Aquanews July/aug. 2006

AquaNews JULY/AUGUST 2006

A Minnesota Aquarium Society Publication

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AquaContents 3

President’s Message | Jen Kruckenberg

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Membership News | Bob Carter

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Darter Collecting ‘06 | Randy Carey

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Cichlid Matters | Bob Randall

10 Fishroom Tour: Mike Fries | Dani Ellickson 13 How to Get Kids Interested in Fishkeeping (or how to sneak more tanks into the house) | Mike Harris 14 Planted Aquarium Substrates | Matt Proost 18 Aquarium Society Rules of Acquisition | Dale Skiba 19 Newsletter Exchange Report | Brentt Helland 21 Bowl Show Report | Bob Randall 22 Bowl Show 2006-07 | Tiffany Severson 23 BAP Report | Chris Smith and Randy Carey 26 HAP Report | Milo Squires and Dave Behler

FromTheEditor Where oh where to begin? How about I start by saying hello! Anchor has passed his position as Aqua News editor along to me. I thank Anchor for putting in years of hard work and time to put together the Aqua News for our enjoyment and education. I can only hope I can live up to his reputation and do as great of a job as he did! As I take on my position as the new editor and webmaster, I have some ideas that I plan on testing and putting in place. The first and biggest change that I will be working toward will be to make the Aqua News available as an online publication. With the talented design capabilities of Mr. Joe Lover, we will be providing a bright, colorful and wonderful online Aqua News. We are in an age where technology can help us provide a beauti-

ful means of publishing our articles, photos and stories at a minimal cost. Let’s take advantage of the tools available to us! For a short time, I will be publishing the online version of the Aqua News alongside the normal print version that you are accustomed to having in your mailbox. I want to know what you, the membership, have to say about the new version of the Aqua News. Your comments, thoughts and suggestions are welcome. Please forward them to me at the new email address for the Aqua News editor: [email protected] I do understand that some folks do not have access to the internet. When we do move to the online version, concessions will be made for those that do |2|

not have the ability to read the newsletter online. I’m also hoping to bring a tour of people’s fish rooms in each volume of the Aqua News. This will give us an opportunity to get to know our fellow members and provide insight to the many different ways that we can keep fish. If you are interested in having your fish room highlighted in an Aqua News, please let me know! I’m interested in all fish rooms and fish keepers, be they single-tank homes or ponds, or high tech rooms with hundreds of tanks! I’m excited to serve as the new Aqua News editor! I hope I can continue to provide a high quality, interesting and educational news letter into the future!

President’sMessage President* ........................................... Jenny Kruckenberg 651-457-2302 .................................... [email protected] Vice-President* (tie breaker only) ...... Carter McAninch 763-784-4937 [email protected] Treasurer* .....................................................Tom Gromek 651-462-8223 [email protected] Secretary* ................................................ Anchor Sarslow 763-856-0940 [email protected] Under-director* ............................................ Milo Squires 952-448-4153 ................................... [email protected] Director-2yr.* ..............................................Dani Ellickson ............................................underwaterjewels@gmail.com Director-2yr,* .............................................. Brad Hedlund ............................................ [email protected] Director-1yr.* ...................................................Jim Mathis 952-432-7606 [email protected] Director-1yr.* ....................................................Mike Fries 651-489-2973 [email protected] Aqua News Editor ......................................Dani Ellickson ....................................................editor@mn-aquarium.org Auction Chairs ................................................Chris Smith 651-487-8073 ................................. [email protected] Auction Chairs ........................................... Brad Swanson 612-522-4399 [email protected] BAP Data ....................................................... Ted Jolivette 763-783-9416 ............................... [email protected] BAP Spokesperson ....................................... Randy Carey 651-780-8068 [email protected] Bowl Show Chair .................................... Tiffany Severson ....................................................... [email protected] Book Points Chair ...........................................Chris Smith 651-487-8073 ................................. [email protected] Darter Collection Chair ..................... Jenny Kruckenberg 651-457-2302 .................................... [email protected] Donations Chair.......................................... Dennis Drews 952-529-3596 ................................. [email protected] Exchange Editor ........................................ Brentt Helland ...............................................................brentt_@msn.com HAP Spokesperson ....................................... Milo Squires 952-448-4153 ................................... [email protected] HAP Data ........................................................Dave Behler Librarian ............................................................ Jon Heyer 952-215-2043 .................................... [email protected] MAS/ACA Liaison ...........................................Bob Randall 952-432-6298 ................................... bobrfi[email protected]

Hello MAS members, This is my final message to you as your President. I’m sad because I so enjoy serving in this capacity, but I know Mike will do a fantastic job!! His leadership skills as Show Chair have been truly remarkable. As a wrap up, I’d like to mention how wonderful it’s been to lead the club through this historic 75th year. We’ve had many interesting talks by nationally known speakers. We’ve had special gatherings on additional days besides Thursdays. Our membership numbers continue to climb and I was very pleased to meet many new folks and exchange hundreds of emails and phone calls. As Tom would say regarding the Prez position, “the buck stops here” but I prefer this quote “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” I’ve been honored and appreciative to work amongst the dedicated committee chairs and current board of directors. These are creative, hard working people who challenge themselves and are drawn together by our one shared link...a love of fish. I’m sometimes amazed how long the BOD meetings last, but it’s only because we’re constantly striving to improve each and every aspect of how the club runs and what we’re trying to accomplish. Please remember, no question is

MAS/FAAS Liaison ................................. Carter McAninch 763-784-4937 [email protected] Membership Chair ...........................................Bob Carter 651-633-4351 ......................................... [email protected] Program Chair .............................................. Randy Carey 651-780-8068 [email protected] Show Chair .....................................................Bob Randall 952-432-6298 ................................... bobrfi[email protected] Webmaster ..................................................Dani Ellickson ........................................... [email protected] Historian .................................................Rodger Anderson 763-535-4364 .................................. [email protected] |3|

considered small, no suggestion is disregarded. Remember too, for some BOD members, sending an email, a phone call or face to face dialogue at a meeting is the best way to communicate. Forums are wonderful places, but they’re not for everyone. Dani will be working on setting up email addresses for the various chairs and directors through the website. As we go into the 76th year, we’ll not forget our history. We’ll acknowledge those who have “been there and done that” and we’ll encourage the next generation (or those returning to the hobby) to “be all they can be.” We’ll continue to laugh, share ideas and educate and although the medium may be changing as we view the Aqua News, the mission remains the same. Education and fun!! Please join us as we tour Koiacres in Scandia and catch trout/picnic at the farm in Star Prairie, WI on July 15th. I thank you for your membership. Final quotes (and these are my two all time favorites!!) “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re probably right.” And “The difference between extraordinary and ordinary is that little extra.” Take these quotes and do some great things with your fish. Jen K. MAS President

MembershipReport ►ABOUT THE MAS The Minnesota Aquarium Society (MAS) is an incorporated, non-profit organization of tropical fish enthusiasts that was established in the 1930s. The MAS is one of the largest local level clubs in the U.S., averaging about 200 current members. MAS is a member of the Federation of American Aquarium Society (FAAS).

►MONTHLY MEETINGS Monthly meetings are held on the 1st Thursday of each month (note: there are no meetings in July) at 7:30pm at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, 2300 N. Hamline Ave., Roseville, MN (at the NE corner of Hwy 36 and Hamline). Most meetings focus on a presentation by a speaker who is often nationally-recognized. Visitors are welcome to attend.

►BOARD MEETINGS MAS Board of Directors meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of each month, except for July, at the same location as our general meetings at 7pm and are open to MAS members.

►AQUA NEWS Aqua News is a bi-monthly publication of the MAS. It has been recognized with national awards and is included with membership. Members are encouraged to send original articles and photos for publication. Submit them by sending to the MAS mailing address or to the editor via meetings or email. Electronic versions of the article are strongly recommended. Photo quality/resolution will determine whether it is used. All articles are subject to editing.

►EXCHANGES + REPRINTING Exchanges with other non-profit groups are welcomed. Articles may be reprinted provided proper credit is given to the author, the MAS, and AquaNews. Two (2) copies of the publication containing the article must be sent to the exchange editor at the address below. Any other reprinting is by permission of the author only.

►MINNESOTA FISH KEEPERS FORUM The Minnesota Fish Keepers Forum is a great local online resource for fish keepers of all kinds. Stop by and share fish knowledge with fellow fish keepers in Minnesota! The MFK is endorsed by the MAS. www.minnfish.com.

►E-MAIL GROUP LIST MAS has a monitored e-mail announcement list available to all members. Messages are sent to all members on the list. If you’d like to broadcast a message or subscribe to the list, send your request to [email protected].

