Professional Documents
Culture Documents
www.mn-aquarium.org
AQUA NEWS March/April 2007
The Minnesota Aquarium Society (MAS) is an
incorporated, non-profit organization of tropical fish
enthusiasts that was established in the 1930’s and
is one of the largest local level clubs in the United
States averaging about 200 current members. MAS
is a member of the Federation of American Aquarium
Society (FAAS)
From your Editor:
Monthly Meetings The issue is late, and I have no excuse.
Monthly meetings are held on the 1st Thursday Eveyone was so busy with the show, time just
of each month (Note: there are no monthly meeting got away from me.
in July.) at 7:30 pm. in St. Christopher’s Episcopal I am pleased to report that my plea for
Church, 2300 N. Hamline Avenue., Roseville, MN. (at content is being heard and responded to by
the NE corner of Hwy 36 and Hamline Avenue.)
some of you. I hope the stuff continues to come
Most meetings focus on a presentation by a it. It makes my taskes easier.
speaker who is often nationally recognized. Visitors
are welcome to attend. I am working on new ways of presenting
Board Meetings our club in the Aqua News as you should see
in this issue, color photos can really enhance
MAS Board of Director meetings are held on the articles. If you have any comments good
the 2nd Thursday of each month, (except for July) at
the same location as our general meetings, at 7 pm. or bad please pass them on to anyone on the
and are open to members of MAS. Those wishing ac- board, or send them to me directly and I will try
tive participation are encouraged to attend. to integrate those ideas.
E-Mail Group List Thank you for letting me be your editor
MAS has a monitored e-mail announcement Curtis Kafer
list available to all members. Messages are broadcast MAS Aqua News Editor
to all members on the list. If you would like to have
a message broadcast or subscribe to this list you must editor@mn-aquarium.org
send your request to: mas-admin@careytech.net
Discussion Group List
MAS maintains a monitored Discussion list
through Yahoo Groups. MAS Members can subscribe
to this list by going online to: http://groups.yahoo.
com/group/mnaquarium/
Aqua News Contents
The Aqua News is a bimonthly publication of
the MAS. It has been recognized with national awards
and is a great source of information. The Aqua News President’s Message 4
is included with membership. Members are encour- Help Wanted: 4
aged to submit original articles for publication and
may be submitted by sending them to the address MAS Board Meeting Minutes 5
below. Articles and artwork may also be submitted to MAS Board Meeting Minutes 6
the editor at monthly meetings or by email. Submis- MAS Board Meeting Minutes 7
sions may be hand written, but typed and submitted
on 3.5 diskette or CD is preferred. Artwork must be Breeders Award Program 9
in a printable/copyable medium such as pen and ink. Meeting In Review 10
Submissions are printed in black and white only at this
time. All articles are subject to editing. BAP Roll Call 13
Exchanges and Reprinting Cichlid Matters 17
Exchanges with other non-profit groups are MAS Auctions 19
welcomed. Articles may be reprinted provided proper Crossword Puzzle 20
credit is given to the author, this society and publica-
tion. Two (2) copies of the publication containing the Catching Live Food From Ponds 22
article must be sent to the exchange editor at Minnesota Feeding the Disease: 23
Aquarium Society P.O.Box 130483 Roseville, MN 55113 Culturing Live foods 25
Any other reprinting is by permission of the author
only.
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AQUA NEWS March/April 2007
President’s Message
I’m getting very worried! We received a foot of VERY HARD to put this year’s show together. We have a
snow last weekend, the prediction is for another foot of great slate of speakers, the most raffle prizes I have ever
snow in the next few days and the show is only 10 days seen (thanks to Mike H.) more publicity than every, a hard
away. HELP! goods raffle for the first time, and $200.00 in gift certifi-
I am asking myself, what words of wisdom will cates from Petsmart for the kids coloring contest they spon-
convince the MAS membership to risk taking their valuable sor every year.
fish, all warm and cozy in their tanks at home, to the show We need your help. We need your fish! Don’t be
next weekend. After all, what’s in it for them? scared to enter the show. We’ve said it before and I’ll say it
To paraphrase one of my favorite presidents, “Ask one last time. You may not think you have an award win-
not what the Minnesota Aquarium Society can do for you. ning fish, but the idea of the show is to expose the public to
Ask what you can do for the Minnesota Aquarium Society.” the many different types of fish that MAS members keep
A large number of our current members first experience and breed successfully. It doesn’t need to be a show winner;
with MAS was during our annual tropical fish show. The it doesn’t even need to be a showstopper. It just needs to be
last few shows have been tremendous. We have had 100’s in the show!
of entries, Close to 1000 people attending, excellent speak- Help us keep up our reputation for hosting one of
ers, great demonstrations, a wonderful award banquet, and the greatest tropical fish shows in the area. We want people
lots of fun spending time together. It’s a lot of work, but to be impressed when they walk in the door next week. We
makes a GREAT first impression on people visiting the need your support. Please take the time to enter at least one
show. tank in the show.
