sold to the of everything on the auction table go up for bid highest bidder!

A hotly contested final Bowl Show of the GCAS 2009 meeting year!and, the winners were:

16 December 2009 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)10 December 2007 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

GCAS Past Award WinnersJOSEPH FERDENZI ROLL OF HONORGene BaioccoJoe BugeiaMary Ann BugeiaDan Carson

Claudia DickinsonCharles ElzerJoe FerdenziWarren Feuer

Herb FogalPaul HahnelBen HausEmma Haus

Jack OlivaAl PriestSusan PriestHerman Rabenau

Marcia RepanesNick RepanesDon SanfordMark Soberman

DON SANFORD BREEDER OF THE YEAR (Since 1981)1981-82; 1982-83 . . . . . . . Ginny & Charlie Eckstein 1994-95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Sagona1983-84; 1984-85 . . . . . . . Rich Sorensen 1995-96 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Miglio 1985-86 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yezid Guttierez 1996-97 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Soberman 1986-87 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joe Ferdenzi 1997-98 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeff George 1987-88 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Patricia Piccione 1998-99; '99-'00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Miglio 1988-89 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joe Ferdenzi 2000-01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Soberman 1989-90 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Francis Lee 2001-02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexander Priest1990-91 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eddie Szablewicz 2002-03; '03-'04, '04-'05 . . . . . . . . . . . . Anton Vukich1991-92 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dominic Isla 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warren Feuer1992-93 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Sagona 2007, '08 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeffrey Bollbach1993-94 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joe Ferdenzi

GENE BAIOCCO AQUARIST OF THE YEAR (Since 1990-91)1990-91 . . . . . . Diane & Harold Gottlieb 1999-00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pete D’Orio1991-92 . . . . . . Doug Curtin & Don Curtin 2000-01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bernard Harrigan1992-93 . . . . . . Mark Soberman 2001-02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jason Kerner1993-94 . . . . . . Warren Feuer 2002-03 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carlotti De Jager1994-95 . . . . . . Steve Sagona 2003-04 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack Traub1995-96 . . . . . . Alexander & Susan Priest 2004-05 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Claudia Dickinson1996-97 . . . . . . Joe Ferdenzi 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anton Vukich1997-98 . . . . . . Claudia Dickinson 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ed Vukich1998-99 . . . . . . Vincent & Rosie Sileo 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Al Grusell

WALTER HUBEL BOWL SHOW CHAMPIONS (Since 1983-84)1983-84 . . . . . . . . . Tom Lawless1984-85 . . . . . . . . . Tom Lawless1985-86 . . . . . . . . . . Joe Ferdenzi1986-87 . . . . . . . . . . Joe Ferdenzi1987-88 (tie) . . . Mark Soberman

and Mary Ann & Joe Bugeia1988-89 . . . . . . . . . . . Jason Ryan1989-90 . . . . . Eddie Szablewicz1989-90 . . . . . Eddie Szablewicz

1991-92 . . . . . . . . . Steve Sagona1992-93 . . . . . . . . . Steve Sagona1993-94 . . . . . . . . . Steve Sagona1994-95 . . . . . . . Carlotti De Jager1995-96 . . . . . . . . Mary Eve Brill1996-97 . . . . . . . . . Steve Sagona1997-98 . . . . . . . . . Steve Sagona1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Miglio1999-00 . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Miglio

2000-01 . . . . . . . . . Pat Coushaine2001-02 . . . . . . . . . . . Bill Amely2002-03 . . . . . . . . . Evelyn Eagan2003-04 . . . . . . . . . . . Bill Amely2004-05 . . . . . . . . . Evelyn Eagan2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ed Vukich2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ed Vukich2008 . . . . . . . . . . . William Amely

VICTOR BECKER MEMORIAL AWARD For most outstanding species bred (1st awarded 1994-95) 1994-95 . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Bohme (Serrasalmus nattereri) 1995-96 . . . . . . . . . . . . John Moran (Synodontis multipunctatus) 1996-97 . . . . . . . . . . . . Carlotti De Jager (Betta simplex) & Mark Soberman (Corydoras duplicareus) 1997-98 . . . . . . . . . . . . Greg Wuest (Nothobranchius foerschi) & Joe Ferdenzi (Corydoras adolfoi) 1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Miglio (Rasbora heteramorpha) 1999-00 . . . . . . . . . . . . Charley Sabatino (Spathodus erythrodon)

