Modern Aquarium May 2011

May 2011volume XVIIInumber 3

ON THE COVEROn our cover this month is a male Betta falx, a very small mouthbrooding Betta, holding eggs in his mouth. For more information on this diminutive, easy-to-keep native of Sumatra, see Al Priest’s article on page 15. Photo by Alexander A. Priest

GREATER CITY AQUARIUM SOCIETY

Board MeMBers

President Dan RadebaughVice-President Edward VukichTreasurer Jules BirnbaumCorresponding Secretary Mario Bengcion Recording Secretary Tommy Chang

MeMBers at Large

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

CoMMittee Chairs

A.C.A. Delegate Claudia DickinsonBowl Show Leonard RamroopBreeder Award Warren Feuer Mark SobermanEarly Arrivals Al GrusellF.A.A.S. Delegate Alexander A. PriestMembership Marsha RadebaughPrograms Claudia DickinsonN.E.C. Delegate Claudia DickinsonTechnology Coordinator Warren Feuer

MODERN AQUARIUM

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

In This IssueFrom the Editor

2G.C.A.S. 2011 Program Schedule

3President’s Message

4 The NEC 2010 Article Competition

5Our Guest Speaker: Judith Weis

6by Claudia dickinson

Reflections of a Filter Collector 7by Jules Birnbaum

Our Generous Sponsors & Advertisers 9

My Favorite Marine Fish 10The Yellowhead Jawfish

by stephen sica

Photos from our Last Meeting 12by susan Priest

A Small Mouthful 15Betta falx

by alexander a. Priest

Wet Leaves 19by susan Priest

Carpy Diem! 21Part I: The Old Guard

by dan radebaugh

Our Generous Members 24

G.C.A.S. Happenings 26

The Undergravel Reporter 27Tails, Long and Golden

Fin Fun (Puzzle Page) 28Quit yer Carping!

Series III Vol. XVIII, No. 3 May, 2011

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)2 May 2011

From theEditor by Dan Radebaugh

It isn’t often that fish become media stars. Ever since Jaws, the great white shark has enjoyed star status, and back in my youth the sea lamprey

made it big in the national media with the havoc it was causing in the Great Lakes following the opening of the St Lawrence Seaway. Newspaper editors in Florida also used to get a lot of mileage from worrying in print about what would happen if piranhas somehow found their way into local waters. This is all fairly understandable―death and destruction are the lifeblood of the news media, and the aforementioned species have enough of a reputation to gladden the heart of an editor who needs to generate some controversy and/or fill some space. But carp? It’s been amazing, but for the past couple of years they’ve been all over the newspapers, TV, and the internet. So not to be out-done, Modern Aquarium this month presents the first in a two-part series on carp in the USA. To show you what a hot topic this is, even as I was working on Part I, which deals with fish we aquarists are familiar with, Marsha showed me an article in The Epoch Times about yet another species of carp that has recently been declared “injurious” (definition to come in Part II) by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

One of the things I learned while researching this article is a method of live food cultivation that I’m sure we’ll all want to try. I’m of course talking about maggots! These are highly nutritious, and can be cultivated using very low-tech methods, the simplest of which is to just hang a piece of raw meat over your fish pond. Flies will in due course show up and lay eggs, and as the maggots hatch and begin crawling about on the tasty treat you have left for them, they’ll fall off their meal and into the mouths of your delighted fish. A variant of this is a rather more industrial application using a set of drawers. The upper drawer has a coarse wire mesh bottom, upon which you place offal (or whatever; in New York the possibilities boggle the mind). The flies come, lay their eggs, and as the maggots crawl about the offal, they fall through the mesh into the lower drawer, which you can then remove, and feed the harvested contents to your fish. You might also want to invest in some air freshener, and hope that you have extremely tolerant neighbors (and a strong stomach).

While the Undergravel Reporter and the Fin Fun puzzle do join delightfully in the carp theme, the issue isn’t all about carp. Claudia Dickinson tells us about this evening’s speaker, Judith Weis, and later in the issue, Susan Priest reviews Ms Weis’s new book, Do Fish Sleep? in her “Wet Leaves” column. Susan also provides us with a collection of photos from our April meeting.

Al Priest’s “A Small Mouthful” gives us an in-depth introduction to this month’s cover photo subject, Betta falx, a small, easy-to-keep, mouthbrooding betta from Sumatra. In “Reflections of a Filter Collector,” Jules Birnbaum shares some of his thoughts on the many types of aquarium filters we currently find ourselves able to choose from, while Steve Sica tells us about his current “Favorite Marine Fish,” the yellow-headed jawfish, which of course has been a favorite of aquarists on the saltwater side of the hobby for many years. Steve, however, takes us on a visit to the jawfish’s habitat, rather than discussing how to keep it in ours.

Remember, as always, we need articles! Modern Aquarium is produced by and for the members of Greater City Aquarium Society. Our members are our authors, and with ten issues per year, we always, always need more articles. I know several of you are keeping and/or breeding fish that I would like to know more about, and I’m certain other members would be interested as well. Share your experience with us. Write about it! If you’re a little unsure about the state of your writing technique, don’t worry – that’s why there are editors.

If you have an article, photo, or drawing that you’d like to submit for inclusion in Modern Aquarium, it’s easy to do! You may fax it to me at (877) 299-0522, email it to [email protected], or just hand it to me at a meeting. However you get it to me, I’ll be delighted to receive it!

From theEditor by Dan Radebaugh

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) May 2011 3

GCASPrograms

2011It 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

May 4 Judith WeisDo Fish Sleep?

June 1 George RichterAdventures on the Amazon River!

July 6 TBA

August 3 Silent Auction

September 7 TBA

October 5 TBA

November 2 Ted Judy Going Gabon!

December 7 Holiday Party!

January Winter Break

February Winter Break

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 2011 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

At our meeting last month, I got to do one of my favorite things―hand out awards to GCAS member-authors for

their articles that have appeared in Modern Aquarium. In this case, the awards were from the Northeast Council of Aquarium Societies (NEC) for articles that appeared in 2010. For those of you who may not know about the NEC, it is an organization whose membership consists of over 25 aquarium clubs in the Northeast. It was established in l956 to assist and strengthen member societies, to act as a clearing house for material relating to the aquarium hobby, to assist local societies in publicizing their events, and to promote the aquarium hobby in general.

Over the years the Council’s original purpose has expanded to include the several committees that are available to assist any member club, promote fish breeding and dissemination of fry, and encourage fish shows and the writing of articles for local club publications in order to share experiences.

