January 2008 - COAST Fish Club

JANUARY 2008
VOLUME 17 z ISSUE 1
NEXT MONTH’S MTG: FEB 3, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
January 6th Meeting
Topic — Fishes of Madagascar
Our speaker this month is Jim Herman
Jim has been active in keeping and breeding many different genera of fishes
over the years. He is well known to his compatriots for his interest in the
cichlids of Central America, but for some time now he has been turning his
interest in conservation of animals to the fishes of Madagascar. Come listen
to what he has learned, his ideas for helping these fish to survive, and where
available fish and books might be found.
NATHAN OKAWA has accepted the CORRESPONDING
SECRETARY position. The raffle can continue now.
The Board Meeting starts at 12:30.
All officers and directors are requested to attend.
Please be on time-ish. Note: Board meetings are open to all members.
table of contents
AUTOMATIC FEEDERS EVALUATION ......................2
OUR SPONSORS........................................................5
......................................................................................
AD FOR RINO CAVES ................................................6
MEETING DATES FOR 2008 .....................................6
APPLICATION FORM................................................10
SUMMARY OF MEETING ........................................... 2
MEMBERSHIP NEWS................................................. 5
BOARD OF DIRECTORS............................................ 8
WHEN AND WHERE WE MEET ................................ 7
AUCTION BAG LABELS ............................................. 7
AUCTION REGISTRATION FORM ............................ 9
The Showfish is the newsletter of California’s Organization of Aquatic Show Tropicals (COAST), a 501(c)(7) not for-profit association
registered in California. It is published six to twelve times a year and is a benefit of membership in COAST. The information and
opinions expressed in articles are those of the author and may not reflect those held by COAST or other COAST members.
Showfish is printed and distributed at cost by Mike and Elaine McCabe of McCabe Printing, 11918 E Rosecrans Ave Suite B, Norwalk,
CA 90650.
Reprint Policy: Articles and graphics which are marked with a © symbol or annotated as Copyrighted or “property of …” may not be
reprinted without the owner’s permission. Unmarked articles and graphics may be reprinted by other fish clubs; please send two
copies of the newsletter containing the reprint to C. A. Marelius, 16229 Armstead St. Granada Hills, CA 91344 or email a copy to
rcmarelius@verizon.net.
Exchange Policy: COAST will exchange newsletters which contain information about fish and the fish hobby with other fish clubs.
Please notify the Showfish editor, C.A. Marelius, if your club would like to participate in an exchange program.
Summary of Meeting Last Month –
Topic/Speaker: It was the holiday banquet meeting, so everyone was happily stuffed as they listened to Dr.
Mazeroll talk about fish in the wilds of Colombia.
General meeting business: not updated.
Board meeting business: Nathan Okawa accepted appointment to the Corresponding Secretary position.
Auction summary: not updated.
Please note that several regular monthly items have not been updated; this is due to the editor being unable to
attend the last two meetings.
Automatic Feeders Evaluation
Fish Mate F14, Lifeguard Fish Feeder, and Eheim 3581 Automatic Feeding Unit
by Charlotte Marelius
The Fish Mate F14, which was made in the UK, was purchased from
Drs. Foster & Smith for about $25, on sale from its regular $30. It
uses one AA battery, which lasts for months. An air pump (not
included) is necessary to keep flake food from clumping or sticking to
the feeder. There are 14 “compartments” to hold the food, which can
be flakes, small crumbles, or small pellets. We are testing smaller
wafers, such as Hikari Sinking Wafers this week--so far, so good.
Larger wafers, such as Algae Wafers, will not fit. This feeder could
also dispense some tablet medicines, although it may be necessary to
break the tablet. Due to the humid environment, it is probably not
wise to load more than a two or three days’ worth of medicine.
The feeder’s timing mechanism is similar to that of a light timer, in
that you position up to four pegs for up to
four feedings a day at intervals of three
hours. The quantity of food dispensed is
determined by how much food you put in
the compartments; food drops, bit by bit, into the aquarium over an hour or two.
How long it is dispensed depends on how easily the food falls out of the feeder—
sometimes flakes will avalanche, dumping the compartment quickly, crumbles fall a
few at a time, etc. It drops food straight down into the water for a long enough period
that the fish learn to watch for food in that location within a day or two.
The unit can be set on the cover glass of the tank with the open compartment over the
water, or it can be mounted on the tank using suction cups or clamps (included). It needs an area of about 5 ½”
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January 2008
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wide by about 7” long (if you will be opening the lid while it’s on the tank) by about 1 ½” high; the curved end
of the feeder needs to hang over/off the cover glass about 1 ½”. Airline tubing attaches to the underside of the
feeder and runs out the flat back wall.