GCAS PRESIDENTS (Post 1945 — number in parenthesis = consecutive terms)1946-49 Elliott Whiteway (4) 1968-70 Walter Hubel (2) 1981-84 Brian Kelly (3) 1950-51 Robert Greene (2) 1970-72 Dave Williams (2) 1984-86 Jack Oliva (2)1952-53 Robert Maybeck (2) 1972-73 Dan Carson (1) 1986-97 Joe Ferdenzi (11)1954-55 Leonard Meyer (2) 1973-75 Herb Fogal (2) 1997-99 Vincent Sileo (2)1956-57 Sam Estro (2) 1975-76 Richard Hoey (1) 1999-00 Jeff George (1)1958 Leonard Meyer (2+1) 1976-77 Ted Tura (1) 2000-08 Joe Ferdenzi (11+8)1959-64 Gene Baiocco (6) 1977-78 Gene Baiocco (6+1) 2009 Dan Radebaugh1965 Andrew Fazio (1) 1978-79 Louis Kromm (1)1966-68 Charles Elzer (2) 1979-81 Don Sanford (2)


Greater City Aquarium Society— 2009 Awards —

To be awarded December 2, 2009

GENE BAIOCCO AQUARIST OF THE YEAR AWARDDAN RADEBAUGH

DON SANFORD BREEDER OF THE YEAR AWARDJEFFREY BOLLBACH

WALTER HUBEL BOWL SHOW CHAMPIONMARIO BENGCION

AUTHOR AWARD PROGRAM (AAP) AWARDSOnly authors making contributions printed during 2009 (or who received AAP points as a result of NECand/or FAAS publication awards announced in 2009) and whose AAP levels changed are listed below.

William Amely . . . . . . . . Correspondent Jannette Ramirez . . . . . . EssayistSharon Barnett . . . . . . . . Journalist Jannette Ramirez . . . . . . JournalistFrank Fallon . . . . . . . . . . Correspondent Stephen Sica . . . . . . . . . . LaureateDan Radebaugh . . . . . . . Journalist Undergravel Reporter . . . Master LaureateMarsha Radebaugh . . . . . Author Michael Vulis . . . . . . . . . AuthorMarsha Radebaugh . . . . . Correspondent

Claudia Dickinson is Author of the Year for 2009!

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)18 December 200932 December 2009 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

We are very pleased to welcome JulesBirnbaun, Temes Mo, and Michael Vulisto our family of authors this year. Also,

two members who were already participants haveaccomplished a “first” in this program by spanningtwo award levels in the same year. MarshaRadebaugh is now both an Author as well as aCorrespondent, and Jannette Ramirez is both anEssayist as well as a Journalist! We would like toextend our congratulations to all of our winners,and we hope to hear more from each of you in themonths and pages ahead.

OverviewThe GCAS AAP awards points for

contributions to Modern Aquarium. Personsacquiring a specified number of points will receiveadditional recognition in the form of a certificatefor having reached designated AccomplishmentLevels. (See “Accomplishment Levels.”)

Each person making a qualifying contributionto Modern Aquarium (and that includes writingfor our “Anonymous Fishkeeper” column!)receives points, as well as chances for a PrizeDrawing at the Annual Holiday Party.

EligibilityAny member of Greater City who makes a

contribution to Modern Aquarium isautomatically a participant.

PointsFive points will be awarded for an original

article of 500 words or less.Ten points will be awarded for an original

article of 501 words and over.Five points will be awarded for an original

photograph, drawing, or illustration submittedwith, and as part of, an original article. If morethan two photographs, drawings, or illustrations aresubmitted with a related article, only two will begiven points (this is in addition to the pointsawarded the article, based on its size).

Ten points will be awarded for an originalcolor photograph that is used on the front cover.Photographs must be the work of the membersubmitting them, and must not have beenpreviously published, or submitted for publication,in any commercial or amateur publication.

Two or more related photographs orillustrations submitted with captions, andoccupying one or more pages, will be counted astwo photos (10 points) and as an article over 500words (10 points), for a total of 20 points. Anexample would be a photo spread with captions.