Well folks, it is done. We’ve made it to the end of our 75th Anniversary Year. Seems to me that it lasted quite a bit longer than a year. I am definitely proud to have been a part of it. This past year of speakers and programs has been incredible. I look back over the last year (much like we did at the last monthly meeting) and can not think of one single topic or speaker that did not grab my attention. I even appreciated the talk about clams. I will never be a saltwater fishkeeper, but that was pretty interesting even to me. So who was the best? That is really hard to pin down. I’m sure that if you asked that question of ten members you would get ten different answers. Oliver Lucanus was wonderful at the show, and his topics for talks were incredible. But then again, I was really interested by Mike Helwig, no wait how about Lee Finley. Oops – let’s try Bob Allen or Wayne Leibel. It was also nice to here from one of our own – Dean Hougan. And Chicago isn’t that far away so we can claim some Midwestern ties to Scott Davis. Ricky Cain’s talks were also of great interest to me and I enjoyed them as well. So I said you had to ask ten people and you would get ten different answers. Looks like I covered them all – no need to ask nine other members. I wish to offer a big thank you from me to anybody who had anything to do with making the 75th Anniversary year a truly memorable one. I won’t soon forget this past year. Anchor’s participate bribery

►DISCUSSION GROUP LIST MAS maintains a monitored discussion list through yahoo groups. MAS members can subscribe at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ mnaquarium/. |4|

tomfoolery is over and done. Congratulation Tiffany, Jim and Paul. I’m sure you will all put the gift certificates to good use. I would have asked for a MAS gift certificate to help defray some of my spending at the auctions and the BAP/HAP table. Congratulations to our new board members Bob Randall and Anchor Sarslow. And to Mike Harris for volunteering to take over the Secretary role vacated by Anchor. Leading this group will be no cakewalk, but I’m sure that Mike will be up to the task. It looks to be an interesting year shaping up. Last but not least, check your mailing label. The labels have your expiration date on them right on top of your name. If this date is highlighted this is the last AquaNews you will receive unless you renew. I will also be sending email out to those whose membership have expired or will shortly expire. We are creeping our way toward 2007; it would be nice to make it to that goal. I’m constantly looking forward to the first Thursday night of the month. I’ll have a couple of BAP and HAP submissions coming up soon. I might even work harder at getting stuff ready ahead of time so that I can enter more bowl shows. My plan is be there and participate. I hope you all will join me. See you in the fishroom, Bob Carter Membership Chair

Darter‘06 Collecting

By Randy Carey Hello everyone who signed up for darter collecting in May. I thought I’d write to everyone and summarize our productive Saturday. The crew met at the traditional parking lot in Welch. Lee Finley and I arrived early and scouted the area so we would have a game plan by our 9:45 start time. Cannon River – Green Banded Darters Yes, the Cannon was higher and moving much too rapidly to go out into the middle, or to most areas where we have collected in the past. But we found a side channel that averaged about three feet in depth, so we tried it. It was quite productive yielding over two dozen green banded darters. These specimens were a bit on the small side and lacked their intense spawning colors. Still, we were able to identify males and females. A couple of Johnny Darters

In the same waters, we pulled out two brilliantlycolored male Green-Banded Darters. We kept those for pairing with the females we that we were taking from the Cannon.

were found in the mix. The river was high and swift, but the channel shown above was workable – and quite productive

Then we moved to Belle Creek. Lee and I found a new collecting area that

Collecting Rainbow Darters

One of the more spectacular fantail specimens |5|

was ideal. We drove well past our normal stopping place, parked along the road, and walked to a fairly fast moving stream that was crystal clear and between one and three feet in depth. Our most productive spot was a side channel. We could have pulled out dozens of Fantail Darters here. We found mature specimens (ready-to-go) of both sexes. Along side the fantail channel was the wide and faster part of the stream. It was here that we caught about a half dozen brilliantly-colored, adult Rainbow Darters. These obviously were from last year’s repopulation project. As requested from Konrad, we released these after taking photos. In the same waters, we

cont. on page 6

pulled out two brilliantlycolored male GreenBanded Darters. We kept those for pairing with the females we that we were taking from the Cannon. We did walk up the stream nearly a quarter mile and sampled along the way. We pulled a few more fantails here and there, but the productivity was nothing like that of the small side channel. We divvied up the Belle Creek Fish, had lunch in Welch, and then divvied up the green bandeds from the Cannon. Two of the Rainbow Darters we netted in the Belle Marine on St. Croix – stream of rainbows Everyone was so impressed with the Rainbows that the whole crew wanted to go to Marine on St. Croix. Fortunately, I had cleared that location a day earlier with the DNR, so we took the 75 minute drive up. As usual, the collection of Rainbow Darters in this short stream was fairly easy. The colors of these specimens were not as spectacular as what we found on the Belle Creek rainbows, but there were nice. Males and females were easily distinguished. We also netted trout and what we thought was eel pout. I brought a photo tank and have photos sampling all species – except for the rainbows of Ma-

Our guess was “eel pout,” but no one knew for sure rine-on-St.-Croix because my camera battery died at the end. I’ll be submitting photo to the MAS web site and to the AN. The group broke up a little after 6:00 pm, after an 8+ hour day of enjoying great weather, exploration, and fraternal camaraderie. Lee was impressed with the experience, and he plans to write an article for his club’s publication.

Collecting the fantails

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Cichlid matters NEWS Let us take a few moments to mourn the loss of our past AquaNews editor, Anchor Sarslow. I was so broken up over this lose I did not write a column last issue. Anchor saved me when he re-published a column. Thanks Anchor. Thanks for serving as editor Anchor. Our new editor is Dani Ellickson. Welcome to AquaNews Dani. Expo 2006 recently held in Des Moines and hosted by Midwest Cichlid Association was a great event. This cichlid convention was the closest cichlid convention to Minnesota since MAS hosted an American Cichlid Association (ACA) convention in 1993. We heard Rusty Wessel talk about cichlids from Honduras and Mexico. Ad Konings gave us presentations about collecting fish in Lake Malawi and Tanganyika. Larry Arnold told us about Synodontis (these are not cichlids). Willie Goh and Jack Taylor showed us their discus and hatchery. However, the presentation that seemed to capture everyone was a surprise. Mo Devlin’s Confessions of a Middle Aged Cichlaholic was clearly enjoyed by all. Expo 2006 show classes were cichlids and catfish. Willie Loh,

by Bob Randall

yes MAS’ own Willie Loh won Best in Show with a beautiful discus, Mandarin I think. Jen Kruckenberg, another MAS cichlid keeper, took home a few trophies herself. Dani and her nephew, Nick Ellickson were present as was Tiffany Severson (our new Bowl Show Chair). There were numerous wild fish in the auction on Sunday. I successfully bid on a pair of Neolamprologus mustax and picked up some tiny blue labridens. Of course Jen, Dani and Tiffany also were successfully in bringing home some unique cichlids and catfish too. It was a great weekend. Looking forward to next year already. As much fun as Expo was, the three ring circus of cichlids will open 19 July in Chicago. It is ACA 2006. There will be 14 speakers (some speaking twice) from Africa, Europe and North America speaking. Randy Carey (BAP chair and Programs Chair) is one of the speakers. ACA2006 will include an all-cichlid show with over 200 entries. There will be three separate oral auctions and two-day silent auction. One of the oral auctions is to raise money for Endowment Funds sponsored by ACA. Any-

one may donate cichlids to this auction. Another auction will feature new hard goods donated by Ray Lucas’ sponsors. The big auction on 23 July will offer hundreds of bags of cichlids. I have not attended an ACA convention that did not have at least 500 bags of cichlids available. In addition, there will be excursions for fish wives and fish husbands. There will be dozens of exhibitors showing off their products. There will be a toga party. And there will be |7|

cichlids, lots and lots of cichlids to buy and sell all over the hotel. If you are going have fun and please do not buy too many fish. CICHLID HEALTH Not long ago on Minnesota Fish Keepers forum there was a lot of talk about fish and disease. I want to use this soapbox for some remarks about that subject. When disease is mentioned, the first thought that comes to many cichlid keepcont. on page 8

Cichlid matters ers’ minds is infectious disease. However, there is another type of disease that I would like to discuss. That is environmental disease or stress. What is stress? Stress is a physiologic response to environmental conditions. Stress can be recognized in cichlids that refuse to eat, healthy cichlids are voracious eaters. A cichlid that becomes hyperactive is also showing signs of stress, as are cichlids with labored breathing. What is happening inside our cichlids during stress? Cortisol levels go up, kidney and gut activity go down, red blood cell concentration rises, white blood cells decline and blood ammonia levels increase. There are two types of stress, acute and chronic. A number of experts agree that stress is the most important factor in preventing infectious disease also. The reason is that a stress free cichlid has active defenses against infectious organ-

isms. However, if a cichlid is subjected to chronic stress, infectious disease has a chance of infecting one or many fish. The greater the chronic stress, the greater the risk for infectious disease. Or a fish that has adapted to chronic stress may be

going to be large. The result is constant chasing of each other back and forth through the tank. In these cichlids, the gut is perhaps ten times as long as the fish itself. This long gut contains food and our vegetarian cichlid suffers a new

healthy and then a sudden acute stress is added to equation resulting in either immediate death or infectious disease to occur.

acute stress. This results in decreased gut motility. In turn, gut protozoan that are normally in check now flourish, attack the gut wall, breach it and infect the abdominal cavity with gut bacteria and protozoan. Even if the gut is free of protozoan, anaerobic bacteria will begin to flourish. These bacteria can also breach the gut wall leading to abdominal infection. In addition, these bacteria release hydrogen sulfide, a cellular poison.

Stress presents a particular problem to cichlids that are algae eaters. First, these cichlids are often under chronic stress due to territorial disputes amongst each other. It takes a lot of algae to feed one of these cichlids and thus their feeding territory is |8|

by Bob Randall

Cichlids can be kept disease free if proper maintenance is followed. So what determines proper maintenance? First is water quality. One parameter of water quality is oxygen; water must contain 6 ppm or more. At 3 ppm expect fish death. Next is carbon dioxide, levels of 3 ppm or less is consistent with health but levels of 15 ppm or higher result in fish death. Nitrate concentrations are also important. Less than 1 ppm and fish will remain healthy vs. 100 ppm, which is lethal. The list goes on with temperature, pH, ammonia, nitrite, chlorine, heavy metals, organics, hydrogen sulfide (possible with deeper substrates), etc… all affecting water quality. Each of these factors has been discussed in previous columns and will be again. Population density is another factor in regards to maintenance. Cichlids kept in crowded conditions will begin to fin nip or worse cont. on page 9

Cichlid matters perform bodily damage to each other. There are exceptions such as an mbuna only tank, but even here there may be damage. Just as other animals have space issues, so do cichlids. Tank size is also an important consideration when considering stress to a cichlid. It should be noted that environmental stress elicited by water quality affects all cichlids within a tank. Population density and tank size may or may not elicit stress in a given tank resident. Think about those factors that determine water quality, note there is a range between what is healthy and what elicits death. Consider population density and tank size, these two have ranges from healthy to death. Chronic stress is what lies in the middle between a healthy parameter and death. We have already discussed the effects of stress on cichlids. What can we do about it?

