Modern Aquarium December 2010

December 2010volume XVIInumber 10

ON THE COVEROur cover photo this month features two color variants of the popular gourami, Trichogaster trichopterus. For more information about this longtime hobby favorite, see Al Priest’s “A One-Species Community,” on page 10. Photo by Alexander A. PriestGREATER CITY AQUARIUM SOCIETY

Board MeMBers

President Dan RadebaughVice-President Mark SobermanTreasurer Jules BirnbaumCorresponding 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 A. 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

2Letter to the Editor

3President’s Message

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

5Our Generous Members

5Last Month’s Bowl Show Winners

6Photos by Alexander A. Priest

The Cardinal Tetra Story 7by Alan Mark Fletcher

Introduction by Joseph FerdenziPostscript by Rosario LaCorte

A One-Species Community 10Trichogaster trichopterus

by Alexander A. Priest

Wet Leaves 12by Susan Priest

To Build, or Not to Build 13that is the Question!

by Jules Birnbaum

My Favorite Catfish 15Corydoras punctatus

by Stephen Sica

G.C.A.S. Past Award Winners 18

G.C.A.S. 2010 Award Winners 19

The G.C.A.S. Author Award Program 20

G.C.A.S. Breeders Award Program 2010 23

G.C.A.S. Happenings 26

The Undergravel Reporter 27Giving Your Fish Some Gifts

Fin Fun (Puzzle Page) 28Name That Cory!

Series III Vol. XVII, No. 10 December, 2010

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)2 December 2010

From theEditor by Dan Radebaugh

Joe Ferdenzi has written many memorable articles for Modern Aquarium, and when he told me a month or so ago that he had

something very special in the works I naturally assumed that it would be something written by him. Well, so much for assuming. Instead, we are treated this month to an article by Alan Mark Fletcher, a true icon of the aquarium hobby, with an introduction by Joe and a postscript by another icon of the hobby, Rosario LaCorte. Both of these gentlemen are longtime friends of Greater City, and we are honored to include “The Cardinal Tetra Story” in Modern Aquarium.

Tonight is our annual Holiday Awards Banquet, and to keep you in suspense we don’t distribute this issue of Modern Aquarium until after the awards have been presented. For a recap of the winners, a salute to past winners, and a summary of our Author Awards Program and Breeder Awards Program, be sure and see the Awards section, which begins on page 18.

What kind of tank is best, single species or community? It’s an old question. 2010’s Author of the Year is the prolific and erudite Al Priest, who reminds us in his article, “A One-Species Community,” and with this month’s cover photo, that the familiar gourami makes it quite possible to have a species tank with the look of a community tank. The best of both worlds!

Another familiar dilemma is whether to have your tanks scattered about your domicile or to put all your eggs in one basket by setting up a fishroom. There are virtues to both approaches. On the one hand the fish are there to see wherever you are in your home (or office), and you don’t have to exile yourself from your home and family to have the pleasure of your fishes’ company. On the other hand, past a certain number of tanks in a certain number of rooms (I’m very close to those numbers if not already beyond them) feeding and tank maintenance really start to become a chore, not to mention the stresses caused by the inevitable “water events.” So if you think you’re ready to go for it, Jules Birnbaum’s “To Build or Not to Build” gives us a clue about how to proceed.

We’ve been on a bit of a roll lately with Corydoras articles, and Steve Sica keeps it going this month with his Favorite Catfish, Corydoras punctatus. Not ignoring us cichlid lovers, in Sue Priest’s “Wet Leaves” this month she reviews a splendid book on Lake Malawi cichlids. The Undergravel Reporter shows us how we can include gifts to our fish in our holiday spirit, and our puzzle, “Fin Fun,” returns to the Corydoras theme to end the issue.

Before closing, I send a warm Thank You to all our authors, who make Modern Aquarium possible. We all benefit from your insight and generosity. Happy Holidays!

Remember, we need more articles! Modern Aquarium is produced by and for the members of Greater City Aquarium Society. Our members are our authors, and with ten issues per year, we always, always need more articles. I know several of you are keeping and/or breeding fish that I would like to know more about, and I’m certain other members would be interested as well. Share your experience with us. Write about it! If you’re a little unsure about the state of your writing technique, don’t worry – that’s why there are editors. If you have an article, photo, or drawing that you’d like to submit for inclusion in Modern Aquarium, it’s easy to do! You may fax it to me at (877) 299-0522, email it to [email protected], or just hand it to me at a meeting. However you get it to me, I’ll be delighted to receive it!

From theEditor by Dan Radebaugh

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) December 2010 3

...And To theEditor

dear dan, in the last few days, you had an eruption of contacts with daughters of “old gCas” members: Linda suppa, daughter of John Cillo, and terri Kenny, daughter of dan and Mary Carson. i’m terri’s Mom. i knew gCas was still “there” because i corresponded with Marsha repanes (wife of the late Nick repines...late 60’s era). When my Christmas letters were returned by the Post Office, I wondered if Marsha had moved, or if she had died. after i talked with another of my daughters, she tracked links through the computer and found gCas.

Marsha had died. she was a bit of a shy lady, but was always so gracious with my passel of kids...particularly one of the younger ones. i don’t know if anyone, today, is aware of it but Isaac Azimov, the science-fiction writer, was Marsha’s brother. i no longer have any involvement with tropical fish (other than those that are offered by the fish-market and broil well for dinner. Guppies on tooth picks never seemed practical.) My interest in the “fish stuff” was primarily from an artistic standpoint...making tanks an attractive three-dimensional work of living art. My cooking fish food was a side-benefit for dan. i must tell you that the job you have done on Modern Aquarium is marvelous! the artwork, the layouts, the whole general appearance is undoubtedly the finest magazine that gCas has ever had. (in self defense, computers have added a new dimension to publishing.) Nevertheless, you

use the computer well. i’ve seen big name magazines that have produced layouts that are uncomfortable...seem to be done just because the computer could do it. You use the computers abilities most tastefully! Keep it up. My daughter, terri, tells me that you have invited me to the Christmas Party in december. i’ll put it on the calendar...but i won’t promise. there is much else going on in my life. dan and i divorced. i’ve remarried. My husband, Warren, has been ill. i’ll see how he is by then. Maybe, if in good shape, i’ll bring him along. Between us, we have: 11 kids:. 8 spouses, grandkids, great-grandkids, and great-great grandkids. right now, my intention is to come to the party. if you have some really old-timers, they might remember the elzers, the ahlers, ...and other names that i can’t remember because i’ve gotten that much older myself. However, know that it is flattering that you are reprinting articles from years ago. My suggestion...look for an article “oldie” titled “deep in the heart.” i think it was one of the best things i ever wrote. thank you for all the “thrill of connection” you have created. sincerely, Mary (Carson) eckman


President’sMessage

by Dan Radebaugh

Last month in my Editor’s column I mentioned receiving an email from the daughter of a former member, which

in turn led to other emails, and stimulated me to reprint an article from an old issue of Modern Aquarium. Well, the email chain has continued and expanded, as you can see from Mary (Carson) Eckman’s letter on the preceding page. I’m of course writing this in advance of tonight’s meeting, but I have every expectation and hope that Mary, as well as her daughter Terri (Carson) Kenny and Linda (Cilio) Suppa, who sent me the original email, will join us here at our Holiday Awards Banquet. On behalf of Greater City, I am very gratified that these representatives of our club’s history have found it of value to reconnect with us. Welcome back!

