From the Editor
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by Dan Radebaugh
ast month’s cartoon caption contest drew a lot of responses, and the margin of victory was slim, but Denver Lettman came through with the winning entry. That's two wins in a row for Denver! This month Elliot Oshins presents us with a drawing that certainly gave my imagination a jolt―but I’ll let you see it and imagine a caption of your own. Steve Sica’s “Fish Bytes” gives us a look at what’s going on in other aquarium society publications, and later in this issue Steve completes his two-part series on "Curaçao's Lionfish." I know it must be tough on Steve and Donna to travel all around Florida and the Caribbean, scuba diving, lying in the sun, sampling the local cuisines, all to report to us on the progress of the lionfish invasion of those waters. Their tireless dedication and tenacity should be an inspiration to all! I do want to thank Steve for pointing out in this installment of his ongoing lionfish saga something that generally goes unmentioned in articles relating to invasive species, namely that the overall impact of these species on their adopted environments is arguably sometimes other than totally negative. Perhaps this more controversial view is something that Steve or another brave soul might want to further explore in a future article. From the adventures of hunting lionfish, Steve Hinshaw takes us to the joys of hunting aquarium hobby arcana in “It Does Exist!!!” Never underestimate the power of positive thinking―to say nothing of persistence and a bit of luck. You’ll find Susan Priest’s “Pictures from Our Last Meeting” on page 14. People in Nature, a compendium of articles on wildlife conservation in Central and South America, is the subject of Susan’s “Wet Leaves” this month (see page 19), and the conservation theme is carried on by Tommy Chang in his “G.C.A.S. CARES and You!” as he brings us up to date on what we’re doing to 2
reinvigorate our club’s commitment to this worthy project. On pages 12 and 13 Jules Birnbaum recounts his experiences with Austroloheros sp. “red ceibal,” the modestly sized, attractive Central American cichlid that adorns our cover this month. The Undergravel Reporter provides us with an exposé on domestic violence in the hobby (“When Fish Attack!”), and our “Fin Fun” puzzle this month celebrates the Fourth of July with “Flying Colors.” A look at Al Priest’s summary of this year’s FAAS Publication Awards (page 16) will reveal that Modern Aquarium can boast some flying colors of its own. My thanks and congratulations to all of our authors for another great year! Remember, as always, we need articles! Modern Aquarium is produced by and for the members of Greater City Aquarium Society. Our members are our authors, and with ten issues per year, we always, always need more articles. I know several of you are keeping and/or breeding fish that I would like to know more about, and I’m certain other members would be interested as well. Share your experience with us. Write about it! If you’re a little unsure about the state of your writing technique, don’t worry – that’s why there are editors. If you have an article, photo, or drawing that you’d like to submit for inclusion in Modern Aquarium, it’s easy to do! You may fax it to me at (877) 299-0522, email it to gcas@earthlink. net, or just hand it to me at a meeting. However you get it to me, I’ll be delighted to receive it!
July 2012
Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)