Removal of chronic stress returns our cichlids to an optimum state of health.

is also true for cichlids that are not displaying external signs of chronic

If stress is not removed, fish must adapt. Adaptation is only sufficient for low levels of stress or for short time periods. If chronic stress levels are not kept low or if they continue for longer time periods, then cichlid grow declines; the fish begin to darken in color. Tissues between fin rays of caudal, anal and pectoral fins may begin to disappear, resulting in a frayed fin appearance. Cichlids that are displaying this appearance may have adapted to chronic stress, but any acute increase in stress will kill the fish. It can no longer adapt. This

stress; an acute stress that is great enough will result in a dead fish that looks healthy (hmm, dead fish looks healthy). Returning to infectious disease... Chronic stress may allow sub-clinical infections to arise. Here our cichlids are carrying a virus or bacteria and appear to be healthy but physiologically they are stressed by the subclinical infection. Thus, the cichlid is exposed to chronic environmental stress allowing a subclinical infection to occur. Cichlid looks and acts healthy. Now add an |9|

by Bob Randall

acute stress, including using a net in the tank, and the infection goes from latent subclinical to obvious infection where the fish appears sick. We do not induce disease in our fish deliberately, we are well intentioned but nevertheless, something happens resulting in sick and dying cichlids. I suggest we can prevent sick cichlids if we study the factors leading to stress. We take steps to reduce stress to greatest degree possible. Some day, when we least expect it, when we cannot control it, some unexpected acute stress will happen. When that occurs, will our cichlids adapt or will this be the end? Pseudotropheus polit photography by Tanya Sabby

FISH ROOM TOUR

As the new editor bringing in an online Aqua News, I thought a nice feature would be to highlight fish rooms of fellow MAS’ers, especially since we can show photos in color! I encourage everyone to share their fish rooms with the rest of us. It doesn’t matter if you keep one two-gallon tank, or hundreds of tanks! I would love it if folks would write up an article and send me pictures of their fish rooms. This is a great opportunity to shine and show off your fishy world. If you’re interested in having your fish room highlighted, please contact me.

life, so much so that he and Sue bought their current house with the vision of building a fish room in the unfinished basement.

Our first fish room tour is of our incoming President, Mike Fries. Mike has been keeping fish since college in the 70’s. He shared a tank with his roommate and has kept at least one tank up and running ever since. His longtime passion has a significant impact in his

Their current fish room took over two years to build. With the help of family and friends, they finished their basement to prepare for the build out of the fish room itself. Our own fellow MAS’er Brad Swanson built the fish room and plumbed the tanks for

ease of maintenance. (Mike says THANKS for doing a fantastic job Brad!) Highlights of the room are that half of the tank lights are on a timer

and each tank is plumbed individually for water changes (I’ve personally had a chance to use that | 10 |

feature when babysitting their fish while on vacation, it’s SCHWEEEET!). There is an R/O unit and holding tanks, a brine shrimp hatchery, an air exchanger to help with humidity and a HEPA filter to help with air quality through the rest of the house. As you can see, they have a lot of tanks! They have sixteen tengallon tanks, nine fifteen-gallon tanks, five fifty-five-gallon tanks, twenty-seven twenty-gallon tanks, a seventy-two-gallon bowfront (which houses some lovely discus!), a thirty-fivegallon hex, a 125-gallon tank, a turtle tank and their alarm system who goes by the name of Jingles. Jingles is also the fish food vacuum cleaner! cont. on page 11

Mike keeps a wide variety of fish, ranging from African rift lake cichlids, to Apistogrammas, to Knight Gobies. I asked a few questions of Mike to give us a chance to know him better as a fellow fish keeper. Favorite fish: Elephant Nose Most frustrating fish: Celebes Rainbowfish and Knight Goby Only named fish: A puffer named The Crusher Nicest thing about having drilled tanks: Being able to save hours and hours of time spent on tank maintenance by being able to perform water changes more often in less time. Area that needs the most work: Not very good with plants. Still need help in

that area Future goals: A pond in the back yard. To reach

the 500-point level for BAP (almost there!). To learn more about live | 11 |

foods. To get more into fish photography. (Currently Mike photographs cont. on page 12

his fish and Sue uses the photos to make cards.) Favorite Fish Story: Our grandson had his seventh birthday party at our house. He brought all the kids to the fish room to see the fish. All of the kids wanted to go home with fish! Each kid went home with a bag of Endlers Livebearers. The parents were in shock to see the fish room, but they were happy that the kids went home with the Endlers. What sage advice would you give someone new to the hobby: Buy the biggest tanks that you can afford. Check that your spouse or significant other enjoys your fish before you get in too deep. Warn your kids and spouses when you put worms and live food in the fridge!

FISH ROOM TOUR | 12 |

How to Get Kids Interested in Fishkeeping (or How to Sneak More Tanks Into the House) By Mike Harris Having four kids in the house and 14 tanks set up made getting the kids interested in our hobby a little easier, but it wasn’t always that way. I’ve come up with a few ideas that may help get your kids and grandkids interested in keeping their own fish. Hopefully providing them a lifelong hobby that they can someday pass along to their kids. 1) Dead fish aren’t fun to play with. Although it may seem very boring at first, it’s imperative that they know the basics of fish keeping. Water just isn’t water when it comes to fish keeping. Hard water, soft water, drinking water, acidic water, black water, there are a lot of different terms that would make any kids eyes glaze over, but at the very least they should understand that water out of the kitchen sink is ok for us, but will kill the fishies. Help them choose what kind of decorations the new fish’s home is going to have. I recommend some fake plants for the fish’s sakes but if they want Sponge Bob or Hello Kitty decorations they should get them. It is their tank after all. Most importantly they need to know about the Nitrogen cycle and

why it’s needed. It’s best to just start off with a couple of fish, more can be added later to get the cycle started. Besides what kid doesn’t think talking about poo is funny?

yourself, it will help them understand that sometimes impulse purchases can be bad decisions, you can read the book to them or they can read it themselves if they’re old enough, it’s quality bonding time, you can discuss why or why not a fish might not be a good choice if it’s a community tank, plus it also gets kids reading which is always good.

2) It’s a fish eat fish world out there. Take the little tyke to the fish store to see what types of fish are available for their first tank. Have them write down the types of fish that they think are cool or pretty and they’d like to have in their room. Do not buy fish on this trip. After the fish store, stop at the local library and check out some books on the fish that they like. My kids had to read at least three books, kid books not grown-up books, on the types of fish they liked before they got to buy the fish. The reasons behind making them do a little research before a purchase are these; it may not be a fish you’ve kept before so you don’t know a whole lot about them

3) Fishies don’t like bubble baths. After the fish get home, it’s a good idea to help the kids with feeding the new fish and cleaning out their tank. You should do this with the child until you feel comfortable letting them do it on their own. We’ve all heard or experienced stories of kids dumping whole cans of fish food into tanks before. It happens. But with guidance, the likelihood should be at a bare minimum. Also be truthful with the kids. These are living animals and death is a part of the life cycle. Don’t try to replace the fish with another without their knowledge, they’ll know if it’s a different fish. If the fish dies, talk about why it died and have a nice little funeral service in the garden for it. 4) Sex in the kid’s room. Baby fry are in my opinion one of the best ways to keep the kids inter| 13 |

ested in their fish tank. Babies also keep my wife interested in the hobby, but that’s a whole different article. It’s a great way to get kids talking about their fish. Pointing out where mommy fish laid her eggs and watching them do a little fish mating dance is all funny, but they are learning and staying interested. Keep this in mind when helping them select their fish. Most common fish are pretty good at making babies. You also need to think of what you’re going to do with the fry. It may become a sticky situation later on if the child doesn’t want to give them up. 5) Fishin’ buddies. Once the kids are old enough, MAS meetings, bowl shows, the big fish show and auctions are all great places for kids to be exposed to other fishkeepers, see cool new fish they’d like and may just make new friends who also like to keep fish. They might just also find a new area of the hobby they like that you may not, such as an interest in keeping live plants or a particular type of fish. Long story short, do what it takes to get them involved. I’ve found that my kids really like keeping their own fish. And sharing a hobby as a family is just more fun!

Planted Aquarium

by matt proost

SUBSTRATES It seems one of the most commonly asked questions when someone is starting a new planted aquarium is “what kind of substrate should I use?” This is for good reason. It is one of the first decisions one needs to make when starting a new planted tank. Granted the substrate is only one piece of the planted aquarium puzzle and by itself will not make or break your success with aquatic plants. But, a good substrate can make growing healthy plants a lot easier. It can pay off in the long term to invest some time researching and invest a little extra money on a good substrate. It is a one-time expense and changing out the substrate after the tank is established is very difficult or impossible in some cases. I hope to help with the research portion of that here. First, I will try to briefly explain what makes a good substrate. Then, I will list some of the commonly available quality substrates and additives in the Twin Cities, their attributes, and where you can buy them. Finally, I will also give some suggestions on which I would recommend.

What is a planted aquarium substrate? Simply, it is the stuff you put in the bottom of the tank to plant the plants in. Usually, it is a gravel or sandlike material. Just like house or garden plants that grow best in a good soil, your aquatic plants will grow best in a good substrate.

2. Porosity: You want a material that is porous. It gives places for the beneficial bacteria to colonize to process the detritus and places for the root hairs to take hold. 3. C.E.C. Cation Exchange Capacity quantifies the ability of a substrate to provide a nutrient reserve for plant uptake. Substrates with a high C.E.C. actually store nutrients when they are in excess in the water column and release it to the plants when levels drop in the water column. This is added insurance for you liquid fertilizer regime and seems to really help plants that are heavy root feeders.

There are several factors that make a good substrate: 1.Grain size: Anything from a coarse sand texture to a fine gravel texture works best. If the grain is too large, it will be difficult to keep plants down and most people think large grain gravel does not look very nice in a planted aquarium. If it is too fine it can compact. That will limit the availability of oxygen to the roots and toxic gases can build up in it. Don’t count on gravel vacuuming to keep a fine substrate turned. It is generally not advisable to vacuum the gravel in a planted aquarium. You want the detritus to build up in the substrate; your plants will feed on that stuff. Besides, if all goes well it will be difficult to get at the substrate because of the plant cover.