As I stated above, I’m worried. We have very low
sign ups for the banquet, pre-registration is down for show Mike Fries
entries, and to be honest I am very worried. Under Bob President
Randall’s excellent leadership the committee has worked Minnesota Aquarium Society
Help Wanted:
(or just simply beggin’)
www.mn-aquarium.org
AQUA NEWS March/April 2007
a
The photo to the right in the Last
Issue Jan Feb 2007 : mistak-
enly identified Darrell Ullisch as
Charles Hawks, my apologies to
both of them.
Speaker Darrel Ullisch and our own Randy Carey Photo courtesy of
Bob Randlall
www.mn-aquarium.org
AQUA NEWS March/April 2007
www.mn-aquarium.org
10 AQUA NEWS March/April 2007
Meeting In Review
Author: Bob Randall
MAS Meetings – Where you there? The second portion of workshop consisted of
creating various waters. Soft acid water was obtained
November by starting with reverse osmosis water, then adding an
Our speaker was Ted Judy. He first gave a acid buffer. However, the trick is not to add too much
presentation on RO water. The concepts presented buffer so that water is no longer soft. Verification
were fairly elementary. Ted kept the pace quick and of that goal was accomplished by using Spectrapure
answered questions efficiently without divergence. tools.
The second water was hard water with a neutral
pH. Here the starting water was hard alkaline water.
Reverse osmosis water is added to this water until KH
fell to 4-6 degrees. If pH remained elevated an acid
buffer was added until pH reached a neutral value.
Verification was done with the Spectrapure tools.
Third water created was hard alkaline water.
Starting point was reverse osmosis. Seachem alkaline
buffers and rift lake salts were added to obtian hard
alkaline water.
The highlight of Ted’s presentation was a hands The last water created was again soft acid water
on workshop. Spectrapure sponsored Ted. This firm but using a phosphate buffer system. The point of
provided conductivity meters, alkalinity colorimetric using phosphate buffers is they stabilize pH in acid to
tests and pH meters for MAS members to use during neutral range without contributing to the alkalinity.
workshop. Ted provided three water samples and In summary, Ted covered a tremendous amount
members determined total dissolved solids, KH of water chemistry in a short amount of time. The
and pH for each sample using tools provided by manner in which this was accomplished was a
Spectrapure. successful learning experience for those in attendance.
www.mn-aquarium.org
AQUA NEWS March/April 2007 11
December
As many of us, if
not all MAS members
know that December
is “Plant Extravaganza
Month”. Our speaker’s
topic was using high end
technology for planted
tank. Unfortunately, he
was unable to attend,
hopefully, we will be able
to reschedule.
On extremely short
notice, Milo Squires
stepped forward to
talk about plants. The
first portion of Milo’s
talk consisted of basic
information in keeping
aquarium plants. Milo
outlined how the
following nutrients must
be dissolved in water of
planted tanks; oxygen,
carbon dioxide, carbonate
hardness, pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and this duty flawlessly. The information provided
trace elements. He discussed how these items interact certainly sparked many in attendance to consider
with each other and with the plants. Milo moved on to adding plants to their tanks that they would not have
discuss lighting, and then briefly addressed heating in considered without Milo’s valuable information.
the planted tank. In summary, the plant sale swelled the attendance
Everyone of course was eagerly anticipating the for this meeting, but learning about plants from Milo
plant sale. Milo was asked to make a few remarks was the true highlight.
about each plant offered in the sale. Milo performed
Ken described an automatic shut off system for Brad also brought in a portable water change
his reverse osmosis unit that he designed and built. device he created from PVC. I like the idea of
Included was a schematic drawing handed out to catching siphoned water in a bucket before the water
attendees. The schematic alone tells us a lot about enters drain system. The ease of moving the system
Ken. from tank to tank is also attractive.
Dale showed and discussed creating a low cost Feel free to contact these MASers for more
light for a relatively deep planted tank. I particularly information on their DIY projects, as they all were
liked this talk as Dale assumes little and verifies many happy to answer questions.
items including lamp spectrum prior to proceeding.
Dale was not afraid to show us a failure of sorts as this All Photos courtesy of Randy Carey
lead him to his later success in building the light he
wanted.