An important order of business tonight is voting our approval of new Board members. Warren Feuer and Mark Soberman have decided that it is time for them to step down and let someone else carry the baton. We deeply appreciate their service over the years,

and respect their decision. Now it’s time for other members to step up, and the people listed on your voting form have volunteered to raise their level of commitment. Please take a voting form, mark your approval or disapproval of our new candidates, and turn it in this evening. Thank you.

Our first meeting of 2011 will be Wednesday, March 2, at our usual meeting venue, the Queens Botanical Garden. My best wishes to you all for the Holidays, and I’ll see you in March!

Dan

Our Generous MembersEach month a blue sheet is located on our auction table where those members who donate items to the auction can indicate their donations if they wish to do so. Due to the immense generosity of those who donate, we have no shortage of items to be auctioned. A warm thank you to the following members and others who so generously contributed, making last month’s auction the bountiful success that it was:

Bill AmelyMario BengcionJules BirnbaumJeff BollbachCarlotti de JagerJason Kerner

Elliot OshinsMichael MachtDan PuleoDan & Marsha RadebaughEd Vukich


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 2010 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

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! Enjoy!

Claudia

December Holiday Party!

January Winter Break

February Winter Break

March La Monte BrownNative Fishes

GCASPrograms

2010-11

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)6 December 201012 December 2010 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

1st Place Winner: Jules Birnbaum

2nd Place Winner: Mario Bengcion 3rd Place Winner: Harry Faustmann

Last Month’s Bowl Show Winners


The Cardinal Tetra Storyby Alan Mark Fletcher

with a postscript by Rosario LaCorte

The cardinal tetra, Paracheirodon axelrodi, is undoubtedly one of, if not the most, spectacular freshwater fish ever introduced into the aquarium

hobby. The story behind its discovery and naming has been shrouded in mystery and controversy ever since its introduction in the mid 1950s. Here, for the first time, is the story as told to us by two men of unquestionable credentials. Alan Fletcher, at the time, was working with the legendary William T. Innes, author of the classic Exotic Aquarium Fishes, and editor and publisher of the best-selling The Aquarium magazine. Alan was also working as an editor on that magazine. Alan knew just about everyone who was anyone in the hobby at the time. He was a trained scientist, had gone on expeditions to South America, and was an accomplished author.

Rosario LaCorte was (and still is) one of the hobby’s most accomplished breeders of aquarium fish. He rightfully enjoyed a nationwide reputation, and was friends or acquainted with virtually every prominent hobbyist of the day, including Herbert R. Axelrod, with whom he went on several collecting trips to South America. Like Alan, Rosario has also been a prolific writer of articles and books on aquarium fish. These two accomplished gentlemen have combined to present this story. Enjoy.Joseph Ferdenzi

People have urged me to tell the story of Dr. Herbert R. Axelrod’s (HRA) and Harald (the correct spelling!)

Schultz’s visit to our humble Cape Cod cottage in the Philadelphia suburbs in the mid-1950s.

Harald Schultz was a distinguished Brazilian ethnologist. Fortunately for our hobby, he was also an avid tropical fish enthusiast.

In the course of his studies of native Brazilian tribal groups, he often found himself in very remote parts of Brazil. We have benefitted greatly, because he netted fishes when he was in those places. He also had a good knowledge of the Brazilian fish-collecting scene in general. HRA had visited Schultz in Brazil (along with Rosario!), so they must have been friends.

Schultz visited the U.S. as a guest of HRA, and said that, among others, he would like to meet me. I believe he also spent time with Rosario on that visit. So Herb arranged to drive Schultz down to our humble dwelling in Amber, PA on a Saturday. He arrived in a powder blue Cadillac, the largest model short of a limousine, and parked it on our front lawn. He came dressed

in a suit and tie, and in his coat breast pocket he had five Corona Corona cigars, each carefully aligned so that you could read the label. For those of you who may not know it, Corona Coronas were Havana cigars that sold for a dollar each―a lot of money for one smoke in those times. It was obvious that he was trying to impress me with his prosperity, but I always suspected that the Cadillac might have been rented, because it was early in his career, and he could not have accumulated much wealth by that time.

Now for the cardinal tetra. I am sorry, but either I never knew, or I have forgotten, how the first cardinals got from the Rio Negro collecting site to Paramount Aquarium’s plant in Ardsley, Westchester County, New York. Heiko Bleher gives one account in his cardinal article in Nutrafin Aquatic News, and Rosario says he got another story from Harald Schultz. If I had to choose, I would place more confidence in Rosario’s version.

I would not be surprised if that first shipment did come via Louis Chung, in Georgetown, Guyana, as Bleher claims. Chung was Paramount’s agent in Guyana. I don’t believe there was air service between Manaus and Georgetown Alan Mark Fletcher*

Photo of “Paracheirodon cardinalis” courtesy of Wikipedia

Introduction

Ad appearing in the April, 1956 issue of The Aquarium.


Cover of the April, 1956 issue of Tropical Fish Hobbyist

I had thought that we might never know how those first cardinals got from Paramount to Sol Kessler’s fish shop in New Jersey, to Axelrod, but Rosario LaCorte’s remarkable article which accompanies this piece sheds light on this part of the story. Herb admitted in some of his earlier writings that they had come from Kessler. In his later writings he told a grandiose story about how he had discovered them on a trip to the upper Rio Negro.

I have written elsewhere that Fred Cochu had gone to his grave resenting that “his” fish was named for someone who had nothing to do with its discovery or introduction. Considering that Fred had gone to so much trouble to bring in the fish, and that it turned out to be one of the most popular aquarium fish of all time, I think Fred’s bitterness about it is understandable. Some have suggested that Fred’s attitude was just ego, but it could not have been, since several aquarium fishes carry the scientific name cochui.