An original article on a fish in the C.A.R.E.S.Preservation Program will receive double points(i.e., 10 points for an article of 500 words or less,

and 20 points for an article of 501 words or more).Photos and drawings of a C.A.R.E.S. eligiblespecies will also receive double points.

Five points will be awarded for an originalpuzzle which is used on the “Fin Fun” page ofModern Aquarium.

Points are awarded only once for an article,drawing, puzzle, or photograph. No points areawarded for subsequent reprints, regardless ofwhether the original article was awarded points inthe AAP previously. To be eligible for AAPpoints, a contribution must first have beensubmitted to Modern Aquarium. However, if anarticle previously published in Modern Aquariumis significantly revised by its author (as a result ofnew information or developments), and if such arevision is first submitted to Modern Aquarium,it will be treated as a new article. Points areawarded in the year the article is printed.

An article deemed unacceptable by theEditorial Staff of Modern Aquarium for reasonsof appropriateness of topic, suitability, or possibleviolations of copyright or libel laws, will beineligible for participation in the GCAS AAP.Decisions of the Staff are final. Points credited to an author may not be carriedover or credited to subsequent calendar years forthe purposes of raffle prize chances or “Author OfThe Year” designation.

Bonus PointsIf, in the year following its publication in

Modern Aquarium, an article is given a 1st, 2ndor 3rd place award by the North East Council ofAquarium Societies (“NEC”) or by the Federationof American Aquarium Societies (“FAAS”), anadditional 10 points will be awarded if the authoris a GCAS member in the year the NEC or FAASaward is announced. This applies only to articles(not to drawings, columns, cartoons or photos).These bonus points are credited in the year that theaward is announced, not the year it is awarded for.

Prize DrawingFor every 5 AAP points earned in a calendar

year, the recipient is given one chance in our“Authors/Contributors Only” Raffle.

Author of the YearThe person with the most points in a calendar

year receives a certificate as “Author Of TheYear” for that year. This is our most prestigiousaward, and the winner truly exemplifies the highvalue which they place on the contribution ofexperience and knowledge to the aquarium hobbyat large.


Accomplishment LevelsFor the accomplishment levels specified

below, points are cumulative over the life of theAAP program.

Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 to 45 ptsCorrespondent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 to 95 ptsWriter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 to 145 ptsEssayist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150 to 195 ptsJournalist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200 to 295 ptsColumnist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 to 495 ptsLaureate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500 to 745 ptsSenior Laureate . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750 to 995 ptsMaster Laureate . . . . . . . . . . 1000 to 1495 ptsGrand Master Laureate . . . . . 1500 to 1995 ptsSr. Grand Master Laureate . 2000 to 10000 ptsEditor Emeritus . . . . . . . . . . . . over 10000 pts

Author Award Program ReportA Status Report - Points Awarded March to December 2009

Art Work(in points)

Number of Articles1 Awards TotalPoints

Prize

Author

Photo/Drawing

(up to twoper article)2

500words

or less 5

over500

words 5Bonus3

Points

CurrentYear Total:March toDecember

Raffle4

Chances

William Amely 5 3 2 30 6

Sharon Barnett 10 10 2

Jules Birnbaum 5 1 15 3

Jeff Bollbach 5 5 1

Claudia Dickinson 185 2 22 10 425 n/a

Frank Fallon 20 20 4

Joseph Ferdenzi 1 4 30 75 15

Bernard Harrigan 5 20 25 5

Rich Levy 5 10 2

Desiree Martin 2 20 4

Temes Mo 1 5 1

Elliot Oshins 15 2 10 45 9

Alexander Priest 110 2 7 50 285 n/a

Susan Priest 7 7 40 145 n/a

Dan Radebaugh 3 50 80 n/a

Marsha Radebaugh 55 1 60 12

Jannette Ramirez 5 2 3 20 65 13

Stephen Sica 70 1 7 40 185 37

Jack Traub 1 5 1

Undergravel Reporter 8 2 20 80 n/a

Michael Vulis 20 1 30 3

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)20 December 200934 December 2009 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

1Points are doubled for each article on a fish in the C.A.R.E.S. Preservation Program.2Points are doubled for each photo or drawing of a C.A.R.E.S. fish used on the cover.3Bonus points are awarded to participants for awards (other than Honorable Mention) received from theFederation of American Aquarium Societies (FAAS) Publication Awards, and The Northeast Council ofAquarium Societies (NEC) Article Awards, in the year these awards are announced, not in the year it isawarded for..4Modern Aquarium staff members are ineligible for the Raffle, as well as for the designation of“Author Of The Year.” Family members of staff ARE eligible.5Editorials and President’s Messages are excluded.

