Modern Aquarium

November 2013volume XXnumber 9

1994 — 20th Anniversary — 2013

Page 7

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ON THE COVER

Our cover this month features Betta ocellata, one of the “wild” bettas. For more information on this larger-than-you-might-expect, and relatively easy to keep betta, see Al Priest's article on page 13.

Photo by Alexander A. Priest

GREATER CITY AQUARIUM SOCIETY

BOARD MEMBERS

President Dan RadebaughVice-President Edward VukichTreasurer Jules BirnbaumAssistant Treasurer Ron WiesenfeldCorresponding 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 RadebaughN.E.C. Delegate Claudia DickinsonPrograms Claudia Dickinson

Mark SobermanTechnology 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. 2013 Program Schedule

3President’s Message

4 October's Caption Contest Winner

5Who CARES?

6by Tommy Chang

Cartoon Caption Contest 7

Pictures from our Last Meeting 8by Susan Priest

G.C.A.S. Bowl Show Rules 10

The LFS Report 11World Class Aquarium

by Dan Puleo

Our Generous Sponsors & Advertisers 12

The Eyespot Betta: Betta ocellata 13by Alexander A. Priest

How To Get Out of the Fish Biz? Move! 16by Charlie Kuhne

Wet Leaves 17by Susan Priest

Melanotaenia of New Guinea, Part I 19by Derek P.S. Tustin

Shark Diving 25At the North Carolina Aquarium

by Stephen Sica

Paratilapia Sp. ̔fony̕ 28by Dan Radebaugh

Member Classifieds 32

G.C.A.S. Happenings 34

The Undergravel Reporter 35Satellite Spawners

Fin Fun (Puzzle Page) 36True or False

Series III Vol. XX, No. 9 November, 2013

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)2 November 2013

From theEditor by Dan Radebaugh

This issue of Modern Aquarium has several elements that are familiar to our readers, and a few elements that

are a little bit unusual. For instance, we have not one, but three CARES-related articles, led off by Tommy Chang’s “Who CARES?”. Of the remaining two, “Paratilapia sp. ‘fony’ is written by a Greater City member (me), but reprinted from another publication, Buntbarsche Bulletin, and the third, “Melanotaenia of New Guinea” is a new article written for us by Derek Tustin, the author of an article we re-printed back in May from the Durham Regional Aquarium Society’s Tank Talk.

Another unexpected voice this issue is former Greater City member Charlie Kuhne. See Charlie's “How To Get Out of the Fish Biz? Move!” on page 16. Charlie also has an ad in Member Classifieds for his house out in New Mexico.

Dan Puleo’s “The LFS Report” this month features World Class Aquarium, a shop that has been a regular advertiser in Modern Aquarium for many years. Steve Sica gives us another wonderful photo essay of one of his and Donna’s traveling and diving adventures in “Shark Diving at the North Carolina Aquarium.” Appropriately, Sue Priest’s Wet Leaves column this month features Steve’s contributions to Modern Aquarium. Sue also once again contributes the always-popular “Pictures From Our Last Month’s Meeting.” Meanwhile Al Priest contributes another of his astute and informative articles, this time on Betta ocellata, the “eyespot betta.”

The Undergravel Reporter tells us about noisy, satellite-spawning midshipmen (not from Annapolis), and the issue closes with our monthly Fin Fun puzzle.

Remember, we need articles. We always 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 email it to [email protected], fax it to me at (877) 299-0522, 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) November 2013 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 Larry JohnsonLake Malawi

May 1 Sal SilvestriApistogrammas

June 5 Leslie DickLivebearers

July 3 Joe FerdenziDo-It-Yourself Aquarium Gadgets

August 7 Silent Auction

September 12 Mark DenaroBettas/Labyrinth Fishes

October 2 Mark SobermanKeeping and Breeding Corydoras

November 6 Dan RadebaughHerichthys carpintis

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 2013 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

A little over a year and has passed since Hurricane Sandy's visit, and since the meeting that didn't happen. But now it’s time to turn our thoughts

forward. About a month from now, on December 4th, we will be gathering for our annual Holiday Awards Banquet. Last year we held our banquet for the first time at the Flagship Diner on Queens Boulevard. Last year Flagship charged us $22.50 per person. The club picked up $2.50 of that, and so members paid $20 each. This year the price has gone up by a couple of dollars each, but the club will make up the difference, and members will once again pay only $20 each.

Think about that—a year’s membership in Greater City is $20, which includes monthly speakers, refreshments, auctions, raffles and door prizes, not to mention the camaraderie of hanging out with people who share your interest in fish. On top of all that,

another $20 gets you a great meal and dessert, and yet more festivities! Is this a deal, or what? I pay that much for a container of freeze-dried krill! And I don’t even eat them!

Last month I asked for some volunteers to help the club in various ways, and I was pleased to get a

few positive responses. I’ll be speaking with our new volunteers to see how they can both help us out and do something that interests

them. More news will be forthcoming soon!On another matter, I recently received the letter

below from Christine Policastro of the North Jersey Aquarium Society, which I thought our members should see.

See you at the banquet!Dan

October 12, 2013

Dear Greater City Aquarium Members,

On behalf of the Board, Officers and membership of the North Jersey Aquarium Society, I would like to thank you for your support of our 60th anniversary event, by sponsoring two classes in our All-species Tropical Fish Show. No hobbyist club could exist without the support of their members, local pet shops, vendors, manufacturers, and sister societies. The reality is we have been a viable club for sixty years because of the support we have had for all of those years. NJAS is only one of a couple of aquarium societies in the northeast that have an annual show, so your support of the event is important not only to NJAS, but to the tropical fish hobby as well. NJAS is renowned for their amazing ability to consistently organize a fun and informative event, and this year will no doubt prove to be especially extraordinary. Your sponsorship of show classes this year will help to defray the cost of our show, and provide hobbyists a great opportunity to view a large number of show-quality fish. It may even generate new interest in the hobby with the number attendees expected who are not familiar with North Jersey or the organized hobby.

We are aware of the tough economic times most of us are still facing, and yet you offered your support. In closing, I would like to thank you once again for your continued support of our organization. You have supported our annual show throughout the years, and we greatly appreciate that!

Sincerely,

Christine PolicastroNJAS Show Class Sponsorship Chairperson


October's Caption Winner:Mike Gallo

Good-Bye, Columbus!


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You all may recall a blurb from me about GCAS CARES about a year ago—how the CARES program here at the GCAS had a slow reboot at the beginning of 2012, and how I intended to contribute to the program by managing it. Unfortunately, I must humbly accept responsibility

for the fizzle in the progress of that revival to date. I would also like to apologize to anyone with CARES fish who were due awards for their efforts at conservation, such as Jules Birnbaum and Al Priest. I quote King Hal, Henry V in the play of the same title: “Once more onto the breach!”

At the beginning of 2013 I broke my right foot; I then had weight and hip flexor problems which required physical therapy. Finally, I had cataract surgery. It was a grueling year of doctor’s appointments. But I am happily back! They say the third time’s the charm, but I hope to nail it the second time around—or is it actually the third time around—this being the third year? Anyway, thanks to all, and I urge you to get involved in this worthy project.