The feeder works by rotating a segmented ring that is open on the top and bottom. The ring rests on the floor of
the feeder. Food is placed in the segment chambers, aka “compartments”; flakes end up being in the ¼ to 3/8”
size. Loading the ring with food is a fairly neutral experience—it’s not difficult, it takes only a moderate
amount of time, but you will sprinkle food outside the ring. The food is pushed along the floor of the feeder by
the rotation of the ring until it finally reaches the opening and falls out. A whole ring of dense, small crumbles
is heavier than the feeder can push, but some crumbles mixed with flakes dispenses without problems. For the
ring to rotate smoothly, the floor of the feeder needs to be cleaned off on a weekly basis; otherwise the flakes
stuck to the floor will prevent reliable, easy rotation of the ring.
Judging by the buckling in the stiff, old piece of airline we used, using a new, flexible piece of airline or a rightangle fitting would be a good idea. The unit is getting supplied with enough air to keep the food dry, however,
constricted airflow notwithstanding.
After a trial of about three months with this unit, we bought more Fish Mate feeders to use with other tanks that
use a compatible form of food.
The Lifegard Fish Feeder, made by Pentair , was purchased
from Aquatic EcoSystems for about $70. It is a good feeder
for fish who need fine flakes or micropellets, crumbles, or
small quantities per feeding of regular pellets. It runs off of
household current, not batteries.
I thought, when I ordered it, that the entire hopper held food; I
did not study the catalog photo well enough. Once I had the
feeder in hand, I could discern the construction in the dark-ish
catalog photo. The food chamber is only as wide as the feedring segments, all the way up the hopper. The center of the
hopper is empty space; the food funnel can be stored in the
empty space, but not the food stick used to tamp the food
through the funnel. There is no place to store the food stick; I
am the type of idiot that will lose that stick pretty soon because
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of that. The unit comes with
a metal single feed arm
installed. A second metal
feed arm can replace or
augment the single one if you
want the feeder to spit out
food up to four times a day (a
bit awkward if you’re not
used to handling small
fasteners and clips—but not
much of a challenge.)
It has a short food-fall ramp and an extension that can be added to the
ramp. This allows a bit of flexibility for placement of the feeders’ legs in
relation to the opening in the tank. It also shields the opening of the
feeder from humidity. I now have this feeder perched atop a mediumsized Penguin Biowheel power filter, instead of clamped to the side as
shown in the photo to the right; in two months time I have had no problem
with the food. It is just now time to refill it second time. It’s about 7” tall
overall, with the clamping surface about 1 ½” above the bottom of the end of the legs. It’s about 4” wide and 5”
to 6” deep (depending on whether or not you use the secondary feeding ramp.)
The Eheim 3581 Automatic Feeding Unit was purchased from Drs. Foster &
Smith on sale for about $45; it’s regularly about $50. It is a battery-powered
programmable unit in a neat, easy- to-use package that is self-ventilating. It’s 5
½” long, 2 ½” wide, and a bit less than 3” high. It’s food hole is right at the
end, so it has to protrude over the open tank for only an inch to drop its food.
The food canister itself has a built-in scoop inside; when the canister rotates at
the programmed time, food falls into the scoop and then out into the tank as the
canister completes its rotation. It does an excellent job on preserving flake size.
It is the easiest to fill of all the feeders
tried to date: take the canister off, scoop
up food with it, put the canister back on.
The programming is so simple I could do
it using the clear instructions provided.
Our testing of this feeder was cut short
when we knocked it off the tank. Of
course, it fell behind the tank and flew
into its separate pieces upon impact. We
were able to retrieve all but the battery cover (nothing was broken),
which remains inaccessible. The rotten thing about losing the battery
cover is that, since it has the other half
of the battery contacts, we can no
longer use the feeder. We had not yet continued testing the feeder for foods
other than flake style. I expect it will handle crumbles and pellets; it probably
can dispense sinking wafers. I don’t think it will be able to handle algae
wafers. I like the small footprint and the ease of loading.
I got two more of these feeders a couple of days ago, too. This time we’re not
going to knock it off the tank.
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(without battery chamber cover)
Words of common sense about using automatic feeders: if the only time you take a
close look at your fish is when you feed them, you will have to change your viewing habits if your fish are to
stay healthy. Since most of these feeders will hold five days’ worth of food for half a dozen medium-size fish
(2” to 4’ in length), you should have more time to watch your fish; remember to indulge in the pleasure.
Manufacturers and Vendors Supporting our Club
Please support these companies when shopping for food, products, and equipment.
