Modern Aquarium May 2010

May 2010volume XVIInumber 3

ON THE COVER

Our cover photo this month features Macropodus spechti, the black paradisefish. For more information on this striking antabantid from Viet Nam, see Al Priest’s article on page 11. Photo by Alexander A. Priest

GREATER CITY AQUARIUM SOCIETY

Board MeMBers

President Dan RadebaughVice-President Mark SobermanTreasurer Jules BirnbaumCorresponding Secretary Warren Feuer Recording Secretary Edward Vukich

MeMBers at Large

Claudia Dickinson Pete D’OrioArtie Friedman Al GrusellBen Haus Emma HausLeonard Ramroop

CoMMittee Chairs

A.C.A. Delegate Claudia DickinsonBowl Show Leonard RamroopBreeder Award Warren Feuer Mark SobermanEarly Arrivals Al GrusellF.A.A.S. Delegate Alexander A. PriestMembers/Programs Claudia DickinsonN.E.C. Delegate Claudia DickinsonTechnology Coordinator Warren Feuer

MODERN AQUARIUM

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

In This IssueFrom the Editor

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

3 President’s Message

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

5Tonight’s Speaker: Ken Davis

7by Claudia Dickinson

Fish Bytes 9by Stephen Sica with Donna Sosna Sica

The Black Paradisefish 11Macropodus spechti

by Alexander A. Priest

Our Generous Members 13

Looking Through the Lens 14Photos from Our Last Meeting

by Claudia Dickinson

Wet Leaves 16by Susan Priest

MTS: Is There A Cure? 17by Tommy Chang

Cichlidically Speaking 19by Claudia Dickinson

Member Classifieds 25

G.C.A.S. Happenings 26

The Undergravel Reporter 27

Fin Fun (Puzzle Page) 28

Series III Vol. XVII, No. 3 May, 2010

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

From theEditor by Dan Radebaugh

As some of you may recall, a couple of years ago in this column, I mentioned some conservation issues, and how they might affect

us as aquarists. A couple of months later I received a small package in the mail from Randy Stier, a member of the Motor City club in Michigan. He had seen that column through our journal exchange program, and who is very interested in matters of conservation, invasive species, and so on.

Well, I recently received another package of press clippings from Randy, which I take to be a reminder that I had talked about a follow-up article or series of articles, and have to date not followed through on that idea. I’ve started working on a few pieces, but have yet to actually produce anything.

On the other hand, television has been doing quite a good job of presenting conservation information, as well as profiles of various types of wildlife, including fish. In fact, as I’m writing this, I’m listening/watching a program on Animal Planet called River Monsters. This particular episode deals with snakeheads, and is pretty well done.

The “angle” (in more ways than one) of the program is that the host/narrator is a biologist/big game angler who travels around the world investigating―and catching―freshwater fish that have reputations as possible man-eaters. Yes, the hyperbole is often a bit over the top, but each of the episodes delivers good information hidden within the rather overwrought danger/adventure presentation. I recommend it.

I also recommend the articles in this month’s Modern Aquarium. Claudia Dickinson starts us off by introducing this evening’s speaker, Ken Davis. Claudia also contributes her regular column, “Cichlidically Speaking,” which keeps us abreast of what’s happening at the American Cichlid Association, as well as her ongoing pictorial of our meetings, “Looking Through the Lens.”

Other familiar contributors are Sue Priest, with her “Wet Leaves” review of books for fish-folk like us, Steve Sica, whose “Fish Bytes” column keeps us up-to-date with what’s being published in other club journals around the country, and of course the Undergravel Reporter, who keeps us apprised of the weird and sometimes wonderful things going on in the world relating to our hobby that we might otherwise not know about.

Al Priest gives us one of his wonderful, in-depth species profiles; this one chronicles the black paradisefish, Macropodus spechti, a photo of which graces this month’s cover. Following his debut article last month on African cichlids, Tommy Chang returns this month with a cautionary essay on the dangers of MTS, a syndrome with which many of us are a bit too familiar.

Finally, in honor of tonight’s speaker, this month’s Fin Fun topic is “Away to Uruguay.”

We need articles! Remember, Modern

Aquarium is produced by and for the members of Greater City Aquarium Society. Our members are our authors, and 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) May 2010 3

GCASPrograms2010

It is our great fortune to have another admirable cast of speakers who have so graciously accepted our invitation to join us throughout the coming season, bringing us their extensive knowledge and experiences. You certainly won’t wish to miss a moment of our prominent

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

Claudia

March Jeff Kurtz TFH ‘Q & a’ columnist

The Role of Writing in the Aquarium Hobby

April Tim NurseDiving Lake Tanganyika

May Ken DavisAdventures in Uruguay

June GCAS Visit to the Bronx Zoo with Director Jim Breheny!

July Jeff BollbachFishroom Tour: Missouri Aquarium Society

August Silent Auction

September TBA

October Rusty WesselMexico - The Panuco Valley:

Livebearers and Cichlids of the Region

November Joseph Ferdenzi

December Holiday Party!


get home (well, OK―tomorrow will do) please send me an email ([email protected]).

Be sure to mention your name in the email, as not all email systems automatically include that. Also, if you haven’t been receiving your yellow meeting reminder cards, we may not have your correct postal address, so if you feel this may be the case, please include your postal mail address in your email as well.

I’m sure we’ll enjoy Ken’s tales of Uruguay this evening, and I look forward to seeing you all at the Bronx Zoo in June!

Thanks!

Dan

President’sMessage

by Dan Radebaugh

Well, our speakers of late have been providing us with quite the travelogue. Last month Tim

Nurse showed us photos of his scuba-diving trip to Lake Tanganyika. This month we look forward to Ken Davis’ account of his collecting trips to Uruguay, and next month we get to take a trip ourselves―to the Bronx Zoo, as guests of Zoo Director and GCAS member Jim Breheny.

Be sure and watch for your yellow post cards next month for details and directions, and check our Web site as well, www.greatercity.org. We’ll provide you with information on how to get there, where to park, where to meet, and so forth.

This brings to mind the thought that, with the increased use of email for communications, it would be helpful to have all our members email addresses, so that if something urgent comes up with regard to Society matters, we will be able to reach everyone expeditiously. We promise not to sell it to spammers, um, I mean helpful marketers.