There are a few ways that you can participate. First, and most important, you can devote some tank space—you decide how much—to keeping, breeding, and distributing to the hobby an at-risk species. You can help me run the CARES program. What that might involve is unclear to me right now, but if the program prospers, we will need to keep records, perhaps institute an awards program, and communicating with other clubs so that we and they are truly involved in this program that may be the last hope for survival of so many at-risk species. At the very least we should have at least one person acting as backup so that one of us is always present at our regular club meetings. If you would like to help out, please let me know or tell Dan, who will pass the info on to me.

Thank you, and Happy Fishkeeping!

Who CARES? by Tommy Chang


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

8 November 2013 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)

Ed Vukich does another

great job of auctioneering

Pictures from our

18 November 2013 M odern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)


Karen Ottendorfer Tommy Chang Peter Steiner

Leonard Ramroop

1st Place: Jerry O’Farrell

2nd Place: Mario Bengcion3rd Place: Bill Amely

last meetingPhotos by Susan Priest

Welcome back to renewing members:

Door Prize Winner:

Last Month’s Bowl Show Winners:

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) November 2013 19



This month the LFS Spotlight falls on a store that is new to me, but an old favorite for some of our members: World Class Aquarium. I had

been to the shop only once before, but was happy to return to do this article. World Class has been a part of the Brooklyn aquarium scene since 1986, and has flourished in that time to be considered among the best. Anyone familiar with the Brooklyn shops knows that that’s saying a lot. If you’ve never spent a day fish-shop-hopping in Brooklyn, you’re missing out. While talking with the owners and employees, and looking at the tanks, a common theme in the best shops once again becomes apparent: beautiful, healthy fish and serious customer service.

I spent quite some time talking with Dwayne, who maintains all the tanks and cares for all the fish with a passion that is incredible. Once he got rolling about “his” fish, and how he works with “his” customers, I realized that here was someone with a love of fishkeeping that rivals or exceeds that of any member of our society. He grew up in Jamaica (NOT Queens!), and some of his earliest memories are of diving to look at the fish on the reef when he was three. While growing up he earned a living capturing fish for the aquarium trade, and he came to New York when he was 21. Not long after his arrival he started working at World Class and has never looked back. He is serious about how his customers take care of their fish—he won’t sell you any fish until he knows what size tank they’re going into, and what other fish are in that tank. If he thinks you shouldn’t be adding those fish he won’t sell them to you, and if you return with a sick fish he

insists on getting a water sample, keeps the fish, and won’t return it until “we get your water dead on right.” He also has a passion for breeding cichlids, and loves to try different crosses to see what will come of it. It seems like his bosses take very good care of him and give him the room to do his breeding experiments. He had a white Midas cichlid and a flowerhorn in a cube tank preparing a spawning site as we spoke. “Watch

this.” he said, and reached into the tank. The Midas immediately came up to be petted! “I love my fish and they love me.” Once his hand was out, it was right back to pre-spawning. Some of his crosses have come out quite beautifully, and have sold for as much as $300!

This shop’s love of big fish is obvious when you

see the 280 gallon tank. It contains a 3-foot silver arowana, red devils, buttikofferi, Oscars, a gorgeous gold tilapia, plecos, and a lukanini that’s obviously one of Dwayne’s favorites. All he has to do is look at it, and it acts like my dog when I come home from work.

While I was there, some of the other fish that stood out to me were the silver distichodus ($5), beautiful monos ($10), and the dollar sized red-eyed platinum pearlscale angels ($10). There were large rummynose tetras ($2.50) that were properly colored up, and Odessa and black ruby barbs ($7) that make you realize what these fish should look like. In the African tanks the yellow labs ($9) absolutely glowed, and I was treated to a species I had never seen or heard of before—Aristochromis christyii ($20). They also had impressive lyre-tailed peacocks & kenyii ($7)

The LFS Reportby Dan Puleo

LFS in the spotlight:World Class Aquarium

2015 Flatbush Ave, Brooklyn, 11234www.worldclassaquarium.com


and blue dolphins ($8). All fish are “buy 3, get the 4th free.”

On the salty side, all the fish and inverts looked incredible. I was especially impressed by the yellow carpet anemones. It turns out that Alan, one of the owners, is a marine biologist, so you know you will be getting the best advice when you come in with a question for that side of the aisle.

As to other aspects of this shop that make it special, one is that they make all kinds of custom tanks. This is the work of the other partner, Robert. He had rimless flat-back hex tanks, and lots of oddball sizes ready to go in “the tank room,” and his talent and creativity show in many of the stock tanks. I had never seen a store with the top shelf tanks shaped so that the front glass is tilted down toward you at about a 30 degree angle, but it certainly made for easy viewing.

He also makes some impressive custom paludarium tanks.

The other side of the coin at World Class is their birds. You won’t just find the typical parakeets, finches,

and cockatiels. Here you can find the big boys: conures, parrots, cockatoos, and more—both hand-fed babies and adults. Of course you will also find a knowledgeable and dedicated staff to make sure you know what you’re doing when you consider making a purchase—just like on the aquarium side.

So take some time to go visit World

Class Aquarium. It’s definitely worth the trip!

This month’s LFS Report was originally distributed in flyer form at our July, 2013 meeting.


Scientific Name: Betta ocellata

Common Name: Eye-Spot Betta

Adult Standard Length: 3.94" - 4.33"

pH: 6.3 to 7.7

Water hardness: soft (4-18 �N)

Temperature: 73.4� - 78.8�F (23� - 26�C)

Distribution: Malaysia and Indonesia

Reproduction: paternal mouthbrooder

Temperament: peaceful (males may display

some aggression to each other)

Environment: low-light, caves and/or

driftwood, tight-fitting cover

Nutrition: primarily carnivore (black worms,

daphina, brine shrimp, etc.)

The “Eyespot” BettaBetta ocellata

Text and photos by ALEXANDER A. PRIEST

When I first began researching the

subject of this article, Betta

ocellata, I was surprised that a fish

first described in 1933 by Dutch biologist

Lieven Ferdinand de Beaufort, was not in my

1993 Baensch Aquarium Atlas. I could only

find a reference to Betta ocellata as a

“synonym” for Betta unimaculata.1

The “Unimaculata Complex” is a group

of Betta species with similar physical

characteristics, in this case large (at least for

the species Betta), paternal mouthbrooding

fish. This complex currently includes, in

addition to Betta unimaculata, Betta patoti,

Betta ocellata , Betta gladiator, Betta ideii,

Betta macrostoma, Betta pallifina, and

Betta compuncta.

There are two known color variants of

Betta ocellata, with fish collected from clear

water environments (such as the Danum

Valley in Sabah,

Malaysia) having a

b l u e / g r e e n

coloration, with

those from murkier

waters being more

y e l lo w /b ro w n .

