Modern Aquarium December 2012

December 2012volume XIXnumber 10

ON THE COVER

This month's cover features a photo from our Facebook page, Greater City Fishy Friends, that was posted by Wallace Tao, the Facebook screen name of Greater City member Wallace Deng. The subject is Cardina cf. cantonensis Sp. Tiger. To see more of Wallace's photos, see "The Tao of Greater City," on page 22.

Photo by Wallace Deng

GREATER CITY AQUARIUM SOCIETY

Board MeMBers

President Dan RadebaughVice-President Edward VukichTreasurer Jules BirnbaumCorresponding Secretary Sean Cunningham Recording Secretary Tommy Chang

MeMBers at Large

Claudia Dickinson Pete D’OrioAl Grusell Ben HausEmma Haus Jason KernerLeonard Ramroop

CoMMittee Chairs

A.C.A. Delegate Claudia DickinsonBowl Show Leonard RamroopBreeder Award Warren Feuer Mark SobermanEarly Arrivals Al GrusellF.A.A.S. Delegate Alexander A. PriestMembership Marsha RadebaughPrograms 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. 2012 Program Schedule

3President’s Message

4 Our Generous Sponsors & Advertisers

4Last Month's Caption Contest Winner

5Cartoon Caption Contest

6Pictures from our Lost Meeting

8by Marsha radebaugh

Tropical Fish in a Tropical Storm 9by Joseph Ferdenzi

Mermaid Tales 11The Fish Donation Chronicles: george Byrnes

by Sharon Barnett

Lionfish of Aruba and Bonaire 13by stephen sica

MA Classics 15Deep in the Heart

by Mary and dan Carson

Wet Leaves 19by susan Priest

The Tao of Greater City 22by Wallace deng

G.C.A.S. Past Award Winners 24

G.C.A.S. 2012 Award Winners 25

The G.C.A.S. Author Award Program 26

G.C.A.S. Breeders Award Program 2012 29

G.C.A.S. Breeders Award Totals 31

G.C.A.S. Happenings 32

The Undergravel Reporter 33An Oldie, But a Goodie

Fin Fun (Puzzle Page) 34Out of the Snow

Series III Vol. XIX, No. 10 December, 2012

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)2 December 2012

From theEditor by Dan Radebaugh

Well, we wind up this, our 90th Anniversary year, by handing out two issues of Modern Aquarium. The first

is the December issue you would normally expect to see; the second is the November issue, which most of you have not yet seen due to the wash-out of our November meeting. As is traditional at our Awards Banquets, we’ll hand out your copies of Modern Aquarium following the announcement of the winners of our various awards. No need to spoil the suspense!

Now that you have the magazine in your hands, you can check out our list of award winners, both past and present, which begins on page 24. Congratulations are due not only to all those who won, but to all those who participated in making this another memorable year for Greater City. In this column of course, my congratulations are primarily to all of our wonderful authors, without whom Modern Aquarium would not exist!

Our Cartoon Caption Contest last month inspired several first-time responders, one of whom, Dan Puleo, won this month’s award. Congratulations, Dan!

A week removed from Hurricane Sandy’s visit to our shores, we did actually try to have a meeting. Unfortunately, another storm passed through on our designated Wednesday evening, and made getting here very difficult. “Pictures From Our Lost Meeting” shows a few of the hardy souls who braved the elements. In “Tropical Fish in a Tropical Storm,” Joe Ferdenzi gives us an account of how he and his fish got through the days without our normally taken-for-granted light and heat.

Mermaid Tales returns this month after a long absence. Welcome back, Sharon! Elsewhere, Steve Sica continues his photo-journalistic survey of the ongoing Atlantic lionfish invasion in “Lionfish of Aruba and Bonaire.” Meanwhile, Sue Priest wraps up this year’s Wet Leaves homage to conservation by saluting Rachel Carson, arguably the 20th Century’s most important voice in the defense of not only the natural world, but also of all of us, whose health and well-being are inextricably connected to that natural world.

MA Classics this month features an article by Mary and Dan Carson from the November, 1969 issue of Modern Aquarium entitled “Deep in the Heart.” I recommend it to you.

As a special treat this month, I have included some photos from our Greater City Fishy Friends Facebook page by our Facebook star, “Wallace Tao.” I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

Appropriately enough at the end of an anniversary year, the Undergravel Reporter regales us with tales of unexpected fishy longevity in “An Oldie, but a Goodie.” As usual, our Fin Fun puzzle closes the issue and the year.

* * *Remember, as always, we need 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!

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) December 2012 3

GCASPrograms

2013It is our great fortune to have another admirable cast of speakers who have so graciously

accepted our invitation to join us throughout the coming season, bringing us their extensive knowledge and experiences. You certainly won’t wish to miss a moment of our prominent

guests, not to mention the friends, fish, warmth, and camaraderie that accompanies each meeting. I know I can barely wait to see you here! Enjoy!

Claudia

March 6 Joe Ferdenzi90 Years of GCAS!

April 3 TBA

May 1 TBA

June 5 TBA

July 3 TBA

August 7 Silent Auction

September 4 TBA

October 2 TBA

November 6 TBA

December 4 Holiday Party!

Articles submitted for consideration in Modern Aquarium (ISSN 2150-0940) must be received no later than the 10th day of the month prior to the month of publication. Please fax to (877) 299-0522, or email to [email protected]. Copyright 2012 by the Greater City Aquarium Society Inc., a not-for-profit New York State corporation. All rights reserved. Not-for-profit aquarium societies are hereby granted permission to reproduce articles and illustrations from this publication, unless the article indicates that the copyrights have been retained by the author, and provided reprints indicate source and two copies of the publication are sent to the Exchange Editor of this magazine. Any other reproduction or commercial use of the material in this publication is prohibited without express written prior permission.The Greater City Aquarium Society meets every month, except January and February. Members receive notice of meetings in the mail. For more information, contact: Dan Radebaugh (718) 458-8437. Find out more, or leave us a message, at our Internet Home Page at: http://www.greatercity.org or http://www.greatercity.com


President’sMessage

by Dan Radebaugh

Welcome to our annual Holiday Awards Banquet! After many years of holding this event at the (now sold) Palace Diner, we have a new venue here at the Flagship Diner. Hopefully we will all manage to enjoy ourselves as we celebrate our collective and

individual accomplishments this year. An organization like Greater City needs many hands to make sure everything works. My thanks go out to my wife Marsha, and to Emma Haus, for pulling all the details together, emailing and calling members to let them know about the change of venue, and for just general hard work. While in a thanks-giving mode, I think we should acknowledge our gratitude for having come through Hurricane Sandy’s visit as well as we did. Some of us suffered hardly at all, but many of us did have serious problems – particularly with regard to power and heat. We haven’t yet been able to contact everyone, so we don’t yet know for sure how well everyone came through. Best wishes from me and Marsha for the New Year, and we’ll see you in March!

