Mar2008

CONTENTS Articles Fish Gallery tour and February Meeting p.1 Meet a fellow GHAC member p.2 Fish of the Month p.3

NEWSLETTER March 2008

Fish Gallery Tour and February Meeting

Tank of the Month p.4 February Event Pictures p.5 Water Basics p.5

Items of Interest

GHAC Officers p.2 How to contact the GHAC p.2 Useful Websites p.4

By Tim Bell

Things are really gearing up! It seems like only yesterday that the GHAC was formed. I enjoyed seeming many familiar faces and meeting some new ones at the February meeting held at Roy and Heidi’s house. There was a small auction held after the meeting, where many great deals could be had. I pigged out on some cookies, sausage, and hot dogs (health food). This past month we also had our very first event: the Fish Gallery tour. We certainly made a statement. The employees/managers were not expecting nearly the turnout that they got (although they were warned!). We are currently working to see if some sort of agreement can be reached for Fish Gallery to join Mike’s Tropical Fish & Pets as a sponsor of the GHAC. The GHAC is currently looking for members who would like to join an Events Committee that will work closely with the Club Officers in planning and working future events.

“Opportunities, many times, are so small that we glimpse them not and yet they are often the seeds of great enterprises. Opportunities are also everywhere and so you must always let your hook be hanging. When you least expect it, a great fish will swim by.” -Og Mandino

…a food free-for-all…

“I see some duboisi in there”

I know I’m cute!

Meet a Fellow GHAC Member This Month: Loretta Mitchell As a child, my mother owned a fish shop in Cleveland, TX called “The Seven L’s Fish Shop”. I remember all those tanks, but being so young I had no idea of the passion that she possessed in keeping all those fish. I remember her favorite fish were bettas; she bred them and sold them with such pride. Little did I know that she planted the seed for my passion.

We want to hear from you. After all, you are the reason that we are here. Email any suggestions, comments, or questions to Raul_GHAC [at] yahoo [dot] com.

Your GHAC Officers are:

The first fish r I ever had was a goldfish that I named Mr. Worthington. I was given this fish by my first boyfriend in the 7th grade. He won the goldfish for me at our school carnival. I found that he had passed on when I came home after school in the 10th grade. It nearly broke my heart. I never forgot him and most certainly never will. I became interested again in fish keeping in 1990, when I acquired my first fish tank. It was a 40 gallon hex tank. As with most people starting out, I put as many different types of fish as I could in that tank. My most memorable fish was an elephant nose. I enjoyed watching him eat tubifex worms off the side of the aquarium. That seems like forever ago for me looking back now. I recently became reacquainted with fish-keeping thanks to CichlidFan. He found a deal on Craigslist for us to acquire our first tank together. Looking back at that wonderful deal, we realized that we got ahead of ourselves and paid way too much for that 29 gallon. Nevertheless, it opened the door to my current obsession. That is when the tanks started going up all over the place. The Houstonfishbox forum further fueled my passion for fish-keeping. My fish addiction flourished and I started making new friends. I became aware that fish keeping wasn’t just a hobby, but a passion that lies deep inside me. I have always felt a love for these precious life forms. Keeping fish showed me that even at the end of a trying day there was something that still made me feel that the day was a great gift. I spend hours looking at my fish; I spend a lot of money making sure they have the best I can offer them in return for their gift they give me. --- Continued on Page 6 ---

Raul Turner (rrocket2002) President

Tim Bell (armthehomeless) Vice President

David Abeles (Tiapan) Co-Vice President

Loretta Mitchell (fishlady) Secretary

Mary Beth Petranek (Mzungu) Treasurer

Mike’s Tropical Fish and Pets 14203 Stuebner Airline Houston, Tx 77069 PH. 281-586-8787 Fax.281-586-8799 E-Mail. RunOverHere [at] hotmail [dot] com

Fish of the Month

Paradise Fish Macropodus Operculeris By Roy Flis One of the oldest known “tropical” fish in the hobby, the Paradise fish has been kept in Europe and the US and other parts of the Western World since the latter part of the 19th century! A detailed breeding “how to” was published in The Aquarium magazine in the May, 1936 issue (below is a copy of the cover of that issue) This is a very interesting fish which requires minimum maintenance, produces lots of babies, and thrives under all types of conditions... Unlike its cousin the betta, the male Paradise will show some aggression towards its tank mates, making it a candidate for the moderately aggressive community tank. Joining fish such as Tiger Barbs, Red tail sharks, Giant Danios, adult Swordtails and the milder tempered cichlids, the Paradise will make a colorful and interesting addition to the 30 gallon or larger tank. Breeding: The Male is a bubble nest breeder similar to the betta and gouramis. About 500 eggs will be produced by a mature couple. The male will then become intolerant of the female. The female needs to be removed for her safety unless they are in a large tank with many hiding places. The male will tend to his nest and fry for 2 to 5 days after the eggs hatch and then, unless separated, will consider them to be his dinner.