A pparen tly , the

blue/green form of

Betta ocellata is

often mistaken for

Betta unimaculata.2

and, until 2005,

Betta ocellata was

regarded as only a

color morph or

variant of Betta

unimaculata (which explains its omission in

my 1993 Aquarium Atlas). However, in

2005 a new study was published describing

Betta ocellata as a separate and distinct

species, as follows:

“[Betta ocellata] differs from other

members of the Betta unimaculata

species group by the following

combination of characters: distinct

black spot near caudal peduncle; body

wormish; opercle blue; uniform caudal

fin coloration; vertebrae 33-34 (mode

33); anal-fin rays 30-31 (mode 30);

dorsal-fin rays 8; pectoral fin rays 12-13

(mode 13); subdorsal scales 5-5 1/2

(mode 5 1/2); lateral scales 32-34 (mode

33); predorsal scales 24; predorsal

length 68.8-71.9% SL; head length

31.4-33.3% SL; length of anal-fin base

52.2-54.5% SL; length of dorsal-fin base

10.5-11.3% SL; lower jaw length

27.3-33.1% HL.”3

Any species having the scientific name of

ocellatus (or, ocellata, or ocellatum) is likely to

have spots, especially spots large enough to

resemble eyes. The

r e a s o n i s t h a t

ocellatus is a Latin

adjective meaning

“with little eyes”

( f r o m o c e l l u s ,

diminutive of oculus,

or eye). In the case

of Betta ocellata,

there is a large spot

on either side of the

body at the caudal

peduncle (the place

where the fish’s

caudal, or tail fin

begins). Males may

also have iridescent

blue scales on the gill covers, and are more

brightly colored than females. Some females

have two lateral bands, while no males do.

A majority of the species in the genus

Betta are mouthbrooders (as opposed to

bubblenesters), and all mouthbrooding bettas



are paternal mouthbrooders (meaning that the

male holds the fertilized eggs until they

hatch). Based on my experiences with many

other mouthbrooding Betta species, once the

fry are released and are free-swimming, the

parents will take no more notice of them,

either by providing care or predating them.

Betta ocellata is a paternal mouthbrooder

and the male incubates the eggs from 12 to 17

days. (Incubation time can vary with water

temperature.) Females normally initiate

spawning.5

There are varying opinions on the

difficulty of having these fish breed in the

home aquarium. One source claims: “Eyespot

mouthbrooders are very difficult to breed in the

18 Nov ember 2013 M odern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)


aquarium. In the wild they will breed in

waters with very low pH. The male will

mouth brood the young; at this stage it is best

to remove the female to prevent aggression.

When the fry are released they can be fed on

rotifers or newly hatched brine shrimp.”4

On the other hand, I obtained my fish

from a member of our aquarium society who

apparently had no problem in breeding them.

My specimens have not yet spawned, so I’ll

withhold judgment on the degree of difficulty

of breeding in the home aquarium. I can at

least attest to the fact that they are very easy

to maintain, and are not demanding with

respect to precise water parameters or food (so

far, I haven’t found a fish food that they won’t

eat!), but they do prefer cooler water (in the

mid 70s).

There are two schools of thought

regarding what should be done with the

female while the male is holding eggs. Some

breeders remove the female, others do not.

For Betta bubblenesters, the female should

always be removed when the male starts

tending his nest, as he will attack any fish,

including his mate, that approaches that nest.

However, in the case of Betta mouthbrooders,

I have never seen a brooding male attack his

mate. On the contrary, I’ve seen several

instances where the female positioned herself

to guard a brooding male.

The best argument for removing the

female is that once the male has released

free-swimming fry, she will attempt to mate

with him almost immediately thereafter.

Since his mouth was filled with fertilized

eggs, the male has not eaten for over two

weeks by the time the fry are released; and he

needs time to eat and regain his strength. My

recommendation is IF the female can be

removed quickly and quietly (so as not to alarm

the male who, if alarmed might eat the eggs),

do it. Otherwise, wait until the fry are free

swimming and remove her then.

As with all Betta species, Betta ocellata

are prone to sudden and sometimes quite

dramatic and long jumps. A tight-fitting cover

should always be in place. I find that caves

and bottom-level hiding places (plants and

driftwood especially) help reduce some of the

tendency to jump out (when startled, the fish

will usually head for a place previously

determined to be safe). Caves also provide a

place for the male to stay when brooding the

eggs in his buccal pouch, and driftwood helps

to lower the water’s pH. (While Betta ocellata

are tolerant of a wide range of water

parameters, a lower pH appears to be most

conducive for spawning.)

This is not a very colorful fish, but it is

interesting and not at all shy. It will accept

almost any food you give it and beg for more.

It tolerates a wide range of water parameters

(but regular water changes are still required).

While not common in local shops, it is fairly

well established in the hobby and available

through local aquarium societies (which is how

I got mine) or from the Internet.

References

Baensch, Hans A., and Rüdiger Riehl. Aquarium Atlas. Vol. 2. Melle, Germany: Hans A.1

Baensch, 1993, p. 800.

http://www.seriouslyfish.com/forums/freshwater-and-brackish-water-fishes/betta-unimaculata/2

Hui, Tan Heok; Ng, Peter Kl, 2005: The fighting fishes Teleostei Osphronemidae genus3

Betta of Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology y 1: 43-99 Suppl 13

http://www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?h=eyespotmouthbrooder4

http://www.ibcbettas.org/smp/species/ocellata.html5



How To Get Out of the Fish Biz?MOVE!

by Charlie Kuhne

Angels, angels, angels... Black, marbles, golds, lace tails, lyretails, and super lace. I had been a member of GCAS for over 20 years through

1993. In the final years I specialized in angels, bringing bags of young fish to every meeting for auction.

That year we discovered our dream retirement home in a small town called Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico. We were to move on January 31, 1994, and needed to dispose of everything in a two to three month window. Fortunately, GCAS member Richie Gambina bought my entire collection of tanks and fish. Richie had been disappointed by past claims of “guaranteed breeder angels” that did nothing, but within a week he was delighted to have his first spawn. Today those who know him can tell you he has a house full of angels.

Back in T Or C a few years later, I picked up a 20 gallon high at a yard sale (whatta mistaka to maka). So on my next trip to New York Rich loaded me up with angels and twin corys. In those days you could travel by air with shopping bags full of fish!

So began (again) the proliferation of tanks and fish throughout the house, until my wife Shirl got peeved about angelfish staring at her while she bathed. She swears that they gathered in the nearest corner of the tank, pursed their lips, and whistled. I managed to escape the situation with my life and at the same time expand my hobby by creating a 10-tank fishroom out of the carport—and a depletion of almost twenty grand from our bank book.

Now it’s almost 20 years later, and I’ve managed to sell off my breeders and adult fish, leaving me with five empty tanks, but a slew of fancy guppies, assorted swordtails, and a handful of immature cory catfish. Oh yes; I forgot to mention that a year after the carport conversion we built an indoor pond to house our tropicals as well. I’m ready to get out of the fish biz again—does anyone want to buy a house? Help!!!

See Charlie's ad in Member Classifieds, page 32.


Author Profile ofSteve Sica

Writing for Modern Aquarium

Patriotic PartnersDonna and Steve Sica

a Series On Books For The Hobbyistby SUSAN PRIEST

One of the best things which hashappened to Modern Aquarium inrecent years is Steve Sica’s retirement

from the IRS. As nearas I can figure, this tookp l a c e s o mew h e r earound the end of 2010. Hmm! I can see that Iam already gettingahead of myself, so letme back up a bit.