So that’s it. And, oh yes, in an exquisite twist of fate, Myers’s graduate student, Dr. Stanley Weitzmen, succeeded Dr. Leonard Schultz as Curator of Fishes at the Smithsonian!Alan Mark Fletcher

at that time. Most likely, what happened was that Paramount’s own plane picked them up in Manaus and carried them to Chung’s establishment for a change of water, repacking, and a rest, before carrying them to Miami. That was a common practice when Paramount brought plane-loads of fish from the Amazon.

We received a phone call from Fred Cochu (president and co-owner of Paramount) saying that they had a new, more brightly colored neon tetra, and that he was going to send us some. He wanted us to find out if it was a new species or just a variant of the neon. Fred sent a carton of cardinals down to our house in Ambler, carried in Paramount’s delivery truck. Some of them went to Innes for his color plate, and I preserved some of them and sent them to Dr. George Myers, at Stanford University. (I believe I preserved them in formalin, because I knew that alcohol dissolves out red and yellow pigments.)

Months went by, and we heard nothing back from Myers. He probably just put them on his shelf for when he got around to it, as is commonly done. One day Fred called again, saying that he had heard that HRA had gotten some of the cardinals, and that he was doing something with them through Dr. Leonard Schultz, at the Smithsonian. Could we please ask Myers to get going on his specimens? I called Myers, and he agreed to work on them immediately. I think it is likely that he actually passed them along to his graduate student, Stanley Weitzman. Stan could enlighten us on that. I have never asked him, but I understand that he has put the cardinal tetra affair behind him, and he does not talk about it. We all know that they found it to be a new species, and they named it Hyphessobrycon cardinalis. A paper describing the new species was written and scheduled for publication in The Stanford Ichthyological Bulletin.

Dr. Schultz also found it to be a new species, and he named it Cheirodon axelrodi. His paper appeared in Tropical Fish Hobbyist (TFH) magazine. As it worked out, the TFH article came out (supposedly) a day or two before the Stanford journal. Joe Ferdenzi has pointed out that it was the only issue of TFH that ever had a month-day-year on it. Everyone suspected that Herb had rushed a hand-folded copy of TFH to the Post Office to validate a date. In any event, the contested names went to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature for adjudication. The first decision that had to be made was whether TFH (at that time) was a legitimate publication, acceptable for a description of a new species. They ruled that it was. The commission then ruled in favor of Schultz’s paper, solely on the basis of the publication dates. Members of the commission later told either Innes or Myers that the commission was well aware that something shady had gone on, but they had no direct evidence of it. They had to rule on what was presented to them. If only Dr. Myers had gone to work on those specimens the day he had received them!


Sol Kessler, whom I knew very well, was the owner of the Irvington

Fish Bowl. He had a very nice store―it was neat, and he always had some interesting fish, which was not common in other stores. Sol told me that he had a deal with a number of wholesalers, that whenever they got unusual fish, or “oddballs” collected as “by-catch,” they would place them in a holding tank and save them for Sol. He would pay them some extra money for the consideration. Paramount contacted Sol when they received the first shipment for resale. Sol was a good businessman, and when he bought anything he would purchase a sufficient quantity to make a good first impression. Vic Hritz, of Crystal Aquarium, was another store owner who had a good business sense in knowing the importance of displaying numbers. In other words, a tank of several hundred cardinals or neons, rather than say twenty of the same fish, would impact the first-time viewer with, “Wow! Look at that!”

Upon purchasing the cardinals, Sol contacted Bill Vorderwinkler so that he could pick up some for the TFH office, which at the time was located in Jersey City. Bill lived in Elizabeth, NJ at the time (as did I), so he was not very far from the Fish Bowl, and it was quite easy for him to pick up the specimens for Herb. I was closely associated with Herb at that time, and I used to bring fish to his office at least twice a month for him to photograph (I was not yet into photography). Many of my fish appeared in his publications, though not once with the notation, “courtesy of R. LaCorte.” Shortly after the naming of the cardinal, I asked Herb why he had not had a species of fish named after him by Leonard Schultz, since they were so closely associated. His exact words to me were, “Schultz offered to name a fish earlier, but I will select the fish that I want when I see it.” Upon receiving the cardinal, he purchased an airline ticket to Washington, DC, and with fish in hand, flew to DC, and showing Schultz the specimens from Sol Kessler, said, “This is the fish I want named after me.” That’s how the cardinal got its name.Rosario LaCorte

*Photo by Claudia Dickinson**Photo by Jules Birnbaum

Contents page of April, 1956 TFH (cover on facing page) showing “Scarlet Characin” article. Note “February 20, 1956” date.

From page 43 of the same issue of TFH, a footnote thanking Sol Kessler.

Postscript

Rosario LaCorte**

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Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)10 December 2010Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2010 17

Scientific Name: Trichogaster trichopterusCommon Names: Blue gourami, Cosby gourami,Gold gourami, Opaline gourami, Lavender gourami, Three-spot Gourami, among othersSpecial consideration: anabantoid (air breather)Standard Length: 5"pH: Will tolerate from 6.0 to 8.8 (optimum is 6.8 - slightly acidic), Water hardness: 5 to 35 dGH (very soft to soft) Temperature: 73° to 82° FReproduction: BubblenesterTemperament: Peaceful, but males will actively defend their bubble nestsEnvironment: low-light tank with floating plantsNutrition: omnivore (plant-based food recommended)

A One-Species CommunityTrichogaster trichopterus

Article and photos by ALEXANDER A PRIEST

This article is about one species of fish thatcould create a “community tank” all byitself. This species is Trichogaster

trichopterus, commonly known as either the goldgourami, the blue gourami, the Cosby gourami, theopaline gourami,, thelavender gourami, or thethree-spot gourami,depending on the colormorph.

T r i c h o g a s t e rtrichopterus are nativeto the marshes, swamps,canals, and lowlandwetlands of SoutheastAsia where they inhabitshallow, sluggish, orstanding water with a lotof aquatic vegetation.During the rainy season,they migrate frompermanent water bodies into flooded areas. Duringthe dry season, they migrate back to permanentwater bodies.

In their naturalhabitat, they feed onz o o p l a n k t o n ,crustaceans, andinsect larvae. (Thereis a classic photo of aBlue Gourami spittingat a fly, trying toknock it into thewater.)1

In the aquarium,they will eat almostanything, but painfulexperience has taughtme not to feed blood,tubifex, grindal,white, or most anyother type of worm togouramis. I have hadbest results with plant (algae) based food and liveadult brine shrimp.

Trichogaster trichopterus have a laterallycompressed (flat), oval-shaped body and longthread-like pelvic fins (Trichopterus means hairfin). They use this “hair fin” to feel theirsurroundings, as well as other fish.