Here are the total AAP points for all GCAS members as of December 2009.If you have questions, or feel that there are errors, please contact Dan.

Bill Amely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Sharon Barnett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200Fred Bellise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Mario Bengcion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Steve Berman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Jules Birnbaum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Tom Bohme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Victoria Bohme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Jeff Bollbach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Roger Brewster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Donald Curtin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Doug Curtin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90Carlotti De Jager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Les Deutsch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Brad Dickinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Claudia Dickinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,950Al DiSpigna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Pete O’Orio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Rod Du Casse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Evelyn Eagan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Frank Fallon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Harry Faustmann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Anita Ferdenzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Francesca Ferdenzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Joseph Ferdenzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,160Marisa Ferdenzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Michael Foran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Artie Friedman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Alison Feuer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Warren Feuer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275Peter Foster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Jeff George . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Horst Gerber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110Steve Giacobello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Joseph Graffagnino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150Steve Gruebel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Al Grusell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Bernard Harrigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,790Jason Kerner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140Denver Lettman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Rich Levy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Bill Luckett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10John Malinowski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Desiree Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Tom Miglio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Jackleen Minassi-Haftvani. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Temes Mo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Jerry O'Farrell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205Elliot Oshins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205Jim Peterson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Margaret Peterson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Alexander Priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,940Susan Priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,725Dan Radebaugh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225Marsha Radebaugh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90Jannette Ramirez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205Leonard Ramroop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Mark Rubanow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Charley Sabatino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170Donna Sosna Sica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Stephen Sica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 605Vincent Sileo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Danielle Soberman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Ilyssa Soberman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Robin Soberman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Mark Soberman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Jack Traub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Undergravel Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,030Anton Vukich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Edward Vukich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Michael Vulis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Greg Wuest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25


GCAS BREEDERS AWARD PROGRAM 2009GCAS BREEDERS AWARD PROGRAM 2009

TOTALS THROUGH JULY

NAME SPECIES BRED Points 1st - GCAS CARES DATE

JEFF BOLLBACH CERT #1743 PACHYPANCHAX ARNOULTI 30 U Ì 3/4/20091744 MELANOTAENIA NIGRANS 5 3/4/20091746 AULONOCARA RUBESCENS 20 U 4/8/20091747 LABIDOCHROMIS CAERULEUS 10 4/8/20091748 EPIPLATYS CHAPERI 10 4/8/20091749 RIVULUS HARTII 15 U 4/8/20091750 APHYOSEMION POLIAKI 5 5/6/20091750 APHYOSEMION POLIAKI 5 5/6/20091751 SAWBWA RESPLENDENS 20 U 5/6/20091752 PSEUDOCRENILABRUS MULTICOLOR 10 5/6/20091753 RIVULUS TENIUS 15 U 5/6/20091760 APLOCHEILUS LINEATUS 10 7/1/20091761 ALLOMOGURNDA NESOLEPSIS 25 U 8/5/20091762 XENOTACA VARIATA 15 U 8/5/20091764 MELANOTAENIA SP. " SUSWA VILLAGE" 5 9/2/20091765 DANIO (BRACHYDANIO ROSEUS) ALBOLINEATUS 5 9/2/20091765 DANIO (BRACHYDANIO ROSEUS) ALBOLINEATUS 5 9/2/20091766 CHILATHERINA CAMPSI 15 U 9/2/20091767 CARASSIUS AURATUS 10 10/7/20091768 RIVULUS sp. PAN 2006-18 5 10/7/20091769 POECILIA PERUGIAE 5 10/7/2009