Steve and Donna Sica have beenmembers of the GCAS for quite a few yearsnow. They never miss a meeting unless ithappens to fall on theirwedding anniversary,and sometimes noteven then. Steve hasb e e n a r e g u l a rcontributor to ModernAquarium since 2006when he started writinghis iconic exchangecolumn, Fish Bytes. Fortunately for the restof us, that was only thebeginning of a steadystream of articles on awide variety of topics.

No matter whatSteve was writingabout, he was alwaysaccompanied by his“silent partner” Donna. Why do I call her his silent partner? Becauseshe is almost invariably present in her wet suitand diving mask, and with a piece of “airlinetubing” in her mouth. Steve has filled many apage with articles describing their underwaterescapades together. (Donna is a retired lawyer,as well as Steve’s proofreader.)

To my mind’s eye, three things distinguish Steve’s work. The first thing is hisunderwater photography. Every article inwhich he writes about a dive is accompanied

by remarkable photos. They are invariably infocus and artfully framed. Many of themhave graced the covers of ModernAquarium. Can you name even one otherclub publication which can boast of regularcontributions such as these?

The second thing is the uniqueperspective he provides on the increasingthreat to reef environments that lionfish havecome to represent. He gets up-close-and-personal, bringing back telling photos alongwith face-to-face reporting on the size of the

problem. Quotingbriefly from “Lionfishof Nassau Revisited” inthe October 2013 issue:“Five and a half yearslater [between 2007and 2013] we saw fivetimes more lionfish

while making two fewer dives. It is safe tosay that Nassau is being overrun by thisinvasive species.” Where else is this kind of

i n f o r m a t i o na v a i l a b l e ? Scientific Americancomes to mind!

Thirdly is hisdry wit. He willrarely make youlaugh out loud, andhe will occasionallymake you groan, butmost often you willfind that he has put asmile on your face.

In 2011 Stevewrote NINE articlesf o r M o d e r nAquarium, and in2012 he wroteTWELVE. That’s alot of wet leaves!

This is what led me to the conclusion that hisanxiously awaited retirement had finallyarrived. Also, during his tenure as an authorfor Modern Aquarium, he has wonNUMEROUS FAAS Publication Awards, butwho’s counting?

Steve has written several articles withthe title “My Favorite Marine Fish: (insert thename of a fish here).” I don’t know if thismeans that he keeps changing his mind aboutwhich one is his favorite, or he is merely

18 November 2013 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)


indulging in the time honored right of everyaquarist to have as many favorite fishes as theywant to.

Choosing a photo to accompany thispiece turned out to be a challenge. Theobvious choice was a lionfish. But what aboutthe Fish Bytes logo, or maybe one of Stevecollecting a few of his writing awards? Forsome reason I was particularly drawn to theDecember 2011 cover photo of a barracuda, butin the back of my mind I kept returning to aphoto of Donna and Steve which was taken atthe July 2013 GCAS meeting (printed in theAugust issue) showing yet another side of thisdynamic duo, their patriotism.

In 2011 Steve wrote an article called“Aquaria as Art.” In it he describes the“renovation” of a small aquarium. In myopinion, his description of a “gray and whitestriated rock with a small pointed peak - sortof a three inch miniature Matterhorn,”demonstrated a particularly artistic flare forwriting as well as decorating. He goes on tosay that “Modern Aquarium is itself a higherform of art, thanks to all the people who areresponsible for its being. It is my singularhonor to occasionally contribute in a smallway.” Amid all of his talent is a streak ofhumility!

Thank you, Steve, on behalf of all ofour readers, for filling the pages of ModernAquarium to overflowing with your insights,your photos, and even a few smiles along theway!


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.


Melanotaenia of New GuineaA Crisis on the Horizon? Or One Already Here?

Part Iby Derek P.S. Tustin

In this hobby, we all have one or two, or sometimes even three passions that we follow before everything else. For some it is cichlids, for others

livebearers, some anabantids, and still others cherish catfish. Me, I have two passions – aquatic plants and Sahul rainbowfish.

When I first got into this hobby in a serious fashion, Sahul rainbowfish were the ones that first caught my attention, and are the ones that have held it ever since. I’ve dabbled with keeping other types of fish, but time and time again I return to rainbowfish. But even further, I have found that of the 10 genera that are considered Sahul rainbowfish, Melanotaenia are the ones that capture my attention the most.

I’m hoping that most of you are somewhat familiar with Sahul rainbowfish, but for those of you who aren’t, let me tell you a bit about them. First off, I should point out that I am only addressing the Sahul rainbowfish, and am not looking at either the Celebes rainbowfish (Marosatherina ladigesi), or the Madagascar rainbowfish (the Bedotiidae family encompassing the Bedotia and Rheocles genera).

Sahul rainbowfish consist of two families of closely related freshwater fish, Melanotaeniidae and Pseudomugilidae, that originate from and are restricted to Australia, New Guinea, and several small islands off the coast of New Guinea. While there is some controversy over Pseudomugilidae being a separate family or a subfamily of Melanotaeniidae, they are all commonly referred to as rainbowfish. The two families, with their associated genera, are:

MelanotaeniidaeCairnsichthys (1 species)Chilatherina (11 species)Glossolepis (9 species)Iriatherina (1 species)Melanotaenia (60 species)Pelangia (1 species)Rhadinocentrus (1 species)

PseudomugilidaeKiunga (2 species)Pseudomugil (15 species)Scaturiginichthys (1 species)

It must be emphasized that the number of species listed for each of the genera is not static; new species are being discovered all the time. For instance, of the 60 known species of Melanotaenia, 22 were described between 1843 and 1979, 16 described between 1980 and 1989, 10 between 1990 and 1999, and 12 from 2000 to the present day. (In fact, the most recently described Sahul rainbowfish, Melanotaenia sneideri, was only first formally collected in March 2013 and first described in July 2013.) In other words, of the 60 Melanotaenia species currently described, 38 of them, or approximately 63% of the entire genus, were described in the last 33 years. When you consider that the earliest description of a Melanotaenia species occurred in 1843 (170 years ago), you can see that the past three decades has seen a virtual explosion of knowledge about rainbowfish.

Overall, they are relatively small and very colorful, with all being native to freshwater habitats, although some can tolerate brackish water. They can be found in a variety of habitats throughout Australia and New Guinea, including rivers, lakes, and swamps. They are usually less than 5” (12.5 cm) in length, although some species are reported to grow up to 8” (20 cm).

As mentioned, the first Sahul rainbowfish was described in 1843. Since then countless ichthyologists have tramped through Australia and New Guinea, poking, diving, and wading into further countless bodies of water and finding new and wonderful forms of these fish. In the past 30 years the two most prolific discoverers and collectors have undoubtedly been Dr. Gerald Allen and Heiko Bleher.

But… Why Are They From Two Places?

I’d bet dimes to dollars that most of you have never heard of Sahul. So to confuse you, I’ll tell you that rainbowfish are from Sahul. During the last ice age, about 18,000 years ago, the sea levels were substantially lower around the world. As a result of the lower sea levels Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania were actually one land mass. (In fact, from about 100,000 years ago to 5,000 years ago, some part of Australia was always connected to some part of


New Guinea.) The attached map shows the current landmasses of Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania outlined in red within what was the Sahul continent of 18,000 years ago.