Dan

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) Misc 5

Aquarium PharmaceuticalsAquarium Technology Inc. Cameo Pet ShopCobalt Aquatics Coral Aquarium Ecological LaboratoriesHBH Pet ProductsKingfish Services.netKoller-CraftKordon, LLCMarineland

Microbe LiftOcean Nutrition AmericaOmega SeaRed Sea RenaRolf C. HagenSan Francisco Bay BrandSeachemWorld Class AquariumZoo Med Laboratories Inc.Zoo Rama Aquarium


November's Caption Winner:Dan Puleo

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The Modern AquariumCartoon Caption Contest

Modern Aquarium has featured cartoons before. This time though, you, the members of Greater City get to choose the caption! Just think of a good caption, then mail, email, or phone the Editor with your caption (phone: 347-866-1107, fax: 877-299-0522, email: [email protected]. Your caption needs to reach the Editor by the third Wednesday of this month. We'll also hand out copies of this page at the meeting, which you can turn in to Marsha before leaving. Winning captions will earn ten points in our Author Awards program, qualifying you for participation in our special "Authors Only" raffle at our Holiday Party and Banquet. Put on your thinking caps!

Your Caption:

Your Name:

Cartoon by elliot oshins


Pictures from Our Lost MeetingPhotos by Marsha Radebaugh

Walter Gallo, wondering where everyone has gone. Leonard Ramroop joins the vanguard.

New members Jeffrey Ye and Albert Chiang sign up. The whole group, including James Adams, our trusty guard.


As Tropical Storm Sandy roared up the Atlantic Ocean, the Eastern Seaboard of the United States braced for its

impact. Meanwhile, in the tropical waters of my fishroom, the denizens of my numerous aquariums swam about as always, knowing nothing of the approaching calamity.

Just that suddenly, at about 3 PM on Monday, October 29, 2012, the power went off. With that went the gas-fired heating system of my home. Without electricity, the pumps that circulate the hot water throughout the three zones of my house went down. One of those three zones includes the basement, where all my aquariums are situated.

The fishroom became eerily silent. No filters or air pumps were operating. The familiar sounds of bubbling box filters and cascading water from power filters were gone. As evening descended, the tanks were shrouded in darkness.

The following days rolled on without electricity or heat. I thought it best not to feed the fish, fearing that this would only increase the pollution levels in the tanks. I felt confident that my adult fish could easily survive a week or more without food. My concern were the fry. And, as there were no lights on, I also became concerned about what the lack of illumination would do to the many aquatic plants inhabiting my tanks. How long could they survive without light?

On Thursday, November 1, still without electricity or heat, I decided to check the temperature in the fishroom. At about 1 PM my battery-operated digital thermometer read 68° Fahrenheit. Not bad, considering night-time temperatures were in the mid-40s. A quick check of some of the aquariums revealed that they too were at 68° F, and that no fish appeared to be stressed or dying.

By Sunday morning, my anxiety level was increasing. The previous afternoon, I had checked the temperature in the basement; both the room and the tanks had gone down to 66, and it was still 66 on Sunday morning. Despite the low temperature, I decided to try feeding some of the fish I thought needed it most.

I tried flooding the basement with as much light as I could from the few small basement windows. I parted curtains, and opened any doors that blocked the light. I had four tanks containing various species of Nothobranchius (annual African killifish) that were a bit touchy—to begin with, they will only eat live foods. Fortunately, I had a small quantity of blackworms that had survived in their watery tray in the fishroom’s compact refrigerator. Even though their tanks were rather dark, I hoped that the Nothos would have somewhat adjusted to seeing in the dimness, and that the wriggling of the worms would eventually attract their attention. I also had two small plastic hatcheries containing killifish fry of other species. Fortunately, these fry were not annuals, and would eat prepared foods. I sprinkled some decapsulated brine shrimp cysts on the water, and placed a flashlight atop each container in the hope that this illumination would help the fry spot the food.

With other tanks containing small fish, I lightly sprinkled some fine granular foods, trusting that some of the fish would feed on this. The larger fish seemed no worse off than earlier in the week, and I decided that a little dieting would be better than further compromising their water quality.

Sunday slipped from morning to afternoon, and predictions of further dropping temperatures came in over the radio, I began to plot what else I could do to keep my water temperatures stable. I had hot water, but no practical way of

Tropical FishIn a Tropical Storm

by Joseph Ferdenzi


siphoning out the cold water, as my basement is below the level of my septic system, and requires electrically operated pumps to lift the water from my basement sink. When you have 50 aquariums, a “bucket brigade” isn’t very feasible, but I still had to consider that option.

As I pondered this, just as suddenly as the lights had gone out, they came back on. It was 4 PM on Sunday, November 4th, and twilight had just begun to descend, along with its colder temperatures. The gas furnace roared to life. What a relief! A few hours later the fishroom was a toasty 74° F, and I knew my fish had weathered the crisis. Looking about, I found nothing amiss. Every fish, including all the fry, looked fine. The plants were in good shape. All the air pumps and power filters hummed away. I considered myself fortunate.

I think part of the reason I was so lucky has to do with the way I maintain my tanks. The vast majority of them are underpopulated, so even if the filtration and aeration go down, the water quality does not drastically deteriorate.

The resistance to feeding the fish also helped. My basement, fortunately, is large and well-insulated, thereby slowing down temperature drops.

Six days is the longest power outage I have ever experienced. Before Sandy, I believe two days without electricity is the longest I had gone. Perhaps, before the next storm hurls us into blackness, I will obtain an emergency generator. Supplying heat to the house would be at the top of my list, and cooling it during a summer blackout would be second. The other fishroom requirements, such as light and filtration, would be much further down on the list.

All in all, I was very pleased by how my fishroom performed during the storm crisis. Of course the fish and plants were the true beneficiaries. (Author’s note: my house is located on the north shore of Nassau County, NY, but not near the coast.)

Support Fish in the Classroom!If you have any 5 or 10 gallon tanks, or any filters, pumps, or plants that you could donate to NYC teacher Michael Paoli's classrooms, could you please bring them in or email Rich Levy ([email protected]). If you'd like to donate larger tanks, be sure and email Rich so he can make sure Michael can accommodate it.


by “The Gypsy Mermaid”(A.K.A. SHARON BARNETT)

The Fish Donation ChroniclesGeorge Byrnes

George Byrnes is a retired court officer sergeant with whom I worked for many years prior to his retirement. George is

an avid scuba diver, and we often chatted about fish that he’d seen on his dives. We also talked about the fish that I kept in the judge’s robing room at the courthouse, as well as the multitude of tanks that I was keeping at home at that time. I don’t quite remember what prompted me to offer the fish to George, though I think, perhaps, I had been expounding upon the magnificent colors of the Lake Malawi cichlids, some of whose coloration rivals that of saltwater fish. Then again, it could be that I was threatening to return her to the pet store because she was just too prolific. My tank was being overrun by her offspring.

