Modern Aquarium by Dan Radebaugh

modern

AQUARIUM 11

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MARCH 1996 volume III number 3

modern

AQUARIUM ON THE COVER The Archocenieus nanotuteus on the cover* :a new dwarf cichlid from Gentral America, is featured in an article this mpntft by Joseph Ferdenzt, Photo:ijy Joe Lozita

Series III

Vol. Ill, No. 3

March, 1996

FEATURES

Editor's Desk

A New Dwarf Cichlid

GREATER CrTYAQUARtUM SOCIETY •Board Members President . , » >;, , . . . Joseph Ferdenzi Vice-President

. . . . . . . . . Ben Haus

Treasurer , , . . ,

Emma Haus

Corres, Secretary . . . . . . Greg WueSt Recording Secretary . > .

Long Live The King

Pat Picciane

; Members At Large Mary>Ann Bugeja Joe Bugeia Dan Ciirtin Doug, Curtin f^Srk;:Soberman Jack Oliva SteVe Sagona Vincent SiletJi Warren Feuer: Committee Chairs Membership . ,;. . . .A . S u s a n Priest Publicity . . . . . . . . Bernard Harrtgan

Plants 'N Plecos

Wet Leaves (Book Review)

Quit Yerbitchin

G.C.A.S. Happenings

Fin Fun (Puzzle Page)

MODERN AQUARIUM Editor , . . . ; . Warren Feuer Assistant Editor , . ; Aiexander Priest / . , Jason Kerner Photo/Layout \r Bernard •: Harrigan Production Director Mark Soberman Advertising Mgri . . jEditoria); Assistant . Pat Ptcciohe Executive Editor . ,, .Joseph Ferdenzi Printing By Postal Press Series III design concept by Stephan Zander

Articles submitted for consideration in MODERN AQUARIUM must be received no later than the 10th day of the month, three months prior to the month of publication. Copyright 1996 by the Greater City Aquarium Society Inc., a not-for-profit New York State corporation. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form of the articles, illustrations or photographs appearing in this magazine is prohibited without express written prior permission. Unless other rights have been retained by the author, and noted in the article or photograph, the Greater City Aquarium Society generally grants noncommercial reproduction rights to other recognized aquarium societies and naturalist organizations upon request. The Greater City Aquarium Society meets every month, except during July and August. Meetings are the first Wednesday of the month and begin at 8:00 P.M. Meetings are held at the Queens Botanical Gardens. For more information, contact Warren Feuer at (718) 793-8724.