The NEC has hosted an Annual Convention since 1976. Among the NEC’s programs is a contest for articles and columns appearing in the publications of member societies. As an NEC member club, Greater

City participates in the NEC’s publication award program, and articles from Modern Aquarium have consistently won top honors.

Every original article a GCAS member writes for Modern Aquarium is eligible for submission to the NEC’s publication awards program, as well as to the publications award program of the Federation of American Aquarium Societies (FAAS). In addition to recognition by other fishkeepers around the country and even outside it (FAAS society members include organizations outside the U.S.A.), winners also receive bonus author points under Greater City’s own Author Award Program.

So whether you are writing about your aquarium hobby experiences just for the fun of it, or to pass on your hard won knowledge to others, know that as a Modern Aquarium author, you are participating in a tradition of excellence, and that the results of your talents and labor will not only be shared among members of Greater City, but will also be seen by members of aquarium clubs throughout North America and even beyond.

Dan

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The NEC 2010 Article CompetitionBreeder Articles1. The Breeeding/Maintaining of the Mysterious Red

Lizard Catfish or Rhineloricaria sp-L010A Sal Silvestri NAS*2. Breeding a Little Mistake Jules Birnbaum GCAS2. When Three's NOT a Crowd Alexander A. Priest GCAS3. Breeding Colisa lalia Norman Brandt NHAS**

Humor Articles1. You Know When You’re an EXTREME Aquarist When… Susan Priest GCAS2. The Undergravel Reporter Alexander A. Priest GCAS3. MTS Is There a Cure? Tommy Chang GCAS

OOpen Articles1. A Touch of Gold: Betta midas Alexander A. Priest GCAS2. The Chocolate Cichlid: Hypselacara temporalis Dan Radebaugh GCAS3. A Look at Power Consumption in the Fishroom Shawn kopinski ACLC***3. Going the Distance with Paratheraps synspilus Dan Radebaugh GCAS

C ti i C lContinuing Columns1. Culturing Live Food, parts 1 thru 4 Micahel Steffen ACLC***2. Dave’s Top Ten List for. . . David L. Banks TFCBŧ

3. Wet Leaves Susan Priest GCAS

Junior Category1. My Albino Guppies Stepahnie Cornell (age 10) ACLC***

*Norwalk Aquarium Society **New Hampshire Aquarium Society ***Aquarium Club of Lancaster CountyŧTropical Fish Club of Burlington


The G.C.A.S.

Proudly extends a most Warm Welcometo

Our Guest SpeakerJudith Weis

Speaking onDo Fish Sleep?

by Claudia Dickinson

Dr. Judith S. Weis is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey. She

received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, and M.S. and Ph.D. from New York University. Her research focuses mostly on estuarine ecology, and she has published over 200 refereed scientific papers, as well as a book on salt marshes (Salt Marshes: A Natural and Unnatural History) in 2009 and a book on fish (Do Fish Sleep?) in 2011.

Judith is interested in stresses in estuaries (including pollution, invasive species, and parasites) and their effects on organisms, populations, and communities. Much of her research has been focused on estuaries in the New York/New Jersey Harbor area, but she has also done research in Indonesia and Madagascar.

Serving on the editorial board for BioScience, Judith is one of the editors of the online Encyclopedia of Earth. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), was a Congressional Science Fellow with the U.S.

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and was a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Indonesia in 2006. She has been on numerous advisory committees for USEPA, NOAA, and the National Research Council, and is currently chair of the Science Advisory Board of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

She was the Chair of the Biology Section of AAAS and served on the boards of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), and the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), of which she was the President in 2001.

We are delighted to have Judith join us tonight as she shares her new book, Do Fish Sleep?


Reflections of a Filter Collector

by Jules Birnbaum

I’ve tried almost every kind of filter: canister, box, sponge, HOT, and under-gravel. Some of the manufacturers have included Fluval, Eheim,

and Marineland. My experience is that if I perform regular weekly 20% to 40% water changes, any of these filters will work very well. You can spend from twenty dollars to well over three hundred dollars for a filter. The result we are all looking for is the best way to maintain clear, healthy, aquarium water.

When I became an aquarist some 60 years ago, it was a simple air pump, and a plastic box to hold charcoal and glass wool. Today we have sophisticated contraptions that even have built-in computers to avoid mistakes and notify us when it’s time to service the filter. Going back even further, many expert aquarists didn’t even use man-made filters, and rarely changed water. They talked about the “balanced aquarium,” planted it heavily, and stocked it with few fish. The plants helped purify the water by removing carbon dioxide and providing oxygen. Today we know that the plants also metabolize nitrogen compounds, such as ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

The famous William T. Innes did not even discuss filters in his 1917 book, Goldfish Varieties and Tropical Aquarium Fishes. He simply stated he did not wish to discuss equipment. Mr. Innes did give some information about filtration in his 1935 book, Exotic Aquarium Fishes. He devoted one page to the subject, explaining how a piston-driven pump lifted water through media in a hang-on filter and sent the water back into the tank. The media were charcoal, glass wool, peat and Mr. Innes mentions, “a new revolutionary method of using substrate from the tank as media”.

Dr. Herbert Axelrod’s book, Exotic Tropical Fishes (with Vorderwinkler, Emmon, Sculthorpe, Pronek and Socolof), does discuss filters and filtration, but again the topic warranted only a page or two. He explains how you can make your own box type filter run by an electric pump.

In their book, Tropical Aquarium Fish, Dr. Chris Andrews and Dr. Ulrich Baensch do get into filter specifics. They recommend a power filter for large tanks and a sponge filter for small tanks.

There is little talk in these old books about some of the things we now take for granted, such as water flow, or using the filter to adjust pH. There is a common misconception that if you have fast water

flow, the aquarium water will be filtered better. This might be true if you wish to polish the water to make it crystal clear, but a slower flow is desirable to give the good bacteria in the filter time to remove the bad guys, rather than have them escape back into the tank (notice I’m not being overly technical). This slower flow also helps if you are buffering the water to adjust pH. The box filter has a big advantage in this regard, since you can add peat or crushed coral, depending on your needs. You can also convert a box filter into a sponge filter by just filling it with sponges.