The fish in question was a large, female Metriaclima/Maylandia lombardoi/kennyi (whichever combination of genus and species

name you happen to prefer—I’m not getting into the taxonomical intricacies and debates involved with African Rift Lake fish names). Instead of the black-barred, bright blue coloration characteristic of young females (and sub-dominant males), she had the muddy yellow, gray-barred coloration of a mature female who has had multiple broods, and her throat was distended with the huge mouthful of fry from her latest spawning. She was not spitting

that mouthful of deceptively pretty little blue terrors into my tank!

On the morning that I was to bring the fish in to work to deliver her to George, I don’t remember whether I’d had to break down the entire tank to catch her, or if it

was one of those serendipitous times when I was able to catch the holding female sleeping and net her out before she knew what was going on, but I do remember placing her in a one gallon plastic tank, and traveling with her first on a bus, and


then on a subway train to get her to the Bronx from Jamaica, Queens. George picks up the tale at this point in an email which he sent in response to my query.

Dear Sharon,

I’d be happy to share my cichlid experience with you. After you gave me that fish, I put it in a five gallon tank that I had stored in the attic. The first thing I noticed was that she liked to rearrange the tank to her liking. I could see the fry in her mouth, and noted that she was not eating the food that I’d put in the tank. A few days later I saw about ten little ones swimming around in the tank. After a few more days had passed, I noticed that there were even more! I knew then that I would need larger digs for this new family.

At Petco I purchased a 45 gallon corner tank, wooden stand, and all the trimmings, including a sunken ship with lots of openings to swim through and hide in. I also purchased some live plants. My wife Megan remarked that it was interesting how a FREE fish cost hundreds of dollars! However, she did like the aquarium, and anyone who came over always remarked as to how beautiful it was.

All the fish did well, grew to adults, and began to breed. At one time I had 50 or so fish in the tank (plus one armored catfish and one algae eater). Momma lasted until April of 2006. I sold several to a local pet store in exchange

for supplies. I gave one to a friend who had a community tank. I warned him that the cichlid was an aggressive fish, but he was confident that it would be okay in his tank. I got a call from his wife the next day; it seems he had been wrong. They came down in the morning to find only the cichlid, and it had rearranged the aquarium. He brought the fish back that evening. I think it was a little fatter! I was able to sell at least another hundred fish descendants to the pet shop over the next several years.

Alas, by 2009 they had stopped breeding. Maybe too much inbreeding, or something else—I don’t know for sure. Anyway, the last one went to fish heaven in January of 2011.

I’m living in Florida now; the tank is still in my home in New York with my daughter and son-in-law. No new fish yet, but, my daughter says she plans to start another aquarium soon—maybe after my new grandson arrives in February.

Anyway, I am so, so grateful to you Sharon for the gift those many years ago! I think it was 1998 or 1999? Not sure of the date, but, I do know that I and my family enjoyed that girl and her heirs.

Thanks again for sharing your hobby with me!

George

Photo from Bluegrass Aquatics


LionfishOF ARUBA AND BONAIRE

Story and Photos by Stephen Sica

One island is not known for its dive industry while the other is. When we travel around the Caribbean, I look forward to places that

are “off the beaten path.” I remember the time we flew into Ambergris Cay off the coast of Belize in a twin engine plane the size of a station wagon, when we spotted a huge bulldozer parked in the center of the runway—both length and width. Even the horsefly that hitched a ride with us was trying to bail out the window over my right shoulder. “Ha,” I thought. “Scratch one fly; if we go, he goes!” Well, the pilot went in and landed the plane right in front of the bulldozer. “The start of another great adventure,” I told Donna as she put away her rosary beads.

When it comes to big-time diving, Aruba has one signature shipwreck; otherwise, it is certainly small-time. We had already dived this wreck three times on prior cruises in recent years. On those

occasions, I did not recall seeing lionfish on or near the M.S. Antilla, a German freighter and U-boat supply ship. This ship was scuttled just offshore after Germany invaded Holland during World War II.

Bonaire claims to be a “Diver’s Paradise” on its motor vehicle license plates. Its lush reefs and walls begin just a few yards offshore. Considering the size of Caribbean islands and the relatively small areas that divers visit, it is impossible to accurately count, catch, or kill, all lionfish. Regrettably, this is true everywhere that the lionfish has invaded. Sadly, a new ecosystem has been permanently installed in the whole Caribbean basin, as well as the east coast of the United States. Can you even imagine all of the lionfish in open water that no one has even seen?

Well, as far as these two islands are concerned, the good news is that I saw a total of only four


lionfish. All were found off Aruba. The Antilla had two lionfish, and another reef had two. We were in the water only minutes when I saw the first one swimming near wreckage that was lying in the sand next to this 397 foot long ship. I passed up an opportunity to photograph it, when Donna and the dive group disappeared around the sunken ship. I did not want to get lost, so I forgot about the lionfish and chased after the group.

On neither dive in Bonaire did I see a lionfish. I questioned Donna, who also saw none. The dive professionals whom I met on these islands did not seem too concerned with the situation. This is a very limited sampling, during one day. If the local dive industry does anything about lionfish in Aruba and Bonaire, they do not openly discuss it. I have met a few people during our travels who do not want to publicize that they go around killing lionfish, although most have no hesitation to explain their eradication plans. Perhaps casual tourists do not realize the harm that they cause, eating juvenile reef fish. Some ideas that I mentioned in previous articles were to catch, cook, and eat the lionfish, or feed them to groupers. I have also read about some people trying to feed them to moray eels.

A few months ago, I read the Spring, 2012 issue of Alert Diver magazine, the quarterly publication of the Divers Alert Network, more popularly known as DAN. DAN is a nonprofit organization, offering a renewable, annual dues-paying membership. In addition, members can purchase diving injury insurance for a modest annual premium. The organization also provides twenty-four hour medical advice to both members and non-members. For instance, DAN can arrange emergency air ambulance medical evacuation from a remote region. There is no additional charge to your insurance premium. All safety-minded divers invest in DAN membership and insurance.

The reason that I mention Alert Diver is that “Reports from the Lionfish Front” by Stan Waterman, on page 18, reminds us again that lionfish have literally invaded the waters of the Caribbean. To paraphrase the author, they multiply with the facility of rodents, and are apex predators in the world of small reef fishes. Unless their proliferation is stopped, marine scientists “fear a critical assault on the balance of the reef food chain. Since lionfish are docile, they are easily speared. In Roatan, Honduras, the marine park began issuing licenses to divers to spear the fish. Although these and other extensive remedial measures were taken to destroy the lionfish, their population has continued to increase.

An innovative Roatan dive professional had been spearing and killing lionfish for weeks in an area where he conducted shark feeding dives. He conjectured that sharks might be interested in his lionfish kills, and experimented by releasing dead lionfish in open water. “To his delight—and surprise—his predatory friends gobbled up the prey,

toxic spines and all. He expanded his experiment by just wounding the prey and releasing it alive.” Sharks attacked and ate the wounded lionfish. The sharks learned to associate lionfish-hunting divers with an easy meal. Within weeks, the combined effort of the local divemasters and reef sharks made a local reef almost free of lionfish. This dive professional hopes to teach sharks to prey upon healthy lionfish. Mr. Waterman opines that it is too early to know whether this plan will be successful, but “it is encouraging to see divers fighting for the marine environment and seeking creative solutions to the challenges the reefs face.”