A New Dwarf Cichlid: 'Cichlasoma " (Archocentrus) nanoluteus JOSEPH FERDENZI

"Cichlasoma" (Archocentrus) nanoluteus is a literature were only to appear in the July 1995 newly discovered and described cichlid (Allgayer issue of Cichlid News (a photo and a brief 1994). It was collected by Jean-Claude caption) and in the October 1995 issue of Nourissat, a leading French cichlid hobbyist, Tropical Fish Hobbyist (describing its dramatic from the river system on the Atlantic side of debut at that year's convention of the American Panama. The type specimens of A. nanoluteus Cichlid Association). were taken from the Guarumo, Peje Bobo, and Well, when Paul first mentioned the fish Guabo Rivers. While nanoluteus is found in the to me, I had no appreciation of the wonderful same waters as the more familiar Convict Cichlid gift he was about to bestow on me. He did say "Cichlasoma" (Archocentrus) nigrofasciatus, that the fish resembled a combination of the which it resembles, nanoluteus is smaller, shows Convict Cichlid and the Topaz Cichlid ("C." some anatomical differences, and, most Archocentrus septemfasdatus). Though I have significantly for the never kept either of hobbyist, possesses an those two fish, I knew the etymology of the species name, original color pattern. what they looked like, handutem, describes two of its most Indeed, the and, therefore, I etymology of the salient features; it is a dwarf (nanus) aiid thought a fish that was species name, a "combination" of the predominantly yellow (luteus) in color two w o u l d be nanoluteus, describes ^HHHHHHH|HBMH^^H yjjjjyjj^^jjjjjjgjjjj^ two of its most salient intriguing. Of course, features; it is a dwarf (nanus) and predominantly I accepted Paul's offer, and, a few weeks later, I was the owner of two adult pairs. yellow (luteus) in color. While the Convict Cichlid may attain a length of six inches (15 I initially placed the four fish by cm.), the Yellow Dwarf Cichlid will not exceed themselves in an established 15 gallon aquarium. The tank was bare bottomed (glass), but it 2Vi" (7 cm.), with the females being even contained two 4 inch diameter clay flower pots, smaller (about 2 inches). (In addition to being planted with gravel, and a broken clay pot laying larger, the male exhibits longer fin extensions.) on its side. The tank also had a dense growth of This makes the Yellow Dwarf Cichlid the smallest cichlid from Central America, and a floating Najas and some Java Moss. Filtration perfect candidate for a small aquarium (10 consisted of one sponge filter and a box filter gallons) or a community aquarium. It is also containing dolomitic gravel. Tank lighting, one much more colorful than the Convict Cichlid, 15 watt florescent bulb, was on an automatic which is essentially a grey fish with black bars. timer set to provide 13 hours of illumination. The Yellow Dwarf Cichlid, while retaining the The tank was situated at the top of a rack, and, general body shape of a Convict and the black as my basement fish room is rather warm, this bars, has a beautiful amber-yellow color in place resulted in a relatively high water temperature of of the grey. In addition to being smaller and 80째F. The pH was also on the high end, more colorful, the Yellow Dwarf Cichlid also measuring at 8.2 (tap water in New York City, where I live, is 7.0). appears to be less territorial than the Convict. My happy introduction to the Yellow The four fish cohabited rather Dwarf Cichlid came about through my friendship peacefully. I did not observe them ripping plants with Dr. Paul Loiselle, Curator of Freshwater or digging out the gravel in the planted pots. Fishes at the New York Aquarium and worldThey were not fastidious eaters, accepting both renowned cichlid authority. I happened to be flakes and pelleted food. To "fatten" them up, visiting Paul at the Aquarium (this was in the I also included live tubificid worms and brine Summer of 1995) when he mentioned that he had shrimp in their diet. a new fish for me. When Paul recited its Eventually, as Fall started, it became scientific name, I did not recognize it. That clear that the larger of the two males had formed wasn't surprising because, as it turned out, the a pair bond with one of the females. He had first references to it in the American hobby claimed the broken flowerpot and the adjacent