To make this easy, if you aren’t sure we have your email address, tonight when you

Articles submitted for consideration in Modern Aquarium (ISSN 2150-0940) must be received no later than the 10th day of the month prior to the month of publication. Please fax to (877) 299-0522, or email to [email protected]. Copyright 2010 by the Greater City Aquarium Society Inc., a not-for-profit New York State corporation. All rights reserved. Not-for-profit aquarium societies are hereby granted permission to reproduce articles and illustrations from this publication, unless the article indicates that the copyrights have been retained by the author, and provided reprints indicate source and two copies of the publication are sent to the Exchange Editor of this magazine. Any other reproduction or commercial use of the material in this publication is prohibited without express written prior permission.The Greater City Aquarium Society meets every month, except January and February. Members receive notice of meetings in the mail. For more information, contact: Dan Radebaugh (718) 458-8437. Find out more, or leave us a message, at our Internet Home Page at: http://www.greatercity.org or http://www.greatercity.com


GCASThanks You!

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

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

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

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


The G.C.A.S.

Proudly extends a most Warm Welcometo

Our Guest Speaker

Ken DavisSpeaking on

Collecting in Uruguayby Claudia Dickinson

Catching introduced exotics in the creek behind his family home in Tampa, Ken Davis began to keep fish, the majority of which

were livebearers, when he was six years old. As the small containers full of aquatic creatures proliferated throughout his bedroom, Ken’s parents bought him a 10-gallon tank to keep his catch in, little knowing where this would lead. Over the years, his tanks have multiplied to their current number of around six hundred! Ken does not recall a time in the last forty-six years when he did not have fish.

Keeping a variety of cichlids from Africa, and Central and South America, Ken also has many wild type and fancy livebearers. He obtained his first discus in 1978 and recalls that “just keeping them alive back then was the challenge.” His first successful discus spawn was in 1982 with the ‘new’ Wattley turquoise discus that had just come on the scene―he has been hooked ever since. With a love of breeding fish, and spawns numbering in the hundreds of species, Ken has introduced several new species into the hobby.

Through the years, Ken has owned a retail pet store, worked at a major university for 18 years, and currently runs a fish hatchery, Fishfarm USA. Active in the organized hobby as well, Ken has served as the President of the Atlanta Area Aquarium Association

(AAAA) since 1998. He was elected to the first of four two-year terms on the American C i c h l i d A s s o c i a t i o n (ACA) Board of Trustees in 1998, and served as ACA Chairman of the Board in 1999 and 2004. In 2002 and again in 2008, Ken was Chairman of two very successful ACA conventions hosted by the AAAA. He was also elected to the Board of Directors of the North American Discus Association in 2005, and has belonged to the American Livebearer Association for many years.

In 2001, on a trip organized by noted discus authority Bing Seto, Ken traveled to Asia with a group of breeders and importers for a two-week tour of Asian fish farms, the International Discus Show in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the Aquarama in Singapore. This trip was a memorable experience for Ken―the group also visited Hong Kong, Bangkok, Saigon, Kuala Lumpur, and Penang.

Ken on the Rio Uruguay at Salto, fishing for Dorado.


Since 2007 Ken has been on five collecting trips to Honduras with groups of serious hobbyists including Rusty Wessel and Eddie Martin. He went to Mexico in February 2006, and over the last three years has also gone on trips to Uruguay during the months of

November and December. With great enthusiasm he states, “Man this hobby just gets more fun.”

Ken has enjoyed all aspects of the hobby, from meeting great people, going to shows and conventions, speaking for clubs, breeding new fish, and collecting in wild, exotic places. He says, “It keeps me busy and off the streets!”

With great pride, we give a warm welcome to Ken tonight as he brings us his experiences of “Collecting in Uruguay.”

Ken in Rio Danto, Honduras.

Seining in Rio Tamasopo, Mexico, just above Tamasopo Falls.


An occasional column for society exchanges, guest appearances, articles, and items of general interest. We try not to bite off more than we can swallow. If you wish to offer comments, suggestions, or any information that you would like to see in this column, the authors encourage you to contact us through the Editor ([email protected]), or at a monthly meeting.

by Stephen Sica with Donna Sosna Sica

change. It was either a porthole or flagtail catfish. I was trying to keep busy during a winter snow (such as today, February 10). About ten minutes later, I noticed that the fish was missing, so I went outside and found it on a pile of snow. I put it into the tank; it revived and lived a long and hopefully happy life.

England’s Peter McKane, on his www.helpfish.org website, writes in “10 Things to Know About Gobies: Bumblebee Gobies,” the ninth and tenth things are to have a plentiful supply of rocky caves or small pots…each goby should have at least one hiding place…have sufficient current to keep small food moving around…gobies harmlessly skirmish with each other over the best pots…aggressively feeding tankmates will leave insufficient food…the golden banded goby requires brackish water, while a true bumblebee goby can survive in fresh water.

The May 2009 issue of The North Jersey Aquarium Society’s Reporter has an authorless piece on “Water Changes.” It recommends as a basic rule to change about twenty percent per week. An editor’s note states that studies have shown that anything less than 25-30 percent is “almost a waste of time.” The study continues that “the most you can change (is) up to fifty percent.”

Izzy Zwerin also has an article, “Propagating Cryptocoryne Lutea.” Izzy corrects the plant’s name to C. walker; he finds it to be hardy, and tolerant of a wide range of water and lighting conditions. It will benefit from substrate fertilizers and trace elements twice a week. He recommends it as a midground plant. Proper lighting will add red color to the leaves. A native of Sri Lanka, it is subject to “crypt rot,” but will regenerate, so do not discard your plant if it withers.

Ed Young, North Jersey’s Exchange Editor, was kind enough to mention Rich Levy’s “Fishroom Challenge” article based upon the four fish room presentations that were held at the second AFISH convention. He also mentioned Joe Ferdenzi’s

It’s the second week of February, with a weather forecast of impending doom―that as much as eighteen inches of snow is to fall the next day.

Under these circumstances, I have decided to begin another column to meet my goal of writing a quarterly column each calendar year. Since it’s only February and one column is already in the editor’s hands, I’m ahead of my goal. I usually am at this time of the year, but somehow I seem to fall behind. I have yet to figure out how this always happens to me? Well, I had better begin, because I still have a good pile of 2009 publications to scrutinize before they meet up with the recycling sack.

Wow! The March 2009 issue of TropiQuarium reprinted “How We Lost a Fortune in the Tropical Fish Industry” by Mary and Dan Carson of the GCAS. This article was originally published in November of 1970 (!), but more recently appeared in the October 2008 issue as part of our “MA Classics” series. This facetious article’s theme is how the Carsons decided to raise in their backyard swimming pool and market mosquito larvae, as fish food that can be frozen but return to life at aquarium or room temperature so fish could eat live food. I think that the moral of this story should be to keep a clean pool and avoid hare-brained schemes.