Number of species 19 Total Points 235

JOSEPH FERDENZI1745 NEMATOBRYCON LACORTEI 10 3/4/20091745 NEMATOBRYCON LACORTEI 10 3/4/2009


JOSEPH GRAFFAGNINO1741 APHYOSEMION CASTANEUM 15 U 3/4/20091742 HYPHESSOBRYCON COLUMBIANUS 15 3/4/20091763 POECILIA RETICULATA 5 8/5/20091770 DANIO (BRACHYDANIO ROSEUS) ALBOLINEATUS 5 11/4/20091771 BRACHYDANIO RERIO 5 11/4/20091771 BRACHYDANIO RERIO 5 11/4/2009


MARK SOBERMAN1754 CORYDORAS NAPOENSIS 25 U 5/6/20091755 DANIO MARGARITATUS 5 5/6/20091756 ANCISTRUS SP. "ALBINO" 15 5/6/2009


EDWARD VUKICH1757 PSEUDOCRENILABRUS MULTICOLOR 10 7/1/20091758 PACHYPANCHAX SAKARAMYI 10 7/1/20091759 LAMPROLOGUS CAUDOPUNCTATUS 15 7/1/2009


U indicates first recorded breeding of the species in the GCAS Breeders Award ProgramU��indicates first recorded breeding of the species in the GCAS Breeders Award ProgramÌ��indicates a species at risk that is listed in the C.A.R.E.S. Preservation Program


GCAS BREEDERS AWARD PROGRAM POINTS TOTALS

NAME POINTS # BRED NAME POINTS # BRED1 JEFF BOLLBACH 1,315 100 43 THADDEUS TURA 135 92 ANTON VUKICH 910 70 44 JOE CUCINIELLO 135 93 JOSEPH GRAFFAGNINO 905 62 45 JORGE RODRIGUEZ 135 94 JOSEPH FERDENZI 905 59 46 HARRY EVANS 125 115 TOM MIGLIO 865 66 47 KEN BRUST 120 156 MARK SOBERMAN 695 36 48 FRANK GANNON 120 167 STEVE SAGONA 655 47 49 JERRY SCHULTZ 120 118 WARREN FEUER 615 39 50 THE KELLYS 115 129 JOHN STORA 540 47 51 GEORGE MAROTI 115 8

10 JOSE ARANDA 505 47 52 JOE MANCUSI 115 811 JOHN IANNONE 485 45 53 HERB FOGAL 100 1312 THE ECKSTEINS 455 39 54 JERRY MAYER 95 713 CARLOTTI DE JAGER 440 33 55 JOE FLANAGAN 95 1214 EDWARD VUKICH 430 33 56 DENNIS EGIELSKI 95 415 RICHARD SORENSEN 420 33 57 BRIAN KELLY 90 616 CLAUDIA DICKINSON 410 26 58 PETE D'ORIO 90 917 FRANCIS LEE 390 28 59 ROBERT MC KEAND 85 518 GERALD GORYCKI 370 41 60 EDWARD SZABLEWICZ 85 719 CHARLEY SABATINO 360 20 61 NOEL RODRIGUEZ 85 720 THE REPANES 355 27 62 BOB KUHLKE 80 721 JACK OLIVA 345 42 63 LEONARD RAMROOP 80 1122 HAROLD KETTERER 335 30 64 BRADLEY PLOTKIN 80 623 THE LOMBARDIS 325 32 65 JOHN LEE 75 524 GREGORY WUEST 310 30 66 DOUGLAS CURTIN 75 1225 DON SANFORD 310 25 67 JOSE PEREZ 75 626 TED KURDZIEL 295 24 68 TOM BOHME 75 727 TONY FERRARO 275 23 69 BOB RADAMACHER 70 928 THE BUGEIAS 270 31 70 DONALD CURTIN 70 1029 DOMINIC ISLA 235 20 71 PAT PICCIONE 70 730 STEPHAN ZANDER 230 14 72 SARA MONHEIT 65 631 YEZID GUTIERREZ 206 20 73 CHARLES KUHNE 60 832 PHILIP INGENITO 205 13 74 JOEL FORGIONE 60 433 AL PRIEST 200 6 75 BOB DU BOIS 55 534 ROD DU CASSE 190 14 76 HORST GERBER 55 435 THE DONATONES 175 18 77 BOB WRANOVICS 50 436 JOHN MORAN 170 11 78 MIKE CASSANO 50 537 LOUIS KROMM 170 16 79 WARREN BURKE 45 738 JEFF GEORGE 165 17 80 BRUCE WEILER 45 339 DICK MOORE 160 5 81 WILLIAM BRANDOFINO 45 440 JEAN BRAUDE 155 12 82 CHARLES SHATAKA 40 541 BARRY LYNCH 150 18 83 CHARLES BENEFATTI 40 742 SHARON MIRABELLA 135 10 84 BRIAN STERN 35 4