Here are a few of my recommendations, based on education from our GCAS experts and my own personal observations: If you own several tanks of moderate size, use a good (reliable and quiet) air pump with sponge and/or box filters. It will save you big bucks. Filters should be cleaned periodically, including pipes, impellers, and fresh filter pads or foam. The period of time between cleanings can be determined by observing the filter pads and water flow (flow will slow down as the filter accumulates debris). Some experts recommend soaking all the parts (not the media) in a 1/3 bleach solution. The tank’s bio-load is also a factor. A dozen guppies won’t produce nearly as much waste as one goldfish. Keep a maintenance schedule on your PC calendar with an alarm as a reminder.

You can save money on expensive filter pads and cartridges by making our own from sheets of poly foam. These can be purchased from local pet shops or online from fish room supply houses.

Charcoal is only useful in the filter for approximately two weeks. I’ve heard it is possible to “re-charge” charcoal by boiling it on the stove. Personally I do not use charcoal because I do weekly 20% to 40% water changes. I also find charcoal messy.

Keep a few extra sponge or box filters running so they will be cycled when needed. Box filters can be immediately aged by just adding a layer of substrate to the new filter from another cycled aquarium, or you can use some media from a filter that’s been in service.

If your filter is shut down for any reason for more than an hour or two it should be cleaned, and the media replaced or cleaned before restarting. Most of us here in the New York area have been lucky of late, because the hurricane seasons have not been overly


destructive, and ConEd and LILCO have done a good job of keeping the power going. I can still remember the ice storm of January1978, when our family had just one show tank.

I’m a big fan of redundancy (having extra filtration supplies on hand), but with fish supply houses now delivering replacements overnight, it might not be cost effective to keep too many extras around (though I did hold onto my old, smaller, piston pump, just to give myself some peace of mind).

In summary, my advice is not to spend the extra bucks for those monster, computerized, over-powered filters unless you are dealing with a very large show tank. The ideal filter is one that does the job, is quiet, simple to install and maintain, easy to service, reliable, and moderately priced. My personal favorite is the basic box filter, but if you hear of some great new type of filter let me know, so I can try one and add it to my collection.


GCASThanks You!

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

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

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


My Favorite Marine FishThe Yellowhead Jawfish

Story and Photos by Stephen Sica

During last year’s annual Halloween dive trip to Key Largo, the captain of the dive boat announced that our Sunday morning

dive excursion would be to North North Dry Rocks. There is a related dive site named North Dry Rocks. North is renowned for its colorful soft corals in water no deeper than twenty feet. The site also has many sandy patches. Having dived this site many years ago, I was aware that it is a major dive site, but is not visited very often because of its distance from land. Most dive boats do not want to expend the extra fuel and time it requires. Fuel is expensive, so I was exceedingly pleased when we arrived at the site.

We suited up and took a giant stride off the rear of the boat. Upon entering the water, I realized I was no longer familiar with the site, so Donna and I swam away on a compass heading opposite that of the dive boat. After almost an hour of thoroughly traversing the area, we headed back to the boat. I looked ahead and saw the boat’s bow riding on calm swells. “Well, we won’t get lost this time,” I thought. Looking around, I saw a small patch of sand not too far from the boat. I swam closer because I thought that I had seen a small fish. When I reached the sand patch there was no sign of life. I swam back about fifteen feet, and there it was―a small, elongated fish.

While I need eyeglasses to see clearly, I do not use a prescription mask. Consequently, I do not see too well underwater. I extended my arms and snapped two wide-angle photos in the direction of the fish. As I slowly swam forward, the fish darted for a burrow―its home in the gravelly sand. It was a yellowhead jawfish, Opistognathus auriferous.

When I slowly backed away, the fish would rise up out of its burrow and loiter just above it.

Unfortunately, I could get no closer than seven or eight feet without the jawfish darting back into the burrow.

I took several “long distance” photographs that caused the fish to rise and sink in its burrow, depending upon my distance from it. I amused myself like this for several minutes, until Donna caught my attention and pointed to her air pressure gauge. I glanced at mine and verified that we

were quite low on air, so I reluctantly abandoned my jawfish. We kicked towards the boat and slowly ascended. I hoped that a few of my jawfish photos, as well as others that I had taken, had come out well.

Once we were back home, I edited the photos on my computer, and refreshed my knowledge of the yellowhead jawfish

using my reef fish identification reference book. This fish attains a maximum length of about

four inches, with two to three inches being the average size. All jawfish that I have observed in the wild have appeared to be at least three inches in length. Its distinctive feature is a yellowish head, above a pale body with bluish, elongated fins. The fish can be seen hovering vertically above its burrow, where it feeds on small organisms passing by. Inhabiting areas of sand and coral rubble


near reefs, these fish are common in the waters of South Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and occasionally the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. Individual fish clear out burrows in the sand with

their mouths. When frightened, they retreat, or back into the burrow tail first. These fish are found at depths of between ten and sixty feet. The few specimens that I have observed were at depths of less than forty feet.

Except for the lancer dragonet, all other known jawfish species (three plus the yellowhead) live in burrows. While I have occasionally observed other species, the yellowhead’s behavior towards divers is fascinating and distinctive. It’s always entertaining, if not instructive, to interact with this fish.

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)12 May 201118 May 2011 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

GCAS President Dan Radebaughand guest speaker Andre Carletto

Susan Priest receiving one of herNEC publication awards

Michael Macht & Ron Wiesenfeld Arie Gilbert

Roderick Mosley GCAS Vice President and headauctioneer, Ed Vukich

Al Priest (left) receiving one ofseveral NEC publication awards

GCAS President and Editor DanRadebaugh with one of his NECpublication awards

GCAS Treasurer Jules Birnbaumreceiving his NEC publicationaward

Jalil, Michelle, and Jahir with mom,Chriscita Morris (2nd from the left)

Photographer mascot Joey Priesttakes a break from photo editing

Pictures from our

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) May 2011 13Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) May 2011 19

Joe Magnoli with his lovely companion, Diane

Karen Ottendorfer

Tony Wong

1st Place: Mario Bengcion

2nd Place: Joe Magnoli 3rd Place: Richard Waizman

last meetingPhotos by Susan Priest

Welcome to our newest Greater City members:

last Month’s Bowl Show Winners:

last month’s Door Prize Winner:

14 May 2011 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)


Scientific Name: Betta falxCommon Names: Scythe Tail Betta, Red Skirt BettaNative to: Jambi Provence, Central Sumatra Special consideration: anabantoid (air breather)Standard length: 1.5 inchespH: Will tolerate from 4.8 to 7.0 (optimum is 6.8 - slightly acidic) Water hardness: 5 to 35 dGH (very soft to soft) Temperature: 72° to 76° FReproduction: Paternal mouthbrooderTemperament: Peaceful, but males display to other malesEnvironment: low-light tank (well covered!)Nutrition: omnivore (fish and animal-based food recommended)

Betta falxArticle and photos by ALeXAnDeR A PRIeST

Some aquarists are surprised to discover thatnot only are there numerous Betta speciesthat are mouthbrooders, but that in fact there

are probably more mouthbrooding species of Bettathan there are bubblenesters. (I say “probably”because new species are being discovered all thetime.)