The April issue claims that “You know you’re a fish nut when” you “have a fish carcass in your freezer to show somebody someday.” Well, I’ve been known to keep a deceased fish or two in the spare refrigerator in my basement, but the only people I want to show it to are collectively the NYC Department of Sanitation. How about this one: you know... when you “have performed autopsies on fish.” I sure hope they weren’t cardinal tetras. Here’s one that everyone must have done occasionally… “left the cover off a tank and found dead fish on the floor in the morning.” I find them all times of the day and night. Here’s my own contribution: throw out live fish during a water


historical article, “Westerleigh Aquarium: Relic of a Golden Age.”

The July 2009 issue has a really interesting article, “A Summer Fish Tub & Water Garden Journal (2009)” by Ted Coletti. He promised another installment of the article in the October issue, but it was not in it. Anyway, the above article is excellent, with or without additional installments. I’ll save the issue if anyone is interested in outdoor summer fish tubs.

I received the February issue of Fins & Tales from the Kitchener-Waterloo Aquarium Society. For cichlid fanciers this issue contains breeding reports or articles on Julidochromis marlieri, Neolamprologus maranguensis, Neolamprologus leleupi and Paracyprichromis nigripinnis. There is a review on Zoo Med’s Magclips, which are magnetic “suction cups.” I have been using several of these since they entered the market. I like to use two per underwater heater. It’s an expensive replacement for traditional suction cups, and they are effective unless you accidentally move the outside-the-glass magnet during tank maintenance. This is one reason that I use two; the second one will keep the heater in place.

Another new online exchange publication comes from Carol Ross, editor of The Buckette, the official publication of the Bucks County Aquarium Society. For anyone who may be geographically challenged, Bucks County is in Pennsylvania. Since 2010 begins the twenty-third volume of The Buckette, it’s safe to say that this society has been in existence for at least as many years…by the way, the February issue states that Mark Soberman will be giving a presentation on “West African Catfish” on June 3. Here are some simple photography tips from a recent guest speaker: use your camera’s exposure control to get accurate color, use a white background, and shine as much light as possible thru the top of the aquarium and turn off the camera’s flash.

Don Van Pelt’s attention-holding article, “Fish Room,” in The Granite-Fisher’s February issue, discusses how he built his retirement basement fish room in a nineteenth century New England house with a piled granite boulder foundation―which means lots of small spaces for cold air to enter. He heated his fish room to seventy-five degrees, and eliminated heaters

for each tank. He also replaced small air pumps with a large piston driven pump and then a much more efficient diaphragm one. He used exterior grade plywood that warped, and replaced it with particleboard. He didn’t glue his PVC airline pipe until it was too late to do so, for fear that the fumes would harm his fish. In spite of a few mistakes, Don now has the fish room that he always wanted!

Finally, here is a joke that I stole from Fins & Tales. Where do down-and-out of luck fishes end up? Squid row! Okay, give me another chance. Why are fish easy to weigh? They have their own scales! Hey, it’s hard to find good material to fill up this space. Just ask our editor.

I just attended Greater City’s March meeting. Having visited the Toledo Zoo and its aquarium building in 2004 during a car trip to a Jimmy Buffet concert in Chicago, I was quite interested in hearing Jeff Kurtz, the guest speaker. I thought that he chose a good topic. He was brief and to the point; this usually makes for an excellent presentation. I found it especially interesting as a “writer,” because he planted a big seed in my small head. So here goes: to our Illustrious Editor, I’m just wondering, only a little bit, is there any chance that I can get paid for this column? Before you respond, I’m sure that you appreciate my Charles Dickens’ school of writing style. Okay Mr. Editor…

This Harlequin bass is four inches of vertical stripes and speckles with a dash of yellow. Donna thinks it’s too pretty to make fish talk with her. I suggested that she upgrade to pink swim fins.

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) May 2010 11Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) May 2010 17

Scientific Name: Macropodus spechtiCommon Name: black paradisefishSpecial consideration: anabantoid (air breather)Standard Length: 2.5"pH: 6.5 to 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)Water hardness: soft to neutralTemperature: 70° to 75° FDistribution: central Viet NamReproduction: surface bubblenesterTemperament: somewhat aggressive, jumpersEnvironment: low-light, caves and/or driftwood,

heavily planted including floatingplants, tight-fitting cover with no gaps

Nutrition: primarily carnivore (live or frozen worms, brine shrimp, etc.)

Filtration: avoid currents and surface agitation

The Black ParadisefishMacropodus spechti

By ALEXANDER A. PRIEST

The fish sometimes found in pet stores underthe common names of “blue paradisefish”“red paradisefish” or “turquoise paradisefish”

(depending on the prominent color of the verticalbody stripes), as well as the “albino paradisefish”are all the same species, namely Macropodusopercularis, the first tropical fish (that is, excludingthe non-tropical goldfish) to be kept in homeaquariums in Europe and the New World. (In 1869,100 Macropodus opercularis were sent to France bya French consul in Ningbo, China. In 1876, the St.Louis philanthropist Adophus Busch brought themto the United States.1)

T h e b l a c kparadisefish is adistinct and separatespecies (although, as Iwill explain, it wasnot always consideredto be so), even thoughit can crossbreed withM . o p e r c u l a r i s .W h i l e f a r l e s scommon in theaquar ium hobbyMacropodus spechti( t h e b l a c kparadisefish), is justas easy to keep andbreed as Macropodusopercularis. It’s agreat beginner fish,and an easy way to get some breeder’s award points.(See the April 2010 issue of Modern Aquarium fora complete description of the GCAS breeder’saward program (BAP).

Before I describe this fish and its husbandry,I’d like to discuss its scientific name to clear up anypossible misunderstanding for those of you whomight go to a store, or go online, and ask for it.Some books (mostly older ones) refer to the BlackParadisefish as a “black form” or sub-species ofMacropodus opercularis. This is mainly due to thefamed German aquarist Dr. Ernst Ahl who, in a1937 article in Zoologischer Anzeiger2 (one of theoldest German zoological journals) referred to it asMacropodus opercularis concolor.3 (Concolorbeing Latin for “uniformly colored” or“monotone.”) Even my 1991 Baensch AquariumAtlas (technically Volume 1, but subsequent

volumes of the Atlas were yet to be published)lists Macropodus concolor as a synonym ofMacropodus opercularis and mentions that “Thereare black and albino forms.”4 I understand thiswas corrected by the 1996 Edition, now calledVolume 1.

When it was later determined that the blackparadisefish was a separate species, and not asub-species, the scientific name Macropodusconcolor was assigned to it, again owing to the1937 Ahl description.