www.mn-aquarium.org
14 AQUA NEWS March/April 2007
www.mn-aquarium.org
AQUA NEWS March/April 2007 15
MemberName PointLevel AwardName Award_Date MemberName PointLevel AwardName Award_Date
Hansen, Ron 25 Beginner Award 6/1/1991 MacNabb,
Larry & JoAnne 250 Intermediate Award 2/1/1993
Harris, Mike 25 Beginner Award 1/4/2007
MacNabb,
Heaney, Bill 25 Beginner Award 6/1/1991 Larry & JoAnne 100 Novice Award 10/1/1991
Hedberg, Dan 100 Novice Award 10/1/1989 MacNabb,
Hedberg, Dan 25 Beginner Award 4/1/1989 Larry & JoAnne 25 Beginner Award 6/1/1991
Heinen, Shane 100 Novice Award 12/1/1999 Marchan, Edward 100 Novice Award 5/1/1994
Heinen, Shane 25 Beginner Award 2/1/1998 Marchan, Edward 25 Beginner Award 1/1/1994
Heyer, Jon 25 Beginner Award 9/1/2000 Marshik, Patty 25 Beginner Award 7/1/1988
Hirsch, Jim 100 Novice Award 3/1/2005 Marshik, Stephanie 25 Beginner Award 11/1/1987
Hirsch, Jim 25 Beginner Award 11/1/1998 Mastberger, Chad 100 Novice Award 9/1/1998
Hostrawser, Cary 250 Intermediate Award 11/1/1996 Mastberger, Chad 25 Beginner Award 8/1/1997
Hostrawser, Cary 100 Novice Award 7/1/1995 Mathis, Jim 2000 Grand Master Award 5/1/2005
Hostrawser, Cary 25 Beginner Award 10/1/1994 Mathis, Jim 1500 Master Award II 8/1/1999
Hougen, Dean Mathis, Jim 1000 Master Award 3/1/1998
& Teague, Cynthia 250 Intermediate Award 2/1/1993 Mathis, Jim 750 Expert Award 4/1/1997
Hougen, Dean Mathis, Jim 500 Advanced Award 7/1/1995
& Teague, Cynthia 100 Novice Award 12/1/1989
Mathis, Jim 250 Intermediate Award 12/1/1993
Hougen, Dean
& Teague, Cynthia 25 Beginner Award 9/1/1989 Mathis, Jim 100 Novice Award 9/1/1992
Howell, Greg 25 Beginner Award 1/1/1991 Mathis, Jim 25 Beginner Award 11/1/1991
Hutchinson, Melissa 25 Beginner Award 11/2/2006 McAninch, Carter 100 Novice Award 9/1/2004
Jensen, Troy 25 Beginner Award 6/1/1994 McAninch, Carter 25 Beginner Award 3/1/1998
Johnson, Brad 100 Novice Award 2/1/1993 McLeod, Bob 250 Intermediate Award 10/1/1995
Johnson, Brad 25 Beginner Award 3/1/1991 McLeod, Bob 100 Novice Award 2/1/1995
Johnston, Brian 100 Novice Award 2/1/2006 McLeod, Bob 25 Beginner Award 1/1/1994
Johnston, Brian 25 Beginner Award 5/1/2005 McNeil, Ken 250 Intermediate Award 5/1/1997
Jolivette, Kris & Ted 250 Intermediate Award 11/1/1997 McNeil, Ken 100 Novice Award 12/1/1995
Jolivette, Kris & Ted 100 Novice Award 6/1/1996 McNeil, Ken 25 Beginner Award 2/1/1995
Jolivette, Kris & Ted 25 Beginner Award 7/1/1995 Mechtel, Chuck 25 Beginner Award 1/1/1994
Kalal, Wayne 25 Beginner Award 8/1/1997 Methven, Paul 25 Beginner Award 3/1/1988
Kaldor, Chris 100 Novice Award 5/1/1995 Meuret, Patrick 25 Beginner Award 4/1/2002
Kaldor, Chris 25 Beginner Award 10/1/1992 Mock, Vienna 25 Beginner Award 6/1/1995
Kalvig, Peggy 100 Novice Award 3/1/2000 Morrison, Steven 250 Intermediate Award 9/6/2006
Kalvig, Peggy 25 Beginner Award 6/1/1999 Morrison, Steven 100 Novice Award 6/1/2003
King, Tom & Geri 25 Beginner Award 7/1/1992 Morrison, Steven 25 Beginner Award 2/1/2002
Korzendorfer, Dan 25 Beginner Award 6/1/1988 Mortenson, David & Cynthia 25 Beginner Award 8/1/1993
Koutek, Randy 25 Beginner Award 8/1/1997 Mortenson, Steve 100 Novice Award 12/1/1991
Krook, Al & Deb 25 Beginner Award 5/1/1994 Mortenson, Steve 25 Beginner Award 6/1/1991
Kruckenberg, Jenny 750 Expert Award 12/1/2002 Nab Dahl, Barry 250 Intermediate Award 5/1/1997
Kruckenberg, Jenny 500 Advanced Award 11/1/1997 Nab Dahl, Barry 100 Novice Award 1/1/1995
Kruckenberg, Jenny 250 Intermediate Award 8/1/1994 Nab Dahl, Barry 25 Beginner Award 3/1/1994