NAME POINTS # BRED NAME POINTS # BRED85 ARTHUR MAYER 35 3 112 BILL ARONNE 10 186 BARRY CENTER 35 3 113 DAN RADEBAUGH 10 187 THE MARTINS 35 5 114 DIANNE SPELLMAN 10 188 VINNIE RITCHIE 35 3 115 JOHN MC CAFFERY 10 289 AL PHANEUF 35 5 116 JERROLD MEYER 10 190 BRUCE WELLER 30 3 117 HORST MIEHLBRAD 10 191 MICHAEL VILLANO 30 4 118 FRANK FALLON 10 192 ROGER BEAULIEU 30 2 119 WALTER ROSTOWSKI 10 293 THE STEGMANS 30 3 120 JASON KERNER 10 194 ROB ALTONEN 30 2 121 JAY LIEBOWITZ 5 295 GENE BAIOCCO 30 4 122 ADAM KLEINROCK 5 196 STANLEY WEGLARZ 25 4 123 EDYTH MONSOUR 5 197 VINCENT BABINO 25 2 124 KATHY FERNANDEZ 5 198 EMMA JORDAN 20 3 125 THE QUINNS 5 199 DANNY SHEPARD 20 3 126 WILLIAM STALZER 5 2

100 GUNTER HORSTMANN 20 3 127 JAMES BROOKS 5 1101 STEVEN MILLER 20 1 128 RICHARD WALSH 5 1102 PETER SCHLEISMAN 20 2 129 BILL SMITH 5 1103 ARNOLD FREED 20 4 130 DANNY CIRNIGLIAR 5 1104 STUART KRICHEVSKY 20 3 131 GEROLD COCH 5 1105 JOE ARONNE 15 2 132 BOB FUCHS 0 1106 IGNACIO ARENCIBIA 15 1 133 PETER SAGINARIO 0 5107 THE FERNANDEZ 15 1 134 DEAN ABRUMSON 0 1108 WILLIAM SADERA 15 1 135 VINCENT MASCOLA 0 3109 DAN GAWIAK 15 2 136 JOHN HILL 0 1110 KATHY BUSBY 10 1111 ABE COOPER 10 2


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Giant Auction of Live Tropical Fish, Plants and Dry Goods

Door Prizes!! Raffle for Tank Setup!! 50/50 Cash Raffle!!

Food & Refreshments Available From our Kitchen Free Coffee!!

Bring the Whole Family and Enjoy

The Day with New and Old Friends!

DIRECTIONS TO CHICOPEE ELKS HALL From I-91 north or south: take Exit 12 to I-391 north; go 1 mile to Exit 3, take a right on to Granby Road; go straight thru lights and up hill, Elks Hall is 1 mile on your right. From I-90 east & west: take Exit 5 Chicopee; bear left after toll booth to Montgomery Street, take a right on to Montgomery Street and stay in left lane; take a left at lights on to Granby Road; Elks Hall is 1-1/4 mile on your left.


Member Classifieds

EQUIPMENT:

