Underwater News March 2014 - Pioneer Valley Aquarium Society

NEWSLETTER
MARCH 4, 2014
OFFICERS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cover Photo Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/photo/370306
PRESIDENT
MARCH 2014
VICE PRESIDENT Ben Belancik
benjaminsr@belancik.com
SECRETARY Peter George
TREASURER Don Hennemann
modelrrbug@aol.com
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT Scott Craig
BOARD MEMBERS
Jerine Blissett
Jeff Slade
Bill Maier
COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS
AUCTION CHAIR Jim Cormier
MEMBERSHIP Don Hennemann
PROGRAMS Peter George
MUSEUM LIASON
LIBRARY Bill Maier
REFRESHMENTS Scott Craig & William Maier
SUNSHINE
NEWSLETTER Jerine Blissett
BYLAWS
EXCHANGE EDITOR
NEC DELEGATE
NEC ALT. DELEGATE Martha Morris
The Underwater News is the official publication
of the Pioneer Valley Aquarium Society, Inc. and
is published either monthly or bimonthly except
for July and August. The views and opinions
printed herein are those of the individual
authors, and are not necessarily those of PVAS.
The Underwater News is provided free to our
members as part of their membership. Unless
otherwise indicated, original articles and
drawings may be re-printed in other non-profit
publications, as long as credit is given to the
author and The Underwater News. Two copies
of the publication in which the reprint appears
should be sent to PVAS. Address all exchange
bulletins and correspondence to the Pioneer
Valley Aquarium Society, Inc. c/o Michael Liu,
14 Indian Hill, Florence, MA 01062.
IN THIS ISSUE
3
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE CLUB
Minutes from our General & BOD Meeting, Treasurer’s Report &
Up Coming Events
6
GOLDFISH JUDGING IN AMERICA
By Rick Graham
First published in “Tank Topics,” Greater Akron Aquarium Society,
Dec 2000/Jan 2001
Aquarticles
7
THE IDEAL WORM CULTURE
By Chase Klinesteker
SouthWestern Michigan Aquarium Society. From SWAM, March/
April 2002 Issue.
Aquarticles
8 PVAS PROGRAMS, CONTEST & TRADING POST
VISIT PVAS.NET FOR UPDATES AND MEMBERSHIPS 2
THIS MONTHS MEETING IS MARCH 4TH AT THE SPRINGFIELD SCIENCE MUSEUM.
PETER IZZO TALKING ON COLLECTING IN URUGUAY
MARCH 2014
THERE WILL BE AN ELECTION HELD
FOR A NEW PVAS PRESIDENT AT OUT
MARCH MEETING.
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE CLUB
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE CLUB
MINUTES FROM OUR GENERAL & BOD MEETING
No minutes for February’s meetings
TREASURER’S REPORT
VISIT PVAS.NET FOR UPDATES AND MEMBERSHIPS 3
Northeast Council of Aquarium Societies
SPEAKERS
Rick Borstein
th
39 Tropical Fish
Convention
March 28 – 30, 2014
Speakers - Vendor Room
Fish Show – Workshops
All Day Auction Sunday!
Exit 21 off I-91 South of
Hartford. Turn left off exit.
An Educational and Social
Weekend Open To All!
Ken McKeighen
Matt Pedersen
Roxanne Smolowitz
Mark Soberman
Kris Weinhold
----------------------------
Don’t miss this opportunity to see great speakers, get new fish
and learn from others who share your interest!
THE CROWNE PLAZA
Cromwell, Connecticut
Ted Coletti
Workshops
Andrew Murphy
Roxanne Smolowitz
Leslie Dick …………...(203) 748-7800
ConventionChair@northeastcouncil.org
Joe Masi …………...(845) 896-4793
President@northeastcouncil.org
Nancy Villars............(732) 787-0654
NECConvention@aol.com Vendor Room Chair
Barbara Romeo............ (914) 433-2556
BRomeo1234@optonline.net Sponsor/Donor Chair
George Goulart……………(401) 331-5376
George@aqualifecentral.com NEC Fish Show Chair
Visit Convention Web Page for All Details
including Auction Info and Rules,
Online Registration, Hotel Reservations, Event
Schedule & Speaker info and Show info!