As you can see, it was possible to walk from the southern coast of today’s Tasmania all the way to the northern coast of current day New Guinea. And of course where you can walk, water can flow. Rivers flowed throughout the Sahul continent, and the predecessors of today’s rainbowfish swam in those rivers. As the ice age receded, the ice caps melted and the sea levels rose, once again separating the landmasses of Australia and New Guinea. But the rainbowfish remained in the now distant rivers, becoming separate but closely related species. (For those of you interested, Monash University in Melbourne, Australia has a project tracking the progression of the Sahul continent over the millennia as the oceans rose and fell. It’s really very interesting and you might want to check it out at http://sahultime.monash.edu.au.)

Now modern day Australia is pretty well explored. Most of the species of rainbowfish living there have probably been discovered. Oh, there are still some places to go and things to find, but for the most part it has been pretty much explored and is a pretty hospitable place, at least compared to New Guinea.Why Hasn’t New Guinea Been Totally Explored?

At 303,381 square miles (785,753 square kilometers), New Guinea is the world’s second largest island (Greenland is first at 822,706 mi2 [2,130,800 km2]), but is one of the least explored places on the planet. While New Guinea is less than 0.5% of the surface of the Earth, it has an estimated 5% to 10% of the total species on Earth… and many, many of those are unknown and undiscovered. Politically it is divided in two, with the eastern half of the island being a separate county, Papua New Guinea, and the western half comprised of two provinces of Indonesia.

But why can’t people just (easily) wander through New Guinea and discover stuff? Well, the population of New Guinea is not homogeneous, but rather heterogeneous. (Didn’t know you were going to get a language lesson, did you? Homogeneous = composed of similar or identical parts, uniform in nature. Heterogeneous = differing in kind, having unlike qualities or characteristics.) The inhabitants of New Guinea have several thousand different communities or tribes, most with only a few hundred members. Each group may have different languages, customs and traditions, and many have been engaged in conflict with other groups for thousands of years.

Then there is the geography and infrastructure of the island. The CIA World Factbook provides information on every country on the planet, and provides detailed information on various facets of the country like population and infrastructure. For Papua New Guinea, the eastern half of the island, the CIA World Factbook informs that there are 561 runways. Of those, only 21 are paved. So to fly there, you are flying into primitive conditions. Under the section for “Economy” the CIA World Factbook notes that “Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources, but exploitation has been hampered by rugged terrain and the high cost of developing infrastructure.”

So you’ve got an island with rugged terrain that is difficult to cross, has very little infrastructure, is divided between two countries, and is home to thousands of different groups who don’t necessarily get along with their neighbors. The primary concern of the native population isn’t finding new species of fish, but rather just surviving. So it is kind of hard for ichthyologists to go exploring. You have to give kudos to these intrepid modern day explorers who manage expeditions to one of the last truly wild and unexplored frontiers on Earth, returning with new species previously unknown to science.Melanotaenia of New Guinea

As mentioned, the Melanotaenia genus is the one that has caught and captured my interest. As detailed above, as of October 2013 the genus contains 60 species. Of these 60 species, 49 are endemic to New Guinea and the outlying islands, 10 are endemic to Australia, and one species, Melanotaenia maccullochi, is found in both. As I write this, there is some confusion regarding a fish that is currently known as Chilatherina lorentzi. In a paper published in April 2013, Phylogeny and biogeography of rainbowfishes (Melanotaeniidae) from Australia and New Guinea, Dr. Peter Unmack, Dr. Gerald Allen, and Dr. Jerald Johnson make the argument that Chilatherina lorentzi should actually be placed in the Melanotaenia genus rather than Chilatherina. However, as this has not yet been conclusively established, I have not included Chilatherina lorentzi in addressing the following. But what is really interesting about Melanotaenia and their relation to both Australia and New Guinea is the progression of discovery:


As is evidenced, only two new species of Melanotaenia have been discovered in Australia since 1980, while 36 species of Melanotaenia have been discovered in New Guinea in the corresponding time period. With a ratio of five species of Melanotaenia endemic to New Guinea for every Melanotaenia species endemic to Australia, and with the vast majority of new species of Melanotaenia being discovered in New Guinea since 1980, it is easy to see why anyone interested in Melanotaenia has to be focused on New Guinea.

The IUCN Red List and CARES Preservation

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

It is neither my intention, nor within the realm of practicality to give a comprehensive overview of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. For those interested in better understanding it, I refer you to their excellent and thorough website at www.iucnredlist.

org. However, to understand the relationship between the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and the CARES Preservation Program Conservation Priority Species at Risk List, a basic understanding of both is required.

IUCN is the acronym for the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization with a stated mission to “influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable”.

They have created an inventory for the global conservation status of species, both animals and plants, which is based on evaluating the potential of extinction of thousands of different species. It is a living document, with revisions of both the categories and criteria occurring over time.

Presently there are nine categories into which a given species may be placed. They are:

Progression of Discovery of Species

Australia(including M. maccullochi) Time Frame New Guinea

9 1843 – 1979 131 1980 – 1989 150 1990 – 1999 101 2000 – 2009 30 2010 – 2013 8

11 Total 49

Extinct: A taxon is Extinct when there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died. A taxon is presumed Extinct when exhaustive surveys in known and/or expected habitat, at appropriate times, throughout its historic range have failed to record an individual.

Extinct in the Wild: A taxon is Extinct in the Wild when it is known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity or as a naturalized population (or populations) well outside the past range. A taxon is presumed Extinct in the Wild when exhaustive surveys in known and/or expected habitat, at appropriate times, throughout its historic range have failed to record an individual.

Critically Endangered: A taxon is Critically Endangered when the best available evidence indicates that it is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

Endangered: A taxon is Endangered when the best available evidence indicates that it is facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

Vulnerable: A taxon is Vulnerable when the best available evidence indicates that it is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.

Near Threatened: A taxon is Near Threatened when it has been evaluated against the criteria but does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable now, but is close to qualifying for or is likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.


CARES Preservation Program

The IUCN Red List has several sub-divisions where focus is given to a different area of biological diversity. One of these areas is freshwater habitats, which include fishes, mollusks, reptiles, insects, plants, and mammals. It is in this area where the IUCN Red List and the CARES Preservation Program have their overlap.

As of October 2013, the CARES Preservation Program Conservation Priority Species at Risk List contains 561 species divided amongst 11 categories. Of these 561 species, 231 have the IUCN Red List as the primary or shared authority for the risk classification.

However, this changes slightly with relation to Rainbowfish. One of the 11 CARES Preservation Program categories is “Rainbowfish”, containing 38 listed species, or 6.77% of the total number of all species listed in the program. But of the 38 species, 27 have the IUCN Red List as the authority.

CARES Preservation and Melanotaenia

Now the CARES Preservation Program Conservation Priority Species at Risk List groups all rainbowfish (that is all Sahul species from both the Melanotaeniidae and Pseudomugilidae families, and all Madagascar rainbowfish from the Bedotiidae family) under the unified heading of “Rainbowfish.”