4. Nutrient content: Some substrates also come with beneficial nutrients built-in and are considered “rich” substrates. It is helpful to have a substrate that is high in Iron and other necessary micro-nutrients. In addition, some substrates include some macro nutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium). Having nutrients available out of the bag is not a necessity, but is an added plus of the better substrates. | 14 |

5. Aesthetics: It’s a visual hobby; it should look good to you. I prefer substrates that look like natural gravels, sands, or even that look like soil. 6. Weight: It is a benefit to have a heavier substrate so it stays in place and holds the plants down. There are three basic groups of substrates, the “Brand Name” substrates, the “soil conditioners” and the plain gravels and sands. The options I listed below are generally easily obtained and are the ones that I have tried except for the ADA soils. I have only seen those in action in other people’s tanks. If you are connected to the internet, some of the images below have links built into the images to larger images to show detail. Ctrl+click on those images to enlarge. “Brand-Name” substrates The first group is the “Brand Name” substrates. These are some the substrates manufactured or marketed specifically to aquarists through your local fish store (LFS) or online aquatic supply stores. All of these will cont. on page 15

have a high C.E.C. and excellent porosity. I will include some VERY approximate LFS prices and web (online store) prices including shipping based on what I have seen at a small sampling of stores. You may find different prices, but they should be close. I suggest purchasing these items at your LFS if they have what you are looking for. The cost difference is usually minor and in my opinion it is better to support the local stores when you can. Call some local stores to see if they carry the product you want or if they can order it in. Most stores will only carry one or two of the “name brand” substrates. This is by no means a complete list, but just the common ones I have used or the ones I could find enough good info to include in this list. Seachem Flourite ($2529 LFS; $21-25 web): available in a 7 kg bag, enough for a 10 gallon. Available in regular (natural mixed gravel look) or Flourite “Red” that is a solid clay red color. It has a varied somewhat coarse grain size. It is high in Iron and other micro-nutrients making it a “rich” substrate. It does not contain any macro nutrients. It’s heavy and can mixed with up to 50% natural gravel or one of the soil conditioners described below to save some money on a large tank. This is one of the most popular substrates and

many, including myself, have used it with great success.

hold down the plants and break up the uniform color if desired.

Carib-Sea Eco-Complete ($28-35 LFS; $27-31 web): available in a 20 lb bag enough for a 10 gallon. Packed in a liquid that according to the manufacturer contains “Heterotrophic bacteria” to aid in cycling. It is a black substrate with a grain size that varies from coarse sand to fine gravel. It almost looks like soil in the aquarium. It is high in Iron, a wide range of micros, and contains some macro nutrients. The texture is excellent to plant in and fine foreground plants grow well in it. Personally my favorite substrate, the black color emphasizes the greens and red of the plants. But, it is also very expensive. It can be mixed with Soilmaster Select Charcoal discussed below; black 3M color quartz, or even coarse black sand.

ADA Aqua Soils ($4550 web(Dallas, TX)): available in a 9 liter bag enough for a 20 gallon. Available in Amazonia(black), Malaya(light sand), Africana(dark sand).These are the substrates marketed by Takashi Amano and sold in the U.S. only by Aquarium Design Group at http://www. adgshop.com/. High in iron, micros and some macros. This also buffers ph to slightly acid, which benefits the plants, especially difficult acid loving plants. Easy to plant in and nice fine texture. Because of their unique characteristics they do not mix well with other materials. In my opinion the best substrate. There is no need to purchase the entire ADA substrate system, unless you want to. The Aqua soils work great by themselves.

Red Sea Flora Base ($30 LFS; $28-30 web): available in a 12 lb bag enough for a 10 gallon. Produced from natural volcanic ash-based soil, it is a solid brownish color. It is high in iron and micros. It also buffers Ph to 6.5-7.0, which is preferred by aquatic plants. When it is fully saturated it has an almost spongy texture, and it is rather light making it a little more difficult to plant in. It can be capped with a layer of natural gravel to help

Soil Conditioners The next group is the Soil Conditioners: These are fired clay products that are sold as terrestrial soil conditioners, but are useful as plant substrates. They are significantly cheaper than the “namebrand” substrates. The soil conditioners are all chemically similar because they are all made from basically the same material. They all have a very high C.E.C., and are high in available iron. But, I do

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not consider these rich substrates because they only contain iron. They are chemically inert so they will not affect ph. They are all generally light in weight at first, but they are hydroscopic and absorb lots of water and seem to weigh down over time. But, they never achieve the same plant hold down ability of the plant-specific substrates or regular gravel. The differences in the soil-conditioners are in size, color and where you purchase them. As far as I know none of these are found at traditional LFS’. Schultz’s Clay Soil Conditioner ($19.99 local large garden centers) is available in a 40 lb bag enough for a standard 55 gallon. It is a somewhat solid orange/brown color, and has a varying grain size like natural flint gravel. It can be helpful to cap the Schultz’s with similar sized natural gravel to help hold the plants down and break up the uniform color. Excellent substrate for the price. Schultz’s Aquatic Plant Soil is the exact same material sold with pond supplies in smaller bags for a higher price per pound. I have used quite a bit of the Schultz’s product with good results. Pro’s Choice Soilmaster Red or Brown, and Soilmaster Select Charcoal and Red ($16-20 at lesco) are available in a 50 lb bag enough for a standard 75 gallon. The regular Soilmaster Red and cont. on page 16

Brown are a somewhat solid red/brown color, and have a varying grain size like natural flint gravel or Flourite. Soilmaster Select is available dark charcoal color or clay red color and has a fine rather uniform grain size. The Select is preferred for fine foreground plants and I think the texture is nearly perfect for planted aquaria. The Select charocoal can mixed with Eco-complete or capped with black 3M color quartz. The red can be mixed with Flourite or capped with fine regular gravel. Available only at Lesco dealers, www.lesco. com, they may have to order it in for you, but there is no charge for that. I have also used both the Soilmaster Red and Select Charcoal with good results. Regular Gravel and Sand Fine Natural gravel and sand have been used for years in successful plant tanks, usually with a substrate additive like laterite in the bottom layer. They are generally not the best option because they have a low or no C.E.C. and usually do not contain any Iron or other nutrients. Also, some gravels and sands are not porous at all so there is limited area for the bacteria to colonize or root hairs to grab hold. But, with the laterite addition and good water column fertilization it can be an effective substrate. A good option for black sand is 3M color quartz.

There are too many options for natural gravels and sands to list them here. Sources for natural gravels and sands can be from a supply house, LFS, or even a home improvement store. Just make sure it is fine enough to effectively hold plants down and look good. But, not too fine so that it will compact. Also, try to get something that is at least a little porous. Sealed or coated gravels are not recommended.

but some add macros. I prefer the ones that just add Iron and micros. The ones that add macros can be very effective, but can also throw off your nutrient balance if you accidentally pull one up with your plants. Tablets are excellent for adding a boost under heavy root feeders like Sword plants. They are difficult and expensive to use as a sole source of substrate fertilization because you have to continually replenish them. The brands I have tried are Seachem Flourish tabs and a similar tablet by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. They both work as advertised and so should the other brands.

Substrate Additives These are the things that can be added to a substrate to add nutrients, usually high iron and micro nutrients or organic carbon and bacteria.

Fine Peat Moss and Mulm are recommended as a base layer of any planted aquarium substrate. The peat moss adds an organic carbon source and a nutrient source for your beneficial bacteria to feed on until detritus can build up in the substrate. Mulm is a source of the bacteria to help give your tank a jump start and minimize any cycling. Mulm is the cruddy looking stuff you get from cleaning your filters or a deep gravel vac of a healthy tank. Mulm can be collected in a few ways: You can squeeze out the filter media (foam, floss, etc) from a healthy tank in a bucket of tank water or deeply gravel vac a healthy tank saving the water. Then, either let it settle out and siphon off

Laterite is the original and most common substrate additive. It adds a lot of iron, and some other micros. It is available in several brands and types. I recommend the pelletized types that look like gravel. The powdered types can be a mess when you uproot a plant. Laterite is usually mixed into the bottom layer of the gravel. Many successful planted aquaria over the years have used this simply mixed with gravel. It can also be used as added insurance under the “rich” plant specific substrates. Fertilizer tablets are individual tablets that are added periodically into an existing substrate to add nutrients. Most add just iron and micros, | 16 |

the clear water or filter it out with something. Try and get it as thick as possible, because you do not want the peat moss to float. Then, as with any planted aquarium, fill the tank as slowly as you can. If not, you will have peat moss floating all over the tank. Other Substrates There are many other substrates that people have used that include kitty litter, soil mixes, zeolite and countless other things. Kitty litter and soil are a little risky because it is difficult or impossible to know exactly what you are adding and are not recommended unless you feel like experimenting. I have not tried Zeolite or anything else, so I cannot provide an opinion on them. Substrate Prep and tank filling To rinse or not to rinse? That is the question, and it is really up to you and your tolerance for some suspended particles. Personally, I do not rinse the “Name-brand” substrates at all, specially Eco-Complete, which is meant to be added liquid and all. All that dusty stuff in the others is usually high in nutrients and you did pay by the pound for it. The soil conditioners can be especially dusty so some rinsing may be necessary, although I do not. I get around a murky tank by just rinsing the top 1/2” or less, filling very slowly, and doing a 100% water cont. on page 17

change right after filling it the first time. The immediate 100% water change will remove most of the particles that are going to become suspended in the water. It also takes less time than rinsing all that substrate. Then, filter floss or a micron filter will remove the rest. Besides, rinsing a lot of substrate can be very time consuming. I recommend a layer of fine peat moss (no lumps) and mulm under any planted aquarium substrate. Though not necessary, I have found them very useful in new plant tanks to help the plants get a jump start and minimize any cycling. If it is going to be a lowmaintenance, low-tech, non-co2 enriched tank, use ½ to 1” of peat moss. If it is going to be a CO2 fed tank, use only a fine dusting of peat moss on the bottom glass below substrate, just enough so that you can still barely see through it. The addition of the acidic CO2 gas could break down the peat moss and cause a ph crash if you use too much in that type of tank. It is helpful to mist the peat moss to moisten it before adding substrate to help keep it in place. Then, add as much thick mulm as you can collect without making the peat moss float. Finally cover with the substrate of your choice. Then fill the tank VERY slowly without disturbing

the substrate. Use a colander with small holes or a low dish to slow down the flow. Also, you can use wet paper towels or wet newspaper to cover the substrate to keep the dust down. But, either way fill the tank as slow as you can.