planted pot as his domain. The other male and corners are essentially solid black walls which female tended to stay on the side of the aquarium guard the eggs on two sides. farthest away. I therefore decided to separate The eggs were round, translucent, and the two pairs, and placed the secondary pair in a approximately 1/16" in diameter. There slate-bottomed, 10 gallon aquarium. appeared to be about sixty of them, arranged in The 10 gallon tank was also an a vertical column of about \Vi" in length. The established aquarium that housed two small lowest eggs were approximately one inch above the slate bottom. Corydoras melanistius. The water parameters of temperature and pH were the same as in the 15 The female had cleared out all the plant gallon aquarium. The tank also contained a mulm in front of her corner, and she vigorously planted clay flowerpot, a broken one laying on defended this site. The male stayed near by, but clearly was defending the more outer perimeter. its side, and a large oval stone. This presented them with a range of spawning sites. In spite of all this, the two small Corydoras In October, I noted that the first pair catfish were left alone (albeit, they did not was behaving in a very decided manner. The venture into the spawning pair's territory). male stayed watch over the broken flowerpot Two days after observing the eggs, the while the female hovered over the planted pot at fry had dropped. They clustered in a tight mass the opposite end of the tank. However, I did not in the corner. Four days after that (on Nov. see any eggs at either site. I therefore assumed 24th), they were still in a cluster, and had not that this was a prelude to spawning activity. As yet fully absorbed their yolk sacs. However, by it turned out, I must have missed the courtship the next day, they were free swimming, even signs. The first indication of a successful though a small portion of the yolk sac remained. spawning was the sudden observation one day of At this time, I began feeding them brine shrimp nauplii. a group of 20 fry, swimming about in a depression in the plant mulm and leaf litter, with The parents were as vigilant as ever, the male often attacking their mother hovering ^^_^^___^_^^^ around them. The the plastic syringe parents were ats vigilant as ever, tl|e only clue I had, at that used for dispersing the male often attacking the plastic syringe brine shrimp. The time, as to where she used for dispersing the brine shrimp... . colors of the male had laid the eggs was fo allj they were exemplary parents. were especially bright in noticing that some at this juncture. The of the gravel from the ^m^^g^n^n,,,^ ^1jlimiijglijlimmmmmmiim female stayed close to flowerpot had been removed and was lying on the glass bottom. I her brood. In all, they were exemplary parents. Nevertheless, two days after they decided to leave this first spawn in the charge of the parents. I reasoned that it was less became free swimming, I elected to remove the dangerous than to remove the fry, and that it fry. In this, I proceeded with great care. Using would increase the parenting skills of the fish. a one half inch diameter clear vinyl hose, I syphoned out virtually all the fry into a plastic Had it been a larger spawn, I might have bucket with two gallons of water. I then removed some of the fry as insurance against syphoned out another two gallons of water from infanticide. their home aquarium into another bucket. This The fry were large enough, after was poured into an empty 15 gallon, slate absorbing their yolk sac, to accept newly hatched bottomed aquarium that contained an established brine-shrimp as their first food. This feature box filter of dolomitic gravel. I then syphoned makes raising fry relatively easy. About a the fry from their bucket directly into the new month after this first spawn, I was able to more aquarium. This procedure results in as little carefully observe the spawning of the second pair trauma to the fry as possible - the water in the in the 10 gallon aquarium. I first observed the new tank is exactly the same, and they are eggs on the evening of November 18th. The untouched by nets. female had cleverly chosen to lay her adhesive The following day, I continued their eggs on the glass sides that formed the back feeding regime of newly hatched brine shrimp. corner of the aquarium (this made viewing quite I also added two small red ramshom snails for easy for me). Her cleverness becomes apparent cleanup duty. Everything went well. The fry when I tell you that this 10 gallon aquarium, besides having a slate bottom, is one of the old- ate ravenously, their little bellies swelling up pink with brine shrimp. fashioned, stainless steel framed aquariums. Therefore, from the fish's perspective, the

Female A. nanoluteus guarding her nesting corner. (The little white dots on the black corner are some of the fry.) For the first enough, there was a I truly believe that the YeUow Bwaff few days in their new cluster of about 40 Cichlid is a wonderful addition to the tank, the fry continued eggs attached to the ranks of ideal aquariurn fish, to hover together in a inside rim, just above corner. However, by a slight depression in the seventh day after their transfer (Dec. 4th), the gravel. (Yes, I suppose I could have rotated they began swimming about in a school. I the pot so that the egg cluster faced me, but this maintained the temperature in the fry tank at would have violated one of my prime directives: 76째F. disturb as little as possible.) This second spawn The parents continued to guard the few showed a willingness to breed in the presence of fry I had left behind. However, it was clear to older fry (the fry from the first spawn had not me that their growth rate was not as fast as of been removed, although, for reasons not clear to those in the 15 gallon fry tank. So, I eventually me, their number decreased from 20 to about removed them as well. eight). Mysteriously, I was never to see any fry Water changes in the fry tank were done from this second batch. The eight older fry at weekly intervals, about 10 per cent at a time. continued to thrive, and, as of this writing (late During these first few weeks I gradually added January 1996), they are robust 3/4" individuals, water so that the volume of water in the 15 already eating crushed flake food. gallon tank increased from the initial four gallons Back in the 10 gallon aquarium, the to about eight gallons. Between the water second pair spawned again (on Dec. 17), almost changes, the box filter, and the snails, I had no a month to the day of the first spawn. The eggs problems with water quality. were laid in the exact same spot and were Meanwhile, on December 9, the original approximately the same in number. These fry pair spawned again. On this occasion, I had were also removed a few days after the free been more attentive. I noticed that the female swimming stage emerged. had been hovering above one of the planted pots. As the reader can see, these fish are However, I could not see any eggs from my fairly prolific. They seem to prefer warm water vantage point. I therefore took a small, hand(78째 to 80째F), but are otherwise not fussy. held mirror, and placed it into the aquarium to While they will dig in gravel, and will upend get a look at the inside of the pot's rim. Sure plants, unrooted plants are not destroyed, and the