Depending the color morph, they may havetwo large dark spots – one in the center of the flankand the other at the caudal peduncle (base of thetail fin). The third spot in the three-spot variety isthe eye, although some references, primarily

British, discount theeye and refer to thetwo-spot Gourami1

It appears theoriginal (i.e., firstdescr ibed) colormorph of Trichogastertrichopterus was theblue gourami, whichis the same as thethree-spot gourami.The opaline gouramiis a color variant ofthe three-spot (blue)gourami, with darkerblue pattern markings

instead of distinct body spots. The Cosby gourami,named after the American fish breeder who first

produced it, has asimilar marbleizeddark blue pattern ona light blue body.The gold gouramilacks spots, and has agold coloration.

Since these areall the same species,a gold gourami canbreed with a bluegourami (or with anopaline gourami, alavender gourami,etc.), and since thereare likely no purecolor morph strains,it’s anyone’s guessas to what will result.(The drawing of the

fish on the Singapore postage stamp in this articleshows both body spots and marbleized patterning.)Thus, you can have a whole community ofdifferently colored and patterned fish, all of whichare the same species (so you don’t need to worryabout cross-breeding, because in this case that’sacceptable!).

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) December 2010 1118 December 2010 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

They are large enough to be considered afood fish in their native habitat. While I have seenreferences to them attaining six inches in length, Ihave never seen one over five inches.

They are omnivorous, and will accept almostany food offered (they are sometimes used to cleara tank of hydra). They tolerate a wide range ofwater conditions. While they do best in a slightlyacidic environment, they can adapt to and survivein very soft to very hard water (but I would notexpect much spawning activity in hard water).

The older (and larger) they get, the easier itis to determine their sex. Generally, males have alonger dorsal fin, which is more pointed at the end.Females have a shorter, rounder dorsal fin, andusually have a rounder body, due to the presence ofeggs.

Spawning begins with a male building a nestof bubbles among plants floating at the surface ofthe water, and then swimming back and forth underit, flaring his fins to attract a female. A femaleapproaches a male at his nest and nudges him onthe side to indicate her readiness to spawn. Toencourage spawning, floating plants should beprovided. Since the male’s nest consists only ofbubbles and mucus, powerheads, power filters,spraybars, and other filtration methods thatproduce water surface agitation or movementshould be avoided. Raising the water temperatureand lowering the water level will also help triggerspawning activity.

The spawning act is similar to otherbubblenesting anabantoids. The male curves hisbody around the female, the pair shake as the malepresses inward, and fertilized eggs float up to thenest. This is repeated many times in a one or twohour period. The male then chases the female (andany other fish) away and tends his nest. He maysometimes put eggs in his mouth and look asthough he is eating them. but he usually returnsthose eggs to the nest. While generally peacefulwith similar sized fish, a male guarding his nestcan be very aggressive and territorial, so I’drecommend removing the female now.

After the eggs hatch (usually within a day ortwo), the wrigglers float upside down beneath theiryolk sacs. Do not feed them at this point, as theyolk sac provides all the nutrition they need.However, this is the time to remove the male. Aday or two after the fry have hatched, the yolk sacis absorbed, and they are free swimming. Nowthey are ready for you to feed them. If you don’thave infusoria, microworms, or vinegar eels handy,extremely powdered flake food will do.

As are all gourami species, Trichogastertrichopterus is an anabantoid, meaning that adultsprimarily rely on an accessory organ in their headto extract oxygen from air gulped at the water’ssurface. Since anabantoids can survive outside ofwater for extended periods of time, as long as theirbodies do not dry out, jumping into surroundingwet grass or mud to avoid a predator is hard wiredinto their being. So anabantoids should always beconsidered a jumping risk in the aquarium, andtight fitting covers are essential.

This is a great choice for the beginningaquarist, but remember that they get fairly large,and an adult pair needs at least a 20 gallon tank (a“20-long” is even better). One or more varietiescan usually be found in a local fish store. They arehardy, easy to feed, and come in a variety of colorsand patterns. They will breed in the homeaquarium (while at least one classic referencebook3 indicates that breeding is very difficult, thisis decidedly a minority view).

References1 Vierke, Jörg, Bettas, Gouramis and OtherAnabantoids, TFH (1988), p. 18 - photo by RudaZukal

2 Dawes, John, The Concise Encyclopedia ofPopular Freshwater Tropical Fish , Parragon(1999), p. 178

3 Linke, Horst, Labyrinth Fish - The Bubble-Nest-Builders, Tetra Press (1991), p. 137

A male gold gourami (note the long andpointed dorsal fin)

A female gold gourami (note the shorter,more rounded dorsal and wider body)

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)12 December 2010Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2010 17

Malaëi Cichlidsin their natural habitat

By Ad KoningsCichlid Press, 2001

A Series On Books For The Hobbyistby SUSAN PRIEST

This book is on loan to me from one of ourmembers. You all know him. He is at everymeeting, and his name

is Tommy Chang. Tommyhas many extraordinarychallenges to cope with in hislife. One of these challengeshas made it necessary for himto give up his much belovedcollection of Malawi cichlids.This doubles my task. First I must describe thefish themselves, and what makes them so special.Then I have to tell you about the book. I guess Ihad better get started.

All of the featuresof tropical fish whichdrew you to this hobbyin the first place, andhave kept you interestedand involved for manyyears, can be found inthe population ofM a l a w i c i c h l i d s .Strikingly colorful, theyare beautiful in everydetail. Even though afirst glance through thepages of photos maygive you the impressionthat many of them aresimilar to the point ofbeing almost identical,when you spend a littlemore time and look alittle more closely, theindividuality of eachspecies will becomeapparent.

These fish arematernal mouthbrooders.Most of the males have distinctive egg spots ontheir anal fins, which helps to ensure thatfertilization takes place. Their already boldcoloration takes on even more intensity when thesefish don their breeding dress. Most species willreadily breed in your aquarium.

Since this is supposed to be a book review, Ithink it is time for me to move on to the bookitself, which is well suited to connoisseurs of the

explicit as well as the exquisite. The text isnothing short of encyclopedic. A brief quote ortwo couldn’t possibly exemplify the scope of detailpresented to us by Mr. Konings, as he draws fromover 900 hours of underwater observations. “Allphotographs in this book [are] by the author unlessotherwise credited.” (Without having made adiligent search, I didn’t come across even onephoto which was so designated.) Virtually all ofthe photos of fish were taken within lake Malawi.The photography not only serves identificationpurposes, but is truly a work of art.