Eugene Danner Manufacturing, 160 Oval Drive, Islandia, NY 11749
Hikari Sales, Shawn Bonham, 2804 McCone Avenue, Hayward, CA 94545
Energy Savers Unlimited, Inc., 910 E. Sandhill Avenue, Carson, CA 90746
Omega Sea, Ltd, Marty Crews, 3767 Lane Rd. Ext., Unit B, Perry, OH 44801
Jungle Laboratories, Lisa Hendrix, 120 Industrial Drive , Cibolo, TX 78108
Hamilton Technology Corp., 14902 S. Figueroa St., Gardena, CA 90248
Marine Enterprises International, Inc., Bob Spellman, Sales Mgr, 8800 A Kolso Dr., Baltimore, MD 21221
PetSolutions, 802 N. Orchard Lane, Beavercreek, OH 45434
Drs. Foster and Smith, Janine Fuchs, 2253 Air Park Rd., Rhinelander, WI 54501
Perfecto Manufacturing, Inc., Susan Rogers, 20975 Creek Rd., Noblesville, IN 46060
Aquarium Systems, 8141 Tyler Blvd., Mentor, OH 44060-4889
HBH Pet Products, PO Box 967, Springville, UT 84663
Aquaria, 6100 Condor Dr, Moorpark, CA 91302
Casco Group (SeaClear), 17719 Valley View, Cerritos, CA 90703
Marc Weiss Companies, Inc., 5935 Ravenwood Rd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312
San Francisco Bay Brand, Inc., Allen Green, 8239 Enterprise Dr., Newark, CA 94560
Tetra, Dick Razzi, 301 Commerce Dr., Blacksburg, VA 24060
Seachem Laboratories, Inc., 1000 Seachem Dr., Madison, GA 30650
Membership News –
New Members--Welcome:
NOT UPDATED
Renewals—Thank You:
NOT UPDATED
Past Due–This Is Your Last Showfish:
#99
Vin Kutty (due in November)
#296 Charles Clifford (due in November)
#297 Terry Hemmert (due in November)
#366 Andrew Ranallo (due in November)
#367 William Thompson (due in November)
Please disregard if you have renewed.
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January 2008
Due this month:
Page 6 of 10
Past Due–Due in December:
#3
Marc Allen
#47
Stan Sung
#371 Kelly Hsueh, Wesley Wong
#284 Sandy Binder
#131 Karen Peyser
#369 Jose Rodriguez
#46
Alan Rosen
#370 KC Clark and Lisa Kutzmarski
Due next month:
#258 Ron Harlan
#97 Rick, Charlotte Marelius
For Sale:
Phone 951-490-4894
Meeting dates for 2008
All meetings will be in the Victoria Room on the first Sunday of the month from 1 to 5 p.m.
unless otherwise noted.
January 6
February 3, 10AM to 3PM
March 2
April 6
May 4
June 8, the second Sunday (Lion’s Club Annual Fish Fry is on the first Sunday)
July 6
August 3
September 7
October 5
November 2
December 7
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When and where we meet:
COAST meets the first Sunday of every month from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Meeting agendum:
12:30
1:00
1:30
2:45
4:15-4:30
5:00-5:30
Board Meeting
Meeting begins; general announcements
Presentation begins
Auction begins
Auction usually ends; check-out begins
Vacate the room
Where do we meet:
We meet in the Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center in the Victoria Room (usually) or the Harper
Room. The Center is a brown brick building between a fire station and Lion’s Park. Closest major intersection
is 19th and Harbor Blvd.
Costa Mesa Neighborhood Community Center
1845 Park Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA
Auction Bag Labels (The LOT NO. is made of your member number followed by the bag number.
Example: member 97 is selling 5 bags of fish. The lot numbers are 97-1, 97-2, 97-3, 97-4, and 97-5.)
