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CONTENTS

Articles

Fish Gallery tour andFebruary Meeting p.1Meet a fellow GHACmember p.2Fish of the Monthp.3Tank of the Month p.4February Event Picturesp.5Water Basics p.5Items of InterestGHAC Officers p.2How to contact theGHAC p.2Useful Websites p.4

NEWSLETTER

March 2008

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

Og Mandino

Fish Gallery Tour and February Meeting

By Tim Bell

Things are really gearing up! It seems like only yesterday that theGHAC was formed. I enjoyed seeming many familiar faces and meetingsome new ones at the February meeting held at Roy and Heidi’s house.There was a small auction held after the meeting, where many greatdeals 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 notexpecting nearly the turnout that they got (although they were warned!).We are currently working to see if some sort of agreement can bereached for Fish Gallery to join Mike’s Tropical Fish & Pets as asponsor of the GHAC.The GHAC is currently looking for members who would like to join anEvents Committee that will work closely with the Club Officers inlannin and workin futureevents.“I see some duboisi in there”I

know

I’m cute!…a food free-for-all…

Your GHAC Officers are:

Raul Turner(rrocket2002)PresidentTim Bell(armthehomeless)Vice PresidentDavid Abeles(Tiapan)Co-Vice PresidentLoretta Mitchell(fishlady)SecretaryMary Beth Petranek (Mzungu)TreasurerWe want to hear from you. After all, you are thereason that we are here. Email any suggestions,comments, or questions to

Raul_GHAC [at] yahoo[dot] com

Mike’s Tropical Fish and Pets

14203 Stuebner AirlineHouston, Tx 77069PH. 281-586-8787Fax.281-586-8799E-Mail.

RunOverHere [at] hotmail [dot] com

Meet a Fellow GHAC Member

This Month:Loretta MitchellAs a child, my mother owned a fish shop inCleveland, TX called “The Seven L’s Fish Shop”. Iremember all those tanks, but being so young I had noidea of the passion that she possessed in keeping allthose fish. I remember her favorite fish were bettas;she bred them and sold them with such pride. Littledid I know that she planted the seed for my passion.The first fish I ever had was a goldfish that I namedMr. Worthington. I was given this fish by my firstboyfriend in the 7

grade. He won the goldfish for meat our school carnival. I found that he had passed onwhen I came home after school in the 10

grade. Itnearly broke my heart. I never forgot him and mostcertainly never will.I became interested again in fish keeping in 1990,when I acquired my first fish tank. It was a 40 gallonhex tank. As with most people starting out, I put asmany different types of fish as I could in that tank.My most memorable fish was an elephant nose. Ienjoyed watching him eat tubifex worms off the sideof the aquarium.That seems like forever ago for me looking back now.I recently became reacquainted with fish-keepingthanks to CichlidFan. He found a deal on Craigslistfor us to acquire our first tank together. Looking back at that wonderful deal, we realized that we got aheadof ourselves and paid way too much for that 29gallon. Nevertheless, it opened the door to my currentobsession. That is when the tanks started going up allover the place.The Houstonfishbox forum further fueled my passionfor fish-keeping. My fish addiction flourished and Istarted making new friends. I became aware that fishkeeping wasn’t just a hobby, but a passion that liesdeep inside me. I have always felt a love for theseprecious life forms. Keeping fish showed me thateven at the end of a trying day there was somethingthat still made me feel that the day was a great gift. Ispend hours looking at my fish; I spend a lot of money making sure they have the best I can offerthem in return for their gift they give me.--- Continued on Page 6 ---

Fish of the Month

Paradise Fish

Macropodus OperculerisBy Roy FlisOne of the oldest known “tropical” fish in the hobby, the Paradise fish has been kept in Europe and the USand other parts of the Western World since the latter part of the 19

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 thrivesunder all types of conditions...Unlike its cousin the betta, the male Paradise will show some aggression towards its tank mates, making it acandidate 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 andinteresting 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 beproduced by a mature couple. The male will then become intolerant of the female. The female needs to beremoved 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, willconsider them to be his dinner.

Summary:

Family

BelontidaeClassed as an Anabantid or Labyrinth (air breathing) fish,the Paradise must have access to the atmospheric air or itwill literally drown.

Range

Much of Eastern Asia

Size

Typically to 4” in captivity

Colors

Male “Blue Paradise” – Orange/Brown backgroundexhibiting vivid blue vertical stripes on the body plus thedorsal and anal fins – Female, a much paler version. Thereis also a true, red eyed albino version showing a creamcolored background with pale red stripes and finnage. Thisis 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.