ones that are solidly rooted are generally not dislodged. More significantly for the average aquarist, however, is their temperament. While they engage in some lip-locking and fin nipping between themselves (the female will get slightly frayed fins from this, but nothing of consequence), they seem fairly tolerant of other fish. The pair that is housed with the Corydoras melanistius even let the catfish swim among them and compete for food. They do not attack the corys even when fry are present in the tank. This tolerance for their tankmates is all the more remarkable when you consider how vigorous they are when it comes to the defense of their fry. Perhaps the following example of their behavior will illustrate this. One day, I decided to clean the front plate of the aquarium with a set of cleaning magnets. Well, the minute I began the process, both parents became frantic. They raised a cloud of mulm and detritus, completely obscuring the fry. When the "dust" had settled, lo and behold, the fry had been split into two groups, each at opposite ends of the tank, and each guarded by one of the parents. This entire episode struck me as an extremely ingenious defense strategy - confuse the enemy, scatter, and re-group, but not all in the same place.

I truly believe that the Yellow Dwarf Cichlid is a wonderful addition to the ranks of ideal aquarium fish. It is small, beautiful, easy to keep and breed, possessed of interesting behavior, and decidedly not nasty. What more could you want? References: Allgayer, Robert. "Description d'une espece nouvelle du genre Archocentrus." Revue Francaise Des Cichlidophiles (January 1994). DeMason, Laif. "What's New: Neotropics." Cichlid News (July 1995). Leibel, Wayne. "Wayne's New World: ACA '95." Tropical Fish Hobbyist (October 1995).

H| thi$ article has aroused y ouuf interest in these fiih, you should i>| aware that someibf them vrfll h<|! available at our monthly auction and d^ir April Show.

,:.,,,, , , ,,,;;::,:,.,

TROPICAL FISH SHOW QUEENS COUNTY FARM MUSEUM (73-50 Little Neck Parkway) Take Grand Central Parkway to Exit 24 (Little Neck Parkway) Turn right at exit - follow the signs to the Farm Museum (Farm Museum is about 3 blocks from Parkway exit, on the right)

Sat April 13th & Sun April 14th - 10 am - 5 pm GIANT Fish & Dry Goods AUCtlOll SUNDAY, STARTING AT 1PM Sponsored by the Greater City Aquarium Society For more information call: Warren Feuer (718)793-8724

Long Live

The King DOUG CURTIN

t has been rumored that the Angelfish has been dethroned by his distant cousin, the Discus. But, if that is true, why is it that you never see a discus in a community tank surrounded by his loyal subjects? Usually Discus are kept segregated with their own kind. I guess they are better off this way, since some of the smaller commoners, such as the Guppy, might quickly be cannibalized. Now that the rumor has been dispelled, let's get on with the breeding and raising of the "majestic ones." The best time of the year to spawn Angels is during the Summer, when the temperature is above 80째F. Temperature is a big factor with Angels, as you will see. First you will need approximately six large angelfish and an aquarium of 20 gallons or larger, preferably well planted. At 80째F. and above they will soon pair off, keeping the other fish at bay. They will start cleaning leaves, the sides of the glass, filter tubes, etc., on which to deposit their eggs. With genital tube extended, the female lays her eggs on the glass sides of the aquarium, plants, a piece of slate, etc. The male, with his tube extended, follows over the eggs, fertilizing them. If the eggs are transferred to plants before hatching, life will be made a little easier; but in my spawnings the fish preferred the smooth sides of the aquarium glass, even when they transferred the eggs several times. I prepared the incubation aquarium in the following way: A 21A gallon stainless steel tank had a piece of glass cut to size to fit over its slate bottom. The tank was then siliconed with GE Silicone II to create an all glass aquarium. After curing for 24 hours, the tank was washed thoroughly with Comet cleanser. This guarantees a sterile environment. Just make sure the Comet cleanser is rinsed out well. Baby Angels don't like the taste of Comet cleanser. Next, I filled the tank approximately one inch from the top of the edge of stainless steel with cold tap water and placed a glass cover cut to size on the tank and let it stand for two days. The glass top will keep in heat, prevent evaporation and prevent dirt from falling in. After two days I added two squirts of Nov-Aqua water conditioner, enough prewashed #2 gravel to have a one inch layer on the bottom, and three