Kruckenberg, Jenny 100 Novice Award 8/1/1993 Newton, Bruce 25 Beginner Award 2/1/2001
Kruckenberg, Jenny 25 Beginner Award 2/1/1992 Njos, Bryan 100 Novice Award 5/1/1997
Lankhorst, Steven 25 Beginner Award 10/1/1996 Njos, Bryan 25 Beginner Award 5/1/1996
Lechowich, Steve 25 Beginner Award 1/1/1993 Nordahl, Scott A. 100 Novice Award 6/1/1996
Levine, Chuck 25 Beginner Award 5/1/1989 Nordahl, Scott A. 25 Beginner Award 1/1/1996
Loh, Willie 25 Beginner Award 1/1/1998 Nordby, Jason 25 Beginner Award 4/1/1990
Lowe, Jay 250 Intermediate Award 5/1/2003 Nordby, Ken & Sharron 1000 Master Award 8/1/1996
Lowe, Jay 100 Novice Award 10/1/2000 Nordby, Ken & Sharron 750 Expert Award 6/1/1992
Lowe, Jay 25 Beginner Award 12/1/1999 Nordby, Ken & Sharron 500 Advanced Award 10/1/1991
Lowe, Mike 25 Beginner Award 6/1/2002 Nordby, Ken & Sharron 250 Intermediate Award 12/1/1990
Lucken, Robby 100 Novice Award 10/1/2000 Nordby, Ken & Sharron 100 Novice Award 12/1/1989
Lucken, Robby 25 Beginner Award 1/1/1999 Nordby, Ken & Sharron 25 Beginner Award 9/1/1988
Macmillan, Sue 100 Novice Award 10/5/2006 Nystrom, Steve 100 Novice Award 11/1/1993
Macmillan, Sue 25 Beginner Award 4/1/2006 Nystrom, Steve 25 Beginner Award 8/1/1992
MacNabb, Larry Olson, Craig 25 Beginner Award 1/1/1992
& JoAnne 750 Expert Award 8/1/1998 Olson, Eric 25 Beginner Award 6/1/1996
MacNabb, Overn, Paul 100 Novice Award 11/1/1994
Larry & JoAnne 500 Advanced Award 11/1/1994
www.mn-aquarium.org
16 AQUA NEWS March/April 2007
MemberName PointLevel AwardName Award_Date MemberName PointLevel AwardName Award_Date
Overn, Paul 25 Beginner Award 6/1/1994 Schreyer, Dan & Diane 500 Advanced Award 8/1/1993
Pelkey, Richard J. 25 Beginner Award 9/1/1998 Schreyer, Dan & Diane 250 Intermediate Award 3/1/1991
Peterzen, Pete & Carol 1000 Master Award 8/1/1999 Schreyer, Dan & Diane 100 Novice Award 1/1/1990
Peterzen, Pete & Carol 750 Expert Award 5/1/1997 Schreyer, Dan & Diane 25 Beginner Award 1/1/1989
Peterzen, Pete & Carol 500 Advanced Award 8/1/1995 Smaciarz, Rich 1000 Master Award 3/1/2005
Peterzen, Pete & Carol 250 Intermediate Award 2/1/1995 Smaciarz, Rich 750 Expert Award 6/1/2002
Peterzen, Pete & Carol 25 Beginner Award 10/1/1994 Smaciarz, Rich 500 Advanced Award 4/1/1999
Peterzen, Pete & Carol 100 Novice Award 10/1/1994 Smaciarz, Rich 250 Intermediate Award 2/1/1997
Philstrom, Richard K. 25 Beginner Award 12/1/1997 Smaciarz, Rich 100 Novice Award 9/1/1995
Powell, Dick 25 Beginner Award 7/1/1989 Smaciarz, Rich 25 Beginner Award 7/1/1994
Prokop, Dan 25 Beginner Award 3/1/1998 Smith, Christopher 25 Beginner Award 9/1/2002
Randall, Bob 1000 Master Award 10/1/2005 Squires, Milo 250 Intermediate Award 3/1/1998
Randall, Bob 750 Expert Award 10/1/2004 Squires, Milo 100 Novice Award 12/1/1993
Randall, Bob 500 Advanced Award 9/1/2003 Squires, Milo 25 Beginner Award 6/1/1993
Randall, Bob 250 Intermediate Award 9/1/2002 Steffensen, Jerry & Shana 100 Novice Award 6/1/2003
Randall, Bob 100 Novice Award 10/1/2001 Steffensen, Jerry & Shana 25 Beginner Award 6/1/2002
Randall, Bob 25 Beginner Award 3/1/2001 Stemper, John 25 Beginner Award 10/1/1993
Rees, Craig 500 Advanced Award 10/1/1992 Stevens, Jason M. 100 Novice Award 10/1/1997
Rees, Craig 250 Intermediate Award 8/1/1991 Stevens, Jason M. 25 Beginner Award 8/1/1996
Rees, Craig 100 Novice Award 2/1/1991 Stoller, John 25 Beginner Award 1/1/1994
Rees, Craig 25 Beginner Award 10/1/1990 Stowe, Marc 25 Beginner Award 2/1/1998
Resech, Bob 250 Intermediate Award 1/1/1996 Swanson, Brad & Nancy 500 Advanced Award 8/1/1997