It seems to me that this is yet another good reason to treat the oceans’ sharks with the respect that they deserve.


MA ClAssiCsOur emphasis on history this year reminded me that I've been meaning to showcase this article from the November, 1969 issue of Modern Aquarium. Braz Walker was a remarkable aquarist and author, as a quick internet search will confirm. We are fortunate to have this outstanding article on a true giant of the hobby.


a Series On Books For The Hobbyistby SuSAN PRIEST

Earlier this year, as I was perusing andchoosing what books I would be workingwith for this conservation season of Wet

Leaves, a brief phrase on the second page of one ofthem took me time traveling back to the bedroom ofmy tween years, and more specifically, to mybookshelf. As if it were a slide in my Viewmaster,a very clear image of The Sea Around Us clickedinto my mind’s eye, and along with it came a name. Rachel Carson.

“Beginnings areoften shadowy, and so itis with that great motherof life, the sea. Althoughno man was there towitness the birth of thesea, the stars and themoon and the rocks werethere.”

Rachel LouiseCarson (1907-1964), waswriting at a time whentelevision was still in itsinfancy. There were nosuch things as personalcomputers, video games,or iPods. Most peoplewere still spending a lotof their leisure time withbooks. Between 1941 and1962, Ms. Carson wrotesome of the most popularand influential books ofthat generation. They are listed here inchronological order:

Under The Sea Wind, 1941The Sea Around Us, 1950The Edge Of The Sea, 1955Silent Spring, 1962

Ms Carson turned biology and oceanographyinto prose. She invested not just many months, butmany years in the writing of each of her books. Every paragraph, sentence, and even every wordwas reviewed, revised, and rearranged many timesover (she would read her text out loud, as well as

have someone else read it out loud to her) until shewas satisfied with it. Every hour she spent writingwas preceded by several hours of research. Howmust she have felt when the day finally arrived, theday when she released it from her nest like afledgling? Was it ready to fly on its own? Howdeep a satisfaction she must have felt when, one byone, each of her books soared to great heights,exceeding even her highest hopes for them.

All of these books have been reprinted manytimes over. Numerous editions of each, bothhardcover as well as paperback, can be found ineven the most superficial of searches. Eachversion of each title has its own personality. Tooffer you but one example of this, I turn to my twocopies of The Sea Around Us. One is a smallpaperback (with similarly small print), dated 1961. The other is “A Special Edition For YoungReaders.” It is a hardcover with dimensions ofapproximately 81/2" by 11." It is lavishlyillustrated with colorful drawings, charts and

photos, and it hasmuch larger print. T h e t e x t w a sunadulterated, whichis to say that it wasnot “dumbed down”for children. It waspublished in 1958. (In addition to herbooks, she also wrotemany articles forn e w s p a p e r s a n dmagazines, as well asscripts for televisionshows.)

“In the warmdimly lit waters ofthat early sea, thetemperature andpressure and saltinessmust have beenexactly right to bringabout the creation of

life from materials that were not alive.”

Throughout her books there are manyexamples of how interconnected all of life is. Reducing this concept to the simplest possibleexample, I quote: “Animals must eat plants toobtain the necessary minerals, or else they must eatother animals that have fed on plants.”

Again and again she recounts tales ofvisiting, exploring, and examining the sea at night. “If you could be close to the surface of the sea atnight, you would find that it is alive with strangecreatures never seen by day.” She tells of carryingher nephew down to the tide pools of Maine, to

18 December 2012 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

20 December 2012 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)

show them to him by moonlight while he was still ababe in arms. Clearly this was her greatestfascination.

Ms. Carson introduces her readers to a widevariety of creatures which are not commonlydescribed in biology textbooks, at least not in any ofthe ones I have ever read. In my copy of her firstbook, Under The Sea Wind, there is a glossaryunlike any I have encountered before. The body ofher text is not illustrated; however, she has saved avery special collection of drawings for the pages ofher glossary. “Noctiluca: “This single-celled animalis one of the principal light producers of the sea, attimes making large areas glow with an intensephosphorescent light.” As you have all readyguessed, there is an excellent drawing of this uniqueanimal. I have at least one copy of each of the titleslisted earlier, and all of them are illustrated withbeautiful drawings by different artists.

Recurrent rhythms, a place of conflict andcompromise, the surge of life; these are the stuff ofThe Edge Of The Sea. In this book Ms. Carsonexplores the rugged rocky shores, the sandybeaches, and the coral reefs on the western shorelineof the Atlantic Ocean (the eastern coastline of theU.S.). She also expresses her fear for the future ofall shorelines, which she anticipated would begobbled up by the recreational and capitalisticpursuits of humanity.

I had come across many descriptions ofSilent Spring before I actually read it for myself. Based on those descriptions, I expected it to assumea combative “taking on the establishment” posture. I expected it to be politically incorrect! That wasnot what I found. What I did find was a studiedapproach to the controversy, which was, of course,the widespread use of DDT, and its effects on everyliving thing in its path. Each thought and opinionwas based in fact, and each fact was chronicled inthe references. Silent Spring doesn’t have theprosaic quality of her earlier books, but it does flowalong with an easy readability. In order to capturethe attention of the general population, one of the“tactics” she used throughout was to compare theresults of the use of DDT to the results ofradioactive fallout, thereby giving her readerssomething to compare it to. She considered publicignorance and apathy to be the greatest obstacles tothe success of conservation efforts. (My copy is thefortieth anniversary edition, and I know that there isa fiftieth anniversary edition as well.) “SilentSpring compels each generation to reevaluate itsrelationship to the natural world.”

Throughout all of the writings by and aboutRachel Carson which I have been reading, andtaking into consideration her love of anything andeverything aquatic, I was surprised that I didn’t findany mention of her having kept aquariums. It wouldseem likely that incorporated into her work for the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service there must havebeen a few tanks around. None of the biographicalmaterial included any mention of a personalaquarium or two, not even for the edification of hernephew Roger. Of course, just because no onewrote it down doesn’t mean that she didn’t haveone. I can imagine a wide, shallow reef tank fullof fascinating creatures which I don’t know thenames of.

“Young waves have a steep, peaked shape,with whitecaps of foam spilling down their fronts. Waves that are visitors from a very distant part ofthe ocean rear high, as though gathering all theirstrength for the final act of their life.”

Many authors have written biographies ofRachel Carson. By far the most comprehensiveand well known of these Is Rachel Carson,Witness For Nature, by Linda Lear. Here is abrief quote from the prologue: “Hers (R.C.) was asingular vision encompassing nothing less than themysteriously intricate living world whose workingsshe understood so deeply.” At first I found thedegree of detail in Ms. Lear’s narrative to becumbersome, but as I moved forward I found theresult to be meticulous without being tiresome. She created a true portrait of an influential scientistand author.