pieces of Anacharis, planted long enough to reach the water's surface and criss-crossed over each other. This will be the nest for the wigglers. Cover with the glass. This prepared aquarium was placed on a IVa inch thick wooden shelf ISinches from the floor in my basement. The shelf had wooden legs to support the weight of the four 2Vi gallon, one 3 gallon and 4 gallon placed along side for future spawns and thinning out the baby fish. All the stainless steel tanks were prepared the same way. A double 40 watt fluorescent shop light was placed 9" over the seven tanks and was set on a timer for 14 hours. Anacharis was the plant of choice because it is a very fast grower, a good oxygenator, and removes a lot of nitrates from the water. The water had a pH of 6.8. Now my Angelfish persisted in laying their eggs on the sides of the glass aquarium. The temperature was 88째F. They laid the eggs in the morning and I had wigglers in the evening. There was no time for eggs to turn white. Since I am experienced with raising albino catfish (who also lay their eggs on the sides of the aquarium glass), I decided to use the same technique for removing the Angel wigglers. Taking a one pint potato salad cup and a single edged razor blade, I proceeded scraping upward below the cluster of approximately 300 wigglers, holding the cup below the razor blade to catch any wigglers that might fall off the blade. The ones sticking to the blade were pushed off into the cup with my index finger. The parents didn't care for my removal of their offspring and tried to bite off my fingers! When I had most of the wigglers in the cup I decanted most of the water and poured the wigglers onto the criss-crossed Anacharis in the incubation aquarium, where they stayed. You can leave the wigglers with the parents, but if you do the parents won't spawn any more that Summer. By removing the wigglers, the male selected another mate and spawned again ten days later. Then he went back to his previous mate and spawned another ten days later. During the Summer, I had ten spawns from just these three fish. The other three Angels never spawned.