But, a quality substrate will be a small additional cost in that type of setup, so why not buy the extra insurance. Also, some of the most difficult to grow plants prefer an acidic substrate, so buying one that buffers to slightly acid will make things easier. Overall, I prefer natural looking substrates. Especially the dark ones, they show off the colors of the plants best. Unnatural colored gravels just don’t look right in a planted aquarium. It is a visual hobby after all. Here are my suggestions for certain situations:

All of this seems like a lot of extra work and will add an extra 30 minutes to an hour to you tank setup time. None of the above is required. But, it will help get your tank going and can easily save you hours of dealing with cycling and algae issues due to the plants not being established as quickly.

Budget is no object hightech, CO2 enriched tank: The ADA soils. These are simply the best available, and are the best looking in my opinion. Second best in my opinion is Ecocomplete because of its texture and appearance. But, it does not buffer to acid. A very thin dusting of fine peat moss and mulm are beneficial under either of these.

Substrate Recommendations Any one of the substrates above can be a part of properly balanced healthy planted tank. What do I suggest? Buy the best substrate your budget will allow. Remember, it is a one-time expense and you will have a good substrate for years. This especially applies if you are looking for a somewhat low-maintenance tank and do not want to do frequent water column fertilization. The rich substrate will provide nutrients that you are not adding via the water column. This also applies to high-tech, frequently fertilized tanks. If you are frequently fertilizing the water column, the substrate is less critical.

Low-tech, low maintenance, non-co2 tank: 100 % Seachem Flourite or Eco-complete with a ½”-1” layer of fine peat moss and mulm under the substrate.. Since you probably won’t be frequently (or ever) adding liquid fertilizers a “rich” substrate is critical to your success. Nice general plant tank: Eco-complete or Seachem Flourite. The Eco-complete if fine plants are | 17 |

in the plan. Flourite for general plants, especially if your plans include things like swords and crypts. 100% is best, but in larger tanks or budget limited tanks both of these can mixed with other materials. But, if mixing with plain gravel and sand, I suggest mixing these with no more than 30% of the plain sand or gravel. Other wise, mixing with one of the soil conditioners is great way to save some money. As above a thin dusting of peat moss and mulm will help here to. If it is still too expensive, try…. Large or budget limited tank: If you have a large tank, sometimes it is hard to buy several bags of substrate at $25+ per bag. Then, try one the soil conditioners, capped with a layer of one of the “name-brand” substrates or natural gravel/sand. Yep, peat moss and mulm are recommended here too. Keep in mind these are just my opinions based on my experiences and research. I hope this helps you make your own decision about what substrate to choose. If you want more advice, there are several large aquatic plant specific forums available with many knowledgeable people who are willing to help. Do not assume your questions are too basic or stupid; everyone cont. on page 28

Aquarium Society Rules of Acquisition At all the society meetings, and especially the auctions, I always felt a strange mood of nostalgic deja-vu. The sub culture, the dealing, the general atmosphere. I’ve seen it someplace before. It took a while, but I finally figured it out. It was from a TV series some years ago. Quark’s bar at Deep Space Nine. I know you may be scoffing at this, but in addition to all the weird creatures at the meetings (yes, some even humanoid) they were always talking about the rules. Let’s check those rules and see if they fit: #3 #18 #21 #23 #41 #89 #97 #109 #117 #141 #218 #239

Never pay more for an acquisition than you have to. A MAS member without aquariums is no MAS member at all. Never place friendship above fishkeeping. Nothing is more important than your health... except for your aquariums. Aquariums are their own reward. Ask not what your aquariums can do for you, but what you can do for your aquariums. Enough ... is never enough. Dignity and an empty aquarium is worth the aquarium. You can’t free a fish from water. Only fools pay retail. Always know what you’re buying. Never be afraid to mislabel a product.

In addition to the Rules, there were the five Stages of aquisition: 1. Infatuation 2. Justification 3. Appropriation 4. Obsession 5. Resale Can there be any doubts?

- Dale Skiba

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Newsletter Exchange Report members to “Check it out!”- “Cichlid Matters” column by Bob Randall in the January/February 2006 issue of Aqua News.

Recognition Tim Rutz’s article, “Black Emperor Tetras Made Easy”, was REPRINTED in the January/February 2006 issue of the Southwestern Michigan Aquarium Society’s SWAM.

Bob’s “Cichlid Matters” column in the January/February 2006 issue of Aqua News was also mentioned in the March 2006 issue of the Greater Detroit Aquarium Society’s Tropic Tank Talk and the February 2006 issue of FIN FLAP. Marti Horan, EIAA’s Exchange Editor commented, “His column is always an interesting read.” Bob Randall’s “well written” column, “Cichlid Matters”, which “gives a good introduction to the colour and behaviour of Mbuna” in the March/April 2006 issue of Aqua News was mentioned in the April 2006 issue of the Kitchener-Waterloo Aquarium Society’s Fins & Tales. This “Cichlid Matters” column by Bob Randall was also mentioned in the March 2006 issue of Michiana Tropical Times. Pam Chin mentioned Bob Randall’s article in the May/June 2005 issue of Aqua News on Cyphotilapia which “starts out with a good explanation of the latest nomenclature changes for this group of cichlids as well as the basics for frontosa/gibberosa reproduction” under “Cichlids in the News” in the February/March 2006 issue of the Pacific Coast Cichlid Association’s CICHLIDAE communique. “...he

Ken Balfanz’s article, “Linear Air Pump Central Air Systems”, was mentioned in the December 2005 issue of Michiana Tropical Times, the Michiana Aquarium Society Newsletter; was mentioned in the January/February 2006 issue of SWAM; and was REPRINTED in the April 2006 issue of the Eastern Iowa Aquarium Association’s FIN FLAP. “Culturing Vinegar Eels” by Ken Belfanz was mentioned in the October/November 2005 issue of Tank Topics, the official publication of The Greater Akron Aquarium Society. And Ken’s article, “Fish Tank Fry Boxes”, was mentioned in the March 2006 issue of Michiana Tropical Times. Bob Randall’s column “Cichlid Matters”, about “Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum, the Convict Cichlid, as a beginners’ cichlid” in the September/October 2005 issue of Aqua News was mentioned in the November 2005 issue of FIN FLAP. In the February 2006 issue of Fins & Tales, Zenin Skomorowski, Kitchener-Waterloo Aquarium Society’s Exchange Editor, told KWAS

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didn’t hesitate to think ‘outside the tank’ and feed some night crawlers that were left over from a fishing trip. He was rewarded not only with fry, but also was able to observe their unique spawning behavior.” Randy Carey’s article about the Piaba Project and Randy’s preparation for travel to Brazil in the January/February 2006 issue of Aqua News as well as Randy’s website, www. characin.com/home.html were mentioned in the February 2006 issue of Fins & Tales. “The Piaba Project” by Randy Carey was also mentioned in the February 2006 issue of FIN FLAP and the March/April 2006 issue of SWAM. Richard J. Goodkind’s “excellent article that helps in the understanding of water chemistry and how it affects plants”, “How to Achieve a Flourishing Plant Tank”, which was published in the Volume 8 No. 2 issue of the Aquatic Gardener and can also be seen at http://ww.aquatic-gardeners.org/plant_tank_how_ to.html was mentioned in the February 2006 issue of FIN FLAP. “How to Achieve a Flourishing Plant Tank” by Richard J. Goodkind was also mentioned in the February 2006 issue of Fins & Tales. Dani Ellickson’s “humorous story,” “My Name is cont. on page 20

Newsletter Exchange Report Lucky!”, was mentioned in the November 2005 issue of FIN FLAP. “Discus- The Other Way” by Paul Garrity was also mentioned in the November 2005 issue of FIN FLAP. And Jenny Kruckenberg’s “enthusiasm for her ‘Trip to the WAKO 25th Annual Show’” in the January/February 2006 issue of Aqua News and at her Aquaforums thread, http://www.aquaforums.com/forums/index. php?showtopic=4539, were mentioned in the March/April 2006 issue of SWAM. Other News Jim Mathis and I flew to Newark Liberty Airport and attended The Annual Convention of the American Livebearer Association, April 28th -30th, in East Hanover, NJ. Highlight of the trip for me was meeting and asking Dr. Paul Loiselle questions about the conservation status of endemic freshwater fishes of Madagascar for about one and one-half hours while visiting the New York Aquarium. Dr Loiselle showed a room with tanks, containing several species of rainbowfishes and killifishes from Madagascar, to a group of people that included Jim and me. Dr. Paul Loiselle also

to talk with and learn from other friendly and knowledgeable aquarists, including Jim Langhammer, at the convention.

showed a live specimen of Paretroplus polyactis. Having attended the last two ALA Conventions with Jim Mathis, I was surprised this year to see many more rare Xiphophorus species which were obtained from the Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center in San Marcos, TX. At this ALA Convention, I was also happy to learn that a group of scientists in Mexico City claim to know a location where a small population of Zoogoneticus tequila, a species which was previously thought to be extinct in the wild, exists in the wild. Other good newsKees de Jong, one of the speakers at the convention, informed me that Allodontichthys polylepsis, a Goodeid that is likely extinct in the wild, has been maintained by aquarists in Europe for 20+ years. I was able to acquire Girardinichthys viviparus “Chapultepec Park”, a Goodeid that is critically endangered, and Pachypanchax sakaramyi, a critically endangered Malagasy killifish, at this convention. Being a collector of books, I was thankful to have the opportunity to purchase a copy of “Lebendgebarende Zierfische”, a rare German book on livebearers, with dust jacket in fine condition from Mike Schadle. And as always, it was a joy

The East Coast Guppy Association held its Show in the same hotel, the same weekend as the ALA Convention. I was not surprised that New Jersey, at one time, had the highest male newborn circumcision rate in the United States after Bob Larsen, “a mentor and legend in the NJ hobby,” who spoke about “Guppies Then & Now” mentioned guppy breeders’ practice of cutting the tails of male fish...Other than, momentarily, being reminded of humankind’s cruelty to animals and children, my two other greatest disappointments were no swimming pool in hotel and $45 one-way shuttle for two people from airport to the hotel. Jim Mathis was recognized with Century Breeder award, having bred over 100 species of livebearers, at the banquet. Jim also won Best of Show-Goodeids with a male Characodon sp. “Guadalupe Aguilera”. Be sure to congratulate Jim when you see him next. Also, note this is Jim Mathis’ third year winning Best of Show-Goodeids at the ALA’s Annual Convention.