LOT NO. __________ Qty ____________
LOT NO. __________ Qty ____________
Genus/Species or common name
Genus/Species or common name
Phone No. ________________________________________
Phone No. _______________________________________
LOT NO. __________ Qty ____________
LOT NO. __________ Qty ____________
Genus/Species or common name
Genus/Species or common name
Phone No. ________________________________________
Phone No. _______________________________________
LOT NO. __________ Qty ____________
LOT NO. __________ Qty ____________
Genus/Species or common name
Genus/Species or common name
Phone No. ________________________________________
Phone No. _______________________________________
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Meeting and Club Information
Board of Directors
Brian Downing
Larry Guillow
Art North Charles Clifford Jim Herman
Mamie Nash
Nathan Okawa
Kirk Bean Charlotte Marelius
Tom Varin
Rick Marelius
Ron Nash
Mike McCabe
PRESIDENT
Brian Downing
brianjdowning@msn.com
858-759-4841
EDITOR
Charlotte Marelius
rcmarelius@verizon.net
818-360-7102
DIRECTOR
Rick Marelius
rcmarelius@verizon.net
818-360-7102
VICE PRESIDENT
Kirk Bean
kb1752@sbc.com
858-361-8745
PROGRAM CHAIR
Charles Clifford 760-579-8208
4cliffords@cox.net
Art North 714-898-2412
anorth@socal.rr.com
DIRECTOR
Mamie Nash
coast@ronaldvnash.com;
714-226-0045
TREASURER
Jim Herman
jhfinwing@msn.com
626-355-8327
REFRESHMENT CHAIR
Tom Varin
tvarin@usa.net
714-962-8541
WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT / ADMIN
Tom Varin
tvarin@usa.net
714-962-8541
RECORDING SECRETARY
Larry Guillow
AUCTIONEER
Duncan Mahoney
dmahoney@usc.edu
310-391-3704
PUBLISHER
Mike and Elaine McCabe
mccabeprint@yahoo.com
562-868-1992
CORRESPONDING SECRETARY
Nathan Okawa
nhokawa@earthlink.net
MEMBERSHIP CHAIR
(open)
AUCTION CHAIR
Ron Nash
coast@ronaldvnash.com;
714-226-0045
Discussion Group: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/coastfishclub/
Website: http://www.coastfishclub.com
Newsletter: The club’s newsletter, the Showfish, is published at least six times a year (usually 10 to 12) and
mailed to arrive a day or two before the meeting. The current issue is published on our discussion group in the
Files section around the 25th of the month, and previous months’ Showfish are published on our website.
http://www.coastfishclub.com
SELLER NAME:
BAG
NO.
QTY
January 2008
Date
NAME OR DESCRIPTION
Page 9 of 10
Member No.
Sold for
Amount
1
3
4
5
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
You must be a current
member of COAST to
sell items at the
auction.
NOTE WELL:
Buyer Beware!
Auction items are sold
“as is” and COAST
does not guarantee
items sold at auction
as to health,
accuracy, working
condition, suitability,
etc.
2
6
Mark if
donating
Auction Rules
Bag sexually relentless
or aggressive males in a
bag separately from their
females.
Bag territorial or aggressive fish in individual
bags.
BAGGING FISH:
Use proper fish bags.
Double bag the fish.
Bag adult males
separately from
females and
separate territorial
or aggressive fish
from each other to
minimize damage or
death. Individual bags
can then be taped
together to be sold as
pairs or groups.
Do not feed fish the
night before. Bag fish
in clean water, with a
ratio of 1/3 water to
2/3 air. Bag fish at
home please.
LABELLING:
Label bags with
member no. and bag
no., qty and sex of
fish, genus/species,
and phone no. Paper
labels are preferred.
Use Sharpie for
marking on bags if
reqd.
PLANTS:
Plants may be single
bagged and do not
need to be
submersed in water.
Label as for fish.
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MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION ........................... F
COAST MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL .................................. F
Mail to: Jim Herman, COAST Treasurer
GUEST Registry / AUCTION Sign-In .................. F
1317 Bradley Court, Glendora, CA 91740
(Received by _______________________________
Date Rcvd _______________ Payment $ _____________ Member No. ___________ )
Yes! I want to be a member or guest of COAST. Enclosed/attached is my check or money order made payable to
COAST in the amount of $20 for a one year membership as an individual or family (within the same household please).
Senior citizen (aged 62 or over) or junior (aged 20 or under) memberships are $15 for one year. Members receive our
newsletter, Showfish (six to twelve issues a year), and are eligible to participate in our monthly auctions and raffles.
Name ____________________________________________________ Email __________________________________________
Address________________________________________________________________ Phone ____________________________
City ______________________________________________________State ________ Zip Code __________________________
Thank you for your membership and registration. Please tell us how you heard about COAST:
F
Member
F Magazine
F Fish Store
F Website
F Showfish
Referred by __________________________
What fish do keep / want to keep? ___________________________________________________________________
What contact information would you like to list in the Membership Roster? (Membership Rosters are COAST property and
distributed only within the club to encourage fellowship among members.)
F Publish full contact info (default)
F Do not publish street address
F Do not publish phone
F Do not publish email
Unless otherwise specified, the full membership listing of member no., name, phone number, address, city, state and zip code will be listed in our
membership directory. Please be sure to notify us of any changes in your contact information, either by email or by using this form.
Please fill it out completely when you’re renewing, too. That’ s how we keep the membership list correct and up to date.
CALIFORNIA’S ORGANIZATION
OF AQUATIC SHOW TROPICALS
http://www.coastfishclub.com
c/o C. A. Marelius, Showfish Editor
16229 Armstead St.
Granada Hills, CA 91344-3009
COAST is a 501(c )(7) Not-For-Profit Association
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