Now I had approximately 300 wigglers been used previously without being broken down on three pieces of Anacharis with a water and cleaned. The blacks, which were smaller temperature of 86°F. The next day the wigglers and weaker, all died; the silvers survived. I fell to the bottom and wiggled on the gravel. would recommend breaking down the 21/2 The following day they became free swimming aquarium after use. and were ready for their first meal. Add some This is how I break down a tank: I first ramshorn snails or two baby albino catfish, one remove the water and gravel. I let the gravel inch long, to clean up the left over food. Feed soak for two days in a 2 gallon pail filled with a mixture of newly hatched brine shrimp and water to which a one half cup of Clorox has microworms. been added. After two days, I decant off the You may have read that baby Angels are water and fill the pail with fresh tap water, while big enough to eat baby brine shrimp. Well, the rinsing the gravel. I then fill the pail with fresh same was said about newly hatched albino water and let it sit for three days. I decant and catfish, and I found this advice to be a disaster. rinse the gravel again with fresh water. Finally, Most of them will starve to death. It should be I spread the gravel on a plastic tray and let it dry noted that not all baby Angels are the same size in the sun. The gravel is now sterile and free of (and black Angel fry are smaller than silver chlorine and it can be reused in the incubation Angel fry). But I have found that they will all aquarium. I clean the tank itself with Comet cleanser, etc. survive on a mixture of brine shrimp and microworms. After a week all the babies can be Besides feeding baby Angels newly fed just brine shrimp, if you prefer. Feed baby hatched brine shrimp and micro worms, you can Angels twice a day — once in the morning and prepare a mixture of foods including spirulina. again in the evening. At 86°F the babies grow The mixture can be powdered using a blender. When they reach the size of a nickel you can very fast. After two weeks I moved 50 babies, via feed them flake food (such as Tetra-Min, Wardley's, etc.). When Angels reach the size of a pint potato salad cup, to a four gallon tank with snails, gravel and ^^^^^^^^^^^m ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ a quarter you can Anacharis. I don't supplement their diet If you stiQ thihk the !^ with white worms. use a net for baby check him out in a community aquarium. Only feed them white angels, as it causes fin He Is the one you immediately focus on ai| worms once a week, damage and they will he moves about with his regal grace. 0 ___ > ^_ | ^^____ i _ never more often. die. With 300 babies ^_^^_^_^^^ Angel fish it's easy to get 50 in a cup. After three weeks 125 more were moved love water changes and it keeps their fins free from the 2Vi gallon aquarium to a 10 gallon from flesh eating bacteria. You can take water right from the tap, but mix some hot water with aquarium with a Dynaflow filter. After one the cold to keep the fish from getting a chill. A month, 49 were moved to a 30 gallon aquarium ten percent water change, once a week is plenty. with a filter. After five weeks the remaining 90 were moved to another 30 gallon aquarium with I have kept Angels the size of a half dollar and up in temperatures ranging from as an Aqua Clear 200 filter. If you add them up you will find 314 low as 65°F to as high as 88°F. However, baby baby Angels from one spawn. All of the spawns Angels need a temperature of at least 80 °F to do well and grow. were not this large. Some were 80, 100, 150, etc., and two spawns were eaten by their Angels are peaceful and can be kept with most community fish. If you still think the parents. Angel is not Royal, check him out in a After one week in the 2'/2 gallon incubation aquarium, daily 50% water changes community aquarium. He is the one you were made with water that had been aged for immediately focus on as he moves about with his regal grace. Such dignity could hardly be two days. Over 300 baby fish in a 2'/2 gallon associated with less than royalty. tank produce a lot of waste which cannot be removed by the plants. In the incubation tank, the babies were being kept alive without the aid of a piece of slate, aeration, methylene blue, or filtration. By the end of the Summer I had over 600 baby Angels of various sizes. Two of the spawns were placed in one of the 2'/2 gallon incubation aquariums that had 8

NOTICE The organization known as FACE (Federation of American Catfish Enthusiasts) is undergoing a badly needed reorganization. Efforts are currently underway by a wide ranging group of aquarists in both the United States and Canada to resurrect this group. The reorganization team is interested in making contact with two groups of aquarists: 1)

Those who are interested in catfishes and the study thereof, but who were not previously connected with FACE; and

Those who had previously joined the organization, but have had little or no contact from it. If such "members" will forward a copy of their cancelled check, or a copy of their membership card to the address below, they will be automatically tenured into the reformed organization.

Catfishes are one of the most interesting and important groups of aquarium fishes, and it is time for an organization to seriously address this area. For information, and/or to be added to the mailing list please contact: Lee Finley 150 North Road Pascoag, RI 02859 Phone 401-568-0371; FAX 401-568-1561

HELP WANTED Unique opportunity for aquarium hobbyists to see the import/export of freshwater and saltwater tropical fish up close. Part time positions are currently available with Mantraco, Inc., one of the largest transhippers of fish and plants on the East Coast. Supplement your primary income, or develop a full time position. Knowledge of fish and plants, a foreign language, and a driver's license are a plus, but not required. Phone: (718)845-2800 ask for Vince FAX: (718845-5007 EMail: SERPAE@AOL.COM

YOU/ At this time, we wish to extend our thanks to the fine companies and vendors who support Greater City through their sponsorship of this magazine, and their donations to the Society for our raffles and shows. Please give them every consideration when making your next hobby related purchases. When you patronize our advertisers, let them know how much their support means. In addition to our regular advertisers in this issue, we want to thank Penn Plax for their generous donation of a filter to last month's raffle.