Betta falx is a small (under two inches, TotalLength) mouthbrooding Betta that, while notcommon in local pet stores, is generally availableby mail order, on theInternet, or from otherhobbyists (especiallyat society auctions).It is a species that Iwould recommend toanyone with limitedspace (I have keptseveral pairs in a 10gallon aquarium formany years) and/orwho is relatively newto fishkeeping (asthese are among theeasiest to care for fisharound). Before Idescribe this fish andits care, I’d like top r o v i d e s o m eh i s t o r i c a lbackground.

At one time, the species now known andrecognized as Betta falx was considered to be aregional variant of another small mouthbroodingspecies, Betta picta. In fact, when I acquired myfirst pair of them, it was as “Betta picta sp. Jambi”(The species Betta picta was at one time split intotwo regional variations, “sp. Jambi” and“sp. Sumatra.”)

In 1998, Betta picta was redescribed1, andBetta falx became recognized as a separate, validspecies which is in the Betta picta “complex” ofsmall, mouthrooding species consisting of Bettafalx, Betta pallida, Betta simplex, Betta taeniata,and Betta picta. (The grouping of Betta speciesinto “complexes” is primarily for conservation andaquarium hobby purposes, and does not necessarilyreflect current scientific taxonomy.)

In their 1995 review of the Anabantoids ofSumatra Tan and Ng provided the followingphysical description of Betta falx to distinguish itfrom Betta picta: “Betta falx is closely related to

B. picta from Java. It differs from B. picta in thefollowing characters: lower dorsal fin ray count(mode 8 vs. 9); lower lateral scale count (mode 27vs. 28); dorsal fin origin above 11-12th lateralscale (vs. 12-14th); anal fin origin below modal 6thlateral scale (vs. 7th); lower predorsal scale count(mode 19 vs. 20); slightly greater anal-fin baselength (46.5-50.3% SL vs. 42.6-48.4); in life -males with distal margins of anal and caudal finsreddish (vs. bluish); iridescent greenish-blue

opercle scales (vs.y e l l o w - g o l d ) ;preserved material -male with distinctdorsal transverse bars(vs. faint); male withdistinct dark analdistal margin wide(vs. narrow); malewithout elongatedmedian caudal finrays (vs. presence);female with distinctcaudal transversebars (vs. very faint orabsent); dorsal headview narrow (vs.b r o a d ) ; t h i c kpreorbital blackstripe (vs. narrow);and the distance

between posterior part of anal fin to lower part ofcaudal narrow (vs. wide).” In addition ,someexperts state that the two can be distinguished bythe presence of spots in the anal fin of falx that arenot present in picta.”2

However, in simple layperson’s language,Betta falx has a light brown body with three blackhorizontal stripes and a very prominent stripe inthe caudal and anal fin. That curved stripe gaverise to its scientific name, falx being Latin for“sickle,” and other tools having a curved blade,such as a scythe. This fish has also somehowacquired the common name of “Red Skirt Betta”for reasons unknown to me (as you can see in theaccompanying photos, this band is not red).

Usually, this is not a very colorful fish. Inmost Betta species I have kept, when an adult fishis exhibiting monocolor horizontal lines,something is wrong. The fish is either stressed, ornot feeling well. In Betta falx, the display of threehorizontal lines is quite common in the absence of

16 May 2011 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)18 May 2011 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

Female Betta falx

Male Betta falx

stress or disease. When ready to spawn, and whena male is holding eggs (yes, as is true of othermouthbrooding Betta species, Betta falx is apaternal mouthbrooder), the horizontal lines fadeand the body turns a darker, uniform shade. Inmales, the blue stripe in the caudal and anal fin

also becomes much brighter. Males are morecolorful than females, and with a larger head tohouse eggs that they hold to maturity in theirbucccal cavity (from the Latin bucca, meaningcheek).


Male holding eggs

My “secret”: Caves, caves, and more caves!

While Betta falx is generally peaceful, malesare also somewhat territorial, especially whenholding. As I mentioned previously, I keep severalpairs of Betta falx in a ten gallon aquarium. The“secret” is the same one I divulged in my August2010 article “The Cave Secret,”3 namely, havingmany more caves and other hiding places than Ihave fish. As long as each fish can have its own

“territory,” even if it’s only a small cave, I findaggression is kept to a minimum, and I have neverseen evidence of ripped fins or other serious injurythat could be attributed to fighting.

Betta falx is a fairly shy fish (although I findmy “cave secret” to work somewhat here, as well,as the more hiding places they have, the less likelythey are to hide). And, while I have witnessed the


spawning activities of several mouthbrooding Bettaspecies, I have never been able to catch mine “inthe act,” so to speak. Therefore, I am going toprovide the account of a spawning that appeared inFlare!, the journal of the International BettaCongress (IBC). It was written by the currentChairman of the IBC’s Species MaintenanceProgram, Gerald Griffin:

“Breeding Betta falx is also easy. In thisspecies the females initiate spawning and will pickan appropriate male who will either respondpositively or negatively. When the male respondsappropriately the pair will go through a number ofpre-spawn embraces, almost like they are tryingeach other out. These pre-spawn embraces maylast for hours. When the pair finally does spawnthe female will release eggs and then maneuver topick up these eggs in her mouth and will then spitthem at the male for him to hold in his mouth.This process will repeat until the female has beendepleted of eggs. Falx eggs are relatively largeand thus [they] have smaller broods.

“The female guards the territory duringspawning, and her main target is rival females thatmay try to spawn with her male. The female willalso chase away rogue males who enter theterritory as well. Falx are best spawned in pairs,and the female removed after a few days. If thefemale is not removed she may fill with eggs andreinitiate spawning before the male has released,which will ruin the spawn. I did have a case ofthis, but instead of swallowing all of the babies themale released a few, and they spent most of theirtime hidden in the tank and did not revealthemselves until the male was pulled from the tankafter releasing his second batch. The young arelarge, and readily eat baby brine shrimp. Theyoung can reach over a half inch in length in lessthan a month after release.”4

This is really one of the easiest fish to keep.They will eat almost anything (but, as mostmembers of the genus Betta, they are primarilycarnivores, so a diet of fish-based dry food, as wellas live or frozen worms, brine shrimp, and insectsis best).