http:// www.northeastcouncil.org/
Speakers – Vendor Room – Sunday Auction 11am (viewing from 9:30am) – Banquet – Workshops
Club meetings – Fish Show
Rick Borsetein – Spawning Cichlids – 60 Tips – Digital Photography Roxanne Smolowitz – Anatomy/Physiology FW Fish
Ted Coletti – Xiphophorus – Water Gardens
Mark Soberman – African Catfish – Cory/Aspidoras/Brochis
Ken McKeighen – Evolution of Fish – Pupfish
Kris Weinold – NA native plants – Aquascaping
Matt Pedersen – Marine Fishrooms – Aquarium Ark
Roxanne Smolowitz – FW Fish Disease Diagnoses Workshop
Andrew Murphy – SW Coral Fragging Workshop
Leslie Dick 203-748-7800 ConventionChair@northeastcouncil.org
http://www.northeastcouncil.org/convention
MARCH 2014
Lerdsuwa - http://en.wikipedia.org
FEATURED ARTICLE
Goldfish Judging in America
by Rick Graham
First published in “Tank Topics,” Greater Akron Aquarium Society, Dec 2000/Jan 2001
Aquarticles
I recently judged the North American Goldfish Championship
presented by the GAAS. I was assisted by Denny Herbert and
glad to have the help. The Goldfish competition in Akron began
twenty-five years ago and has continued to improve each year.
This year’s competition was no exception. I believe over one
hundred goldfish were in competition and they were among
the finest I’ve seen. The Ranchu, Eye type, Ryukin, American/
Chinese Lionhead, and Oranda classes were extremely
competitive. One class that may have caused controversy was
the Pearl Scale class. Ideally Pearl Scales with both short and
long fins are shown in one class, and Pearl Scale Orandas and
Sac Heads (Hamani) should be shown in another, however, they
were placed together. Please keep in mind all show committees
try hard to be fair in class structure, however, they can’t afford
classes for every type. I believe GAAS does a great job but could
use a little goldfish class tweaking.
Getting back to judging the Pearl Scale class, all entries must have
mandatory elements that make up a show fish and the proper
classification. All goldfish must have two eyes, two ventral fins,
two pectoral fins and two anal fins. I know a few of you think it
is OK to have only one anal fm. Unless you are showing a single
caudal variety or a Chinese Egg Fish (no dorsal or anal fins) it
must have two anal fins. Without two anal fins it is not a show
fish. Yes it may be a beautiful fish, but it is not a show fish. It is a
regressive condition and should not be accepted. There are other
mandatory elements such as an erect dorsal; a smooth back for
dorsal-less type, proper shaped mouths, etc., etc. One condition
for Pearl Scales is the item they’re named for - PEARL SCALES! In
this class we found many nice Pearl Scale Orandas and Sac Heads,
however, they had scales missing or areas that scales were not
developed. The fish we awarded the first place was a traditional
short finned Pearl Scale. It was a good example of that type. It
was well conditioned, properly portioned and had a very good
scale development. And it was well presented (I’ll get back to
this element later.) No, it did not have head growth or a sac head,
but it had one of the prime elements, it had properly developed
pearl scales. Any good judge will know the prime elements that
make up each type. I don’t care if it is a dog show or a fish show
they must know! You may wonder where color comes in. The
above mandatory items, plus proper body shape/proportions
are key items to look for. After that, look for ornamental items
if that class requires them for that particular class. Then look at
color, visual appeal, deportment and presentation.
Many times an entry could have placed higher if the entrant
would have taken time to clean the tank glass. I feel an entry
must be presented with pride. If you’re not presenting with
pride then you are most likely only interested in awards or your
ego. Please take the time to present your entry properly. I know
it takes a lot of work to bring an entry to a show. So complete
the job and take the time to wipe off the water spots on your
entry. In closing I’d like to say judges try to do a good job. I can
also tell you Denny and I have bred and raised Goldfish for a
long time. We are not going to be overwhelmed by some new
exotic fish. Yes we will enjoy seeing it, but we will not overlook
it’s flaws. I have found most goldfish hobbyists believe what they
have in their fishroom is the standard of that type. Or it seems
a hobbyist who raises English Goldfish believes English fish are
superior. Or those who raise Chinese or American Lionheads are
better than Ranchu and so on. The truth is we should enjoy all
types and encourage improvements on each type. We are known
as a nation of many cultures and a melting pot of the world.
This applies to Goldfish and humans, Next time you question a
judge’s decision, remember there is usually a good reason for its
placement in that class.
Note if you are interested in seeing or showing quality Goldfish,
or interested in just talking Goldfish, please come to Akron.
Show your fish! It may not place, but so what? It will be nice to
see your entry and you can always say you participated in the
GAAS North American Goldfish Championship and annual
Great Goldfish Get-Together.