Of the 38 species contained in the “Rainbowfish” section of the CARES Preservation Program Conservation Priority Species at Risk List, only 6, or 15.79% of the 38, are Melanotaenia species.

The 6 Melanotaenia species listed are;

• Melanotaenia arfakensis• Melanotaenia boesemani• Melanotaenia eachamensis• Melanotaenia lacustris• Melanotaenia oktediensis• Melanotaenia parva

Least Concern: A taxon is Least Concern when it has been evaluated against the criteria and does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable or Near Threatened. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

Data Deficient: A taxon is Data Deficient when there is inadequate information to make a direct, or indirect, assessment of its risk of extinction based on its distribution and/or population status. A taxon in this category may be well studied, and its biology well known, but appropriate data on abundance and/or distribution are lacking. Data Deficient is therefore not a category of threat. Listing of taxa in this category indicates that more information is required and acknowledges the possibility that future research will show that threatened classification is appropriate.

Not Evaluated: A taxon is Not Evaluated when it has not yet been evaluated against the criteria.

These are basic descriptions of the categories, and that for a species to be placed in one of these categories there are specific criteria that must be met.


One of the six fish, Melanotaenia eachamensis, is native to Australia and as such, I won’t examine it here. (I will say that the story of why it is a vulnerable species is very interesting, and for those who are interested, I would direct you the excellent summary of the species provided by Adrian Tappin at his Home of the Rainbowfish website, http://rainbowfish.angfaqld.org.au/).

I also find it interesting that the distribution of known species of Melanotaenia between New Guinea and Australia is at roughly a 5:1 ratio, and the distribution of Melanotaenia species on the CARES Preservation Program Conservation Priority Species at Risk List is exactly a 5:1 ratio between New Guinea and Australia…

Of the five New Guinea Melanotaenia species that are on the CARES Preservation Program Conservation Priority Species at Risk List, two (Melanotaenia

lacustris and M. oktediensis) are from the country of Papua New Guinea, and the other three (M. arfakensis, M. boesemani and M. parva) are from the Indonesian province of West Papua.

In Part 2 we'll take a look at each of these fish and see why they're on the list.

Derek Tustin is a member of the Durham Region Aquarium Society (DRAS), a club located just outside of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A prolific author on aquarium related topics, he has had multiple original articles published in Tank Talk (the publication of DRAS), Fishes of Sahul (the publication of the Australia and New Guinea Fish Association [ANGFA]) and The Tropical News (the publication of the Sacramento Aquarium Society). A recipient of the Federation of American Aquarium Societies (FAAS) Author of the Year Award for 2007, 2008 and 2011, he approached Greater City Society about placing an original article in what he considers to be “one of the best society publications in North America.” We were happy to do so. If you have comments, criticism, or just want to say hi, feel free to e-mail Derek at: [email protected].



SHARK DIVING AT THE

NORTH CAROLINA AQUARIUMStory and Photos by Stephen Sica

One day Donna suggested that we begin taking more car trips, so that we could take our dog Cordelia with us. I readily agreed,

so she planned two nights out in Montauk, and followed that trip almost immediately with a longer trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks. On the way home we would stop at Chincoteague, Virginia, which is next to Assateague Island, home to a herd of wild ponies. Each year a group of the ponies that are born that year are rounded up, and herded to swim a narrow channel to the mainland, where they are sold at auction. You can purchase a pony for several thousands of dollars, or you can buy one, keep it for a year, and the next year send it back to the wild herd on Assateague where it will live out its natural life. That’s a generous donation!

Now you may ask what all of that has to do with the title of this article? Well, let me think about that. Hmmm, let me think some more. I guess it has nothing

to do with the North Carolina Aquarium. Donna decided that a dive in their shark tank would be the focus of our trip, and I readily agreed.

There are three affiliated North Carolina Aquariums, but the facility at Roanoke Island happens to have a 285,000 gallon tank that is the home to a lone nurse shark, two sand tiger sharks,

and eleven sandbar sharks. Called the “Graveyard of the Atlantic,” this tank is the Aquarium’s main exhibit.

We drove to North Carolina on a Sunday, and checked out the Aquarium’s location on Monday. The week before we left home Donna phoned the Aquarium

and scheduled our dive for Tuesday at 11 A.M. The dive is offered three times daily on weekdays. It is limited to two divers and a divemaster. The dive lasts about thirty to forty minutes, but our Tuesday dive in mid-September was wide open, so Laaron, our divemaster, let us stay in the tank for fifty-five minutes. Jason was our topside guide, who explained the whole procedure beforehand. All dive gear was

supplied except for our personal dive masks. I was allowed to bring my underwater camera, but I left the flash strobe at home. I used the camera’s internal flash for some photos, and no flash for others.

After suiting up, we entered the water via a three-foot deep, sump-like pool behind the main tank, with an opening to the back of the primary tank. Entering

The business end of a sand tiger shark, Odontaspis taurus. The two large specimens swam circular patterns, as did the sandbar sharks. Venturing up in the water column to take a close-up, I was startled when something grasped my leg and pulled me down! It was Laaron.

Nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum. This shark's favorite hiding place was inside the wreckage recreation of the USS Monitor.

A dose of what it feels like being in the “goldfish bowl.” Was the audience captive looking at us and the fish, or were we?


via the sump pool enabled us to adjust ourselves and our equipment to the pending experience while still in shallow water. Laaron entered the main tank first, Donna followed, and I was next. I was too buoyant and had difficulty submerging, so Jason snapped a two pound weight to my shoulder harness, and down I went. Laaron, a young woman transplanted from California, held a four or five foot pole made from white PVC, with striped tape to fend off aggressive sharks. She also had a small waterproof camera, and took photos of us and the fish. Later, I asked her to clarify her name. “Aaron preceded by an L,” she replied.

When we had entered the water, Jason monitored us from a catwalk above the tank. While Laaron was to assist us in case of an emergency, Jason’s dive briefing explicitly stated that if Laaron had difficulty, we were expected to assist or rescue her—not that we wouldn’t help a fellow diver. It was the first time that we have been specifically asked to save the dive professional! As in most sports, there is camaraderie among divers.

The tank is seventeen feet deep, so it was large enough to almost feel as though we were in open water. North Carolina is home to the remains of the Civil War ironclad vessel, the Monitor. It rests in about 230 feet of water several miles offshore. Jason had told us that, in keeping with the main tank’s theme, a one-third

scale replica of the Monitor was in the back of the tank. I failed to recognize the ship when we first entered the main tank, but then it dawned on me that this replica was a recreation of the wreckage of the Monitor in its current state. The model was fifty feet in length, so I assume that the original Monitor was 150 feet long, which seemed to me to be rather small, but I guess that half the length of a football field is not too small. I understood that this would be the closest that I would ever come to personally viewing the original Monitor. Still, the model gave me an historical perspective, even though I knew that if I came across the real ship on the seafloor I wouldn‘t know what I was looking at.

The model was the home of the nurse shark. It never left the inside of the hull, but there were openings to look inside and see the shark. I wondered if any sharks lived in and around the real Monitor. We have seen many nurse sharks in a similar state of relaxation. Nurse sharks average five to nine feet in length, but can grow to fourteen feet. I couldn’t see the whole shark, but estimated it to be at least seven feet.