There were many biographies which werewritten with children in mind. Rachel, The StoryOf Rachel Carson, by Amy Ehrlich, is “abiography in pictures for children.” Here is a very brief biographical sketch:Rachel Carson grew up in Springvale,Pennsylvania. Her mother was the one whointroduced her to the joys and mysteries of nature. She majored in biology at the PennsylvaniaCollege For Women (now known as ChathamCollege), and followed that with further studies atthe Woods Hole Biological Laboratory inMassachusetts, and Johns Hopkins University inMaryland. The majority of her career was spentworking as an aquatic biologist and editor ofpublications for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Over the years she fit the writing of her iconicbooks in between her many obligations to herfamily and job. These books won many awardsand accolades, and are still influential to this day. She never married, and her many friends andcolleagues became like a family to her. BreastCancer brought her earthly life to an early close atthe age of 54. Earth Day, the banning of theproduction of DDT, and the establishment of theEnvironmental Protection Agency are just a few ofthe far reaching results of her work and writings. “She was a revolutionary spokesperson for therights of all life.”

Many posthumous honors have beenbestowed on Ms. Carson. I will list three of the

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) December 2012 19


most prestigious. The Rachel Carson NationalWildlife Refuge In Maine was established in 1970. In 1980 the Presidential Medal of Freedom wasawarded to her. The U.S. postage stamp you seereproduced here was part of the Great AmericansSeries, and was issued on May 28, 1981.“Biographer of the sea,” “eco-pioneer,” “the patronsaint of the environmental movement;” these arejust a few of many similar monikers with which shehas been dubbed.

I would like to include one anecdote fromMs. Lear’s biography that I think you will enjoy. What follows here are my words, as I paraphrase abrief conversation. Rachel says to her accountant,“Do I have enough money to buy a house? I wouldlike to buy a small house if you think I can affordit.” The accountant replies “Ms. Carson, you canbuy 100 houses, and pretty much anything else youwould like. You are a very wealthy woman.” Rachel Carson was going along with her day-to-dayroutines, while, unnoticed by her, the royalties forher books were slowly accumulating. Shortlythereafter she built a small home on the rockyseashore of Maine, which became a refuge for her.

“In some remote areas we get the feel of theunknown and the mysterious that never quiteseparates itself from the sea.”

At the time of her death in 1964 she was onthe verge of completing a book entitled The SenseOf Wonder. The dedication would have been toher great-nephew Roger. Roger’s mother (Rachel’sniece), died an untimely death. Rachel assumedguardianship of Roger, and he became the child shenever had. This book was planned to be a guide“for all parents, children, and anyone who valuesnatural beauty.” As it turns out, there are at leastthree versions of this book in publication, eventhough the text was never completed by Ms. Carson. I did have a copy a while back. The one I had waslushly illustrated with color photos, and I found thatit made the perfect gift for someone close to me. Actually, depending on the condition, all of herbooks would make a nice gift for the right person. (If you know someone who is not a snob about usedbooks, you can give them a complete, albeitunmatched, set!)

Now that you have gone wading into theworld of Rachel Carson, I urge you to explore itfurther through the pages of one of her books (canyou tell that The Sea Around Us is my favoriteamong them?). She will most assuredly help youto remove yourself, at least for a little while, fromthe tide of technology in which we are awash, andreconnect you with “the stream of life.”

The bold and italicized quotes throughoutare taken from The Sea Around Us.

REFERENCES

Under The Sea Wind, Carson, Rachel. OxfordUniversity Press, 1952The Sea Around Us, Carson, Rachel. Simon andSchuster, 1958The Edge of The Sea, Carson, Rachel. HoughtonMifflin Company, 1998Silent Spring, Carson, Rachel. Houghton MifflinCompany, 1962Rachel Carson, Witness For Nature, Lear,Linda. Houghton Mifflin, 1997



The Beauty of Mercury.

Cardina cf. cantonensis Sp. Tiger.

The Tao of Greater City

Earlier this year, Greater City’s Gypsy Mermaid, Sharon Barnett, created a Facebook page for us so that we could keep up with one another’s fishy activities online. Appropriately enough, she called it Greater City Aquarium Society Fishy Friends. It’s been a fun experience for those

participating, but, in the tradition of the “law of unintended consequences,” the most notable result has been the emergence of a new star in our midst, namely “Wallace Tao,” the Fishy Friends nom de plume of Greater City member Wallace Deng. Wallace has sent us a seemingly never-ending stream of fantastic photographs—and not just of fish! Here are just a few. Look for more in future issues!

Tiger Endler’s.

Photos by Wallace Deng


Peacock gudgeon guarding his eggs.

Limnopilos naiyanetri – micro crab.

Dragonfly.

Dragonfly nymph.

Caterpillar.

Damselfly nymph.

Tateurndina ocellicauda fry – four days old.


GCAS Past Award WinnersJOSEPH FERDENZI ROLL OF HONORGene BaioccoJoe BugeiaMary Ann Bugeia Dan 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 2007-10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeffrey Bollbach1993-94 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joe Ferdenzi 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph Graffagnino

GENE BAIOCCO AQUARIST OF THE YEAR (Since 1990-91)1990-91 . . . . . . Diane & Harold Gottlieb1991-92 . . . . . . 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 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pete D’Orio2000-01 . . . . . . Bernard Harrigan 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeffrey Bollbach

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 Szablewicz1991-92 . . . . . . . . . Steve Sagona

1992-93 . . . . . . . . . Steve Sagona1993-94 . . . . . . . . . Steve Sagona1994-95 . . . . . . . Carlotti De Jager1995-96 . . . . . . . . Mary Eve Brill1996-97 . . . . . . . . . Steve Sagona1997-98 . . . . . . . . . Steve Sagona1998-99 . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Miglio1999-00 . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Miglio2000-01 . . . . . . . . . Pat Coushaine2001-02 . . . . . . . . William Amely

2002-03 . . . . . . . . Evelyn Eagan2003-04 . . . . . . . William Amely2004-05 . . . . . . . . Evelyn Eagan2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ed Vukich2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ed Vukich2008 . . . . . . . . . . William Amely2009 . . . . . . . . . . Mario Bengcion2010 . . . . . . . Alexander A. Priest2011 . . . . . . . . Richard Waizman

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) 2009-12 Dan Radebaugh (4)1965 Andrew Fazio (1) 1978-79 Louis Kromm (1)1966-68 Charles Elzer (2) 1979-81 Don Sanford (2)



Greater City Aquarium Society— 2012 Awards —

To be awarded December 5, 2012

GENE BAIOCCO AQUARIST OF THE YEAR AWARDJULES BIRNBAUM

DON SANFORD BREEDER OF THE YEAR AWARDJOSEPH GRAFFAGNINO

WALTER HUBEL BOWL SHOW CHAMPIONRICHARD WAIZMAN

AUTHOR AWARD PROGRAM (AAP) AWARDSOnly authors making contributions printed during 2012 (or who received AAP points as a result of NECand/or FAAS publication awards announced in 2012) and whose AAP levels changed are listed below.