The paper is of a heavyweight, and with a glossyfinish. The feel of it underyour fingers compels you tolinger over each page. Theresult of this is that you willspend more time readinga n d / o r v i e w i n g t h e

photographs. Otherwise stated, you will becomemore thoroughly immersed in the world of thesefish than you thought you might. I know I did.

If I were viewingan individual fish, Iknow that I couldn’tpossibly identify itsspecies (Latin namesonly), based on thethickness or thinness ofits stripes or themarkings on its analfin, but I am sure that Iwould want to, andequally sure that Iwould know where tofind out. At a list priceof $49.00, it could fallinto the category of aninvestment for many ofyou, but since there is a4th edition available,investing a bit of timei n s o m e s a v v yshopping might serveyou well.

Tommy, I hopethat your circumstanceswill evolve to the pointwhere you will be able

to maintain as many aquariums full of Malawicichlids as your heart desires. Until that timecomes, I know you will be visiting with them in thepages of this beautiful book.


To Build, or Not to Build?That is the Question!

by Jules Birnbaum

The answer is all of the above, and probably more. If you have decided to build the room, the next question is where? An upstairs room

is not usually a good idea due to the weight. A gallon of water weighs approximately 8.34 pounds, and then you have the weight of the tank and the gravel. I found this out after I had put fourteen tanks (some small) in an upstairs den. I had nightmares about the ceiling collapsing.

The least expensive way to go is to section off a small area of the basement. You can easily frame out a small room and insulate the walls. The walls and the insulation should be a high R rating to maintain the heat. The R rating of the wall is a measure of its thermal resistance. The standard recommended R rating for homes is lower than that required for a fishroom . Tanks should be covered to help control humidity.

Use a paint meant to resist the humidity created by all that water.

The racks can be made of 2X4’s (these actually measure 1.5” X 3.5”), and plans and help can easily be acquired from some of our expert members or

from a fishroom supply house such as JEHMCO in New Jersey. The racks can be put together with deck screws, and 4” X 6” shelf supports can be notched for added strength.

You can also use heavy duty metal racks, which can be purchased at a local Home Depot, or online. I have found that there are heavy duty metal racks made to hold 2,000 pounds per shelf, but they are more expensive than wood, and they only come in standard sizes. Over time metal racks usually rust, and since we are dealing with water that could be a problem.

If there is no room in the basement, or if you don’t have a basement, look at your garage. I had noticed that many of our neighbors were using their one-car garages not for cars, but for storage. Keep in mind that your car is waterproof, so it can be left outside. This was my choice when I recently built my own 9’ X 11’ fishroom.

I convinced my wife that she could have a new laundry room, an extra refrigerator, and a separate storage room as part of the project. JEHMCO, the fishroom supply house, also helped me select the correct pump, hoses, manifolds, and valves to run 20 to

Why build a fishroom?

1) A central place to watch your fish?2) One air pump to run many sponge or box filters instead of many pumps?3) One central room heater instead of individual heaters in each tank?4) Built-in lighting instead of many lights on each tank?5) Easier water changes and other tank servicing?6) Have more and larger tanks without your wife going nuts?7) Breed a number of different fish and still have homes for all the fry?8) Have a place to get away from this mad, mad world?9) Receive more visits from friends and relatives who will want to see what’s going on?10) You’ve visited some local fishrooms, and were impressed by what these people had accomplished?

Jules and son-in-law Brian Horton, setting up a tank.

A garage! Yeah! There’s the ticket!


30 tanks of varying sizes. They also sold me a simple, inexpensive water changing device that eliminated lifting buckets of water. You can also construct a permanent PVC pipe system attached to the racks that make water changing a snap.

The room presently contains 20 tanks, and has one central piston air pump to run sponge and box filters. We used 4-foot shop lights on a timer, hung above the tanks, which saved some money. All the lights are kept on 11 hours per day, but sometimes I manually shut them off for one day each week. All my plants are low-light varieties.

An additional extravagance was installing a Mitsubishi heat pump, offering heat and air conditioning in one unit. The unit also removes excess humidity. The tanks are mainly 20 gallon or 29 gallons, .but there are also a few smaller and larger tanks. There is also a 19” HDTV to watch my beloved (ha!) Mets (and the Yankees), and an extension phone so that I can conveniently be reached.

The room has been fully operational for a few months, and it’s all I imagined when I was dreaming about the project. During our hot summer it was a cool place to be, and now that the weather cooled off the heat pump is easily providing enough heat to maintain the tanks at 76 degrees.

What mistakes did I make? The first was that the electrical outlets should have been installed higher up. However, we were able to correct this by using

buses, or power strips, to give me outlets at the correct height above the tanks. The second mistake was that, when designing the rack, we should have paid more attention to standard tank sizes. Custom-sized tanks can be purchased from a tank manufacturer such as Glass Cages, but this is more costly than using standard sizes.

If you like this hobby enough, or would like to enjoy it more fully, a fishroom is a great way to go. Whether for just a few tanks or for 20+, a dedicated room will make everyone happier. There are experts in the Greater City Aquarium Society who can help you make the project a success. Build it. You won’t regret it.

The beginning.

Carpenter Mario Recinos, with assistant Jose on ladder.

Two men from All Seasons Air Conditioning are shown installing the heat pump just outside the fish room.

The result.

Mario, assembling and installing the racks which were cut outside from my design.


My Favorite CatfishCorydoras punctatus

Story and Photos by Stephen Sica

On an early September weekday morning Donna and I were driving west along the Jericho Turnpike when she said, “Look, the pet shop

is closing!” I didn’t have time to turn my head, but she told me that there were signs in the window that everything was on sale. I said that I would check it out for bargains, but so far I haven’t. But it did bring back recollections of a visit that I had made there two or three years ago when the shop sported a different name.

My ancient 15 gallon tank had sprung a leak. Rather than try to repair it, I decided to use the occasion to upgrade to a twenty gallon long, so I purchased a new tank. After transferring my fish, I decided that the new tank needed some catfish. Of course, they had to be my favorite catfish; Corydoras or nothing!

One day soon after our drive, I decided to take the day off from work. I was determined to visit several local pet shops to search for some attractive but inexpensive corys. My first stop was this soon-to-be-defunct (but hopefully to rise again under yet another owner) pet shop. I spent some time browsing every tank in order to amuse myself for a few minutes. Then I began studying the catfish. Eventually, I saw two “spotfin” or “spotted” corydoras that were labeled as punctatus. They were cute (doesn’t that describe all small fish?), attractive, and fairly inexpensive. I don’t remember the exact price, but less than three dollars each. In fact, they were priced less if you purchased the fish in pairs.