Sandbar sharks average only five to seven feet. They have been observed at depths of 300 to 800 feet, especially during the winter. Warmer weather and water brings them to shallow estuaries. It is a plain looking, bluish gray to brownish gray shark, with a large dorsal fin relative to the fish’s overall size. It

Donna observes a sand tiger shark from the safety of the Monitor wreck.

Sandbar shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus. These specimens were four to five feet in length. They mostly circled the tank continuously and ignored us, but every now and then one swam close to inspect us. I did the same with my camera.

Donna is literally on the seat of her pants keeping a close watch on the sharks swimming above.

Sand Tiger shark, Odontaspis taurus.


Large sergeant major fish, Abudefuf saxatilis. I decided that these fish were sergeant majors even though they were the largest that I had ever seen. My original identification was a banded rudderfish, Naucrates ductor, a pilot fish that associates with sharks but the body shape didn’t quite match.

tends to stay away from divers, but may be aggressive in the vicinity of spear-fishing activities.

Finally, there were two large, fierce-looking sand tiger sharks. A fully grown specimen is eight feet in length, but it can grow to ten or eleven feet. They swim with an open mouth full of long curved teeth, and can be found inhabiting North Carolina’s offshore wrecks. Their color is grayish brown. They are not considered to be a threat, but we would be with them in a very confined space.

Before we entered the main tank, I did ask Jason if the sharks had been fed that day. He replied that they were fed the day before. “When are you feeding them today?” I inquired. He responded that they are fed three times a week, and would not be hungry today. We kept that assurance in mind from the time we entered the tank until we made our ascent.


Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) November 2013 29www.cichlid.orgApril 2012 27

residents, it also occurs on the offshore island of Nosy Boraha. The northern range limit is yet to be determined. (Loiselle, 2011)

Diet P. sp. ‘fony’ are crepuscular (more active during dawn and dusk), prefer taking their food (prey) from the water’s surface, and are not fussy eaters. Most cichlid pellets and sticks are taken with gusto. Mine have shown no interest in vegetable fare, though all predators get some veggies by way of whatever is in their prey’s digestive tract, so a high quality pellet with some vegetable content is a good choice as a staple. They will gladly eat feeder fish, though I prefer not to use them due to the danger of introducing Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, commonly referred to as ich, Oodinium pilularis or related species, or other parasites (remember their susceptibility to skin infections). Commercial foods these days are good enough that live feeders aren’t nutritionally necessary, and freeze-dried krill and the occasional bug keep them in good spirits. I have to put in a plug here for Hikari Massivore Delite™ pellets. All my big fish love them. Their only drawback is that pellets missed on the way down will not necessarily be retrieved, so I reserve these

sinking pellets for when I have time to individually hand-feed.

Sexual Dimorphism Sexually dimorphic, the P. sp. ‘fony’ males I have seen usually have a darker (nearly black) base color than females, which lean more toward brown. The spots of the females seem to me to resemble spangles rather than spots, though this could be because of the lighter base color. As with many cichlids, color can vary because of mood and other factors, so don’t get too cocky when using this method to guess sex. While most of the males I’ve seen have spots that vary from white to blue, I’ve also seen individuals, clearly males, with a brownish base color and yellowish spots. The males grow larger than the females, and can develop a pronounced nuchal hump. When mature, both sexes are intolerant of conspecifics. Dominant behavior may be expressed by direct attack, or by not allowing subordinates to feed, particularly from the surface.

Housing In my experience, keeping a fully grown P. sp. ‘fony’ pair without a divider requires at least a 6-foot tank, with some good hiding places for the female. Both

Paratilapia sp. ‘fony’ in the author’s aquarium.

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)30 November 2013www.cichlid.org28 Buntbarsche Bulletin 269

(known) spawnings by my fish have been in a 55-gallon. In a 4-foot tank a divider is not optional. Interestingly, and somewhat misleadingly, the male is not always overbearing to the female. Even when not spawning, they can give the appearance of affection, even tenderness, often ‘lying down’ together next to a rock, or in a hollowed-out area of the gravel. However, the female needs a safe retreat when that mood ends. For a time I was keeping a pair in a 125-gallon tank along with a pair of Herichthys carpintis. When the behavior of the male P. sp. ‘fony’ became too oppressive, the female often took refuge with the H. carpintis pair where the male P. sp. ‘fony’ would not pursue.

Spawning Attempts My original pair spawned twice. The first time, they seemed confused about what to do next, and finally ate the eggs. The second spawning failed at my hand–literally. I didn’t realize they had spawned, and I smushed the eggs while attempting to adjust one of the filter intakes. Their eggs are produced in a gelatinous mass which they may or may not attach to a handy surface; in this case the handy surface was the side of the intake, and I didn’t see it until too late. They didn’t spawn again, and last year both became gravely ill—the first symptoms were the familiar fluffy patches on their skin. The male pulled through, but I wasn’t quick enough to save the female. At a recent auction I picked up another pair from GCAS member Jeff Bollbach, so we’ll see what happens with them.

Personality PlusSome commentators

have compared the personality of P. sp. ‘fony’ to that of the ever-popular Astronotus ocellatus. Until recently I would have seriously questioned

that comparison. Yes, the youngsters will display that puppy dog enthusiasm when you come near the tank, but to me it has always seemed to come with a more mercenary edge (where’s that food?) than A. ocellatus project. In a community tank–even a spacious one–P. sp. ‘fony’ has always seemed more concerned with food and social rivalries than with anything else.

Well, of late I have been forced to reconsider that view. While subduing yet another stubborn columnaris outbreak (you’d think that such combative fish would have less sensitive skin), I put the big male in a 55-gallon tank, alone except for a couple of catfish. Once again I was reminded that fish behavior depends to an enormous extent on how you are housing them. With no female to attend to and no other potential competitors to try to dominate, this big guy suddenly became a warm and friendly ‘people person.’ It’s been a good reminder. I think that sometimes, particularly with cichlids, we can become so fixated on the breeding and family life interactions that we can forget to just enjoy having a fun pet to come home to–a role that P. sp. ‘fony’ can fill admirably.

Also, remember the crepuscular activity cycle? Well, for those of you who go off to work at daybreak and return as the sun is going down, your P. sp. ‘fony’ will be up and alert while you’re getting ready to leave in the morning, as well as when you return in the evening. Most of my other

Paratilapia sp. ‘fony’ in the author’s aquarium.


Reprinted from the April, 2012 (Number 269) issue of Buntbarsche Bulletin, official publication of the American Cichlid Association, Inc. (ACA). To join the ACA contact Marty Ruthkosky, ACA Membership, 43081 Bond Court, Sterling Heights. MI 48313, or visit the ACA website http://www.cichlid.org.

32 November 2013 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)

Member Classifieds

WANTED: For Restoration Project: Does anyone have some pieces of bubble-edge glass? Perhaps from a broken or old tank? Need three pieces -- Will pay! Please contact Steve: shhinshaw@gmail.com.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FOR SALE: 75 Gallon Tank, custom wood stand, lighting, 2 filters.