Jules Birnbaum . . . . . . . . Journalist Steven Hinshaw . . . . . . . AuthorTommy Chang . . . . . . . . Correspondent Steven Hinshaw . . . . . . . CorrespondentWallace Deng . . . . . . . . . Author Denver Lettman . . . . . . . AuthorJoseph Graffagnino . . . . Journalist Elliot Oshins . . . . . . . . . . Columnist

Al Priest is Author of the Year for 2012!



We are very pleased to congratulate JulesBirnbaum, who this year has moved upfrom Essayist to Journalist, Tommy

Chang and Ed Vukich, who advanced from Authorto Correspondent, Steve Hinshaw, who zoomedright through Author to Correspondent, WallaceDeng, who is now an Author, Joe Graffagnino,who moves up to Journalist, Denver Lettman,whose Cartoon Captions earned him Author status,and Elliot Oshins, who advanced from Journalist toColumnist. A special congratulations goes to AlPriest, who is Author of the Year for 2012! Thanks and congratulations to all of ourcontributors. We hope to hear more from each ofyou in 2013!

Overview of the Author Award ProgramThe 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. An example 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.

Ten points will be awarded to the winner of ourCartoon Caption Contest.

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 previously in the AAP. To be eligible for AAPpoints, a contribution must first have been submittedto Modern Aquarium. However, if an articlepreviously published in Modern Aquarium issignificantly revised by its author (as a result of newinformation or developments), and if such a revisionis first submitted to Modern Aquarium, it will betreated as a new article. Points are awarded in theyear the article is printed. Editorials and President’sMessages are excluded.

An article deemed unacceptable by the EditorialStaff of Modern Aquarium for reasons ofappropriateness 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 for thepurposes of raffle prize chances or “Author Of TheYear” designation.Bonus Points

If, in the year following its publication inModern Aquarium, an article is given a 1st, 2nd or3rd 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 author isa 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 for 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 The



Year” 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 . . . . . . . . . 1,000 to 1,495 ptsGrand Master Laureate . . . . 1,500 to 1,995 ptsSr. Grand Master Laureate 2,000 to 10,000 ptsEditor Emeritus . . . . . . . . . . . . over 10,000 pts

Author Award Program ReportA Status Report - Points Awarded March to December 2012

Art Work(in points)

Number of Articles1 Awards TotalPoints

Prize

Author

Photo/Drawing

(up to twoper article)2

500wordsor less

over500

wordsBonus3

Points

CurrentYear Total:March toDecember

Raffle4

Chances

William Amely 10 10 2

Sharon Barnett 1 10 2

Jules Birnbaum 20 8 10 110 22

Tommy Chang 2 10 30 6

Wallace Deng 30 30 6

Joseph Ferdenzi 5 1 4 50 n/a

Joseph Graffagnino 20 3 20 60 12

Steven Hinshaw 30 1 3 65 13

Denver Lettman 30 30 6

Elliot Oshins 50 10 60 12

Alexander Priest 160 3 6 180 385 n/a

Susan Priest 90 1 19 30 315 n/a

Dan Puleo 10 10 2

Dan Radebaugh 1 3 40 75 n/a

Marsha Radebaugh 35 35 n/a

Stephen Sica 120 2 11 50 290 58

Undergravel Reporter 10 10 60 n/a

Edward Vukich 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



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 ARE eligible.

Here are the total AAP points for all GCAS members as of December 2012.If you have questions, or feel that there are errors, please contact Dan.

William Amely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Sharon Barnett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230Fred Bellise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Mario Bengcion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Steve Berman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Jules Birnbaum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285Tom Bohme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Victoria Bohme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Jeff Bollbach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Roger Brewster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Tommy Chang . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Donald Curtin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Doug Curtin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90Carlotti De Jager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Wallace Deng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Les Deutsch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Brad Dickinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Claudia Dickinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,195Al DiSpigna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Pete O’Orio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Rod Du Casse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Evelyn Eagan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Frank Fallon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Harry Faustmann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Anita Ferdenzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Francesca Ferdenzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Joseph Ferdenzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,335Marisa Ferdenzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Alison Feuer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Warren Feuer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285Michael Foran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Artie Friedman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Peter Foster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Jeff George . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Horst Gerber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110Steve Giacobello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Joseph Graffagnino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215Steve Gruebel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Al Grusell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Bernard Harrigan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,800Steven Hinshaw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Jason Kerner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140Denver Lettman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Rich Levy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Bill Luckett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10John Malinowski . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Desiree Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Tom Miglio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Jackleen Minassi-Haftvani. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Temes Mo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Jerry O'Farrell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Elliot Oshins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355Jim Peterson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Margaret Peterson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Alexander Priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,955Susan Priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,555Dan Radebaugh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470Marsha Radebaugh. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195Jannette Ramirez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220Leonard Ramroop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Mark Rubanow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Charley Sabatino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170Donna Sosna Sica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Stephen Sica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,365Vincent Sileo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Danielle Soberman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Ilyssa Soberman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Robin Soberman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Mark Soberman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Jack Traub . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Undergravel Reporter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,240Anton Vukich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Edward Vukich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Michael Vulis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Greg Wuest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25



GCAS BREEDER AWARD PROGRAM 2012

NAME SPECIES BRED Points 1st - GCAS CARES DATE

JEFF BOLLBACH CERT #1829 AUSTRALOHEROS SP. "RED CEIBAL" 10 3/7/20121830 MACROPODUS OCELLATUS 25 3/7/20121851 HIPPOCAMPUS ZOSTERAE 35 10/3/2012

Number of species: 3 Total Points 70

WARREN FEUERWARREN FEUER1826 STEATOCRANUS CASUARIUS 10 3/7/20121827 PSEUDOTROPHEUS(METRACLIMA) ZEBRA 10 3/7/20121834 CORYDORAS PALEATUS 10 4/4/20121835 LABEOTROPHEUS TREWAVASAE 10 4/4/20121836 LABIDOCHROMIS CAERULEUS 10 4/4/20121841 METRICLIMA ESTHERAE 20 6/2/20211842 AULONOCARA SP "OB PEACOCK" 10 6/2/20121847 APHYOSEMION AUSTRALE 5 9/5/20121847 APHYOSEMION AUSTRALE 5 9/5/2012


JOSEPH GRAFFAGNINO1831 BELONTIA SIGNATA 35 3/7/20121832 MELANOTAENIA LACUSTRIS 15 3/7/20121833 PELVICACHROMIS PULCHER 10 3/7/20121839 AUSTRALOHEROS SP. "RED CEIBAL" 10 5/2/20121840 PTEROPHYLLUM SCALARE 10 5/2/20121844 CRYPTOHEROS SP. "HONDURAN RED POINT" 10 6/2/20121846 GEOPHAGUS BRASILIENSIS 15 8/1/20121848 DANIO MARGARITATUS 5 9/5/20121849 ACARICHTHYS HECKELII 25 10/3/2012