But then it was discovered that in 1936 thiss p e c i e s w a sdescribed in aGerman aquariumm a g a z i n e a sMacropodus var.spechti in honor ofthe German aquaristM. Spechti.5 Thiswas one year earliert h a n A h l ’ sdescription. TheInternational Codeo f Z o o l o g i c a lN o m e n c l a t u r especifies that thefirst valid namegiven to a species isto be accepted as itsscientific name.And so, the scientific

name for the black paradisefish was changed fromMacropodus concolor to Macropodus spechti,although you can still find frequent references toMacropodus concolor.

While Macropodus spechti bears a strongphysical resemblance to the common Macropodusopercularis, the noted German aquarist, Dr. JörgVierke has written: “The black paradise fish differso much from Macropodus opercularis in finformula, color pattern, behavior and origin, thattheir status as a species is clearly assured. The factthat M. concolor and M. opercularis producefertile offspring in captivity is no evidence againsttheir status as a species.”6 [note, this was writtenbefore Macropodus concolor officially becameMacropodus spechti.] I found one supposedexample of an M. spechti / M. opercularis cross ina long out of print book.7

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)12 May 201018 May 2010 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

Female Macropodus spechti

Male Macropodus spechti

As you can see from the photographs in thisarticle, Macropodus spechti has a very distinctivecaudal fin. It is “forked” like that of M. opercularis,but between the twin forked extensions arethread-like filaments, some of which are white. Thebody of Macropodus spechti is uniformly colored,lacking both the vertical banding of Macropodusopercularis andan opercular spot.

It is a veryhardy fish, andcan tolerate awide range ofwater conditions.One examplefrom my owne x p e r i e n c edemonstrates this.I had a largebreeding group ina 40 gallon tank.O n e d a y , Idiscovered thatthe heater stuck inthe “on” positiona n d — w e l l , Iusually take a bath in cooler water than what was inthat tank. Yes, there were a number of fatalities.More surprising was the number of fish thatsurvived, and later spawned. I have keptMacropodus opercularis in an outdoor tub inweather with temperatures from 90EF to 45EF, andI have no doubtthat Macropodusspechti are just ashardy.

As is thec a s e w i t hM a c r o p o d u so p e r c u l a r i s ,M a c r o p o d u ss p e c h t i a r ea n a b a n t o i d s ,meaning thata d u l t s r e l ypr imar i ly ona t m o s p h e r i coxygen, whichthey get bytaking gulps ofair at the water’s surface, and storing it in anmaze-like structure (generally referred to as the“labyrinth organ”) in their heads. Because of this,they can survive in stagnant and oxygen-poor water.

Males are larger than females and have longerfins. Adult females are smaller, wider, and haveshorter fins. Like other members of the genusMacropodus, the black paradisefish, is a bubblenestbuilder. The male M. spechti encircles the female to

expel eggs. He then fertilizes the eggs, and placesthem in a nest of bubbles that he has constructed atthe water’s surface (or under a leaf or otherfloating object). The male then stands guard underhis nest until the fry are free-swimming, afterwhich the fry are on their own. Due to thevulnerability of their fry as a result of this lack of

parental care,t h e b l a c kpa rad i se f i sh ,and indeed mostbubblenestingfishes, producehundreds ofeggs at eachspawning. Thebubblenests ofM. spechti seemto be a bit morecompact thant h o s e o fM. opercularis,but other thant h a t , t h ebreeding andnest tending

behavior appears to be identical.I have often read that, while Macropodus

opercularis was the first tropical fish to be kept asa pet in Europe and in the Western Hemisphere, itspopularity waned due to its aggressive behavior.In my experience, this “aggressive behavior” is

overstated, andis usually aresult of anotherfish straying tooclose to a maleguarding hisbubblenest.

For a longtime, it wasassumed thatb l a c kp a r a d i s e f i s hcome from theformer imperial(and fo rmernational) capitalcity of Hue incentral Vietnam.

However, it has been discovered that wildMacropodus recently obtained from that areaclearly differ from known varieties.8 So, whilethere is general agreement that Macropodusspechti is Southeast Asian, and most likely fromVietnam, the exact origin of this species is still indoubt, as is the question of whether recentlydiscovered regional variations constitute evenmore new species.


While they are native to soft, slightly acidicwater, they readily adapt to most water parameters(although wild caught specimens are best kept insoft, acidic water if you want them to breed). Theycan tolerate a very wide temperature range, butMacropodus spechti is best kept at 75°F or less,although, as I mentioned, they can tolerateconsiderably higher temperatures.

These are very easy fish to keep, and they willreadily breed in the home aquarium. Caves,driftwood, and plants are recommended, especiallyif you keep more than one adult male in a tank. Asnoted previously, males are territorial whenguarding their nests. However, as long as they canstake out a territory, actual fighting (as opposed toposturing and fin flaring) is, in my experience,uncommon. To facilitate breeding, floating plants(or other floating objects) should be placed in thetank to serve as anchors for the bubblenests. Sincethey build nests of floating bubbles, spraybars,powerheads, and other types of filtration that createagitation at the water’s surface should not be used,in order to avoid destroying the nests.

In the wild, black paradisefish are primarilycarnivores, eating mostly insects that land on thesurface of the water. In the home aquarium, theywill enthusiastically eat almost anything (oftenjumping out of the tank at feeding time!), butfloating foods are best, as these fish are mostlysurface feeders. Live or frozen foods (e.g., wormsand brine shrimp) are recommended forconditioning the fish to breed.

These are active and attractive fish, and arealmost ideal for aquarists of any skill level. Justgive them clean water and food, and (assuming thatyou have a pair), they will almost certainly spawnfor you.

References:

1Brunner, Bernd, The Ocean at Home: AnIllustrated History of the Aquarium, PrincetonArchitectural Press (2005) p. 78.

2 Ahl, E. “Neue Süsswasserfische aus demIndischen und Malaiischen Gebiet” {translation:New freshwater fish from the Indian and MalayRegion}, Zoologischer Anzeiger (1937) 117 (5/6):pp. 113-119.

3 Vierke, Jörg, Bettas, Gouramis and OtherAnabantoids, THF Publications (1988) p. 147.

4 Baensch, Hans A., and Riehl, Dr. RüdigerAquarium Atlas, Tetra Press (1991) p. 638.

5 Schreitmüller, W., “Ein neuer MacropodeMarcopodus opercularis L. var. spechti”{Translation: a New Macropode, Macropodus var.spechti}, Das Aquarium (1936) 10: pp. 181-182.

6 Vierke, Jörg, loc. cit.

7 Goldstein, Robert J., Anabantoids - Gouramisand Related Fishes, TFH Publications (1971),p. 79.

8 Seehaus, Thomas “Macropodus in garden ponds”Der Makropode, the journal of the IGL(Internationale Gemeinschaft für Labyrinthfische),Volume 31 – 2/2009, p. 44.http://www.igl-home.de/09/mak/MakEn%202_09.pdf

also see: Kühne, Jens “News About Heaven’s PeakParadise Fish” Labyrinth, the journal of theAnabantoid Association of Great Britain, No. 159,March 2010.