Call Paul or Debbie: 718-908-8127------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FOR SALE: 210 Gallon Tank, wood stand, glass canopies. Tank & stand both need some repair.Call Dan: 718-458-8437------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FOR SALE: Fish Hobbyist’s Dream Home: $169,000!

Fishroom: 15 X 26 – Almost 400 square feet. 10 Picture-window tanks, with built-in wall shelving underneath for storage. Room for more tanks, with pressurized air system throughout the room. Full sink (hot/cold) with work space; ceramic tile floor.

Pond Room: 12 X 16 – Almost 200 square feet. 300 gallon indoor pond for tropical fish. Mag pump, ceramic tile floor, large cathedral windows, lots of light for growing plants. Gorgeous views. Great place to read the Sunday papers.

Rest of House: 2 BR, 2 BA, HUGE kitchen with 49 cabinets and drawers. All rooms huge, LR/desk area. Almost 2,000 square feet. Central A/C.

Climate: 340 sunny days last year. Mild winters with absolutely NO snow shoveling.

Location: Truth Or Consequences, New Mexico. Great name, huh? Was formerly called Hot Springs (and yes, we’ve got ‘em). Very friendly community. Cars actually stop for you to cross the street. Rarely hear a car horn. Two blocks from town.

House Location: On historic site for Geronimo and his braves, where they ground holes in huge boulders (on the southern edge


of the property) for cooking maize. Evidence still there (placard next to property). Just 20 feet below us stands a fi sh pond stocked with trout, and another hundred feet down is the Rio Grande River, for rafting, tubing, and fi shing. For even greater bass fi shing, we’re only fi ve miles from Elephant Butte Lake, the largest lake in New Mexico, which also features water sports such as boating, swimming, fi shing, jet skiing, etc. There are two marinas.

View: Tremendous! From the front porch (completely tiled) you have the best view of Turtleback Mountain rising majestically above the park and river in front of you. Breakfast on the porch is breathtaking! Lunch too!

Taxes: Only $600 per year.

Summing Up: We’ve lived here for 19 years, and I both the fi sh pond and the fi shroom built for my hobby, but I’m now 83, and it’s time to retire from the hobby. We watched our grandchildren grow up as they spent all their summers here. Irreplaceable memories. You could have them too.

Charlie Kuhne: (575) 894-2957

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------FOR SALE: African Cichlids -- Fry to Adult size; plus fi lters heaters, etc.

Call Derek: 917-854-4405------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------NEEDS HOME: Beautiful young orange & white tabby. Neutered male with chip. Smart, loving, exhuberant. Needs to be your one and only kitty.Call Dan or Marsha: 718-458-8437


GCAS Happenings November

Here are meeting times and locations of some aquarium societies in the Metropolitan New York area:GREATER CITY AQUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: December 4, 2013Speaker: NoneEvent: Annual Holiday / Awards BanquetMeets: Flagship Diner 138-30 Queens Blvd Briarwood, NY 11348 (718) 523-6021Contact: 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: November 8, 2013 Speaker: John CoppolinoTopic: Modern Fish Keeping in Reef AquariaMeets: 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: November 15, 2013Speaker: TBA Topic: TBA 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: October 8, 2013Speaker: Horst GerberTopic: Aquarium Decorating Tips and Glass CuttingMeets: 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: November 21, 2013Speaker: Guy Van Rossum Topic: Fish Photography for EveryoneMeets 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: November 15, 2013Speaker: TBATopic: TBAMeets: 8:00 P.M. - 3rd Thursday of each month except for

July & December at: Earthplace - the Nature Discovery Center - Westport, CT

Contact: John Chapkovich (203) 734-7833Call our toll free number (866) 219-4NASEmail: [email protected]: http://norwalkas.org/

Last Month’s Bowl Show Winners:1 Jerry O'Farrell ChOCOlate Delta Betta

2 MariO BengCiOn Orange Plakat Betta

3 WilliaM aMely yellOW halF-MOOn Betta

UnOFFiCial 2013 BOWl ShOW tOtalS tO Date:riCharD WaizMan 19 Jerry O'Farrell 16 MariO BengCiOn 12 rUBen lUgO 6

CarlOtti DeJager 5 leSlie DiCk 3 WilliaM aMely 2

A wArm welcome bAck to renewing gcAS memberS kAren ottendorfer And Peter H. Steiner!


a Midshipman fish Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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.

SatelliteSpawnersA series by “The Undergravel Reporter”

Ever heard of “satellite spawning?” It’s amode of reproduction used by Midshipmanfish. They belong to the genus Porichthys

(toadfishes) and came to my attention from a poston the Mother Nature Network titled “Mating fishkeep British town up all night”1

According to Wikipedia2, “Mating inmidshipman fishes depends on auditorycommunication. Male midshipman fish produceseveral different vocalizations while females onlymake grunts in non-breeding situations.”

Midshipman fish, of which there arecurrently 14 recognized species, have three sexes(or, depending on how you want to look at it, twoand a half sexes): Females, Type I males, andType II males. The reproductive organs of Type IImales are seven times larger than those of Type Imales. On the other hand, Type I males are eighttimes larger in size, and have much larger vocalorgans than Type II males.

Type I males use their vocalizations to attractfemales to the nest with hums that can last up to anhour. Type II males then “sneak” into the nests(because they look much like females) and fertilizethe eggs. (This behavior is referred to ascuckoldry or satellite-spawning.)

Mother Nature Network reported thatresidents in the British town of Hythe havecomplained to the local council, saying they’vehad to leave the area just to sleep because ofnocturnal noises. The Scottish Association forMarine Science thinks the noises are coming frommale midshipman fish, whose mating ritual createsa sound of such low frequency and longwavelengths that it carries through the ground andinto homes.

And, this isn’t the first time midshipman fishhave interfered with people’s sleep. Last year, themysterious sound was so loud that it woke Seattleresidents in the middle of the night.

I think I’ll just stay with my Trichopsisvittata (croaking gourami).

References1 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-240401302 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-96_gfdk44


Fin Fun

1) The higher the temperature of the water in your aquarium, the more oxygen it can hold.True9 False9

2) The labyrinth organ in anabantoids is located in the fish’s buccal pouch.True9 False9

3) Turkiichthys transgrediens is a killifish native to Lake Aci in Southwestern Turkey.True9 False9

4) Indian almond leaves and bog wood will harden the water in your aquarium.True9 False9

5) One gallon of water weighs more than 8 pounds.True9 False9

6) Daphina are crustaceans commonly called “water fleas.”True9 False9

7) A brackish-water aquarium is one where the water is always light to dark brown in color.True9 False9

8) Goldfish are the first tropical fish kept as domestic pets.True9 False9

Solution to our last puzzle:

1. How many of these plants are floating plants? 2Salvinia Anubias Duckweed Bolbitis

2. How many of these fishes come from Africa? 2Synodontis catfishes Congo Tetras Corydoras catfishes Cardinal Tetras

3. How many of these fishes are livebearers? 4Butterfly goodeid Least Killifish Swordless Swordtail Pike Topminnow

4. How many of these fishes are NOT rainbowfishes? 1Boesmani Threadfin Moonlight Cape York

5. How many of these fishes are black? 3Black Albino Swordtail Black Ghost Knifefish Black Mollie Black Port Hoplo

24 November 2013 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

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