Resech, Bob 100 Novice Award 3/1/1994 Swanson, Brad & Nancy 250 Intermediate Award 10/1/1993
Resech, Bob 25 Beginner Award 8/1/1993 Swanson, Brad & Nancy 100 Novice Award 2/1/1993
Riebesell, D.J. 25 Beginner Award 3/1/1997 Swanson, Brad & Nancy 25 Beginner Award 2/1/1992
Robb, Chad 25 Beginner Award 4/1/2005 Swanson, Jason 25 Beginner Award 2/1/2007
Robertson, Terry 100 Novice Award 9/1/2001 Tjepkes, Troy 500 Advanced Award 12/1/1989
Robertson, Terry 25 Beginner Award 4/1/2000 Tjepkes, Troy 250 Intermediate Award 7/1/1988
Rosa, Heather & Paul 250 Intermediate Award 9/1/1997 Tjepkes, Troy 100 Novice Award 5/1/1988
Rosa, Heather & Paul 100 Novice Award 2/1/1995 Tjepkes, Troy 25 Beginner Award 6/1/1987
Rosa, Heather & Paul 25 Beginner Award 1/1/1991 Trembly, Lisa 25 Beginner Award 11/1/1993
Rossa, Ron 25 Beginner Award 7/1/1991 Turley, Paul 100 Novice Award 9/1/1995
Routh, Bruce 25 Beginner Award 10/1/1996 Turley, Paul 25 Beginner Award 6/1/1993
Rutz, Tim 500 Advanced Award 12/1/2001 Voorhees, Keith 100 Novice Award 8/1/1994
Rutz, Tim 250 Intermediate Award 8/1/2000 Voorhees, Keith 25 Beginner Award 10/1/1992
Rutz, Tim 100 Novice Award 4/1/1997 Walsh, Bob 100 Novice Award 8/1/1991
Rutz, Tim 25 Beginner Award 6/1/1996 Walsh, Bob 25 Beginner Award 10/1/1989
Ruzek, Dan 25 Beginner Award 12/1/1993 WasDyke, Joel 250 Intermediate Award 5/1/1999
Ruzek, Kenneth V. Jr. 500 Advanced Award 1/1/1999 WasDyke, Joel 100 Novice Award 1/1/1998
Ruzek, Kenneth V. Jr. 250 Intermediate Award 8/1/1995 WasDyke, Joel 25 Beginner Award 2/1/1997
Ruzek, Kenneth V. Jr. 100 Novice Award 8/1/1994 Weber, Robin 250 Intermediate Award 1/1/2004
Ruzek, Kenneth V. Jr. 25 Beginner Award 6/1/1993 Weber, Robin 100 Novice Award 9/1/2000
Sarslow, Anchor 1000 Master Award 5/1/1994 Weber, Robin 25 Beginner Award 4/1/2000
Sarslow, Anchor 750 Expert Award 5/1/1992 Weidner, Marvin 25 Beginner Award 9/1/1989
Sarslow, Anchor 500 Advanced Award 5/1/1991 Wilson, Zack 250 Intermediate Award 8/1/2002
Sarslow, Anchor 250 Intermediate Award 10/1/1988 Wilson, Zack 100 Novice Award 4/1/2002
Sarslow, Anchor 100 Novice Award 3/1/1988 Wilson, Zack 25 Beginner Award 11/1/2001
Sarslow, Anchor 25 Beginner Award 11/1/1987 Woehler, Steve 100 Novice Award 4/1/1994
Sarver, Janet 100 Novice Award 2/1/1995 Woehler, Steve 25 Beginner Award 11/1/1993
Sarver, Janet 25 Beginner Award 2/1/1993 Wolden, Kirk 25 Beginner Award 1/1/1990
Scales, Larry 25 Beginner Award 10/1/1999 Wolden, Kirk 100 Novice Award 1/1/1990
Scepurek, Terry 250 Intermediate Award 8/1/2002 Woldstad, Sharon 25 Beginner Award 10/1/1997
Scepurek, Terry 100 Novice Award 8/1/2000 Wolf, Scott 25 Beginner Award 3/1/1993
Scepurek, Terry 25 Beginner Award 10/1/1999 Wonders, Ron 250 Intermediate Award 2/1/1993
Schneider, Cindy 25 Beginner Award 1/1/1998 Wonders, Ron 100 Novice Award 11/1/1991
Schoeler, Karl 100 Novice Award 3/1/2001 Wonders, Ron 25 Beginner Award 7/1/1991
Schoeler, Karl 25 Beginner Award 1/1/1992
www.mn-aquarium.org
AQUA NEWS March/April 2007 17
Cichlid Matters
Author: Bob Randall
Good day to all MAS members and readers. As I trained show cichlid. If a cichlid fails to win Best of Show
write this, our 2007 Show is approaching, as you read this this year then good luck to all in 2008.
our show will be history. I hope your cichlids did well in The remainder of this column will discuss a large
the show and one of them won Best of Show. We know that cichlid, Uaru. These cichlids are found in South America.