RICH LEVYRICH LEVY1845 POECILLIA RETICULATA 5 7/10/2012


DAN RADEBAUGH1837 THERAPS WESSELI 20 5/2/20121838 ILYODON FURCIDENS 10 5/2/2012


EDWARD VUKICH1828 AUSTRALOHEROS SP. "RED CEIBAL" 10 3/7/20121843 ILYODON FURCIDENS 10 6/2/20121850 LAMPROLOGUS (NEOLAMPROLGUS) MULTIFASCIATU 15 10/3/2012


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


GCASBreeder Award Totals

NAME POINTS # BRED NAME POINTS # BRED1 JEFF BOLLBACH 1,645 119 40 JEAN BRAUDE 155 122 JOSEPH GRAFFAGNINO 1,195 84 41 BARRY LYNCH 150 183 ANTON VUKICH 910 70 42 SHARON MIRABELLA 135 104 JOSEPH FERDENZI 905 59 43 THADDEUS TURA 135 95 TOM MIGLIO 865 66 44 JOE CUCINIELLO 135 96 MARK SOBERMAN 805 42 45 JORGE RODRIGUEZ 135 97 WARREN FEUER 765 51 46 HARRY EVANS 125 118 STEVE SAGONA 655 47 47 KEN BRUST 120 159 EDWARD VUKICH 590 47 48 FRANK GANNON 120 16

10 JOHN STORA 540 47 49 JERRY SCHULTZ 120 1111 JOSE ARANDA 505 47 50 THE KELLYS 115 1212 JOHN IANNONE 485 45 51 GEORGE MAROTI 115 812 JOHN IANNONE 485 45 51 GEORGE MAROTI 115 813 THE ECKSTEINS 455 39 52 JOE MANCUSI 115 814 CARLOTTI DE JAGER 440 33 53 HERB FOGAL 100 1315 CLAUDIA DICKINSON 435 27 54 JERRY MAYER 95 716 RICHARD SORENSEN 420 33 55 JOE FLANAGAN 95 1217 FRANCIS LEE 390 28 56 DENNIS EGIELSKI 95 418 GERALD GORYCKI 370 41 57 BRIAN KELLY 90 618 GERALD GORYCKI 370 41 57 BRIAN KELLY 90 619 CHARLEY SABATINO 360 20 58 PETE D'ORIO 90 920 THE REPANES 355 27 59 ROBERT MC KEAND 85 521 JACK OLIVA 345 42 60 EDWARD SZABLEWICZ 85 722 HAROLD KETTERER 335 30 61 NOEL RODRIGUEZ 85 723 AL PRIEST 330 8 62 BOB KUHLKE 80 724 THE LOMBARDIS 325 32 63 LEONARD RAMROOP 80 1125 GREGORY WUEST 310 30 64 BRADLEY PLOTKIN 80 626 DON SANFORD 310 25 65 JOHN LEE 75 527 TED KURDZIEL 295 24 66 DOUGLAS CURTIN 75 1228 TONY FERRARO 275 23 67 JOSE PEREZ 75 629 THE BUGEIAS 270 31 68 TOM BOHME 75 730 DOMINIC ISLA 235 20 69 BOB RADAMACHER 70 931 STEPHAN ZANDER 230 14 70 DONALD CURTIN 70 1031 STEPHAN ZANDER 230 14 70 DONALD CURTIN 70 1032 YEZID GUTIERREZ 206 20 71 PAT PICCIONE 70 733 PHILIP INGENITO 205 13 72 SARA MONHEIT 65 634 ROD DU CASSE 190 14 73 CHARLES KUHNE 60 835 THE DONATONES 175 18 74 JOEL FORGIONE 60 436 JOHN MORAN 170 11 75 BOB DU BOIS 55 537 LOUIS KROMM 170 16 76 HORST GERBER 55 437 LOUIS KROMM 170 16 76 HORST GERBER 55 438 JEFF GEORGE 165 17 77 BOB WRANOVICS 50 439 DICK MOORE 160 5 78 MIKE CASSANO 50 5


NAME POINTS # BRED NAME POINTS # BRED1 JEFF BOLLBACH 1,645 119 40 JEAN BRAUDE 155 122 JOSEPH GRAFFAGNINO 1,195 84 41 BARRY LYNCH 150 183 ANTON VUKICH 910 70 42 SHARON MIRABELLA 135 104 JOSEPH FERDENZI 905 59 43 THADDEUS TURA 135 95 TOM MIGLIO 865 66 44 JOE CUCINIELLO 135 96 MARK SOBERMAN 805 42 45 JORGE RODRIGUEZ 135 97 WARREN FEUER 765 51 46 HARRY EVANS 125 118 STEVE SAGONA 655 47 47 KEN BRUST 120 159 EDWARD VUKICH 590 47 48 FRANK GANNON 120 16

10 JOHN STORA 540 47 49 JERRY SCHULTZ 120 1111 JOSE ARANDA 505 47 50 THE KELLYS 115 1212 JOHN IANNONE 485 45 51 GEORGE MAROTI 115 812 JOHN IANNONE 485 45 51 GEORGE MAROTI 115 813 THE ECKSTEINS 455 39 52 JOE MANCUSI 115 814 CARLOTTI DE JAGER 440 33 53 HERB FOGAL 100 1315 CLAUDIA DICKINSON 435 27 54 JERRY MAYER 95 716 RICHARD SORENSEN 420 33 55 JOE FLANAGAN 95 1217 FRANCIS LEE 390 28 56 DENNIS EGIELSKI 95 418 GERALD GORYCKI 370 41 57 BRIAN KELLY 90 618 GERALD GORYCKI 370 41 57 BRIAN KELLY 90 619 CHARLEY SABATINO 360 20 58 PETE D'ORIO 90 920 THE REPANES 355 27 59 ROBERT MC KEAND 85 521 JACK OLIVA 345 42 60 EDWARD SZABLEWICZ 85 722 HAROLD KETTERER 335 30 61 NOEL RODRIGUEZ 85 723 AL PRIEST 330 8 62 BOB KUHLKE 80 724 THE LOMBARDIS 325 32 63 LEONARD RAMROOP 80 1125 GREGORY WUEST 310 30 64 BRADLEY PLOTKIN 80 626 DON SANFORD 310 25 65 JOHN LEE 75 527 TED KURDZIEL 295 24 66 DOUGLAS CURTIN 75 1228 TONY FERRARO 275 23 67 JOSE PEREZ 75 629 THE BUGEIAS 270 31 68 TOM BOHME 75 730 DOMINIC ISLA 235 20 69 BOB RADAMACHER 70 931 STEPHAN ZANDER 230 14 70 DONALD CURTIN 70 1031 STEPHAN ZANDER 230 14 70 DONALD CURTIN 70 1032 YEZID GUTIERREZ 206 20 71 PAT PICCIONE 70 733 PHILIP INGENITO 205 13 72 SARA MONHEIT 65 634 ROD DU CASSE 190 14 73 CHARLES KUHNE 60 835 THE DONATONES 175 18 74 JOEL FORGIONE 60 436 JOHN MORAN 170 11 75 BOB DU BOIS 55 537 LOUIS KROMM 170 16 76 HORST GERBER 55 437 LOUIS KROMM 170 16 76 HORST GERBER 55 438 JEFF GEORGE 165 17 77 BOB WRANOVICS 50 439 DICK MOORE 160 5 78 MIKE CASSANO 50 5