3 Rena Filstar XP3 Cannister Filters -- Up to 350 GPH -- $50 each1 Eheim Pro II 2026 $651 Emperor 280 Power Filter (single bio-wheel) $201 Emperor 400 Bio-Wheel HOB Power Filter $301 Coralife Turb Twist 18 watt with 3 extra (never used) UV bulbs $50All nearly new, in original boxes. Call (631) 563-1404-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2-10’s---complete $15 each2-20 Longs complete, no lights 20 each1-20 high-complete, no filter 202-29’s complete 30 eachRefrigerator 301-55 complete 601-65 with canister filter, full lighting, Laterite in gravel metal stand---$250Some large wood, meds, rock, caves.“Complete” means heater, filter, full lighting (they were used as plant tanks), canopy.Call Charley: (917) 837-6346-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------46 bow tank, light, stand, all oak finish $310Looking for Oak stand for 36g bowfrontCall Ron: 718-464-8408 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Eclipse: 2 hood 12”*24” used only 4 months $122.00 retail price asking price $65.00Eclipse: rite size hoods H cartridge quantity (7)* (3) packs $10.00 each $9.00Aqueon filter: 55 flow rate 325 for 55 gal. brand new -never used $50.00 / $40.00Duetto 100 internal filter brand new-never used $30.00 / $25.00Marineland canister filter: c-160 up to 30gal brand new-never used $120.00 / $105.00Marineland canister filter: c-220 up to 55 gal brand new-never used $155.00 / $130.00Pentair pump: quiet one 400/106 hp brand new-never used $30.00 / $25.00Coralife: 24” lite 65 white/65 actinic 130 watts brand new- never used $165.00 / $155.00 Coralife: 24” lite 65 white/65 actinic 130 watt -1 actinic bulb barely used $165.00 / $80.00 Coralife: 24’ lite 65 white/65 actinic 130 watt -no bulbs $165.00 / $50.00Coralife: bulb square pin 28 watts/13” 6700k (2) brand new-never used $30.00 / $20.00Coralife: bulb square pin 28 watts/13” 50/50 brand new-never used $30.00 /$20.00Coralife: bulb straight pin 36watts/16” 10,000k brand new-never used $30.00 / $20.00Coralife: bulb straight pin 36watts/16’ actinic brand new-never used $30.00 /$20.00Aquatic Gardener: 20’ grabber/cutter brand new -never used $4.00 /$3.00Planting tweezers stainless steel brand new-never used $15.00 /$12.00Bone cutter brand new-never used $20.00 /$25.00Coralife: uva 9watts turbo twist with maxi jet 600 brand new-never used $165.00 /$150.00Coralife: uva 9 watts turbo twist with maxi jet 600 barely used $165.00 / $75.00Coralife: uva 9 watts bulbs quantity(3) brand new-never used $40.00 each $35.00Perfecto: lite strip 24”for tanks15,25,30h,20h,28 euro used 6months $40.00 /$20.00All Glass: lite strip 20”for tanks 10,15h,16b,20x,35h used 2months $30.00 / $15.00Attractive decorative bowl holder for betta LIMITED EDITION , not in production for more than 10 years, plastic bowl 3/4 gal retail $70.00 Call Jakleen: 718-225-3940

28 December 2009 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2009 17

In spite of popular demand to thecontrary, this humor and informationcolumn continues. As usual, it doesNOT necessarily represent theopinions of the Editor, or of theGreater City Aquarium Society.

“Eelvis” photo from eveningexpress.co.uk

Sardines for a good whale. Photo: BBC

Sponge Bob Photo: BBC

Guess What’sBehind These

HeadlinesA series by “The Undergravel Reporter”

Some tabloid publications lure you in withheadlines that suggest one thing, but reallymean something else. I’m giving you some

make-believe headlines for real stories. Let’s see ifyou can take one look at the headline, and guess thereal story behind it.

Eelvis has left the buildingAfter five years in residence at Macduff’s

marine aquarium in Scotland, a conger eel namedEelvis (after the king of rock and roll) was finallyallowed to leave the building. Eelvis, the fourthconger eel released by the aquarium since 2001, isover six feet long. He now faces a swim of about2,000 miles to the Atlantic waters off the Azores,where he it is hoped that he will find a mate.1

Santa Claus is comingYokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, a

Japanese aquarium in Yokohama, Japan, ispreparing for Christmas this year with a veryspecial Beluga whale show. This show features ascuba diving Santa Claus in his traditionalwhite-trimmed red suit and, of course, with hisfamous sack. But this Santa’s sack isn’t filled withtoys—it’s filled with sardines that Santa feeds tothe white whale in front of visitors. The stunt isamong the special events the aquarium puts on ina bid to boost their holiday season sales—hit hardthis year by the recession.2

Sponge Bob is a crab!A six inch sponge crab, nicknamed Bob, is

now a resident of the Blue Reef Aquarium in theEast Sussex town of Hastings in England.