cichlids are smarter and better looking than other fish so it For many years Uaru amphiacanthoides was the sole
only stands to reason, a cichlid won Best of Show. member of this genus. This magnificent animal’s native
During our and other shows cichlids are often waters are Rio Negro, tributary to Amazon River. A second
displayed in bare bottom tanks whereas fish from member of the genus was found in Río Orinoco,
other classes are displayed in tanks with sub- Uaru fernandezyepezi. Both of these cichlids
strate and even decorations. The reason live amongst roots and trees fallen into
why we have this discrepancy is the water. Diet is mainly fallen fruits, de-
majority of cichlids are too large to caying vegetable matter and inverte-
display in a tank with substrate brates. It is thought Uaru school,
and decorations. Large cichlids as this is how they behave in the
could lose an eye on rock or aquaria. This is important, as
driftwood when confined to single Uaru do not do well in
a small tank. Or fins may captivity. In native waters
split due to thrashing about Uaru may reach 14 inches
in a small tank with rocks length.
and other decor. Fur- Uaru behavior
ther, cichlid behavior is in aquaria is in sharp
often characterized as contrast to many cichlids
shy or paranoid. Typi- as Uaru are peaceful and
cally, cichlids like to do not display territorial
spend their time close aggression to conspecific
to or within habitat with neighbors or tank mates
numerous hiding places. from other species. Lack
Our cichlid tanks are of aggression is true for
often set up for such both feeding and breed-
behavior and it is a joy to ing territories. Of course
watch our cichlids dart out if a fish keeper attempts
of hiding and then return to siphon the fry from the
just as quickly. At a show, tank, Uaru will attack the
the purpose is to see the hand that feeds them. Mini-
fish displaying itself to show mum tank size is 48 x 18 x
attendees. Décor mimicking 18 inches for a small breed-
cichlid habitat would defeat the ing pair of 6-8 inches. Larger
purpose of viewing the fish for the Uaru should be given a larger
most part. tank. Shoals will require the larg-
It is easy to see which cichlid est tank their keeper can afford. Décor
keepers show fish and which do not. Cich- includes wood as this mimics the natural
lids that stay hidden by décor or in shadows, environment. This fish will graze on the wood
have not been trained for a show. Cichlids that come to and wood must be chemically free. Plants are relished
the front of the tank and display themselves to all have been as a food source. Do not place prize plant specimens in
trained intentionally or ocassionally unintentionally. Some a Uaru tank. Plant replicas are not a substitute for living
cichlids are easier to train than others. Oscars and discus plants as these animals may consume silk or plastic result-
come to mind quickly. Perhaps all cichlids can be trained ing in a poor outcome. Rio Negro water is soft (< 1 degree
for the show tank. Remember cichlids are smart. A cichlid GH) and acidic (5-6). These fish have adapted to the black
keeper willing to invest the effort will be rewarded with a water over thousands of years and thus black water is the
www.mn-aquarium.org
AQUA NEWS March/April 2007 19
MAS Auctions
The MAS Auctions occur 3 times a year, providing a great opportunity to purchase and sell your fish and other
related items. The next Auction is April 21, 2007, Preview at 10 AM, Auction starts at 11 AM at the Lutheran Church of
the Redemption, 927 E Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington, MN 55420.
Questions should be directed to the Auction Chair: Tom Gromek – tjg@usgo.net.
Auctioneers sell about 800 items per auction. Literally 100’s of bags of fish and plants
3 4
5 6
7 8
10 11 12 13
14
15
16
17 18
19
20
21 22 23
24 25
26 27
28
29
30
Across Down
2. Rotifers, protozoans and other minute 1. Process by which bacteria oxidize lethal ammonia
organisms. into relatively harmless nitrates.
3. Scientific order of taxonomy for related species. 4. Structural body armor made of chitin.
6. Puntius titteya. 5. The small fin located between the dorsal fin and the
10. Marks located on the rear of the body, frequently caudal fin
on the anal fin of the male. 7. spiney puffer fish considered a rare delicacy in
13. Goldfish lose their ______ if kept in dim light. Japan
15. Person who studies fish. 8. The power supply for fluorescent and metal halide
19. A juvenile eel. lighting.
20. Type of RO membrane. 9. Brine Shrimp
22. Accumulated, decaying, organic matter and other 11. Air or fat filled organ.
tiny particles, grains, or refuse. 12. Fe.
24. Ammonia removing substance. 14. Fish in the family, Cyprinodontidae.
26. CO3 16. A water condition which has a pH lower than 7.0.
28. Water circulator. 17. food prefered by mollies
29. Soft, acidic water found in regions of South 18. A pregnant female fish.
America. 21. PO4
30. Java Moss 23. A group of fish moving together.
25. Gill Cover.
27. Color of Pangio kuhlii eggs.
www.mn-aquarium.org
AQUA NEWS March/April 2007 21
http://www.mnaquarium.org
Todays Date__________________
The following information will not be used beyond the Minnesota Aquarium Society
Name: _____________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________
| 23 |
www.mn-aquarium.org
22 AQUA NEWS March/April 2007
SouthWestern Michigan Aquarium Society Jr.; Glass worms are not worms, but larvae of a Chao-
from SWAM, May/June 1989 Issue borus plumicornis fly. They range in size from 1/8-inch to
3/4-inch, and swim horizontally in the water. The larvae are
Aquarticles glass clear except for their eyes and digestive tract.