NAME POINTS # BRED NAME POINTS # BRED79 WARREN BURKE 45 7 109 WILLIAM SADERA 15 180 BRUCE WEILER 45 3 110 DAN GAWIAK 15 281 WILLIAM BRANDOFINO 45 4 111 KATHY BUSBY 10 182 CHARLES SHATAKA 40 5 112 ABE COOPER 10 283 CHARLES BENEFATTI 40 7 113 BILL ARONNE 10 1

1 284 DAN RADEBAUGH 40 3 114 RICH LEVY 15 285 BRIAN STERN 35 4 115 DIANNE SPELLMAN 10 186 ARTHUR MAYER 35 3 116 JOHN MC CAFFERY 10 287 BARRY CENTER 35 3 117 JERROLD MEYER 10 188 THE MARTINS 35 5 118 HORST MIEHLBRAD 10 189 VINNIE RITCHIE 35 3 119 FRANK FALLON 10 190 AL PHANEUF 35 5 120 WALTER ROSTOWSKI 10 290 AL PHANEUF 35 5 120 WALTER ROSTOWSKI 10 291 BRUCE WELLER 30 3 121 JASON KERNER 10 192 MICHAEL VILLANO 30 4 122 JAY LIEBOWITZ 5 293 ROGER BEAULIEU 30 2 123 ADAM KLEINROCK 5 194 THE STEGMANS 30 3 124 EDYTH MONSOUR 5 195 ROB ALTONEN 30 2 125 KATHY FERNANDEZ 5 196 GENE BAIOCCO 30 4 126 THE QUINNS 5 196 GENE BAIOCCO 30 4 126 THE QUINNS 5 197 STANLEY WEGLARZ 25 4 127 WILLIAM STALZER 5 298 VINCENT BABINO 25 2 128 JAMES BROOKS 5 199 EMMA JORDAN HAUS 20 3 129 RICHARD WALSH 5 1

100 DANNY SHEPARD 20 3 130 BILL SMITH 5 1101 GUNTER HORSTMANN 20 3 131 DANNY CIRNIGLIAR 5 1102 STEVEN MILLER 20 1 132 GEROLD COCH 5 1103 PETER SCHLEISMAN 20 2 133 BOB FUCHS 0 1104 ARNOLD FREED 20 4 134 PETER SAGINARIO 0 5105 STUART KRICHEVSKY 20 3 135 DEAN ABRUMSON 0 1106 JOE ARONNE 15 2 136 VINCENT MASCOLA 0 3107 IGNACIO ARENCIBIA 15 1 137 JOHN HILL 0 1108 THE FERNANDEZES 15 1


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 6, 2013Speaker: Joseph FerdenziTopic: 90 Years of GCAS!Meets: Meets the first Wednesday of the month (except

January & February) at 7:30pm: Queens Botanical garden 43-50 Main street - Flushing, NY Contact: Dan Radebaugh (718) 458-8437Email: [email protected]: http://www.greatercity.org

BIG APPLE GuPPY CLuBMeets: Last Tuesday each month (except Jan, Feb, July,

and August) at 7:30-10:00pm. Alley Pond Environmental Ctr.: 228-06 Northern Blvd. Contact: Donald Curtin (718) 631-0538

BROOKLYN AquARIuM SOCIETYNext Meeting: December 14, 2012 Speaker: NoneEvent: Holiday PartyMeets: 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 14, 2012Speaker: None Event: Holiday Party Meets: 3rd Fridays (except July and August) 8:00pm. Room 120 in Endeavor Hall on theState University at

Stony Brook Campus, Stony Brook, NY Email: Margaret Peterson - [email protected]: http://liasonline.org/

EAST COAST GuPPY ASSOCIATIONMeets: 2nd Tuesday of each month at at 8:00 pm. Alley Pond Environmental Ctr.: 228-06 Northern Blvd. Contact: Gene Baudier (631) 345-6399

NASSAu COuNTY AquARIuM SOCIETYNext Meeting: December 11, 2012Speaker: 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 12, 2012Speaker: None Event: Holdiay PartyMeets at: the Lyndhurst elks Club, 251 Park avenue, Lyndhurst, NJ 07071 Contact: NJAS Hotline at (732) 332-1392Email: [email protected]: http://www.njas.net/

NORWALK AquARIuM SOCIETYNext Meeting: January 18, 2013Speaker: 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/

A speciAl welcome to new GcAs members Albert chiAnG And Jeffrey ye!

Last Month’s Bowl show Winners:No MeetiNg or Bowl Show iN NoveMBer.

official 2012 Bowl Show totalS:richard waizMaN 17 roBert haMje 14 jerry o'farrell 10 ruBeN lugo 10 williaM aMely 8 carlotti dejager 3


Genetically modified fluorescent pink angelfishCopyright © Pichi/Reuters

Paul Palmer and “Sharky”

A “200 year old” (fish years) catfishCopyright © Pichi/Reuters

A series by The Undergravel Reporter

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.

Did you ever win a goldfish at a carnival,street fair, or party? Do you rememberhow long it stayed alive? If your

experience was anything like mine, it likely wasn’tvery long.

When four-year-old Paul Palmer won a tinygoldfish at a fairground, no one expected it to livefor very long. But “Sharky,” the goldfish Paulnamed after a cartoon character has just celebratedits 24th birthday. True, Sharky is no longer“golden,” having turned from gold to white overthe years, but since one goldfish year is consideredto be equal to five human years, Sharky can claimto be over 100 “fish years” old!

Not to be outdone, one of the exhibits at the2012 Taiwan International Aquarium Expo inTaipei is a fish described as a Panaque cf.suttonorum, claimed to be 200 years old by itsowner (this also turns out to be the current fishowner’s estimate in “fish years”). However, this24 inch catfish is old by almost any standard,having had three different owners within a periodof at least 60 years.2 (Also featured at this Expowere genetically modified fluorescent pinkfreshwater angelfish that glow without use of ablacklight (UV) lamp.)3 Soon to come to localstores?

1http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160273/The-boy-won-goldfish-funfair-aged-amazed-survives- 24-years.html2 http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=53383 http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=5342

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) November 2012 17


Fin FunThis “Snowflake Eel” (Echidna nebulosa) somehow got trapped inside of a snowflake! See if you can steerit up and out. Solution in our next issue.

Answers to our last puzzle:


Modern Aquarium December 2012

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Transcript of Modern Aquarium December 2012