They also share with other members of thegenus Betta (and, with all species in the suborderAnabantoidei) an accessory breathing organ knownas the labyrinth organ. This maze-like structure in

the head allows the fish to capture and utilizeatmospheric air from above the water's surface,thereby allowing the fish to live in stagnant,oxygen-poor water. This also means that they cansurvive outside of the water for longer periods oftime than most other species. In my opinion, thisaccounts for their tendency to jump out of the tankif startled. (In nature, they probably jump fromone stagnant pool and keep flipping around untilthey hit another pool as a defense measure, andalso to find more suitable conditions with respectto food and mating prospects). As long as theyland in moist leaf litter or mud, and their body hasnot dried out, they can breathe without using theirgills. Here again, having enough caves and hidingspaces within the tank is useful as, in myexperience, this will encourage them to dive downfor shelter, instead of jumping out. But, as with allBetta species, a tight lid with no open gaps, shouldbe used.

All Betta species I know of come from, anddo best in, soft, acid water (with the exception ofBetta simplex whose natural habitat consists oflimestone pools of alkaline water). In the wildBetta falx live in waters that range from 4.7 to 6.8pH5. In the home aquarium, they will readily adaptto any slightly acidic to neutral condition. Basedupon my experience, they seem to do best at lowertemperatures (70E to 76EF).

You may have noticed I made no mention ofplant or substrate. Few live plants tolerate verysoft, acidic water and low light conditions for verylong. Since Betta falx does not disturb or eatplants, any live plant that can tolerate thoseconditions, such as Java Fern, would be fine, butthey are not essential.

Neither is gravel essential. My Betta falxtank has no gravel. If you remember how thisspecies spawns, with the female picking up theeggs in her mouth to spit them at the male for himto hold in his mouth, you can see why a barebottom tank might actually be preferable.

Usually, smaller species of fish tend to beless hardy than larger species. However, Betta falxis quite hardy and breeds readily in the homeaquarium. For anyone who has never keptmouthbrooding bettas, Betta falx is an excellentfirst choice.

1 Tan, H.H. and M. Kottelat 1998 “Redescription of Betta picta (Teleostei: Osphronemidae) and descriptionof B. falx sp. n. from central Sumatra” Rev. Suisse Zool. 105(3):557-568.2 http://www.seriouslyfish.com/profile.php?genus=Betta&species=falx3 Priest, Alexander A. "The Cave Secret." Modern Aquarium, August, 20104 Griffin, Gerald. “Care and Breeding of Betta falx.” Flare!, Nov/Dec, 2002, 21. 5 Ibid`


Do Fish Sleep?By Judith S. Weis

Rutgers University Press, 2011

A Series On Books For The Hobbyistby SUSAN PRIEST

Acouple of the peoplewho got to read thisbook before I did used

the word accessible in theircommentary. I think it is aperfect fit, when applied to theQ. & A. format in general, aswell as to this work in particular. “People who arenot biologists seem to be interested in fishes formany reasons. This book attempts to answerquestions they mayhave about thesefascinating creaturesthat live in such avery different worldthan we do.” I feelconfident in makingthe statement thatexperienced aquaristssuch as yourselveswill find that Ms.Weis has posed andresponded to manyquestions which havenever before crossedyour minds. Getr e a d y f o r a nadventure!

You are notgoing to find simpleYes or No answers tothese questions. Youwill find yourselfi m m e r s e d i ninformation andexplanations whichare illustrated byexample. All of thisi s p e p p e r e dthroughout with abuilt-in glossary (bythis I mean that termsare often defined attheir point of usage). There is frequent cross-referencing between questions, topics and chapters,which further enhances the presentation.

Some of the questions take several pages toanswer (example: “What problems arise when non-native fish are released into local waters?”). Other

questions are responded to in one simple paragraph(example: “Which is correct—fishes or fish?”).Have you ever asked yourself “Do fish migrate?”(Here is a hint; the question following that one is“How do migratory fish navigate?”)

Our author includes chapters on watchingfishes (“How popular is fishkeeping as a hobby?”),fish and human health (“Is sushi safe to eat?”), andresearch and conservation (What are some newways to protect fishes and their ecosystems?”).

Fish reproduction (“How doesa fish embryo develop?”),dangers and defenses (“Whatdangers do fishes face frompeople?”), recreational fishing(“Fishing as therapy”), andcommercial fishing (including

the history of “fish wars,” as well as 21st centurypiracy), are among the many other topics underdiscussion.

Much to mysurprise, the answerwhich interested memost was to thequestion “How arefishes classified?”Pretty dry stuff, right?Not in the capablehands of Ms. Weis.She doesn’t tire uswith an exhaustiveexplanation that goesway beyond ourneeds. She deftlynavigates us around aminimum of Latinterms to deliver alively and succinctunderstanding of thewhys and hows of itall. I’m sure she mustbe an excellentteacher (she is ap r o f e s s o r o fbiological science atRutgers University).

Do Fish Sleep?is literally hot off thepresses. I hope theyprinted a lot of copies,because this book isgoing places! Onec o m m e n t a t o r

recommended it to readers of all ages, but it isclearly not a suitable choice for children. You mayhave noticed that I have made no mention of theillustrations. This is because a smattering of blackand white drawings and photos, as well as the eightpages of color plates, play only a minor role in the


overall presentation. I’m sure you will agree withme that in the skillful hands of this author, herlanguage is her illustrator.

If you would like to know which fish has alife span of only two months, turn to page nine.Do you know what a FAD (fish aggregatingdevice) is? I didn’t until I read page twenty four.So, do fish sleep? Page sixty four will enlightenyou. You can even find help in planning your nextvacation by consulting the appendix of publicaquaria in the U.S. (The Maritime Aquarium inNorwalk Connecticut caught my attention. It hasover one thousand animals native to Long IslandSound.)

The cover of the book is a study in contrasts.The title will make you feel like you are among thegoldfish in a pond, insulated from predators andhappily sucking up duckweed from the surface.However, once you start reading you will soondiscover that you are actually swimming with thelionfishes—in other words, fully immersed in thewide world of all things piscine.

Ms Weis has given me a strong sense of theinterdependence which every fish on the planet haswith every other fish on the planet. She has carriedme far beyond the walls of my aquariums, as wellas drawn me deeper within them. It is a wonderfulfeeling to find a fresh perspective on a subject withwhich I am so very familiar.