I waved to the clerk; he began to catch and bag the only two punctatus that were left in the tank. While he was bagging the fish, I noticed another lonely looking punctatus hiding out with a different Corydoras species, so I purchased all three. Besides, who wants a school of only two catfish? Three are a lot better―okay, a little better.

I acclimated my new fish to their new home, and to this day all three live a happy, social life. They share their home with small danios, rasboras and white

clouds. Of course, if anyone would like to give, sell, or direct me to additional specimens, I am sure that some additional relatives would make my three catfish even happier!

Unfortunately, I think that this fish may be uncommon in the hobby. I haven’t been searching for them since my initial purchase, but I’ve never seen them in a local pet shop. Regrettably, since my attendance at the GCAS Corydoras catfish lectures

by Ian Fuller and our own Mark Soberman, I always scrutinize my “exotic” corys with caution, never knowing for sure if it is the fish that it claims it to be. I suppose it’s not the fish’s fault, but when you’re in a certain mood you have to blame someone, and your fish are always readily available. Besides, they don’t seem to mind. Anyway, how can you

be angry at your favorite fish? I researched the internet and my catfish reference

books. Internet photos of their punctatus and mine appeared to differ, until I found a site showing various subtleties in the head and dorsal fin among a wide selection of individual fish. But in my reference books, the punctatus photos appeared similar to my fish.

Anyway, here is some information from the web about Corydoras punctatus: in the family Callichthyidae, this fish originates in the Suriname River basin in Suriname, and the Iracoubu River basin in French Guyana. Some also inhabit Venezuela. The species is covered with black spots extending from the head to the end of the caudal fin, with a black spot on many individuals near the tip of its dorsal fin. It prefers to live small, shallow creeks with sandy or muddy bottoms. Some fish that live on darker substrates usually have more and larger spots. Male pectoral fins are longer.

A well-planted aquarium would be welcome for this smaller Corydoras species that averages about two inches in length. In its native habitat it feeds on small worms, crustaceans, and insect larvae. In the hobby it accepts all sorts of dry sinking food, frozen foods


such as bloodworms, and live worms. Soft, acidic to slightly basic water with a pH to 7.2 is preferred, with water temperatures between 72 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit. A few sources claim that they are bred in captivity, but the majority state that either this fish is not bred, or is very difficult to breed.

My three catfish are robust, and appear to be healthy and happy. When at rest, they hang out with two adult Corydoras hasboras. The size disparity is amusing. Anyone who has kept Corydoras catfish knows that they are community oriented, playful, and easy to keep. They are a striking addition to any fish tank; or as I like to say, they’re just plain cute!

Postscript: About a month later, I drove by the pet shop. It was closed, and everything had been cleaned out. I hope I’m wrong, but it doesn’t look like another pet store will be opening there. The property is too

large to support a pet and pet supplies store, though the prior store had carried every pet imaginable, and lasted for about five years.


Member Classifieds

EQUIPMENT:

1 Eheim 2217 Canister filter $1251 Emperor 400 Bio-Wheel HOB Power Filter $301 Coralife Turb Twist 18 watt with 3 extra (never used) UV bulbs $501 Coralife Superskimmer 125w/ pump $1002 Solarmax 36” HO double-T5Lighting System w/Moonlight $159 ea (new)All nearly new, in original boxes. Call (631) 563-1404------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Filters:Eheim 2076 (for tanks up to 90 gallons) $200Marineland C-160 (tanks up to 30 gallons) $50Call Temes: 718-468-1569


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)1981-83 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ginny & Charlie Eckstein 1994-95 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Sagona1983-85 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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-'00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Miglio 1988-89 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joe Ferdenzi 2000-01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mark Soberman 1989-90 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Francis Lee 2001-02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexander Priest1990-91 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eddie Szablewicz 2002-05 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anton Vukich1991-92 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dominic Isla 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warren Feuer1992-93 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Sagona 2007-09 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeffrey Bollbach1993-94 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joe Ferdenzi

GENE BAIOCCO AQUARIST OF THE YEAR (Since 1990-91)1990-91 . . . . . . Diane & Harold Gottlieb 2000-01 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bernard Harrigan1991-92 . . . . . . Doug Curtin & Don Curtin 2001-02 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jason Kerner1992-93 . . . . . . Mark Soberman 2002-03 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carlotti De Jager1993-94 . . . . . . Warren Feuer 2003-04 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack Traub1994-95 . . . . . . Steve Sagona 2004-05 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Claudia Dickinson1995-96 . . . . . . Alexander & Susan Priest 2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anton Vukich1996-97 . . . . . . Joe Ferdenzi 2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ed Vukich1997-98 . . . . . . . Claudia Dickinson 2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Al Grusell1998-99 . . . . . . Vincent & Rosie Sileo 2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Radebaugh1999-00 . . . . . . Pete D’Orio

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 . . . . . . . . William Amely2002-03 . . . . . . . . . Evelyn Eagan2003-04 . . . . . . . . William Amely2004-05 . . . . . . . . . Evelyn Eagan2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ed Vukich2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ed Vukich2008 . . . . . . . . . . . William Amely2009 . . . . . . . . . . Mario Bengcion

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) 2009-10 Dan Radebaugh (2)1965 Andrew Fazio (1) 1978-79 Louis Kromm (1)1966-68 Charles Elzer (2) 1979-81 Don Sanford (2)

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) December 2010 19Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2007 11

Greater City Aquarium Society— 2010 Awards —

To be awarded December 8, 2010

GENE BAIOCCO AQUARIST OF THE YEAR AWARDPETE D’ORIO

DON SANFORD BREEDER OF THE YEAR AWARDJEFFREY BOLLBACH

WALTER HUBEL BOWL SHOW CHAMPIONALEXANDER PRIEST

AUTHOR AWARD PROGRAM (AAP) AWARDSOnly authors making contributions printed during 2010 (or who received AAP points as a result of NECand/or FAAS publication awards announced in 2010) and whose AAP levels changed are listed below.

Jules Birnbaum . . . . . . . . Author Dan Radebaugh . . . . . . . . . . ColumnistJules Birnbaum . . . . . . . . Correspondent Marsha Radebaugh . . . . . . . WriterTommy Chang . . . . . . . . Author Marsha Radebaugh . . . . . . . EssayistAlexander Priest . . . . . . . Senior Grand Master Laureate Stephen Sica . . . . . . . . . . . . Senior Laureate

Alexander Priest is Author of the Year for 2010!