WET LEAVES

feature articles incorporate questions and answers into their text. For example, in the December article on Spanner Barbs a reader describes his tank and its inhabitants (which include Spanner Barbs), and wants to know what other Barbs can be added. An answer is supplied by the author A Series On Books For The Hobbyist of the article. Ponds are very popular in England, and SUSAN PRIEST every issue contains a pond article, along with a list of "jobs to do around the pond this month." nd now for something completely Also, readers send in photos of their ponds, and different! Well, maybe not completely. one is featured as the "pond of the month". If you are reading Modern Aquarium. There is a two page section called you probably also read at least one of "the big Splash; "fishy frolics for the younger fish three" aquarium magazines on the U.S. market. keeper." There are puzzles, contests, riddles, With a little extra effort, you can also find some poems and art work, etc. In October, kids are interesting imported magazines. I have chosen taught how to make a fish kite. Ripples is a one of these from Great Britain as the focus of page devoted to aquarium clubs (in the U.K., of this edition of Wet Leaves. course). In October, there is an article about "I have a 199 gallon tank with 4 pacus, how to hatch reptile eggs. The November 2 neon tetras, one marine article about bristlenose pleco and 2 Fishkeeping Answers Puffers, is called Just mystery snails. What Karen Youngs^ Editor Swell. In December, should I be feeding this Pursilit Publishing, Ltd! an article called Tales tank to make sure the From The Crypt, is snails get enough to eat?" If this is the kind of about the natural habitats of cryptocorynes. thing that you turn to first when you receive your My favorite monthly feature is called favorite aquarium magazine each month, then Top Five, these being the top five most popular Fishkeeping Answers will be of interest to you. in the hobby. For example, October I am using the October, November, and presents the top five livebearers, November the December 1995 issues to prepare this review. top five anabantoids, and December the top five They each contain 98 pages. Small, you may be freshwater eels. I like this feature because it thinking, but there are very few ads. Ads can be gives you an overview, as compared to articles informative in their own way, but in this case it on a single fish. For example, an article just on is an advantage because you are not paying for the Sailfin Molly might tell me that it likes ads about products or businesses which are slightly brackish water, but not that it comes inaccessible to you. from the same part of the world as Swordtails, Let's start with the cover. Across the or how it compares with Halfbeaks from Asia. top it says "tropicals, ponds, marines, plants, It's interesting to note that in the U.K., reptiles." I would say that these topics are listed aquarists refer to tank size by dimensions, rather in the order of the degree of emphasis which than volume. For example: "I am setting up a they receive, with tropcals receiving the most five foot tank. . . " o r "my 48" by 18" by 24" emphasis and reptiles the least. Affixed to the tank. . . . " covers were the following: October, a sample of The rear of each issue has a 10-12 page SERA brand fish food; November, FISH-Osection called the Good Gear Guide. It covers FAX, a wallet-sized folder with fish keeping such topics as types of lighting and when to use info; December, a worm feeder (the U.S. mail them, types of filters (ditto), hoods, water enlarged the openings a bit). Not every issue treatments, books, videos, foods; all those has a "freebie." trappings that our fish hook us into buying. Each issue includes several pages If you have an urgent problem, they devoted to Ask The Experts. The panel of even have a phone number you can call for experts is introduced, followed by their instant advice. It is staffed from 11 AM to 1 responses to questions from readers. The tank PM each day (U.K. time). "We may even send set-up of the month gives detailed instructions for an expert round to have a look." putting together a "theme" tank, followed by a The title tells the story. If they aren't list of suitable fish. November's set up of the writing about your question, just ask! month is called Small Wonders; a "guide to setting up small tanks with style." A lot of the

G.C.A.S. HAPPENINGS Vw 6lGOm6> The following new members joined Greater City in February: Davera Banks; Bennie Graham; John Malinowski; Patrick Meola; Mort SharkQw;itz; William Still; Arthur Tibaldi

February's BOWL SHOW Winners: J|t: Maryeve Brill - Badisib&(^s\: Marveve Brill - Epyplatis djjgeti; :l