Well it’s that time of year again. The AKA Convention is on Memorial Day weekend and is being hosted by the Chesapeake Area Killi Club and the Keystone Killy Group. This years Convention is being held at the BWI Airport Marriott on Friday May 27th and continues until Monday May 30th. The hotel has shuttles running to Light-rail that connects to the Inner Harbor of Baltimore or the Smithsonian Museum District in Washinton DC. Oh, and let’s not forget Georgetown! This is the perfect opportunity to make the 2011 Convention a real family vacation and for some, a once in a lifetime experience. You do not need to be a member of the AKA to attend the AKA Convention 2011. All are Welcome! So come and join us at our Exclusively all Killi Show.

Mail-in registration: Payment is by Check or Money Order only. Make Checks Payable to: AKA Convention 2011

Send all registration forms with check or money order to Nick Vanikiotis 24043 N. Patuxent Bch Rd. Uni#3 California, Maryland 20619

The BNL will also contain registration forms which may be used and mailed. You can also download and fill forms.

CONVENTION PRICES:

Registration: $30.00 for single - $45.00 for Family Saturday Evening Banquet - $37.00 per person

Behind the scenes Tour of The Baltimore Aquarium - $46 T-Shirts - $16 (S,M,L,XL) $18 (2XX) $20 (3XXX) $22 (4XXXX)

Class Sponsorships - $40.00


Carpy Diem!Part I: The Old Guard

by Dan Radebaugh

If you’ve watched a lot of TV over the past couple of years, you’ll almost certainly have noticed how much media attention has been given to―of all

creatures―the carp. Stories have appeared on 60 Minutes, Monster Fish (National Geographic) River Monsters (Animal Planet), and PBS programs, as well as in newspapers, magazines, and on conservation websites galore. Carp have even managed to push the horror-flick-starring snakehead out of the headlines. Forget being attacked by a sinister, toothy, snakelike Asian predator that wriggles up out of the river to eat your dog, children, and BMW. This newest threat (the carp) will not only put an end to all native aquatic life in the Mississippi River system, but will also eliminate pleasure boating and water-skiing forever, and eventually doom the Great Lakes to a population of only carp and sea lampreys (our only possible salvation, for if left unchecked, these now passé ghouls might be able finally to put an end to the carp’s emerging reign of terror). So what is going on? Where did these undocumented aliens come from? Are we in the Final Days? Are we aquarists somehow to blame?

Well, the answer to the last question is no; the answers to the first two are more complicated. As to the Final Days, I don’t think so, but check back next week. As to where these fish came from, read on.

To the best of my knowledge, there are no carp species native to the Americas. All are imports, just like chickens, cattle, horses, donkeys, pigs, pigeons, starlings, housecats, kudzu, soccer, dogs, and humans other than Native Americans, who, while not technically native, are certainly a lot closer to it than any of the rest of us immigrants and descendents of immigrants can claim to be.

The carp species longest resident in the U.S. is almost unquestionably the goldfish, Carassius auratus. Goldfish were developed by the Chinese

nearly 2,000 years ago from Carassius gibelio, the Prussian carp. Why they are called Prussian I do not know, as they are endemic to eastern Asia. The first officially recorded commercial shipment of goldfish into the U.S. was in 1878, but they were here quite awhile before that, as evidenced by newspaper reports of them living in the Hudson River and

other North American waters as early as 1826. By the 1830s goldfish food was being sold in stores.1 These days goldfish are feral in nearly all fifty states, though generally not in sufficient numbers to cause serious problems. Once established in the wild, their descendents revert from the bright orange we’re familiar with to a rather drab olive color. While edible (know any college-age partiers?), they aren’t used significantly as a food fish.*

*As those of us in the aquarium hobby know, goldfish are used extensively as food for larger aquarium fishes. Walk into any fish store and you will likely see at least one tank full of small goldfish being sold as “feeders.” there are reasons for and against this practice, but probably more against. For one thing, there’s the danger of introducing pathogens―most notably ich―into your otherwise healthy tank. Also, the goldfish (being a carp) is one of a number of plants and animals that contain thiaminase, an enzyme that metabolizes thiamine (vitamin B1). Animals fed a diet high in thiaminase are known to develop often fatal neurological problems.2 so if you feel you must feed goldfish to your big guys, be sure they’re only an occasional part of a varied diet.

ww

w.petgoldfish.net

Koi in a pond. Photo by Yumi Veliz.


A carp species that was imported as a food fish―also in the early 19th century―is the common carp (sometimes called the European carp), Cyprinus carpio (Cyprinus is the Greek word for carp, and carpio is the Latin word for carp; so the binomial translates to Carp carp). There seem to have been two ancestral populations of this fish, one in eastern Asia, and the other the watersheds of the Black, Aral, and Caspian seas, as well as the Danube River.5 During Roman times they were introduced into Greece and Italy, and from there radiated throughout western Europe. There are also the mirror carp, and the leather carp. These are still Cyprinus carpio, but genetically distinct, having been produced by selective breeding during the Middle Ages. The mirror carp has very large (mirror-like?) scales, while the leather carp has large areas of skin with no scales. The mirror carp seem to grow somewhat larger; most catches of 60+ pounders have been mirror carp.

Omnivores, carp feed heavily on aquatic vegetation, as well as on insects, crustaceans, and worms. Like goldfish, carp are social animals and prefer the company of their own kind. They do best in temperate climates, and can survive in ice-covered ponds as long as there is some free water available. Thanks to an abundance of the protein myoglobin, they can live in very oxygen-deprived conditions. Carp were in fact the first vertebrates found to have more than one type of this protein6.

Carp are very prolific. A single female can lay over a million eggs in a year. This would seem to indicate that in their normal environment predators take a heavy toll of the young fish. Consequently, if they are introduced into an ecosystem rich in food but lacking in predators, a population explosion is the likely result.

To better understand how and why this fish came to be here, and why so many other animal and plant introductions have taken place over the years, we need to understand people’s mindsets before the existence of a science of ecology (not that so much has really changed, practically speaking).