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

Bill AmelyJeff BollbachCarlotti de JagerPete D’Orio

Rod Du Casse Rich LevyDan PuleoEd Vukich


Looking through thePhotos and captions

Tim Nurse receives a warm thank you from President Dan Radebaugh on behalf of all of the GCAS for his extraordinary presentation on ‘Diving Lake Tanganyika’!

Michael Gallo and his nephew have discovered some new species of Tanganyikan cichlids that they would like to add to their tanks.

Mario Bengcion holds the winning Door Prize ticket to David Boruchowitz’s excellent book on freshwater aquariums!

Horst Gerber and Jeff Bollbach in some serious fish talk!

Michael Henderson is enthused over going on an upcoming collecting trip and gained much helpful information from our guest speaker, Tim Nurse.

An honorary GCAS pin tops off the gifts to our guest speaker, Tim Nurse, from President Dan Radebaugh!

A warm and heartfelt welcome to new GCAS member, Jon Mena! Jon specializes in South and Central American cichlids, as well as catfish.


Lens with the GCASBy Claudia dickinson

Congratulations to Joseph Graffagnino, holder of the winning Door Prize ticket for a one-year membership in the American Cichlid Association, along with recent back issues of Buntbarsche Bulletin!

The smiles of Facebook aficionados and dear friends, Roderick Mosley and Sharon Barnett, light up the GCAS meeting hall!

Alexander Priest receives first place in the evening’s Bowl Show with his Betta pulchra.

Bob Hamje receives second place in the evening’s Bowl Show with his ryukin goldfish.

Mario Bengcion receives third place in the evening’s Bowl Show with his blue/black betta.

Dan Puleo, Bill Amely, and Harry Faustmann are thrilled over their GCAS auction finds!


The Tropical Freshwater Aquarium

By Gina SandfordInterpet Publishing, 2005

a Series On Books For The Hobbyistby SUSAN PRIEST

The question and answer format of this bookimmediately caught my attention. I havealways found it to be an effective means of

communicating information, as well as being veryreader- friendly. Our author proposes the theorythat “the key to successfulfishkeeping is forward planning.”What better way is there to planahead than to ask questions? Q. Can you name a carnivorousaquatic plant?A. If you can’t, then keepreading.

This book isdivided into threesections; aquarium care,tropical freshwater fish,and aquatic plants.A q u a r i u m c a r eaddresses nineteendifferent topics. Someinfrequently coveredtopics include hard andsoft water systems,ultra-violet sterilizers,and holidays. Thesection on fish has fifty“categories” such as softwater dwarf cichlids,mailed catfish, andpassive electrogenicfish, to name but a few.Each of these categoriesfocuses in on severalindividual species. Theaquatic plant sectionoffers criteria forchoosing plants, as wellas advice on how to tendand propagate them.

I have picked out afew Q.’s and A.’s toillustrate what I consider to be this book’s mainstrength, that being communication of information.See if you agree.Q. My community tank is neutral, slightly alkaline,and has hard water. Is there a tetra suited to theseconditions?A. One of the penguin fish, Thayeria boehlkei,would be suited to your tank.

Q. What causes my Spotted Headstanders to losetheir spots and develop dark patches on their headand back?A. This phenomenon has been reported when thefish are spawning.Q. I have lots of cyclops in my water barrel. CanI feed them to my breeding stock?A. By all means, but do not put cyclops into a tankcontaining fish eggs, as they will prey on them.Q. What species would you recommend as anintroduction to keeping rainbowfish?A. Many of the melanotaenids are both easy tokeep and relatively straightforward to breed.

Near the end of the book, in between theglossary and the index, is abrief discussion of “Fish andthe Law.”Q. What are the two maintypes of laws governingtropical fish?A. Laws concerning the

collection of speciesunder threat, and lawsdesigned to prevent theintroduction of specieswhere they may pose athreat to native floraand fauna.

Are you stillreading? Here is theanswer to my openingquestion.Q. I used somebladderwort for my fishto spawn on. Theyhatched out, but I amsuffering numerouslosses. Why is this?A . B l a d d e r w o r t s(Utricularia sp.), arecarnivorous plants.Their small bladders,which resemble airbubbles, catch tinyaquatic organisms,i n c l u d i n g n e w l yhatched fry, which arethen dissolved as food.

In conclusion, Iw o u l d l i k e t op a r a p h r a s e M s .

Sandford, who advises us that with the vast arrayof equipment, and the sophisticated armory of testkits available to us, we have no excuse for laxaquaristic practices. I must also mention the wideworld of literature that we have at our fingertips, towhich she herself has made significantcontributions.


MTS Is There a Cure?

by Tommy Chang

It isn’t commonly discussed in the literature, but some of us aquarists are known to be afflicted with a condition called MTS. This three-letter

abbreviation is often used when referring to the dreaded Malaysian Trumpet Snail (they can be hard to get rid of), but this short essay is on how to cure Multiple Tank Syndrome.

What dedicated aquarist does not want multiple tanks? Everyday people have one nice tank as a showpiece in their living rooms. They are usually not serious enough to learn about cycling the tank, and do not research things like what fish are compatible with fish they already have and so forth. They may buy that cute little Oscar, later to find out they need a much bigger tank.

The serious aquarist though, wants to breed these fish; all the better that they are pretty and in demand! This aquarist realizes he may need several tanks in which to raise the fry, separate the males from the females until the time is right, and on top of that have a nice show tank in the living room for house guests to admire. It’s just natural to need more tanks, right? Right??? For those of us who may have MTS, the first line of defense is playing dumb. Say, “I do not have Malaysian Trumpet Snails! Are you accusing me of overfeeding my fish? Or poor tank maintenance?”

But perhaps your friends and family have been making fun of you. What to do? Could you really have a problem? Is there a cure?

Are you a religious person? Ask your family clergyman to bring a talisman or holy water and perform an exorcism. “Evil MTS Demon, I cast you out! OUT!” Or perhaps you have more of a psychological turn of mind. Pretend you are Rod Serling of Twilight Zone fame. I might imagine him saying in front of me, “For your consideration, Tommy K. Chang, a man obsessed with tropical fish. He thinks all night and all day about that next fish tank…”

Some of us are lucky enough to be single. Consider getting married. A spouse can often be an effective antidote to MTS. He or she will be more important to you than your fish (right?), so that’s one way to cure MTS―get married! But be sure it’s a person you love, because if you wind up loving the fish more than the spouse, you will have many regrets, as well as an especially aggravated case of MTS.