VISIT PVAS.NET FOR UPDATES AND MEMBERSHIPS 6
FEATURED ARTICLE
The Ideal Worm Culture
MARCH 2014
By Chase Klinesteker
SouthWestern Michigan Aquarium Society. From SWAM, March/April 2002 Issue.
Aquarticles
Worms are a very high protein live food that is eaten eagerly by
almost all species of tropical fish. Although they can be overfed
because of their high fat content, usually the problem is to get
enough of them to feed your fish. George Coy has been making
black worms available to club members at SWMAS meetings, and
that has been a great help. However, smaller fish and fry cannot
eat black worms, and it takes a lot of newly hatched brine shrimp
to get them to the size where they can eat them. With the high
price of brine shrimp eggs, a good substitute would be in order.
Grindal worms seem to be ideal to fill this gap. They are very thin
and only about one-fourth of an inch long. I have seen fry eat
worms longer then themselves! Usually after only about two to
three weeks on newly hatched brine shrimp, most fry can handle
grindal worms. Yet they are large enough for most larger fish to
see and eat. Fish up to two and one-half inches to three inches
relish them. Still something was needed for larger fish.
I bought a red worm culture a few years ago to feed my larger
fish. One day a white fuzz was noticed on the soil surface after
feeding oatmeal. I thought it might be fungus, baby red worms,
or egg cases, but on close examination they were grindal worms.
The two species seemed to thrive together, and when I tried to
establish a culture of only the grindal worms, they did not do well
at all. Possibly the earthworms aerate and mix the soil for the
grindal worms. They both can be very prolific.
oatmeal. On a good culture with a two to three square foot area, a
handful of oatmeal will be gone in twenty-four hours. Many other
foods could be used. I have neglected this culture for up to two
months and the worms will survive as long as some moisture is
maintained!
Although grindal worms are quite small, they can be collected in
great quantities by feeding with one-minute oatmeal on the soil
surface. In twelve to twenty-four hours, the soil will be coated
with grindal worms and they can be scraped off with a spoon and
separated by rinsing in cold water two to three times, letting them
settle and pouring off the mud each time. Use a clear plastic cup,
so you can see when the worms settle to the bottom. They can be
fed to your fish with an eyedropper or a small baster.
The red worms that are in the culture appear to be similar to night
crawlers in form, but they never get any longer than two to two
and a half-inches, and are a perfect size to feed to large cichlids.
They can be picked from the soil by hand or with tweezers. For
smaller fish…two to four inches…I will cut them up in a cup
containing water with scissors into small pieces and rinse them
off before feeding.
The grindal-red worm culture feeds almost all sizes of fish, is very
productive, and is easy to care for. What more could we ask for?
The soil that I use is one-half of fine particle topsoil, and one-half
ground cellulose worm bedding, which can be purchased at most
stores that carry fishing supplies or bait. Both species seem to do
well when the soil is kept very moist. Plastic sweater containers
or shoeboxes with good fitting lids serve as adequate containers.
Keeping the containers on the basement floor next to an outside
wall can help, although both of these worms will reproduce well
throughout the summer months, a plus when compared to white
worms.
For feeding and best production, I sprinkle one-minute oatmeal
evenly over the surface every two to three days. The amount of
food is dependent on the density of the worms. If the oatmeal
lasts more than one and one-half days, you are feeding too much
VISIT PVAS.NET FOR UPDATES AND MEMBERSHIPS 7
BREEDERS AWARD & BOWL SHOW PROGRAM
BREEDER AWARDS
BOWL SHOW CONTEST RESULTS
February Bowl Show:
1st Place- Jeff Slade, Nimbochromis venustus
2nd Place- Jeff Slade, Melanochromis auratus
3rd Place- Jeff Slade, Pseudotropheus acei
2014 BOWL SHOW STANDINGS
18 points-Jeff Slade
7 points-Michael Liu
MARCH 2014
Jim Cormier 605 points Master Breeder Award
Tony & Denise Panetta 580points Master Breeder Award
Mike Liu 430 points Senior Breeder Award
Jim White 380 pointsSenior Breeder Award
Chuck & Charlene Pixley 370 points Master Breeder Award
Dan Balser 225 points Senior Breeder Award
Joe Coleman 170 points Breeder Award
Elva Hughes 170 points Breeder Award
Tom Stevens 30 points
Seth Harris 25 points
Rit Forcier 15 points
Dave Giza 5 points
PVAS PROGRAMS & CONTEST
PVAS PROGRAMS & CONTEST
STANDINGS
Michael Liu 8 Points
Joe Coleman 2 Points
Dave Giza 1 Point
2014 PHOTO SHOW STANDINGS
9 points-Jim Cormier
7 points-Jacob Guinasso
5 points-Chuck Pixley
3 points-Elva Hughes
PHOTO SHOW CONTEST RULES
PHOTO SHOW CONTEST RESULTS
1st Place- Jim Cormier, Teleogramma brichardi
2nd Place- Jacob Guinasso, Bumblebee Goby
1. The photo show is open to all members. Members must
take the photograph and bring the entry to the show at
each meeting.
