the exchange column
ALEXANDER A. PRIEST he Tankquilizer is the publication of the Tropical Fish Society of Rhode Island (TFSRI). Its Editor is Paula Andrus. The publication is printed (as is Modern Aquarium) on H"xl7" paper, folded in half to create 8'/2 "xl 1" pages. The front cover sports a black and white illustration or drawing, which changes from month to month. The articles in each issue are listed, without page numbers, in a box on the front cover. Its two column layout and extensive use of clipart and drawings result in an attractive and easy to read format. I have reviewed nearly a year's worth of this publication to prepare this article, to see what the publication tells me about the Society and their differences and similarities to GCAS. As many societies do (including GCAS), the TFSRI has a Breeders Award Program (BAP). Their program differs from ours in the number of categories. GCAS has only four levels: Breeder, Advanced, Master, and Grand Master Breeder. In comparison, the TFSRI has seven levels: Future Breeder, Breeder, Senior Breeder, Advanced Breeder, Expert Breeder, Superior Breeder, and the Jacques Brousseau Award (which appears to be for those with over 1,000 points). As does GCAS, they also have a Breeder of the Year award and an annual award for breeding the most difficult fish. Each issue of Tankquilizer has a running update on the BAP totals. The exchange column in Tankquilizer is called "Mailbag." That column's author, Roger Pontes, summarizes selected articles in exchange publications, with the entire article available to members upon request. "Surfing The Pubs" compares activities of other societies, as reported by their publications. I don't usually mention articles or columns (except the exchange column), but two recent articles and one column deserve note.
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The July 1996 issue of Tankquilizer had "Synodontis Multipunctatus," an article by Elaine Lefaivre. If you enjoyed John Moran's "Synodontis Multipunctatus By Way Of (Lake) Victoria's Secret" (Modern Aquarium June, 1996), Elaine's article is a "must read." (And, yes, I already sent John a copy of this article.) Another recent article I enjoyed was by their Editor, Paula Andrus, who understands that an enjoyable aquarium hobby publication has to have some humor and human interest articles. Her "Hubby To The Rescue" in the September 1996 issue "hooked" me, as a reader, drawing me personally into a crisis she experienced, from which a lesson in fishkeeping can be learned. Finally, an interesting and informative award winning column (best column - 1995 NEC publication awards) that appeared in most of the issues received this past year is "Oddball Livebearers" by Bill Simakauskas. Some of the "oddballs" Bill writes about will have you running to your favorite fish atlas — you won't find them at your local pet shop. It is obvious from reading several issues of Tankquilizer that the TFSRI is very active in the North East Council of Aquarium Societies (NEC), of which GCAS is also a member society. Frequent reprints from the NEC's newsletter can be found in Tankquilizer. along with information on the activities of other NEC members. (This same information, to the extent we become aware of it, is also now available on Greater City's website, as is a link to the NEC's own home page. The TFSRI is also a member of the Federation of American Aquarium Societies (FAAS), as is GCAS, and our website also has a link to the FAAS home page on the Internet.) It appears as though Tankquilizer is mailed to members in advance of the TFSRI monthly meeting (and they meet 12 months a year). The back outside cover serves both as a "mailer" (place for name and address) and carries reminder information on that month's meeting date. The issues often feature a "Speaker Profile," which is a brief introduction to the speaker that month. Overall, this is an informative and interesting publication I look forward to reading every month. As with all the publications reviewed in this series, copies are available for review upon request. This includes the articles and column specifically mentioned above.