Summary: Family: Belontidae Classed as an Anabantid or Labyrinth (air breathing) fish, the Paradise must have access to the atmospheric air or it will literally drown. Range: Much of Eastern Asia Size: Typically to 4” in captivity Colors: Male “Blue Paradise” – Orange/Brown background exhibiting vivid blue vertical stripes on the body plus the dorsal and anal fins – Female, a much paler version. There is also a true, red eyed albino version showing a cream colored background with pale red stripes and finnage. This is not a different species. Temperature range: 60 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Breeding Temperature: 75 – 80 degrees. Temperament: Territorial, moderately aggressive and a jumper. Feeding: Omnivore with some vegetable matter required.

Tank of the Month We want to see your tanks! Send us a photo of your tank along with a brief description of the flora, fauna, water parameters, equipment used, and anything else you want to include. We will post a new tank each month!! Let us see what you are working with…

Check out our great new website…

www.myghac.org

March TOTM Charles and Traci’s 135 Gallon Tank

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Dimensions: 72" x 18" x 24" Fish: Tropheus nkonde Filtration: 1 x Rena XP3 Canister Filter, and 2 x Odyssea 350 (All 3 stocked with carbon, ammo-chips, ceramic rings, and sponges) Powerhead: 2 x Nano angled at water surface Heater: 300w Lighting: 2x54w T5 (Odyssea) Substrate: black sand-blasting sand Rocks: two large pieces Texas Holey Rock, plus several assorted rocks Background: Royal blue plastic table cover Plants: Anacharis and plastic plants Feeding: Pellets (Cichlid Excel), Flakes (Spirulina), Frozen (Mysis Shrimp) fed 1x daily Maintenance: Weekly 30%-40% water change Temp: 80 to 81 degrees pH: 8.2, Nitrates: < 20 at all times, GH: 179 ppm, KH: 161 ppm

February Pictures Water Basics -What’s Important and What’s Not (Part 2) Water changes and why to do them The fish in our aquariums reside in what is called a “closed system”. They swim in clean, healthy water if we provide it, or swim in their own waste matter if we do not. By now, most of you are familiar with the “Nitrogen Cycle” – the process where waste matter in our aquarium is accumulated and altered by a filtration system. Filtration systems typically contain of two or three types of filtration. The first is mechanical, where particulate matter is collected (which we must remove from the system). The second is chemical, like charcoal, which is sometimes considered optional. We must remove and replace this type of filtration periodically. The third type is biological filtration. We must do water changes for biological filtration to work. The filter first collects the waste and exposes it to bacteria which consume this matter, converting it to a form of ammonia (deadly to our fish). Then, other helpful bacteria consume the ammonia and convert it to nitrites (also deadly to our fish). Other helpful bacteria then convert it to (not deadly in small quantities to our fish) nitrates.

Mike’s Tropical Fish and Pets

14203 Stuebner Airline Houston, Tx 77069 Time: March 21th at 7:30PM

As these bacteria convert nitrites into nitrate, the nitrates accumulate continuously in our tanks, so our fish swim in water that becomes more polluted daily. We start out with a safe nitrate concentration that is perhaps 5 ppm (parts per million) and it rises quickly to 50 or more ppm. This is a range that now becomes deadly to our fish, giving rise to clamped fins and generally deteriorating health as they are slowly being poisoned. What do we do? We must remove the nitrate. There are two ways to do it – 1. By additional filtration using equipment and chemicals specifically designed for this purpose which are both expensive and complex in their setup and maintenance 2. Simply use your fishes and your best friend – frequent, inexpensive and easy to do — large partial water changes. Water changes REMOVE nitrate and any other undesirables from the water and our fish quickly tell us how much they appreciate it by showing brighter colors, un-clamping their fins and swimming about with overall renewed vitality. ---Continued on Page 6---

Water changes and why to do them --- Continued from page 2 --The more frequently you can perform these large (typically 50%) changes the more your fish will prosper and reward you with better appearance and remaining in good health. I encourage you to do them at least once a week, twice is even better (I do mine very early on Sundays and whenever possible also on Wednesday evening). Most professional breeders throughout the world do not use ANY filtration system at all, instead they do 90% water changes once or more daily, some even imitate nature with continuously flowing water changes. I am not suggesting that you can do this, as most of us have jobs and family responsibilities that preclude it, but with the help of equipment such as a Clean ‘N Fill by Python or very similar products by Lee and others, it takes minimal effort on your part to do 50% water changes weekly. Maintaining high water quality is the most important step in having an aquarium that rewards you every time you or a guest looks at it and sees only happy, healthy fish. Water changes are a vital part of aquarium care, which brings us to next month’s topic: Maintaining the home aquarium. See you then.

Meet a Fellow GHAC Member --- Continued from Page 2 --I have learned so much so far, and I continue to grow in my knowledge of these precious creatures. I have several other passions such as Bass fishing, bowling, music, remote control sailplanes. But I can’t imagine a day without the little friends in my life. I’m very thankful to have them, as well as all my friends that I have made since joining the forum. I feel even more honored to be serving as secretary in the GHAC and I thank each and everyone for allowing me to ask all my questions of their knowledge. It is CichlidFan that I give the most thanks to for opening the door to the peace and solace I get from all my little ‘fishies’.