While we tend to think of conservation as a contemporary concept, even in the 18th century the decline in the cod fishery was being noticed, and overfishing, dam building, and pollution had produced a serious diminution in the numbers of fish (even species of fish) in our rivers, lakes, and streams. By the 19th century it had become clear that the increasing human population of North America was going to need an increasing supply of food, and so it became a matter of policy that the output from our fisheries would need to be significantly increased. With this end in mind, President Ulysses S. Grant in 1871 signed legislation creating the U.S. Fish and Fisheries Commission, and appointed Spencer F. Baird as its first Commissioner. One of the ten goals Baird set forth in an 1880 report to congress was “…stocking the various waters of the United States with the fish most suited to them, either by artificial propagation or transfer, and the best methods and apparatus for accomplishing this object.”7

Wasting no time, Baird set in motion plans for the propagation of pretty much any fish that could be eaten, and began stocking them in every body of water that might support them. Baird championed

Common carp in a pond. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

ARE GOlDFISH REAllY STUPID?Over the past couple of decades, we have

read and heard that “scientists” have said that goldfish have a memory of only a few seconds. I don’t know where this ridiculous myth came from—maybe it’s an attempt to make it seem OK to treat them as disposable toys.

Fortunately, some actual scientists (as well as some schoolchildren) have thoroughly debunked this nonsense. What they’ve found is that fish in general are much smarter than previously believed, and our case in point, the goldfish, has been shown to have a practical memory of up to three months, can be trained to negotiate mazes, and can tell time.3 Moreover, goldfish have been trained to do tricks, AND, you can go online and buy an equipment kit and training guide so that you can learn to train your own fish!4

Photo of common carp courtesy of Wikipedia.


the introduction of the common carp as an easily-cultivated food fish. Someone else had in fact already begun this on a small scale in 1831, but in the 1880s Baird set about it with a vengeance, importing carp from Germany, seeing to their propagation, taking bids from prospective purchasers from all over the country, and distributing them by rail. The railroads, eager to be of help, provided transport free of charge.

Despite some initial good reviews, this fish never caught on as a staple in the American diet. Some say this was because of its reputation as a food source “for the poor,” others because it’s too bony, and still others assert that, being an omnivorous bottom feeder, its meat can have a “muddy” flavor (which champions of the carp say can be avoided by proper preparation). While I have eaten carp at restaurants in Chinatown (where they absolutely do know how to prepare it) and found it quite delicious, I have no idea whether the species I was eating was Cyprinus carpio or some other.

Another variety of Cyprinus carpio that has found its way, whether by intentional or accidental release, into North American waters, is the koi (Japanese for carp). Most of us aquarists are familiar with these large, beautifully colored fish. They are often kept in aquaria when young, but their adult size makes them more suitable for ponds or water gardens. I’ve seen a recommendation of 200 gallons of water per fish as minimum to keep them in good health.

Carp in Herbert Park Pond, Dublin, Ireland. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

The koi that we know were developed by selective breeding in Japan around the 1820s. Both East Asian and European sub-species seem to have been used to gain the color combinations we see today. Like goldfish, after a generation or two in the wild, their color returns to one more suitable for evading predators, and they become indistinguishable from regular common carp.

The stocking of Cyprinus carpio throughout the country was not altogether without controversy. While states like Illinois, which were seeing substantial monetary benefit from the carp fishery continued to support carp stocking, other states demurred. When carp were introduced into southern Minnesota, there was an outcry from duck hunters, who complained that duck hunting had been hurt by the carp, which were eating aquatic vegetation that would otherwise have benefitted the ducks. Hmmm. Others speculated that the carp were likely eating the roe of indigenous sport fishes, though examination of carp stomach contents didn’t support this assertion.

HOW lARGE DO CARP GROW?According to Wikipedia, the largest recorded common carp, caught by an angler in January, 2010 in Bordeaux, France, weighed 94 pounds.

Koi in a pond. Photo by Yumi Veliz.


At any rate, “interest in common carp culture and stocking had evaporated by the 1940s8.” Throughout the range of its U.S. distribution the common carp is now mostly considered just an invasive species, and various government agencies spend millions of dollars annually trying to control its population. Along

this line, in addition to the predictable poisoning programs, there are also well-publicized carp fishing tournaments―some for anglers and some for bow-fishermen. Curiously, many of these tournaments (at least the ones for anglers) are “catch-and-release” affairs. Ironically, the wild populations in Europe are currently considered vulnerable to extinction.

HOW lONG DO CARP lIVE?Besides being a symbol of fecundity, carp enjoy a reputation for long life. Carp in a various ponds in France are alledged to have lived for some 200 or more years, based on tickets or silver rings inserted in their gills bearing the date of insertion or name of the person who inserted (or directed someone else to insert) the fish into the pond. I have also seen an assertion that “growth rings” in the scales of a particular carp proved it to be over 200 years old. While it is true that analyzing the growth rings in scales is one way to determine the age of a fish9, albeit with a certain degree of inaccuracy10, one would think that, if this story were true, the results would have been officially submitted to some agency or other for validation. The current most generally accepted age limit for the common carp is around 65, but who knows?

In recent years, a far more serious threat to the common carp than fishing tournaments or even poisoning programs has emerged—the koi herpesvirus. Also known as cyprinid herpesvirus-3 or CyHV-3, this disease was first recognized in England in 1996.11 Since then cases have been reported in nearly every country where common carp are cultured. The virus is capable of killing 80 to 100 per cent of infected fish. Those that survive still carry the virus, and may infect other fish. This is a very serious threat to common carp populations worldwide, and has been deemed responsible for a number of major carp kills around the U.S. since about 2006. Goldfish can also be infected, and can spread the disease, but don’t seem to be clinically affected by it. We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out over the next few years.

These “old guard” fish, the goldfish and the common carp, have been living in North America both domestically/commercially and ferally for close to two hundred years. The fish responsible for most of the current press (and hysteria?) are the so-called Asian carp: the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), the silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix), the bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), and the black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus). These have only been in the U.S. since the latter part of the 20th century, but have made a big splash in a short time. They’ll invade Modern Aquarium in Part II.