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Bowl Show Results MINNESOTA AQUARIUM SOCIETY

August 2005 Class 1 True Bony Fishes (knife fish, elephant nose, rainbows, gobies, blennies, snakeheads, arowanas, spiny eels, puffers, pipe fish) 1st Melanotaenia maccullochi, common dwarf rainbowfish shown by Dani Ellickson 2nd Glossolepis dorityi, location Jaiquim shown by Jen Kruckenberg 3rd Iriatherina werneri, common threadfin rainbowfish shown by Dani Ellickson Class 2 Pond Plants - maybe grown emerged but roots have to be in the pond

September 2005 Class 1 Killies - peat spawners 1st Nothobranchius korthausae, location Rungungu TAN 02-11 shown by Jen Kruckenberg 2nd Nothobranchius foerschi, shown by Craig Rees Class 2 Killies - mop spawners 1st Chromaphyosemion riggenbachi, location Dibeng shown by Jen Kruckenberg 2nd Fundulopanchax marmoratus, shown by Jen Kruckenberg 3rd Aplocheilicthys luxopthalmus, common lampeye killie shown by Milo Squires

(Class 1 and 2 to be determined by membership vote)

February 2006

Sue MacMillan

Class 1 Smallest fish

3rd Poecilia reticulate, red guppy shown by Jen Kruckenberg

1st Boraras brigittae shown by Carter McAninch

November 2005

1st Microsynodontis batesii, African bumblebee shown by Jen Kruckenberg

Class 1 African cichlids 1st Pundamilia nyererei, Makobe Island shown by Jen Kruckenberg

3rd Paracheirodon innesi, neon tetra shown by Mike Harris

2nd Aulonocara sp. “lwanda”, common name redtop peacock shown by Jen Kruckenberg

3rd Pseudepiplatys annulatus, clown kille shown by Milo Squires

3rd Labeotropheus fuelleborni shown by Dani Ellickson Class 2 Non-African cichlids

Class 2 Largest fish

1st Symphysodon aequifasciatus axelrodi, Rio Alenquer shown by Jen Kruckenberg

1st Amphilophus citrinellus, midas cichlid shown by Bob Randall 2nd Barbus filamentosus, black spotted barb shown by Jen Kruckenberg

2nd Microgeophagus altispinosus shown by Dani Ellickson

December 2005

March 2006

Class 1 Plants grown aquarium immersed

Class 1 Labyrinth fish excluding Betta splendens (aquarium strains)

1st Vesicularia dubyana, java moss shown by Jen Kruckenberg

1st Betta albimarginata, shown by Peng Lee

Class 2 Red and green fish

2nd Microctenopoma ansorgii, shown by Jen Kruckenberg

1st Paracheirodon axelrodi, cardinal tetra shown by Jen Kruckenberg

3rd Trichogaster leeri , pearl gourami shown by Tiffany Severson

2nd Hemigrammus bleheri, rummy nose tetra shown by Jen Kruckenberg

Class 2 Betta spendens (aquarium strains) 1st shown by Susan MacMillan

Junior 1st Zoogoneticus tequila, crescent goodeid shown by Brianna Harris 2nd Poecilia reticulate, guppy shown by Brianna Harris Class 2 Cyprinidae (sharks, goldfish, algae eaters, minnows, barbs, danios, rasboras) 1st Boraras maculates, dwarf rasbora shown by Carter McAninch 2nd Barbus titteya, cherry barb shown by Jen Kruckenberg 3rd Barbus tetrazona, tiger barb shown by Mike Harris Junior 1st Barbus conchonius, rosy barb shown by Brianna Harris

May 2006 Class 1 South American catfish 1st Ancistrus punctatus, starlight bristlenose pleco, L 182 shown by Dani Ellickson 2nd Peckoltia ucayalensis, bola pleco, L 146, L 232, LDA 30 shown by Tiff Severson 3rd Hypancistrus sp. unknown, queen arabesque pleco shown by Dani Ellickson

January 2006

2nd shown by Susan MacMillan

October 2005

Class 1 Perch

3rd shown by Jen Kruckenberg

Class 1 Ugliest fish

1st Etheostoma spectabile, orange throat darter shown by Jen Kruckenberg

Junior

1st Hypostomus punctatus, common pleco shown by Amy Marvin

1st shown by Amy Marvin

Class 2 non South American catfish

1st Aplocheilus lineatus gold, shown by Jen Kruckenberg Class 2 Prettiest fish 1st Acanthicus adonis, common polka dot lyretail pleco shown by Tiff Severson 2nd Dario dario, common scarlet badis shown by Carter McAninch 3rd Tateurndina ocellicauda, common peacock goby shown by Jen Kruckenberg

Junior

No awards, exhibition only.

2nd Badis badis shown by Milo Squires

April 2006

Class 2 Freshwater invertebrates 1st Atyopsis species, African wood shrimp shown by Milo Squires 2nd Caridina japonica, amano shrimp shown by Milo Squires

Class 1 Livebearers (platys, guppies, mollies, swordtails, half beaks, four eyes, goodeids)

June 2006

1st Phalloceros caudimaculatus shown by Carter McAninch

Class 2 Characins (tetras, headstanders, hatchet fish, pencil fish, piranhas)

2nd Xiphophorus montezumae, Montezuma swordtail shown by

3rd Marisa rotula, red ramshorn snail shown by Jen Kruckenberg | 21 |

Class 1 Loaches (includes botia)

Bowl Show 2006-07 MINNESOTA AQUARIUM SOCIETY

My name is Tiffany and I’m taking over the bowl show. Bob has moved on to running the big show this year and I’ve stepped into his shoes to run our monthly little show. Many things about our bowl show will remain the same but a few changes are in store. I’m adding on a third class to help promote the show. In researching other clubs bowl shows, I found that many have a third class that seems to be devoted to entertaining the club members. I thought it might be fun to give it a try in our show. We tend to have more entries on our goofy classes, such as the ugly/pretty fish and the red/green fish than in our other classes. Also thrown into the mix will also be a couple chances that ONLY members under 18 can have an entry in. If there is enough adult interest the over 18-ers can also play. I am also adding in more plant categories this year to help draw some of you plant growers into the fold. It’s time to refresh some interest in our club’s bowl show. On average we have five entries per month with the same core group entering fish each month. I feel like a telethon host saying it, but here goes. My goal this year is to have each person bring one fish to one meeting. Not one fish to

every meeting, but one fish to one meeting in the year. You can bring more, you’re more than welcome to enter five a month if you want to, but please try to bring one. This is your chance to show off what you have without any entry fees. It’s also a good time to surprise people by bringing in what people never thought you’d have or keep. *See the month of June.

August 2006

January 2007

Class I True Bony Fishes - (knife fish, elephant nose, rainbows, gobies, blennies, snakeheads, arowanas, spiny eels, puffers, pipe fish)

Class I Old World Cichlids

Class II Pond Plants - grown emerged but roots have to be in the pond Class III Corydoras and Brochis

September 2006 Class I Killies - With enough entries, this class will be split in to peat and mop spawners. Class II Characins - (tetras, headstanders, hatchet fish, pencil fish, piranhas

As always, the classes are subject to change and any input is appreciated and will be taken into consideration. If I see we are having a speaker with a specialization in an area that we have a class for, I may switch some months around so that we can show the speaker we do have an interest in that area. Heck, I’ll add on an extra class for the month if need be. I’ve tried to set it up where you have more than one chance to bring a fish in. For instance a Killie that doesn’t make it in September could be brought in October, December, February, or even April. The rules regarding how to show the fish will remain the same unless it is specified in the class.

Class III Fish art - Photos, illustration, artwork, etc…It must have been created by you. No time frame except done at some point after you were born. **

October 2006 Class I Ugliest Fish

**

Class II Prettiest Fish ** Kids Class Decorate your bowl for Halloween. Round bowls, substrate and decorations are allowed. At least one fish or invertebrate must be present in tank to win. Halloween/Harvest colored fish and decorations are encouraged. All “bowls” must be under five gallons and not leaking (I say this because I have fear one or more of you might carve a pumpkin and try to get a fish to live in it). **

November 2006 Class I Livebearers - (platys, guppies, mollies, swordtails, half beaks, four eyes, goodeids) Class II Cyprinidae - (sharks, goldfish, algae eaters, minnows, barbs, danios, rasboras)

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February 2007 Class I South and Central American Catfish Class II Non-South American Catfish Class III Bowl Beautiful - Miniature planted tank competition. All tanks must be less than five gallons and contain at least three varieties of plants and two types of fish and or invertebrates. This is an aquascaping competition. Miniature species are encouraged. **

March 2007 Class I Biggest Fish Class II Smallest Fish (Fish must be an adult. No fry allowed.) Kids Class My favorite fish. Bring in your favorite fish or two or three. No species just one that you’re REALLY fond of.

April 2007 Class I Egg layers, school or family - Group of at least six fish, parents plus six fry or a combination of six adult and juvenile fish (If you are showing juveniles with adults, you can bag the juvies and BAP them after the bowl show). * Class II Livebearers, school or family, Group of at least six fish, parents plus six fry or a combination of six adult and juvenile fish. (If you are showing juveniles with adults, you can bag the juvies and BAP them after the bowl show) *

Class I Floating plants * Class II Rooted plants *

May 2007

Class III Red and Green fish. **

Class I .............................................

December 2006

Tiffany aka Saltydapleco

Class III Oddballs - Gobies, puffers, and any other fish we don’t have a bowl show class for.