In the course of catching these, you may also get
Once you have decided to collect live food, the first some bosmine, blood worms, (another fly larvae), and Cy-
thing you must do is find a pond that contains the food you clops. They also are alright to feed, but are somewhat rare.
are after. You should look for a fairly small pond that is Now you can get to the actual catching and feed-
partly stagnant, but not polluted, and contains very few or ing of the food. Capturing the food is easy. Just take your
no fish. If the pond has firm banks around it and the water net and draw it through the water. Trying different depths,
deepens quickly, it will make your job of collecting a lot sooner or later, if there is anything in the pond, you should
easier. If you are not able to find a pond like this, tall boots catch it.
should get you into deep enough water to draw your net When you have caught as much as you want, run
through. the food through a series of nets. A kitchen strainer that is
After you have found a suitable pond, round up not too fine will catch the leaves and other debris, and let
something with which to catch and transport the food. To the food pass through. Then strain the food through two
capture live foods you need a fine net. A woman’s nylon more progressively fine nets, one to catch the larger food,
stocking sewed to a six-inch by six-inch stiff wire frame, and the other to get what is left. Now you can put the food
fastened to a long handle, works excellent. The food can be into a couple of small jars filled with fresh water. One can
carried in anything that holds water, as long as it is clean be used to feed your larger fish and the other can be used
and free of chemicals. to feed your small or baby fish. By putting the food in jars
Now that you are ready to go, knowing what to it is easier to control the amount of food you want to put in
look for may help keep you from getting discouraged. The each tank. The above is not absolutely necessary if you do
food organisms most often caught by aquarist are daphnia, not wish to do all that, but if you bring the food home in
mosquito larvae, and glass worms. the pond water you should put them in fresh water before
Daphnia are small crustaceans averaging about feeding.
the size of a pin head, or a little larger. They are reddish- If you have any food left over, you can keep them
colored and swarm near banks of the pond, swimming in in a spare aquarium. They are best kept cool (in the 60’s
vertical, jerky motions. will do), and aerated if possible. If you do not have the
Mosquito larvae are probably the food eaten most room to keep them alive you can freeze them in ice cube
by wild fish. They can be seen hanging from the surface trays.
of the water in their third stage of development. They will As a few last notes, watch out for large larvae and
wiggle down to the bottom as soon as they are disturbed. other water bugs. If in doubt, do not feed. If your fish go
The eggs of the mosquito are laid in groups of 20 or 30, crazy over live food and you do not mind the snow and
called “rafts”. If you find some, take them home and let cold, some of this food can be caught through the ice in the
them hatch out in a jar or aquarium. winter.
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AQUA NEWS March/April 2007 23
As many of us are eventually faced with, I came The first thing I had to do was decide what size
upon the dilemma of how to maximize the number of tanks tanks to go with. This is an important aspect, as uniformity
I could fit into a limited space. I don’t think you can really is a key to efficiency. I ultimately decided to go with 30
have too much space, so I’d probably be saying “limited” breeders (30”L x 18”W x 12” H). I really like 20 longs
in any case. I was fortunate that I was taking on this issue for their viewing window, and they seem to be about the
prior to actually even starting any aquariums up. Other perfect size for keeping fish of my main passion, dwarf
priorities in life (*gasp*) had forced me to close down my cichlids and catfish. The extra front to back room made
entire fishroom for a couple years, and so I was starting for better surface area and also gave me a good bit of extra
from scratch, rather than having watched a room full of room to aquascape—one of my other passions on which I
aquariums spring up like plants here and there. So my un- plan on expanding. 30 gallons is also a nice size as it is big
derstanding wife and I had bought a home, and it just hap- enough for holding grow outs or larger numbers of other
pened to have come with an unfinished basement. There it fish when the need may arise, without getting into some-
sat tempting for months. Having a new child of my own left thing large and space-consuming.
me a minimal amount of time to think about such things My next challenge, one I spent a good amount of
for some time, but finally in about October of ’05, I found time on, was to figure out what configuration would allow
myself with some spare time and renewed thoughts of little me to maximize the number of tanks I could fit while still
fish swimming in glass boxes. Through some providential providing a good flow through the room. I felt that to be
comfortable there should be at least 3-4 feet between any
row of aquariums, and one shouldn’t have to wind around
too many corners or bends to get to the next bank of tanks.
After toying with a bunch of layouts on a graph, I finally
decided to go with a number of parallel rows that would
run the length of the room, with several smaller island racks
that would be placed perpendicularly to the other racks
and up against the support pillars in the basement. Given
the height of the ceiling I figured if I wasn’t too greedy
with the space between one tank and the next, I could even
manage to get 4 tanks per column. This was working on
the assumption that I would be making my racks of lumber,
which seemed to be the most economical option. Had I
used steel or some such, I might have had even more room,
circumstances I came upon the opportunity to finally seri- but I had limited resources. By this plan, I also left myself
ously begin planning a new fishroom. wall-space along the west wall where I could build racks
Since I was going to be building from the ground for larger, odd-sized aquariums I might want/NEED.