What if you are already married and still have MTS? Well, ask your spouse to get a paddle and

have you recite the following list, each point being accompanied by a slap of the paddle on the rear part of your anatomy!

No more fish! (Whap)1.

No more tanks! (Whap, Ouch!)2.

We eat in the kitchen! No family 3. members should be having sex in the kitchen! (No breeding your fish, Whap!)

A refugium? That’s another tank! 4. (Whap!)

A sump? You want that big a tank? 5. Where’s the couch gonna go? We lose the living room and it’s another tank! (No! Double Whap!!)

The list can of course be lengthened (if you like) for very severe cases of MTS. You be the judge.

But seriously, one way to keep your number of tanks down is to get some of those screens that divide the tank. They have little holes which do not totally prevent water circulation. Add an air stone to the side of the barrier that is cut off from the outflow of the filter. I use one of these as a barrier to create a refugium. The java moss I bought at one of the auctions, although still tied down, was still clogging up the intake of my filter. Also, I keep African Cichlids which eat most plants, so this is a handy way keep the plants safe so they can thrive and cut down on your nitrates. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to use a powerhead in the refugium part of the tank.

As you may know, a tank divider is useful for isolating either weak or overly aggressive fish. I am currently using my divided section to let a subdominant fish heal from its wounds. Although using these barriers is not the complete answer for MTS, it is a useful way of getting more places to put your fish, and avoid having to buy more tanks and find the space for them.


I can’t think why any serious aquarist would want Malaysian Trumpet Snails (unless of course he or she raises clown loaches to eat the nasty little creatures). Multiple Tank Syndrome however, is not something that really needs to be cured. It’s just a non-aquarist’s tongue in cheek label applied to a serious aquarist he or she knows and loves. MTS shouldn’t be a problem if you really love that fish geek.

Take for example Al and Susan Priest; they have a whole house of fish, and both Al and Sue are serious

aquarists. Although my mother does not play golf well, she has an interest in golf because my father does. So before you go out and buy a paddle to cure MTS, clean up that basement for your spouse. He or she will love you just as much as they love the fish!

Drawing: http://www.funnytimes.com/playground/gallery.php?id=0&show=&tag=spanking


Cichlidically SpeakingYour Link to the

American Cichlid Associationwww.cichlid.org

by Claudia Dickinson

First appearing in the February 2001 issue of the American Cichlid Association’s Buntbarsche Bulletin, my ‘Cichlidically Speaking’ column ran until August of 2005. Its commentary covered current ACA news, as well as relevant cichlid research and conservation efforts. As your ACA Club Delegate, I continue to bring you that column here in the pages of Modern Aquarium. Let us think of it as ‘Volume II,’ or now on its second year with the GCAS, ‘Volume III’?!

ACA Founding Fellow Ross SocolofThe legendary and beloved ACA Founding Fellow and Jordan Fellow Ross Socolof passed away

on October 20th 2009, three days before his 84th birthday. Ross is deeply missed, but will live on in the hearts of the ACA and the aquarium world where he has left the consummate gift of his legacy. Placing together the Buntbarsche Bulletin December 2009 special edition tribute to Ross brought great joy, for it is a true celebration of a man who had a profound effect on the hobby, while touching the lives of all who he encountered. With it came smiles, laughter, and yes, even a tear or two, from the

AA CC AA CC oo nn vv ee nn tt ii oo nn 22 00 11 00

The event that we all look forward to, our annual ACA Convention, is almost here!

July 22 ― 25, 2010

Hosted by the Milwaukee Aquarium Society

Olympia Spa and Resort

Have you registered yet?!?!

Register today at www.ACAC2010.com!

Be sure to get your room reservations now by calling 800-558-9573.

The group code for our special convention rate is MAC10.

It’s all about cichlids, and cichlidophiles.

We can barely wait to see you there!


lighthearted to often moving stories that share a common theme. They describe a man who was warm, kind, thoughtful, generous, and intelligent, a friend to all, a mentor to many, a father figure, and one who had a passion for life and who gave of himself, and his ‘CARE’ packages of books and literature, freely. That was Ross Socolof.

On a personal note, the books and memos that Ross shared with me will be treasured forever, and whenever I come across malted milk balls I will always think of him with enormous fondness, for he loved those and enjoyed keeping a supply in the freezer. My large wish has been that Ross knew of the great love that the ACA and the hobby held for him, and I am quite sure that, as his dog, Irving, from Socolof Fish Farms came to greet him at the rainbow bridge, in his heart he did know.

Contributors to the issue who share their special memories with Ross include ACA Fellow and treasured friend, Rusty Wessel, lifelong best buddy, Harry Specht, ACA Founding Fellows Dick Stratton and James Langhammer, ACA Fellow Wayne Leibel, Albert Klee, our own Joe Ferdenzi, Rosario LaCorte, Dan Woodland, Raymond Wetzel, and Lee and Aline Finley.

Pair of Thorichthys socolofi guarding fry.Photograph by Rusty Wessel Ross and friend in Honduras,

circa 1991, with an impressive collection of iguanas.Photograph by Rusty Wessel

Jodi Socolof’s favorite post card from her father, Ross.Courtesy of Jodi Socolof

An inquisitive audience gathers as longtime best buddies and traveling comrades, Ross Socolof and Harry Specht, examine cichlid specimens held in a formaldehyde solution.Photograph by Rusty Wessel


Conservation Awareness: A CARES Conservation Priority Species Success Story!It is a pleasure to share the triumphant story of Astatotilapia desfontainii, a CARES conservation

priority species that the ACA first shined the spotlight on in August of 2008, Buntbarsche Bulletin Number 247. We feel great pride in Greg Steeves, one of the first recipients of the ACA CARES Member of the Year Award, for his major role since that publication in rescuing A. desfontainii from extinction—one of his many notable accomplishments.

Also our CARES Conservation Priority List Lake Victoria Regional Coordinator, Greg brings us his report of a cichlid in peril that had the great fortune of finding its way into his tanks.

If there could ever be a flagship fish for the CARES program, it might well be the beautiful little haplochromine Astatotilapia desfontainii. For those of you who might not know the story, please allow me to present the condensed version.

In the spring of 2007, two Spanish ichthyologists collecting killifish in Tunisia happened upon a nearly dry irrigation ditch. In this small trickle of water an unfamiliar haplochromine cichlid was found. Specimens were caught and preserved for the Natural History Museum in Madrid, Spain. Unfortunately, by all accounts what might have been the last wild habitat for A. desfontainii is, in all likelihood, dried up completely now.