Class III ........................................... Freshwater invertebrates - Snails, crabs, shrimps, etc… You may also bring an amphibian ONLY if it spends the majority of its time underwater.

Class III Anabantoids

As always, Have fun with your tanks and keep on fishin’.

Class II New World Cichlids

cont. on page 28

BAP BAPBAP BAP

BAP

I think most MAS regulars will agree that the 75th anniversary Blitz programs (BAP and HAP) were successful. At every meeting we had one or two dozen bags of Blitz submissions.

One reason I liked the Blitz programs was that it allowed us to return to some species we’ve bred or propagated before – perhaps many years earlier. These two award programs aim to introduce people to the practice of breeding and propagating. Unfortunately, often a participant will focus so much on points and “ranking” that he stops working with a species once he successfully obtains a spawn. OK, this is natural if one is to be a regular in BAP, but I feel a serious breeder ought to find a few species to work with over several spawns. When I researched the expert breeders like Zukal, Richter, et al, I read between the lines and realized three practices

Breeders Award Program that seems to be missing from many of us. [1] The expert breeder is often a witness and could describe the spawning act. [2] The expert breeder works with the species over successive spawns. [3] The expert breeder can describe the development of the offspring from fry to viable adults.

them, then the rules might expand like the tax code. I argue for simplicity of the rules. And I argue for simplicity of the program’s intentions. The point of the program is to encourage members to try breeding fish and to try various species and fish groups. Once someone becomes a fish breeder, he or she will have to decide for him- or herself just what kind of breeder he or she will be.

Some argue that we should try to socially engineer the participants in BAP. We should establish rules that provide strong incentive to pursue fish breeding the way we think they should. I’m resistant to such intentions. For one thing, who am I to impose my perspective of what is valuable about fish breeding. I found what I feel is valuable to me, but those are often different values from what other hold. For a second thing, I like simple programs. Most people like programs that are easy to understand. Our BAP point system is incredibly simple compared to all that it covers. If we try to socially engineer

Did you catch the poor wording in the opening of as my second paragraph? I said the Blitz “allowed us to return to some species…” Baloney! No one has been stopping us from returning to species we’ve bred years ago. BAP probably got you started, but don’t revere it so much that it stops you. I hope you still feel the thrill of the spawn, even after all those years. Notes:

BAP meeting open to any MAS member. Here is your chance to tell what you like or don’t like about BAP. We’ll listen. Attendees are welcome jump in and debate – as long as the banter stays pleasant J. If you have some suggestions or requests to bring up, please email them to me (Randy) at BAPprogram@TwoWetHands. com. We’ll be announcing the day, time, and place via the email list. If you want to get on that list, email a request to join it using [email protected]. The BAP committee is preparing to debate two issues: [1] what is our criteria in accepting non-fish species like snails and shrimp (and should we accept them), and [2] how can we support some form of species maintenance program. My thanks to Brent Helland for bringing up species maintenance at the June meeting. It’s time we at least discuss it.

BAP will be holding a

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cont. on page 24

►Species BAP’d in 2006◄

BAP BAP BAPBAP BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP BAP

Date 05/06 05/06 04/06 04/06 04/06 04/06 04/06 03/06 03/06 03/06 03/06 03/06 03/06 01/06 01/06 01/06 01/06 01/06

►BAP Rookie Breeder of the Year (2006)◄ Ends 03/2006 02/2006 03/2006 01/2006 12/2006 10/2006 05/2006 12/2006

Points 250 105 60 45 30 15 15 10

Spawns 24 11 6 6 3 2 2 1

►BAP Rookie Breeder of the Year (2007)◄ Breeder Macmillan, Sue

Ends 02/2007

Points 45

Poecilia wingei Ancistrus punctatus L182 Moenkhausia pittieri Sciaenochromis fryeri Protomelas sp. steveni taiwan Corydoras pygmaeus Trichogaster trichopterus Pomacea bridgesii Neolamprologus multifasciatus Zoogoneticus tequila Protomelas taeniolatus Poecilia reticulata Synodontis petricola Aulonocara stuartgranti, Ngara Neolamprologus brichardi, Fulwe Rocks Melanochromis joanjohnsonae Labidochromis chisumulae Bedotia geayi

10 20 15 10 10 15 10 5 10 10 10 5 25 10 10 10 10 15

Randall, Bob

Spawns 5

06/06 06/06 06/06 05/06 05/06 05/06 04/06 04/06 04/06 04/06 04/06 04/06 04/06 03/06 02/06 02/06 01/06 01/06 01/06

►Awards Earned in May and June 2006◄ • Will French has earned the 25 Point Beginner Award. • Steven Morrison has earned the 250 Point Intermediate Award. • Ron Hansen has earned the 750 Point Expert Award. ►BAP Breeder of the Year (2006)◄ Breeder Ellickson, Dani Randall, Bob Fries, Mike Hansen, Ron Sarslow, Anchor Smaciarz, Rich Chronakos, Tom Macmillan, Sue Morrison, Steven French, Will Mathis, Jim Balfanz, Ken Ekstedt, Chuck & Rita Hirsch, Jim McAninch, Carter Johnston, Brian Kruckenberg, Jenny Carter, Bob Benson, Brandon Hansen, Kim

Points

Ellickson, Dani

BAP

Breeder Ellickson, Dani Johnston, Brian Robb, Chad Benson, Brandon French, Will Hutchinson, Melissa Carter, Bob Hansen, Kim

Species

Points Spawns Spawns:18 Pts:210 Spawns:19 Pts:205 Spawns:8 Pts:85 Spawns:7 Pts:70 Spawns:4 Pts:65 Spawns:4 Pts:60 Spawns:4 Pts:50 Spawns:5 Pts:45 Spawns:3 Pts:35 Spawns:3 Pts:30 Spawns:2 Pts:25 Spawns:2 Pts:25 Spawns:2 Pts:20 Spawns:2 Pts:20 Spawns:2 Pts:20 Spawns:1 Pts:10 Spawns:1 Pts:10 Spawns:1 Pts:10 Spawns:1 Pts:10 Spawns:1 Pts:10

Neolamprologus marunguensis Labidochromis caeruleus, “White Morph” Haplochromis nubilus Poecilia wingei Archocentrus sajica Pundamilia nyererei, Python Island Callochromis pleurospilus Neolamprologus pulcher, Isanga Geophagus sp. orange head tapajos Pseudotropheus sp. acei, Nkhata Bay Melanochromis joanjohnsonae Neolamprologus hecqui Pseudotropheus sp. acei, Tanzania Thorichthys sp. blue mixteco Geophagus sp. bahia red Labeotropheus fuelleborni Protomelas sp. steveni taiwan Pundamilia sp. crimson tide Ptychochromis oligacanthus, Anjingo

10 10 10 10 10 10 20 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 15

Fries, Mike 06/06 06/06 05/06 04/06 04/06 04/06 04/06 04/06

Apistogramma hongsloi Melanotaenia lacustris Ataeniobius toweri Julidochromis transcriptus, Kissi Melanotaenia boesemani Archocentrus septemfasciatus Ancistrus sp. unknown Chilatherina bleheri

15 10 10 10 10 10 10

Hansen, Ron 05/06 05/06 05/06 05/06 05/06 05/06 05/06

Maylandia hajomaylandi, Cobue Haplochromis sp. golden duck Thorichthys meeki Pseudotropheus sp. Msobo higga reef Tramitichromis intermedius Oreochromis tanganicae Labeotropheus fuelleborni

10 10 10 10 10 10 10

Sarslow, Anchor 04/06 | 24 |

Carinotetraodon tracont. on page 25

►Species BAP’d in 2006◄ vancoricus 04/06 Melanotaenia parva 03/06 Dario dario 02/06 Moenkhausia pittieri

►Species BAP’d in 2006◄ Carter, Bob

25 10 15 15

04/06

Xenotoca eiseni

10

Benson, Brandon 01/06

Puntius conchonius

10

Smaciarz, Rich 04/06 03/06 01/06 01/06

Neolamprologus tetracanthus Corydoras sp. red stripe Ophthalmotilapia boops, Nkendwe Corydoras pygmaeus

10 15 20 15

Hansen, Kim

20 10 10 10

Participant Carey, Randy Mathis, Jim Ancheta, Lenny Randall, Bob Sarslow, Anchor Smaciarz, Rich Nordby, Ken & Sharron Peterzen, Pete & Carol Kruckenberg, Jenny Garrity, Paul Hansen, Ron MacNabb, Larry & JoAnne Swanson, Brad & Nancy Rees, Craig Gromek, Tom Ruzek, Kenneth V. Jr. Byers, LeeAnne Nab Dahl, Barry Scepurek, Terry Hougen, Dean & Teague, Cynthia Fries, Mike Jolivette, Kris & Ted Ellickson, Dani Squires, Milo Berglund, Ken Lowe, Jay Wilson, Zack Chronakos, Tom Weber, Robin Morrison, Steven Marchan, Edward Nystrom, Steve Balfanz, Ken Turley, Paul Robertson, Terry Heinen, Shane Lucken, Robby Hallett, David W. McAninch, Carter Ekstedt, Chet Alegre, John N. Engelking, Robin Bradbury, Richard Kalvig, Peggy Ekstedt, Chuck & Rita Schoeler, Karl Steffensen, Jerry & Shana Hirsch, Jim Johnston, Brian Stemper, John Smith, Christopher

01/06

Callochromis pleurospilus Nimbochromis venustus Aulonocara stuartgranti, Cobue Pseudotropheus flavus

Macmillan, Sue 06/06 04/06 04/06 03/06 03/06

Lamprologus ocellatus Betta splendens Poecilia reticulata Xenotoca eiseni Ancistrus sp. unknown