up, I wanted to give some real thought to how I wanted So all said and done, I came to the conclusion that I
my fishroom to look and function. The last time round would be able to fit about 150 30 breeders into my base-
was really a product of my growth and development into ment. I had about 1,200 sq. ft. to work with, given that the
the hobby. The two rooms that my tanks inhabited were a laundry room and a small storage room are taking up space
hodge-podge of variously sized aquariums that I had picked as well (storage room may later be “modified”). This wasn’t
up as a matter of necessity when my fish started multiply- a bad start, but still didn’t sound like enough. Fortunately
ing and my interests started branching out. This worked at when I started advancing in the process of building the
the time, but it certainly didn’t maximize my space usage racks, I began to see that 4 feet + between rows was actu-
and it didn’t look as nice as it could have. This time round ally more generous than I had to be. This left me with some
I wanted to create a room that would be enjoyable to walk open room to squeeze in a few extra tanks here and there. I
through and view my fishes in, while also achieving the figured a few large “show” tanks here and there wouldn’t be
goal of cramming every last bit of water I could into it. bad as focal points.
continued page 24
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24 AQUA NEWS March/April 2007
Stepping back a little, once I picked the tanks, my
other big consideration I needed to tackle was one any of
us has to look at when we have more than a few tanks. How
am I going to change water one and keep so many tanks
clean? Well, I really have never thought of the typical over-
flow system as being very efficient for pollutant removal.
You’re always flushing out new water along with the old
and by that method you drain a lot of water before you real-
ly get a good percentage of old water out. I much preferred
the idea of removing a given percentage of tank water (75%
sounded good to me) and then replacing it with fresh water.
My idea was to drill each of the tanks in the system one
quarter of the way up from the bottom and then install a
tanks using nickel/brass air valves and voila. Not a bad
bulkhead with a cap. The water could then be drained into
part of the process. Each tank could then be filtered with a
a larger diameter PVC pipe that I could run around the fish-
sponge filter or two and the cost of operation is pretty darn
room to each rack and then to the drain. By putting the pipe
low.
at a gentle grade, all the water runs to the laundry room
From there it was mostly details. I did install a
where we have a floor drain (another really nice feature of
number of outlet boxes periodically throughout the fish-
the basement). So the draining problem solved, all I really
room for times when I may need power. I also installed a
had to do was figure out how to return the water. Being that
couple extra circuit-breakers for this draw—don’t need to
I wasn’t going to go with a centralized filtration system, I
be worrying about running the dryer or washer or some-
had to figure out how to run water to each individual tank.
thing. I did recently also install an air-exchange unit to
Again I went with PVC, this time about 1/2” diameter and
bring in fresh air from outside. With this many tanks the
ran this from the water mains in the laundry room to each
humidity can get very high very fast—not healthy or safe.
rack where the lines fanned out to each row, allowing for a
I also still want to paint the racks and put up screens over
ball-valve and sort of faucet to be put in through the top of
the top portion of each tank to prevent light from bleed-
each tank in back. I didn’t really feel like drilling another
ing out. Speaking of light, I’m still toying with my options
hole for returns and I needed to be able to access the valve.
there.
So that sounded easy enough—yeah right. The idea is
After putting some of my ideas into action, I have
sound, but it’s a bit of work assembling 150+ T’s with ball-
found some things I would have done differently. My big-
valves and countless lengths of PVC. I’m still in the pro-
gest brain-fart of the whole process was the outlets. Not
cess of finishing this, but at least I’ve got the drains done. I
giving it enough thought, I was more concerned about mak-
should also mention here that due to the lack of gravity all
ing sure I had enough outlets and that they were spaced out
of the bottom tanks, which sit on the floor, are not able to
be part of the drain system and therefore have to be done by enough over the room. I didn’t even think about the height
of the boxes. As it turns out they come up quite nice and
Python unless I come up with a brilliant solution to that. Oh
square behind the second row of tanks from the bottom.
well.
Not the end of the world, but it makes for some fun contor-
Next up was filtration. I didn’t like the idea of
tion tricks trying to get plugs into outlets. I might have
centralized filtration for the whole room, and individually
adjusted the height, but it would have been a lot of work,
filtering every one of those tanks would be insane, and
and funny as it may sound I can be lazy. It’s been about 8
insanely expensive. I hate the extra noise of blowers, and
months of hard work, from re-pouring the floors myself,
they can be expensive too. So I finally decided to go with a
to redoing the concrete walls, painting, tiling the floor, and
couple of linear air pumps. These pumps are insanely quiet
on and on. It’s really fun and rewarding to see it coming
for their output and are very reliable and low maintenance.
along, but it’s been back-breaking at times. Fortunately I’m
They also put out very good pressure and even running 250
most of the way to where I want to be, and at least there’s
some sponge filters I get very high flow. It also helps that I
an end. I will continue to tweak things I’m sure, but it’s a
went with 30 breeders, as the shorter height provides less
great thrill to actually be bringing my dream fishroom to
back-pressure. After installing PVC around the perimeter
reality.
of the room I then installed enough outlets for each of the
Photos by Author
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AQUA NEWS March/April 2007 25
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26 AQUA NEWS March/April 2007
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