1 http://www.suite101.com/content/goldfish-in-america-a551682 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/thiaminase3 http://www.nootropics.com/intelligence/smartfish.html4 http://www.super-science-fair-projects.com/fish-science-fair-projects.html5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_carp6 http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/06/060602073942.htm7 Stickney, R.R. 1996. Aquaculture in the United States. pp. 6, 39-47. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.8 Stickney, R.R. 1996. Aquaculture in the United States. p. 203. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.9 http://www.fw.delaware.gov/Fisheries/documents/agegrowth.pdf10 http://www.anglershaven.co.za/files/ublic/1238422126_190_FT10311_common_carp_age.pdf11 http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vm113

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:

Mario BengcionJules BirnbaumJeff BollbachGerry DomingoPete D’Orio

Rod DuCasseAl & Sue PriestDan PuleoCharley Sabatino Ed Vukich


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 1, 2011Speaker: george richterTopic: Adventures on the Amazon River!Meets: Meets the first Wednesday of the month (except

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

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

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

BRookLYn AquARIuM SoCIeTYNext Meeting: May 13, 2011Speaker: NoneEvent: Spring Giant AuctionMeets: 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 20, 2011Speaker: Mark denaro of anubias design Topic: The Planted Aquarium 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: May 10, 2011Speaker: Jonathan MatiasEvent: Poseidon ScienceMeets: 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 19, 2011Speaker: ted Coletti Event: Xiphophorus: The Platies & SwordtailsMeets: Lyndhurst Elks Club, 251 Park Avenue Lyndhurst, NJ 07071Contact: NJAS Hotline at (732) 332-1392Email: [email protected]: http://www.njas.net/

noRWALk AquARIuM SoCIeTYNext Meeting: May 19, 2011Speaker: guy Van rossum Topic: Maintaining & Breeding RainbowfishMeets: 8:00 P.M. - 3rd Thursday of each month at:

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

Last Month’s Bowl Show Winners:1 Mario Bengcion Blue Jack DeMpsey

2 Joe Magnoli reD guppy

3 richarD WaizMan half Moon Betta

unofficial 2011 BoWl shoW totals to Date:Mario Bengcion 8 harry faustMann 5 Joe Magnoli 3 richarD WaizMan 2

A wArm welcome bAck to renewing gcAS memberS Vincent bAbino, mArio bengcion, FrAnk bonnici, wAllAce Deng, HorSt gerber, DenVer lettmAn, DeSiree mArtin, JAckie minASSA-HAFtVAni, Flor munoz, DAn Puleo, AnD micHAel VuliS!

A SPeciAl welcome to new memberS Joe mAgnoli AnD tony wong!


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.

Olivia Riley’s “catch” - Photo: youtube.com

largest goldfish ever caught?Photo from: http://society.ezinemark.com/world

-records-on- biggest-7736677d53da.html

Tails, long and Golden

A series by “The Undergravel Reporter”

Recently there have been several odd storiesinvolving goldfish.Since odd stories

about fish are what thiscolumn’s all about, it’sonly appropriate that Ishare some of those storieswith you. They’re all true— you can verify that bychecking the Internet linksat the end.

The first item wasreported by CBS news in areport titled “Womancatches monster goldfish.1”The size and weight of thegoldfish caught by KansasCity native Olivia Rileywhile she was fishing forcatfish is not known (it wasreleased back into thelake). You can get an ideaof its size from the photoon this page.

While Ms. Riley didcatch a fairly largegoldfish, it should be notedthat the claim of thebiggest goldfish evercaptured is for a fish thatweighed 13.6 kilograms(almost 30 pounds), orabout the same as anaverage three-year-old girl.That fish is also shown onthis page (but doesn’t looklike a goldfish to me).

OK, it’s obvious that goldfish can get prettybig. but how fast are they? Well, they areapparently fast enough for a Tacoma, Washingtonbar, the “Harmon Tap Room” to have held goldfishraces every Tuesday.

However, Joel Cummings, a bartender at theHarmon Tap Room indicated that the races havenow been cancelled due to complaints, phone calls,and e-mails from people claiming to work forPETA (People for the Ethical Treatment ofAnimals). Cummings said the complaints beganafter a video of one of the events was posted on thebar's Facebook page.2

The goldfish races have been replaced bysomething called “Beer Pong” but, perhaps a tip of

the hat to past glories,the bar now features, onTuesdays only, fishtacos (two for $5).

I n E n g l a n d ,apparently it is illegalto sell live fish tochildren under the ageof 16. (I wonder if thatapplies to other sealife,such as lobsters?)

Because of thatlaw, Joan Higgins,owner of Majors PetShop in Sale, England,was fined $1,506 aspunishment for sellinga goldfish to a14-year-old boy. Notonly that, but thisobviously dangerous6 6 - y e a r - o l dgrandmothe r wasrequired to wear anankle monitor, andgiven a seven-weekcurfew.

It’s a good thingMs. Higgins didn’t tryto race that goldfish. Ifshe had, who knowshow much additionaltrouble she would havebeen in?

1 http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504784_162-200 56089-10391705.html2 http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2011/04/21/Bar-cancels-weekly-goldfish-race/UPI-69661303410445/3http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2010/03/30/Woman-convicted-of-selling-fish-to-minor/UPI-92331269982398/?


24 May 2011 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

Fin Fun

As a verb, “carp” (as in “to carp”) means to complain or find fault. As a noun, a carp is a fish, andaccording to Wikipedia1, the family Cyprinidae “consists of the carps, the true minnows, and their relatives.Commonly called the carp family or the minnow family, its members are also known as cyprinids.” I knowsome of our members specialize to some extent with cichlids, livebearers, catfish, killifish, anabantoids,either as an entire group, or with respect to a specific species. But have you ever met a cyprinid specialistor expert? Now’s your chance to either complain (as in “to carp”) about this month’s puzzle, or proveyourself to be a cyprinid expert by correctly matching the common name with the corresponding scientificname of the cyprinids below:

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprinidae

Common Name Scientific Name

Harlequin Rasbora Epalzeorhynchos kalopterus

Red Scissortail Rasbora Celestichthys margaritatus

Tinfoil Barb Puntius tetrazona

Celestial Pearl Danio Rasbora caudimaculata

Siamese Algae Eater Danio rerio

Zebra Danio Trigonostigma heteromorpha

Flying Fox Crossocheilus siamensis

Chinese Algae Eater Gyrinocheilus aymonieri

Tiger Barb Barbonymus schwanenfeldii

Answers to the previous puzzle:

Common Name Scientific NameBlack Belt Cichlid --------------------------------- Vieja maculicauda

Fighting Loach --------------------------------- Nemacheilus notostigmaGreen Terror --------------------------------- Aequidens rivulatus

Jack Dempsey --------------------------------- Cichlasoma octofasciatumOrnate Fin Nipper --------------------------------- Ichthyborus ornatus

Sharp Toothed Tetra --------------------------------- Micralestes acutidensSiamese Fighting Fish --------------------------------- Betta splendens

Spike-Tailed Paradise Fish --------------------------------- Pseudosphromenus cupanusSwordtail --------------------------------- Xiphophorus helleri

Modern Aquarium May 2011

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