10 10 5 10 10

Morrison, Steven 06/06 04/06 03/06

Poecilia wingei Ptychochromis oligacanthus Geophagus crassilabris

10 15 10

French, Will 05/06 02/06 01/06

Aulonocara stuartgranti, Cobue Pseudotropheus sp. polit Pterophyllum scalare

10 10 10

Mathis, Jim 06/06 06/06

Neocordia denticulata Characodon sp. Guadulope aquilaria

10 15

Balfanz, Ken 03/06 01/06

Melanotaenia parva Glossolepis pseudoincisus

10 15

Ekstedt, Chuck & Rita 04/06 04/06

Otopharynx lithobates Tanichthys albonubes

10 10

Hirsch, Jim 06/06 06/06

Poecilia reticulata Melanotaenia duboulayi

5 15

McAninch, Carter 04/06 04/06

Hemichromis cristatus Phalloceros caudimaculatus

10 10

Johnston, Brian 02/06

Pseudotropheus sp. acei “Black Phase”

10

Kruckenberg, Jenny 05/06

Aplocheilus lineatus “Gold”

10

►BAP Standings as of June, 2006◄

Chronakos, Tom 05/06 04/06 03/06 01/06

Archocentrus sajica

10

| 25 |

Points 2590 2055 1350 1250 1190 1170 1100 1075 915 795 785 780 730 655 640 630 555 495 480 465 435 425 340 335 320 310 300 295 270 250 245 235 230 225 205 205 195 185 180 180 175 160 150 150 140 135 120 120 105 95

Spawns 191 189 112 106 96 85 93 88 86 67 66 70 67 62 62 54 47 50 45 40 41 35 31 29 29 30 23 27 26 22 23 22 19 14 19 19 17 17 17 14 14 13 14 16 14 14 10 12 11 10

cont. on page 26

Bishop, Dava Rossa, Ron French, Will Rankins, Ted Stowe, Chris Carlson, Jan Behler, David Carter, Bob OGara, Debbie Hutchinson, Melissa Helland, Brentt Siegel, Bob Lauer, Richard Hansen, Kim Christopherson, Karen Dale, Andrew Doyle, Chris

►BAP Standings as of June, 2006◄ 90 Methven, Paul Routh, Bruce Mechtel, Chuck Heyer, Jon Robb, Chad Loh, Willie Lowe, Mike Brobst, Curtis H. Philstrom, Richard K. Benson, Brandon Trembly, Lisa Macmillan, Sue Meuret, Patrick Newton, Bruce

HAP

8 90 85 65 60 60 60 50 50 50 45 45 45 40 40

5 8 7 6 6 4 5 5 5 6 5 5 4 4

10 10 10 5 5

Bob Carter Amy Honsey Melissa Hutchinson Matt Proost

Najas indica Pistia stratiotes Rotala indica Vallisneria americana Vesicularia dubyana

Amy Honsey 10 5

Phyllanthus fuitans Vallisneria spiralis

Melissa Hutchinson

►HAP New Awards◄

10

Anubias barteri var nana (flowering)

Bob Carter – Beginning Aquatic Horticulturist Matt Proost – Beginning Aquatic Horticulturist Troy Brantner – Beginning Aquatic Horticulturist

Bob Paulsen

►HAP April and May 2006 Entries◄

Matt Proost

10 10 10 5 10 10 10 10 10 10

Brent Aitchison Hygrophila corymbosa

David Behler 20 10

Anubias barteri var coffeafolia Ludwigia repens

Anubias barteri var nana (flowering) Aponogeton crispus (flowering) Rotala indica Ceratopteris thalicroides Blyxa japonica Hygrophila difformis Limnophila aromatica Lysimachia nummularia Mayaca fluviatilis Rotala rotundifolia

Troy Brantner 10 5 5

Bob Carter 15 10 5

4 4 3 2 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Horticultural Award Program

►HAP New Members◄

10

35 35 30 20 20 20 15 15 15 15 10 10 10 10 10 5 5

Cryptocoryne wendtii “Green” Hygrophila corymbosa Lemna minor | 26 |

Microsorium pteropus Vallisneria americana Vesicularia dubyana

cont. on page 27

Chuck Mechtel Barry Nab Dahl Bruce Newton S & K Nordby Steve Nystrom Bob Paulsen Richard Pelkey Pete & Carol Peterzen Richard Philstrom Matt Proost Sigrid Rademacher Dennis Riebesell Terry Robertson P & H Rosa Ron Rossa Ken Ruzek Robin Ryan Anchor Sarslow Janet Sarver Larry Scales Terry Scepurek Cindy Schneider Karl Schoeler Gary Schultze Rich Smaciarz Milo Squires John Stemper Jason Stevens Chris Stole Geoff Stone Brad Swanson Brian Thinnes Jodi Tripp Paul Turley Robin Weber

►HAP April and May 2006 Entries cont.◄ Robert Fink 5 Ceratopteris thalicroides 15 10 5 10 5 10 10

Echinodorus ‘Ozelot’ Echinodorus ‘Ozelot’ (flowering) Hygrophila angustifolia Hygrophila corymbosa Hygrophila rosaeneruis Lysimachia nummularia Rotala rotundifolia ►Standings

Name Brent Aitchison Leonard Ancheta Dat Au Tyler Barth David Behler Jay Bickford Dava Bishop Richard Bradbury Troy Brantner LeeAnne Byers Bruce Cameron Randy Carey Jan Carlson Bob Carter Pat Chowen Andrew Dale Chuck Domeier Dennis Drews Charles ‘Chet’ Ekstedt Chuck Ekstedt Lisa Ekstedt Robin Engelking Robert Fink Will French Paul Garrity Tom Gromek David Hallett Bill Heaney Shane Heinen Amy Honsey C Teague & Dean Hougen Melissa Hutchinson Ted & Kris Jolivette Peggy Kalvig Jenny Kruchenberg Robby Lucken L & J MacNabb Chad & Tina Mastbergen Jim Mathis Carter McAninch

thru May 2006◄ Entries

Points

10 16 5 2 42 8 1 28 5 17 34 9 3 8 75 4 31 6 2 8 11 26 21 4 139 13 32 8 38 2 4 1 31 4 17 1 16 22 66 3

85 180 45 20 455 70 5 335 45 160 365 95 35 70 870 50 315 35 25 70 85 255 195 40 1475 115 285 55 390 15 25 10 330 45 155 15 120 175 725 20

►2006

12 85 3 13 16 9 11 1 69 6 18 27 19 40 3 49 6 51 14 5 4 6 145 2 10 103 30 4 3 1 16 5 1 9 1

80 980 20 105 130 85 105 10 800 60 175 300 190 450 15 515 55 550 150 35 35 50 1730 30 120 1065 315 60 25 15 155 50 10 115 10

HAP Rookie of the Year Standings◄

Name *Robert Fink Bob Paulsen

Points

Start

End

125 85

3/05 11/05

2/06 10/06

* = 1st year in HAP program completed. ►2007

Name

| 27 |

HAP Rookie of the Year Standings◄ Points

Start

End

Bob Carter 70 4/06 Matt Proost 60 4/06 Troy Brantner 45 2/06 Will French 40 3/06 Amy Honsey 15 4/06 Melissa Hutchinson 10 4/06 * = 1st year in HAP program completed.

3/07 3/07 1/07 2/07 3/07 3/07

cont. on page 28

Participation Awards! June ended the 10 month celebration of MAS’s 75th year and along with it ended the with the drawing of the Participation Awards

Congratulations to the three of you! Just a note to show you could have won on very little work… None of the 3 winners had more than 20 entries out of 550 to 600 individual participations.

The awards were granted as follows” ~Anchor $50 – Awarded to Paul Garrity! $100 – Awarded to Jim Mathis! And the Grand Prize of $350 went to Tiffany Severson!

Planted Aquarium Substrates, cont. from page has started somewhere and has probably had the same question. There is also the Minnesota Fish Keepers forum at www. minnfish.com. There are many members of MAS that are regular contributors there and are more

than willing to help if you need it. You can get your questions answered by someone you can meet at the meetings or at the show. Maybe your knowledge can help someone else? Like me, I regularly have questions about

keeping/breeding certain types of fish.

com for feedback before submitting them to Aquanews.

If time permits I will be writing comprehensive follow-up articles on starting a new-tank with pictures and posting them on www.minnfish.

Bowl Show 2006-07, cont. from page Pikes and Perches - This class will also include all native fish. This is also a good reminder that the Darter hunt is coming up. Class II Pond fish - What fish you will put in your backyard or patio tub this summer? Class III Aquarium Plants

June 2007 Class I I bet you never thought.

This is the “showoff /stupe the other club members” class. Bring in your fish that no one would ever think you keep, or still keep. Names will be posted of who is participating separate from the fish. Club members will try to match the owner to the fish. The owner with the least amount of correct answers wins. More than one entry per person is allowed. (Hey Anchor, bring out some acei

you have stashed away!)

you were born. **

Class II Best of the Bowl Show - Want to bring back your winner? If your fish has gotten a bowl show ribbon this year bring it back for the bowl show version of the playoffs.

Kids Class To be determined.

Class III Fish art! - Photos, illustration, artwork, etc, it must have been done by you. No time frame except done at some point after

** The winner of this class will be voted on by the members of the club present at the meeting,

* These classes will be combined if there are not enough entries to make up two classes.

HAP, cont. from page ►2007

Points 125 70 60 55 45 40 30 15 10 5

Horticulturist of the Year Standings◄ Plants 13 8 6 6 5 4 2 2 1 1

►Horticulturist

Member

Member

Robert Fink Bob Carter Matt Proost Bob Paulsen Troy Brantner Will French David Behler Amy Honsey Brent Aitchinson Melissa Hutchinson

Anchor Sarslow Bob Randall Brent Aitchison Dave Behler Milo Squires Randy Carey Matt Proost Rich Smaciarz Robert Fink | 28 |

BLITZ Final Standings◄ Points 75+ 25 75+ 75+ 75+ 75+ 75+ 10 75+

Membership application form

Minnesota Aquarium Society P.O. Box 130483 Roseville, MN 55113-0016 http://www.mnaquarium.org

Todays Date__________________ Type of Membership:  Adult $15.00/Year  Family $15.00/Year  Junior $12.00/Year

Method of Payment: Cash__________ Check #_______

The following information will not be used beyond the Minnesota Aquarium Society

Name: _____________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________ City:_______________ State: ________ Zip Code: ________ Home Phone: (______) _________ — ___________________ Email Address: ______________________________________ Are you Up to Date with your Membership?

| 29 |