APRIL HAPPENINGS Ap|i 2 - GijlJlMeeting: "Silent Auction" Queens Botanical GarJfinjgjPM - ^JBowl Show:|:This $? meeting is the first Tuesday of the month. There will be:'NO meeting on .Afril 3. Ap"r||p:* Absolute deadline for entry forms to be received for t|ose entering fish/artwork in o% s 1996 Spring Show. GGAS - Queens Farm Museum - Directions on

April 13 and 14 - Giant Fish Show &: bottom of page 6 in thisjssiiei

NORTHEAST COUMCIL OF AQUARIUM SOCIETIES - ANNUAL WORKSHOP March 22-24 at the Fanm|^ton;*GT,:;^arriott. A weekl|(Jd;deyotedtb the exchange of infonnatiQigt: among tropical fish hobby ist|.:s;gje^en noted guest^speakers: Saturday;Banquet. Sunday Auction. Contact: Janing Banls;5RR3 Box \?4$$^^g;*$$ljJ46l (802)482-3616. Here are meeting times and locations of aquarium societies fnsthe Metropolitan New York area: §ig Apple Guppy Club | ivteets: 8^00 P.M. - 3rd Thursday of ealhi Imorith aK-yie; Queens Botanical Garden "% Contact: Ms, Diane Gottlieb Telephone: (7 18). 26 1-4650

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: East Coast Guppy Association Meets: 8:00 piJWk>;;lstilfnursday ileach moniilat the Queens Botanical Garillri Contact::? Stephen Kwartlef / Ed Richmond Telephonllpl 8)829-6506 / (7 1 8)76f i<3f66;:

Brooklyn Aquarium Society ; "Rainbow Fish;;sTTeasures ;0f th& Aquarium" :bj Gary Lange — Marchf8.at $100 P.JSpthe '•^Education Hall, Aquarium ,!fbr l^ildlifel j:::C0iiservation (Br0j|klyn Aquarnim^ ,||;:: :ddiitact: B AS JSvents Hotline sif :::Teiet)hQne*;f718) 837^455 Ji GREATER CITY AQUARIUM SOCIETY Meets* 8:00 P;M*Plst Wednesday' of each month at tbeJQueens BotanicaJSGarden xContaiil^Mr. Warren Feuer Telephone: (718) 793*8724

Long Island Aquariuf^iSptaety.

Nassau County Aquarium Society

Meets: 8:00 P.M. - 3rd Friday of* eacJiS month at the Bayshore Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall, Bayshore, NY Contact: Mr. Thomas Soukup Telephone: (516)265-2682

Meets: 8:00 P.M. - 2nd Tuesday of each month at the Merrick Road Park Golf Course, Merrick, New York Contact: Mr. Ken Smith Telephone: (516) 589-5844

North Jersey Aquarium Society

Norwalk Aquarium Society

Meets: 8:00 P.M. - 3rd Thursday of each month at the Nutley American Legion Post Hall, Nutley, NJ Contact: Mr. Dore Carlo Telephone: (201)437-5012

Meets: 8:00 P.M. - 3rd Thursday of each month at the Nature Center for Environmental Activities, Westport, CT Contact: Mrs. Anne Stone Broadmever Telephone: (203) 834-2253

Fin Fun What's My Problem? To treat, or prevent the spread of, disease it's often helpful to know the source of your fish's malady. Below are some common (and some not so common) conditions that can befall an aquarium fish. See if you can correctly identify which of these conditions is caused by a bacteria or virus, and which is caused by a parasite. Bacteria/Virus

Parasite

Leeches (Hirudinea) Neon Tetra Disease (Plistophora) Ick (Ichthyophthirius) Fin Rot Velvet (Oodinium) Piscine tuberculosis Ascites Columnaris Disease Slime Disease (Costia) Dropsy

Solution to Last Month's Puzzle: T'is The Season Mouth Brooder Frontosa cichlid

Egg Layer

Firemouth cichlid

Flag cichlid

Big lipped cichlid

X X

Orange chromide Golden tropheops

Fairy cichlid

Lemon cichlid

Earth eater

Haplochromis sp. "Flameback"

X X

Cockatoo dwarf cichlid Keyhole cichlid

Golden drawf acara

Kribensis

Jack Dempsey

Cave Spawner