BREEDERS AWARD PROGRAM (BAP) AWARDSBreeders who achieved significant plateaus this year are:

Alexander Priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . Master BreederEdward Vukich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grand Master BreederMark Soberman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Senior Grand Master Breeder


We are very pleased to welcome TommyChang to our family of authors this year.Also, unprecedented until last year, this

year we again had two members who movedthrough two award levels in the same year.Congratulations for this feat to Jules Birnbaum,who has moved up in the rankings to Author andthen to Correspondent, and (once again) to MarshaRadebaugh, who moved from Correspondentthrough Writer to Essayist. Congratulations to allof our winners, and we hope to hear more fromeach of you in the months 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 yearfor which it isawarded.Prize Drawing

For every 5 AAP points earned in a calendaryear, 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 2010

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 10 10 2

Sharon Barnett 5 1 10 2

Jules Birnbaum 20 4 60 12

Tommy Chang 5 1 2 25 5

Claudia Dickinson 75 4 11 20 225 n/a

Joseph Ferdenzi 30 1 2 30 85 17

Warren Feuer 1 10 2

Bernard Harrigan 10 10 2

Elliot Oshins 5 1 30 45 9

Alexander Priest 140 2 9 50 340 n/a

Susan Priest 20 5 6 50 155 n/a

Dan Radebaugh 3 50 80 n/a

Marsha Radebaugh 40 20 60 12

Jannette Ramirez 1 10 15 3

Stephen Sica 60 8 30 170 34

Undergravel Reporter 10 30 80 n/a

Michael Vulis 10 10 2

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 of

22 December 2010 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)34 December 2009 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

Aquarium Societies (NEC) Article Awards, in the year these awards are announced, not in the year forwhich they are awarded.4Modern Aquarium staff members are ineligible for the Raffle. Family members of staff AREeligible.5Editorials and President’s Messages are excluded.

Here are the total AAP points for all GCAS members as of December 2010.If you have questions, or feel that there are errors, please contact Dan.

William Amely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Sharon Barnett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210Fred Bellise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Mario Bengcion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Steve Berman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Jules Birnbaum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Tom Bohme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Victoria Bohme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Jeff Bollbach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Roger Brewster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Tommy Chang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Donald Curtin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Doug Curtin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90Carlotti De Jager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Les Deutsch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Brad Dickinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Claudia Dickinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,175Al DiSpigna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Pete O’Orio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Rod Du Casse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Evelyn Eagan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Frank Fallon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Harry Faustmann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Anita Ferdenzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Francesca Ferdenzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Joseph Ferdenzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,245Marisa Ferdenzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Alison Feuer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Warren Feuer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285Michael Foran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Artie Friedman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Peter Foster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Jeff George . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Horst Gerber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110Steve Giacobello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Joseph Graffagnino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150Steve Gruebel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Al Grusell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Bernard Harrigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,800Jason Kerner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140Denver Lettman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Rich Levy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Bill Luckett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10John Malinowski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Desiree Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Tom Miglio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Jackleen Minassi-Haftvani. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Temes Mo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Jerry O'Farrell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205Elliot Oshins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250Jim Peterson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Margaret Peterson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Alexander Priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,280Susan Priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,880Dan Radebaugh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305Marsha Radebaugh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150Jannette Ramirez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220Leonard Ramroop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Mark Rubanow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Charley Sabatino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170Donna Sosna Sica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Stephen Sica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 775Vincent Sileo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Danielle Soberman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Ilyssa Soberman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Robin Soberman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Mark Soberman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Jack Traub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Undergravel Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,110Anton Vukich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Edward Vukich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Michael Vulis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Greg Wuest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25


GCAS BREEDERS AWARD PROGRAM 2010

NAME SPECIES BRED Points 1st - GCAS CARES DATE

JEFF BOLLBACH CERT #1773 RHADINOCENTRUS ORNATUS 15 U 3/3/20101774 PARATILAPIA POLLENI 30 Ì 3/3/20101775 MELANOTAENIA PYGMAEA 15 U 3/3/20101776 APHANIUS MENTO 15 U 3/3/20101777 PSEUDOCRENALIBRUS NICHOLOSI 10 3/3/20101785 PSEUDOMUGIL GERTRUDAE 15 U 6/2/20101796 PACHYPANCHAX PLAYFAIRI 15 U 8/4/20101797 MELANOTAENIA GOLDIEI 15 U 8/4/20101798 RIVULUS HILDEBRANDI 15 U 8/4/20101799 GLOSSOLEPSIS MULTISQUAMATUS 15 U 10/6/20101803 TELMATHERINA LADIGESI 15 U 11/3/2010

Number of species 11 Total Points 175

CLAUDIA DICKINSON1794 GEOPHAGUS IPORANGENSIS 25 U 6/2/2010


WARREN FEUER1772 NEOLAMPROLOGUS SIMILIS 15 3/3/20101784 ANCISTRUS SP. "KINGFISH" 15 6/2/2010


JOSEPH GRAFFAGNINO1778 THORICHTHYS MALCULIPINNIS 20 U 3/3/20101795 LETHRINOPS SP. "RED CAP" 10 8/4/2010


AL PRIEST1786 MACROPODUS (SPHECTI) CONCOLOR 15 6/2/20101787 BETTA MIDAS 115 U 6/2/2010


MARK SOBERMAN1788 RIVULUS DELTAPHILUS 15 U 6/2/20101789 CORYDORAS SCHULTZEI 25 U 6/2/20101790 CORYDORAS SP. "MAZARUNI" 15 6/2/20101791 ASPIDORAS C118 15 6/2/20101792 ASPIDORAS ALBATER 25 U 6/2/20101793 CORYDORAS PYGMAEUS 15 6/2/2010


EDWARD VUKICH1779 PSEUDOTROPHEUS SALOUSI 10 4/7/20101780 XIPHOPHORUS VARIATUS 5 4/7/20101781 HAPLOCHROMIS SP. 44 "RED TAIL" 15 4/7/20101782 STEATOCRANUS CASUARIUS 10 4/7/20101783 BRACHYDANIO RERIO 5 4/7/20101800 NANNOSTOMUS BECKFORDI 15 10/6/20101801 XIPHOPHORUS VARIATUS 5 10/6/20102-Jan PSEUDOCRENALABRUS NICHOLOSI 10 10/6/2010


U��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

24 December 2010 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)

NAME POINTS # BRED NAME POINTS # BRED1 JEFF BOLLBACH 1,490 111 43 THADDEUS TURA 135 92 JOSEPH GRAFFAGNINO 935 64 44 JOE CUCINIELLO 135 93 ANTON VUKICH 910 70 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 805 42 48 FRANK GANNON 120 167 STEVE SAGONA 655 47 49 JERRY SCHULTZ 120 118 WARREN FEUER 645 41 50 THE KELLYS 115 129 JOHN STORA 540 47 51 GEORGE MAROTI 115 8