Sponge crabs are so named because they havetwo pairs of modified legs tipped with needle-likepincers. They use them to secure sponges overtheir bodies as camouflage. However, this meansthey only have two pairs of legs to walk on, sothey tend to also use their front claws to assistthem with walking.3

References:1 http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1488665?UserKey=2 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8363614.stm3 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/sussex/8349347.stm


GCAS Happenings December

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

GREATER CITY AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: March 3, 2010Speaker: tBaTopic: TBDMeets the first Wednesday of the month (except January &

February) at 7:30pm: Queens Botanical garden 43-50 Main street - Flushing, NYContact: dan radebaugh (718) 458-8437E-mail: [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: December 11, 2009Speaker: None Event: Holiday PartyMeets the 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: December 18, 2009Speaker: None Event: Holiday Party & Awards BanquetMeets: 3rd Fridays (except July and August) 8:00pm. Banquet will be held at Sunny Buffet Restaurant72 E. Main St, Bay Shore, NY 11706, 631-665-6050 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: December 8, 2009Speaker: NoneEvent: Holiday PartyMeets: 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: December 5, 2009Speaker: None Event: Holiday PartyMeets: Party will be at Harold’s Restaurant - Lyndhurst, NJContact: NJAS Hotline at (732) 332-1392e-mail: [email protected]: http://www.njas.net/

NORWALk AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: December 17, 2009Speaker & Topic: tBdMeets: 8:00 P.M. - 3rd Thursday of each month at:

Earthplace - the Nature Discovery Center - Westport, CTContact: John Chapkovich (203) 734-7833Call our toll free number (866) 219-4NASE-mail: [email protected]: http://norwalkas.org/

Last Month’s Bowl Show Winners:1 Mario Bengcion ruBy red Peacock

2 roBert HaMje coPPer oranda

3 ricHard WaizMan Half-Moon Betta

official 2009 BoWl SHoW totalS:Mario Bengcion 28 roBert HaMje 25 ricHard WaizMan 10 ed VukicH 3

SuSan PrieSt 3 Vincent BaBino 1 ricHard leVy 1

A speciAl welcome to new member tommy chAng!


24 December 2009 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

Fin Fun16 Years, And What Do You Get?

This month, Modern Aquarium concludes its 16th year of publishing in its current series (“Series III”).Last month, former Greater City President, Joe Ferdenzi, did a program on aquarium hobby history, andthe GCAS. Just how much do you know (or can guess) about the history of your society’s magazine?(Hint: some, but not all, of the answers can be found elsewhere in this issue.) Answers in March.

1. The first issue of Series III of Modern Aquarium was January, 1994. From then until now, how manydifferent people have been President of the Greater City Aquarium Society? ______

2. From January 1994 until now, how many Editors have there been of Modern Aquarium? _______

3. Only one of the following regular Modern Aquarium features has been in every single issue ofSeries III. Which one is it?:

______Editor’s Page ______President’s Report

______FinFun Puzzle ______Undergravel Reporter

4. In what year was the first July issue of Series III of Modern Aquarium printed? ______

5. From January 1994 until now, what has been the largest issue in number of pages? ______

6. Match these past and present Modern Aquarium columns and features with their authors:

Fishkeepers Anonymous Bernard Harrigan

The Amusing Aquarium Sharon Barnett

Looking Through The Lens Stephen and Donna Sica

Mermaid Tales Susan Priest

Fish Bytes Claudia Dickinson

Answers to last month’s puzzle: Body PartsScientific Name Common Name

Ctenopoma ocellatum ------------------- Eyespot ctenopomaAnableps anableps ------------------- Four-eyes

Pseudomugil mellis ------------------- Honey blue eyeRineloricaria fallax. ------------------- Whiptailed loricaria

Ctenopoma kingsleyae ------------------- Tailspot ctenopomaPseudosphromenus cupanus ------------------- Spiketail paradisefish

Iriatherina werneri ------------------- Threadfin rainbowfishGnathonemus petersii ------------------- Elephantnose fish

Hemigrammus bleheri. ------------------- Rummy-nose tetraThorichthys meeki. ------------------- Firemouth cichlid

source: http://www.fishbase.org/

Modern Aquarium December 2009

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Transcript of Modern Aquarium December 2009