2. Members may bring up to two photos, unframed, each
meeting. Photos can be any size up to 8 x 10 inches.
3. Photos will be judged by the membership in attendance
and winners will be determined based on popular vote.
Points will be awarded as follows: First Place-3 Points,
Second Place-2 Points, Third Place-1 Point. Point totals will
be kept by the Photo Show Chair. Winning photos will be
published in the next newsletter.
4. The first place photo cannot be re-entered for the current
year. Second and third place photos may be re-entered in
future photo shows during the same calendar year.
5. Point totals will accumulate through the December
general meeting. Awards will be presented in January, and
are as follows: First Place-$50, Second Place-$25, Third
Place-Free Annual Membership.
6. Winners need to submit their entries digitally if they wish
to have them published in the newsletter.
The winner of the February Photo Show is Jim Cormier who’s Teleogramma
brichardi cichlid took fisrt place.
VISIT PVAS.NET FOR UPDATES AND MEMBERSHIPS 8
BUSINESS DIRECTORY
TRADING POST
L270 Chocolate zebra plecos, 2+ inches $30 each.
Teleogramma brichardi, 2 inch $30 pair
Chalinochromis brichardi, 2 inch $5 each
Gymnogeophagus labiatus Rio Olimar, 1 inch $5 each
MARCH 2014
Fish for sale
Email me at jimcormier1@gmail.com
Please send ads to the Jerine Blissett , via email at icegriller@hotmail.com. Lists may also be dropped off to me at the monthly meetings.
Please send an accurate description along with your contact information. It is not necessary to list a specific price. PVAS is not responsible
for ensuring the quantity or quality of the items being sold through this listing service. All sales and trades are to be negotiated between the
buyer and seller.
VISIT PVAS.NET FOR UPDATES AND MEMBERSHIPS 9
COME JOIN US!
COME JOIN US!
DIRECTIONS TO THE SPRINGFIELD SCIENCE MUSEUM:
From the North - Take Interstate 91 South to Exit 7. Turn left onto State Street, proceed for three blocks and you
will see the large, white marble Springfield City Library building on your left. Take the first left past the library onto
Elliot Street and then the next left onto Edwards Street.
MARCH 2014
DIRECTIONS & MEMBERSHIPS
From the South - Take Interstate 91 North to Exit 6. Stay on Columbus Avenue to State Street. Turn right, proceed
for three blocks and you will see the large, white marble Springfield City Library building on your left. Take the first
left past the library onto Elliot Street and then the next left onto Edwards Street.
From the East - Take the Massachusetts Turnpike to Exit 6 (I-291). Exit at Dwight Street (Exit 2B), turn left. Follow
Dwight to State Street. Turn left at the light, go through another light and you will see the large, white marble
Springfield City Library building on your left. Take the first left past the library onto Elliot Street and then the next
left onto Edwards Street.
From the West - Take the Massachusetts Turnpike to Interstate 91 South and follow I-91 South to Exit 7. Turn left
on State Street, proceed for three blocks and you will see the large, white marble Springfield City Library building
on your left. Take the first left past the library onto Elliot Street and then the next left onto Edwards Street.
Parking: Free parking is available in the lots on Edwards Street.
To Download Printable Directions go to http://www.springfieldmuseums.org/about/hours.php
NOT A MEMBER YET ?
The Pioneer Valley Aquarium Society, Inc. is a not for profit educational group. We meet the first
Tuesday of each month, except July and August, at the Springfield Science Museum. Meetings start
at 7:00 PM and include refreshments. Club news and activities are discussed and planned, and an
educational program or speaker is presented, followed by a mini-auction. The general public is
welcome at our meetings and is encouraged to see what fish-keeping is all about. The Pioneer Valley
Aquarium Society, Inc. is affiliated with the Northeast Council of Aquarium Societies, Inc.
PIONEER VALLEY AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC. - MEMBERSHIP FORM
To join the Pioneer Valley Aquarium Society, please contact Don Hennemann modelrrbug@aol.com.
Rates are $15.00 for a single membership and $20.00 for a family membership
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