10 JOSE ARANDA 505 47 52 JOE MANCUSI 115 811 EDWARD VUKICH 505 41 53 HERB FOGAL 100 1312 JOHN IANNONE 485 45 54 JERRY MAYER 95 712 JOHN IANNONE 485 45 54 JERRY MAYER 95 713 THE ECKSTEINS 455 39 55 JOE FLANAGAN 95 1214 CARLOTTI DE JAGER 440 33 56 DENNIS EGIELSKI 95 415 CLAUDIA DICKINSON 435 27 57 BRIAN KELLY 90 616 RICHARD SORENSEN 420 33 58 PETE D'ORIO 90 917 FRANCIS LEE 390 28 59 ROBERT MC KEAND 85 518 GERALD GORYCKI 370 41 60 EDWARD SZABLEWICZ 85 718 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 AL PRIEST 330 8 65 JOHN LEE 75 524 THE LOMBARDIS 325 32 66 DOUGLAS CURTIN 75 1225 GREGORY WUEST 310 30 67 JOSE PEREZ 75 626 DON SANFORD 310 25 68 TOM BOHME 75 727 TED KURDZIEL 295 24 69 BOB RADAMACHER 70 928 TONY FERRARO 275 23 70 DONALD CURTIN 70 1029 THE BUGEIAS 270 31 71 PAT PICCIONE 70 730 DOMINIC ISLA 235 20 72 SARA MONHEIT 65 631 STEPHAN ZANDER 230 14 73 CHARLES KUHNE 60 831 STEPHAN ZANDER 230 14 73 CHARLES KUHNE 60 832 YEZID GUTIERREZ 206 20 74 JOEL FORGIONE 60 433 PHILIP INGENITO 205 13 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 45 737 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 5 196 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 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


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 2, 2011Speaker: La Monte BrownTopic: Native FishesMeets: First Wednesday of the month (except January &

February) at 7:30pm: the december meeting will be at the Palace diner 6015 Main street - Flushing, NY Contact: dan radebaugh (718) 458-8437Email: [email protected]: http://www.greatercity.org

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

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

BROOKLYN AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: december 10, 2010Speaker: NoneEvent: 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: January 21, 2011Speaker: steve abramsTopic: Going To The Sea (Introduction to brackish water fish)

Meets: 3rd Fridays (except July and august) 8:00pm. greenhouse Meeting room, holtsville ecology Center,

Buckley road, holtsville, NY Email: Margaret Peterson - [email protected]: http://liasonline.org/

EAST COAST GUPPY ASSOCIATIONMeets: 2nd tuesday of each month at at 8:00 pm. alley Pond environmental Ctr.: 228-06 Northern Blvd. Contact: gene Baudier (631) 345-6399

NASSAU COUNTY AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: december 14, 2010Speaker: 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 11, 2010Speaker: None Event: Holiday PartyMeets: 7:30 PM Mario’s restaurant, 710 Van houton ave,

Clifton, NJ (973) 777-1559Contact: NJas hotline at (732) 332-1392Email: [email protected]: http://www.njas.net/

NORWALK AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: January 20, 2011Speaker: tBa Topic: TBDMeets: 8:00 P.M. - 3rd thursday of each month at:

earthplace - the Nature discovery Center - Westport, CtContact: John Chapkovich (203) 734-7833Call our toll free number (866) 219-4NasEmail: [email protected]: http://norwalkas.org/

Last Month’s Bowl show Winners:1 Jules BirnBaum Aphyosemion AustrAle

2 mario Bengcion lemon Peacock

3 Harry Faustmann nothobrAnchius furzeri

oFFicial 2010 Bowl sHow totals:al Priest 22 mario Bengcion 21 roBert HamJe 10 Harry Faustmann 7

william amely 6 Jules BirnBaum 5 ricHard waizman 1

A speciAl wArm welcome to new member Doug isrAel!

A wArm welcome bAck to renewing gcAs member kAren ottenDorfer!


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.

Figure 1

A fish-shaped bowl Figure 2

Or, a cat-shaped bowl Figure 3

A $23,000 Steuben crystal bowl Figure 4

Giving YourFish Some Gifts

A series by “The Undergravel Reporter”

Whether you celebrate Christmas,Chanukah, Kwanza, the Winter Solstice,or just the start of a new year, this is a

season of giving gifts. So, here are somesuggestions for gifts you can give to your fish.

Have you considered giving your fish aterrestrial plant on top of the aquarium, perhapslinked to the tank’s filter system?

If you have a Betta splendens in a plain bowl,here are some “upgrades” to consider.

PhotosFigure 1: http://mocoloco.com/archives/011294.php Figure 2: http://www.thisnext.com/item/42B26F31/C1F490E1/Modern-Nemo-FishbowlFigure 3: http://www.thisnext.com/show/item-images/7C982EE8/3260752B/Figure 4: http://www.thisnext.com/show/item-images/A4D4C41B/423CC0FD/


Fin FunName That Cory!

Many species in the genus Corydoras have common names that are somewhat descriptive of their physicalappearance. See how many of the common names listed you can correctly match up with the correctscientific name for the same species. Answers next issue.

Common name Scientific name

Arched Cory Corydoras concolor

Bandit Cory Corydoras caudimaculatus

Black Top Cory Corydoras paleatus

Bronze Cory Corydoras aeneus

False Bandit Cory Corydoras pulcher

Peppered Cory Corydoras melini

Pretty Cory Corydoras metae

Slate Cory Corydoras arcuatus

Tail Spot Cory Corydoras acutus

Two Line Cory Corydoras parallelusSource: http://www.planetcatfish.com

Answer to our last puzzle:

Fish Acid Neutral Alkaline

Cardinal Tetra X

Firemouth Cichlid X

Marbled Hatchetfish X

Black Molly X

Celebes Rainbowfish X

Dubois Tropheus X

Lemon Cichlid X

Madagascar Rainbowfish X

Clown Loach X

Dwarf Gourami XSource: Tullock, John - Freshwater Aquarium Models

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.

Rena Rolf C. Hagen San Francisco Bay BrandSeachemZoo Med Laboratories Inc.Cameo Pet Shop Coral AquariumNassau DiscusWorld Class AquariumZoo Rama Aquarium

Aquarium PharmaceuticalsAquarium Technology Inc Ecological Laboratories HBH Pet ProductsKoller-CraftKordon, LLCMarinelandMicrobe LiftOcean Nutrition AmericaOmega SeaRed Sea

Modern Aquarium December 2010

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Transcript of Modern Aquarium December 2010