Live fry from this collection made their way to Dr. Anton Lamboj in Austria. I was honored when Anton contacted me to work with the fry. At this time I had no idea of the rarity of A. desfontainii and the peril it faced. I will admit that I was a little nervous when I realized the entire scope of the situation. Anton trusted me with some of the last remaining live specimens in existence.

Fortunately, the fish grew quickly and first spawning occurred in the spring of 2008. Having the first batch of fry was a huge relief and I wanted to distribute them as quickly as I could. Two weeks post release, the fry were split into three groups and given to people I knew I could trust with them—fellow members of the Hill Country Cichlid Club. From this time on, the original wild fish bred with regularity. Through the CARES program, I was able to provide additional seed colonies to hobbyists across the country and, with Anton’s help, into Europe.

Thinking back and realizing that A. desfontainii is quite likely extinct in the wild, was all but unknown in the hobby, and in a little over a year has gone from a small group of four tiny fry to healthy colonies across the United States and Europe, gives me a sense of accomplishment. In the same breath, I realize that there are hundreds of other fish in this very same predicament. Other species

Astatotilapia desfontainii.Photograph by Lee Ann Steeves


will die completely without ever making it into the tank of a caring hobbyist whose efforts could thwart extinction. Through fry distribution in the CARES program, once established colonies are in place, the opportunity for captive survival is promising. In my opinion, CARES is the greatest plan ever set in place to give many endangered and threatened species a legitimate chance of survival. I can only hope that vulnerable wild seed stock can be obtained before it’s too late.Greg Steeves

A warm and heartfelt thank you to Greg for his enormous and continued dedication to conservation priority species. For complete information on Astatotilapia desfontainii and this success story, please be certain to see his detailed account in the April 2009 issue of Cichlid News.

News On The Cichlid Scene

Paretroplus damii.Photograph by George J. Reclos and Marina Parha

Paretroplus damii Bleeker 1868 Inhabiting Malagasy rivers and lakes that have a sand, mud, or rock substrate, Paretroplus damii is

found in soft waters that range from acidic to alkaline, and are relatively high in temperature (de Rham and Nourissat, 2004). A rare find in the tanks of hobbyists, this damba was first reproduced in France in the pools of Jean-Claude Nourissat in the early 2000s (Artigas Azas, 2008).

A shoaling species, colonies are best kept in groups of six or more. Individuals grow to over 40 cm (15.7 in), making aquarium maintenance not always an easy feat for aquarists, as this means an outdoor pool or large aquarium of a minimum of 1,000 to 1,300 liters (264 to 343 gal) for a colony. It is, however, a relatively peaceful cichlid which makes it an ideal candidate for the large Malagasy setup. When kept under proper conditions, Pe. damii possesses the potential of being one of the most colorful species of the genus.

As challenging as it is to maintain and breed this CARES conservation priority species due to its immense size and need for a large aquarium and dedicated attention, commendable success has been achieved by skilled aquarists, George Reclos and Marina Parha of Athens, Greece and Manchester, United Kingdom. Their efforts are well worth it to secure a future for this extraordinary species at risk. Offspring have recently made their way to the United States and under their skilled keeper’s attention, we look forward to availability here in the not-too-distant future.


Until next time…

Keep on Enjoying Your Cichlids!Claudia

Be certain to see detailed information on Paretroplus damii in George and Marina’s complete account which appears in Buntbarsche Bulletin #251, April 2009.

There are no rules as to where Paretroplus damii will spawn.Photograph by George J. Reclos and Marina Parha

Paretroplus damii pair care for newly laid eggs.Photograph by George J. Reclos and Marina Parha

Join the ACA! Be certain that you are a part of the ACA by sending your dues through PayPal to

[email protected] you may prefer to print out the membership application at

www.cichlid.org and send it to: Marty Ruthkosky

ACA Membership Chair 43081 Bond Court

Sterling Heights, MI 48313 Please feel free to contact me during our meetings with any questions that you may have,

or e-mail me at [email protected]. I’m sure you will find becoming involved

with such a special group of individuals as rewarding as I have!

Paretroplus damii guarding fry.Photograph by George J. Reclos and Marina Parha


DANBURY AREA AQUARIUM SOCIETY

Serving the Hudson Valley Area, Westchester, Fairfield, and Litchfield

Counties

24nd AUCTION - Spring 2010!

TO BE HELD AT THE: Carmel Firehouse

94 Gleneida Ave (Corner of Route 52 & Vink Drive)

Carmel, NY 10512

, 1 red dot, 50/50 split, *60/40 for 6 or more lots, and preprinted lot #

labels (no description, please label your bags)

*Acceptable lots will be determined by the auction committee

Vendors: TBD

Food &Refreshments will be available

REGISTRATION.................................8:30 AM TO 11:15 AM

VIEWING OF GOODS........................10:00 AM TO 11:15 AM

AUCTION..................................................11:30 AM TO 5 PM

RAFFLE..........................................................................50 / 50


Member Classifieds

EQUIPMENT:

3 Rena Filstar XP3 Cannister Filters -- Up to 350 GPH -- $50 each1 Eheim Pro II 2026 $651 Emperor 280 Power Filter (single bio-wheel) $201 Emperor 400 Bio-Wheel HOB Power Filter $301 Coralife Turb Twist 18 watt with 3 extra (never used) UV bulbs $50All nearly new, in original boxes. Call (631) 563-1404-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------2-10’s---complete $15 each2-20 Longs complete, no lights 20 each1-20 high-complete, no filter 202-29’s complete 30 eachRefrigerator 301-55 complete 601-65 with canister filter, full lighting, Laterite in gravel metal stand---$250Some large wood, meds, rock, caves.“Complete” means heater, filter, full lighting (they were used as plant tanks), canopy.Call Charley: (917) 837-6346-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------46 bow tank, light, stand, all oak finish $310Looking for Oak stand for 36g bowfrontCall Ron: 718-464-8408 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Free Cyclop-eeze! Wanted Female Yellow Labidochromis Caeruleus 2.5-3 inchesWanted 1 Male Rusty Iodotropheus Sprengerae 2.5-3 inchesContact Tommy 718-423-8995 cash or trade


GCAS Happenings May

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

GREATER CITY AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: June 2, 2010Host: Jim BrehenyEvent: GCAS Trip to the Bronx Zoo*Meets the first Wednesday of the month (except January &

February) at 7:30pm: Queens Botanical garden 43-50 Main Street - Flushing, NYContact: Dan Radebaugh (718) 458-8437E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.greatercity.org*The May meeting will be at the Bronx Zoo. Call, email, or

see our Web site for details.

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: May 14, 2010Speaker: None Event: Giant AuctionMeets the 2nd Friday of the month (except July and August)

at 7:30pm: NY Aquarium - Education Hall, Brooklyn, NYCall: BAS Events Hotline: (718) 837-4455Website: http://www.brooklynaquariumsociety.org

LONG ISLAND AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: May 21, 2010Speaker: rich Levy Topic: Fish at School, Focus on YouthMeets: 3rd Fridays (except July and August) 8:00pm. Greenhouse Meeting Room, Holtsville Ecology Center,

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

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

NASSAU COUNTY AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: May 11, 2010Speaker: John ClairmontTopic: Killifish Meets: 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: May 20, 2010Speaker: Ted Coletti / Pete Nitzsche Topic: Breeding Fish in Tubs / Water Plants & Veg FiltersMeets: 7:30 PM Lyndhurst Elks Club, 251 Park Avenue,

Lyndhurst, NJ 07071Contact: NJAS Hotline at (732) 332-1392e-mail: [email protected]: http://www.njas.net/

NORWALK AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: May 20, 2010Speaker: Martha Morris Topic: Discus in the Home Aquaria: the “Wow” FactorMeets: 8:00 P.M. - 3rd Thursday of each month at:

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

Last Month’s Bowl Show Winners:1 Al Priest Betta pulchra

2 robert HAmje ryukin GoldfisH

3 ricHArd WAizmAn blue/blAck bettA

unofficiAl 2010 boWl sHoW totAls to dAte:Al Priest 10 robert HAmje 6 mArio benGcion 1 ricHArd WAizmAn 1

A wArm welcome bAck to renewing gcAS memberS ShAron bArnett, mArio bengcion, lAmont brown, cArlotti De JAger, Pete D’orio, Joe FerDenzi, Steve miller, temeS mo, roD moSely, Jerry o’FArrell, mArk SobermAn, AnD Peter AnD SuSAn Steiner!


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.

A male cichlid eavesdrops on two other fishfighting. New research shows that these fishhave the reasoning capacity of a four to five-year-old child when it comes to figuring outwhich of its peers is “top dog.”

© 2009 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.

Smarter ThanThey Look

A series by “The Undergravel Reporter”

Recently I was trying to net a particular fishthat I wanted to move into a larger tank.Usually as soon as I open the tank lid, that

particular fish is right there at the top, begging forfood. This time, I had to practically tear the tankapart to catch him. I know many (if not most) ofyou have had similar experiences. It’s as if the fish“knew” what was going to happen. Of course, fisharen’t that smart — or are they?

Studies of Astatotilapia burtoni, a LakeTanganyikan cichlid, show them to have thereasoning capacity of a four or five year old child,at least when it comes to figuring out social

dominance. (Male Astatotilapia burtoni fightaggressively to establish territory, to secure controlof scarce food resources, and to maintain a locationfor spawning with females.)

The Stanford University scientists whoconducted the studies claim this to be the firstdemonstration that fish can use logical reasoning tofigure out their social pecking order. They foundthat a sixth fish could infer, or learn indirectly,which were the first through fifth strongest just byobserving fights among them in adjacent,transparent tanks, rather than by directly fightingeach fish itself, or seeing each fish fight each ofthe four other fish.

This type of reasoning, called transitiveinference, is a developmental milestone for humanchildren, showing up nonverbally as early as ages4 and 5; it also has been reported in monkeys, ratsand birds. It allows thinkers to reason that if A isbigger than B, and B is bigger than C, then A isalso bigger than C.

The scientists staged dozens of fights over an11 day period among five different fish (known tothe scientists as A, B, C, D, and E, with A beingthe strongest and E the weakest) in a circle oftransparent, plastic tanks that allowed a“bystander” fish in a center tank to observe eachfight as it took place. Fish A fought B, B fought Cand so on.

Later on in an open tank, the bystander wasable to choose whether to associate with either theA fish or the E fish (remember, the bystander fishnever saw Fish A fight Fish E). The bystander wasalso tested to choose between the B fish and the Dfish, which had never faced each other.

Bystander fish typically chose the weakestfish (those that had lost the most fights) as theirpreferred companion, making the safest choice fortheir long-term survival and ability to reproduce.

This preference shows, the team writes in theJan. 25 issue of the journal Nature, that the fishused observation and logical reasoning to infer ordeduce the relative ranking among the five fightingfish.

So there you have it: scientific proof that atleast some fish think like five-year olds, which issomewhat more mature thinking than a few adultsI know.

Referenceh t t p : / / w w w . l i v e s c i e n c e . c o m / a n i m a l s /070124_fish_brains.html


Fin FunAway to Uruguay

According to Wikipedia, the word Uruguay comes from the Guarani language meaning “river where thepainted birds live.” Our scheduled speaker this month will share his adventures in this country with us.He may or may not mention some of the fish endemic to Uruguay. Can you identify the fish endemic toUruguay from the list of fish below?

Endemic to Uruguay?

Scientific name Common name Yes No

Ctenopoma acutirostre Spotted Climbing Perch

Barbus choloensis Silver Barb

Austrolebias viarius Roadside Pearl Killifish

Anodontiglanis dahli Toothless Catfish

Megalebias cheradophilus Mud Hugger Pearl Killifish

Aplocheilus werneri Werner’s Killifish

Megalebias prognathus Long Snout Giant Pearl Killfish

Olyra burmanica Longtail Catfish

Balitora mysorensis Slender Stone Loachhttp://fish.mongabay.com/data/Uruguay.htm

Answer to our last puzzle:

FRIDAY, MAY 14 AT 7:30PM

BROOKLYN AQUARIUM SOCIETY

MARINE FISH, AQUA-CULTURED CORALS, FRESHWATER FISH, PLANTS & DRY GOODS,INCLUDING A NEW 55 GALLON TANK, PLUS TOO MANY ITEMS TO LIST

SPRINGTROPICAL FISH

For more informat ion v is it us on l ineB R O O K L Y N A Q U A R I U M S O C I E T Y. O R G

Car Directions: Belt Parkway to Ocean Parkway South (Exit 7S). Take Ocean Parkway approx. 1/2 mile. The NY Aquarium willbe on your left. Subway Directions: From anywhere take either the Q or the F trains to West 8 St, NY Aquarium Station.

Follow signs to NY Aquarium.

AT T H E N E W Y O R K A Q U A R I U M ’ S E D U C A T I O N H A L L

SURF AVENUE & WEST 8TH STREET, BROOKLYN, NYViewing Lots 7:30pm - 8:30pm Auction Starts 8:30pm

Free Admission • Free Parking • Free Refreshments •Freshwater Fish • Plants • Marine Fish Aqua-cultured Corals • Dry Goods Discount Books • Sales Items • Raffles • Door Prizes

AUCTIONEXTRAVAGNZA

Documents

Modern Aquarium May 2010