August 2011 Splash - Milwaukee Aquarium Society

SPLASH
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM
SOCIETY INC.
1955-2011
AUGUST 2011
In this issue:
Flowering of the Madagascar Lace plant
Aponogeton madagariensis
Oberon FMR Product Review
Milwaukee Aquarium Society
Society Officers:
President:
Andy Hudson
(262)389-2456
Vice President:
Austin Braganza
(414)447-5693
Treasurer:
Jerry Michels
(414)353-5370
Secretary:
Danielle Jirik Sgt. At Arms:
Jim Everson (414)614-4378
Board Chairman
Ken King (262)284-2684
Splash Editor
Tim Pilat
(262)853-4895
Don Hinske (262)238-1916
John O’Conner
(414)254-7272
Ted Judy
Justin Winch Andy Hudson
(262)389-2456
Horticulturists Award Program (HAP)
Aaron Glass (262)436-1157
Fish Store Liaison Don Hinske (262)238-1916
Librarian
Jim Everson (414)614-4378
Participation Awards Program (PAP)
Ken King
(262)284-2684
Speaker Chair
Jim Everson
Board Members:
tim.pilat@gmail.com
Board Members:
Committee Chairpersons:
Breeders Award Program (BAP) Visit Us at Our Website
www.milwaukeeaquariumsociety.com
From the Fish Room of the President
Well this letter is about a month overdue. I apologize to everyone for
holding the Splash up. It’s been a very busy month for me. We found out that
my wife Leah is pregnant so we stepped up our home buying plans last month
and closed on our first home a few weeks ago. Before and since then we have
been extremely busy as anyone who has bought a home before can tell you,
and it’s been hard to find time to sit down and write. I have a ton of aquariums
sitting in the basement just waiting to be setup!
As I am writing this my family in coastal Delaware is weathering hurricane
Irene. So far they seem to be alright and only have a few more hours to go. I
spend some time on several of the east coast forums and there have been a lot
of talk about what to do with their aquariums in the aftermath of the storm.
Let’s hope that these folks all make it out ok and their fish don’t suffer. This is
one of the reasons why it’s important for more people to get involved in
programs like CARES. If species are kept in just a few hobbyists hands in one
area the chance of these species being lost by a widespread environmental
disaster is greater. Spreading fish across the country helps prevent that from
happening.
This Fall is very busy for MAS. There are our usual meetings, swap, and
auction but we are also attempting to organize a Shop Hop, and the Aquarium
Beautiful contest for kids on November 12th through the 19th. And MAAH is
having an event this fall too that promises to be a lot of fun. I encourage
everyone to volunteer to help with these events and look for new fish to add to
their fish rooms too! See you all soon!
Andy
Narwhal72 on www.milwaukeeaquariumsociety.com
Important Dates!
M.A.S. September Board Meeting
September 3
1:00 at Ted Judy’s home, (608) 205 2241
1509 Matthew Way Stoughton WI 53589
Everyone is welcome
M.A.S. September Meeting September 16
Shop Hop - Chicago Area September 18
Aquarium Beautiful sign-up
October 1
M.A.S. October Meeting
October 21
M.A.S. Fall Auction
October 9
Aquarium Beautiful set-up November 12
M.A.S. Fish-O-Ramma (swap)
November 13
M.A.S. November Meeting November 18
Aquarium Beautiful tear down November 19
M.A.S. Christmas Party
December 4
M.A.S. Fish-O-Ramma (swap)
January 8, 2012
M.A.S. January Meeting
January 20
M.A.S. February Meeting
February 17
For more information visit www.milwaukeeaquariumsociety.com
Also visit www.madisonaquatichobby.com
We will begin including a calendar of events for Species Clubs and surrounding
City Clubs. Please submit your entries to tim.pilat@gmail.com.
MAAH general meetings: September 17, October 22
MAAH Fall Fish Fest; October 29, 30 see page 18
GCCA swap September 18
Speakers for 2011 M.A.S. Meetings
Here are the speakers for 2011 and the probable topics:
September - David Boruchowitz (TFH editor in chief) - Freshwater Nanoaquariums
October - Steve Ehrlich - Shedd Aquarium's Amazon Rising
November - Rachel O’Leary - Snails and Shrimp
The following Stores Support M.A.S.
Aquatics Unlimited
3550 S. 108th St Greenfield, WI 53228 (414)543-2552
Hoffer’s Tropic Life 7323 N. 76th St. Milwaukee, WI 53223 (414)353-6553
Smiley’s Pets N Things 5869 S. Packard Ave Cudahy, WI 53110 (414)481-5585
Pet Supply Port 620 E. Green Bay Ave. Saukville, WI 53080 (262) 268-9966
Best Fish 1335 N. 3rd St. Milwaukee, Wi 53212 (414)224-0486
REMEMBER to show your M.A.S. membership card to possibly receive
discounts on your purchases.
Oberon FMR Product Review
by Bob Borger - Captain Bob’s Fishtails
Recently, I had the opportunity to test a new product. It is a natural fish meal
replacement (FMR) product for fish food. My food trials marked the first time
this type of additive was used in tropical fish food. With a protein content of
63-66% and very interesting pond test results, as well as being a natural, nonchemical product, I was anxious to get started. I added the FMR to my stock Livebearer fish food blend at a rate of 30% FMR 70% fish food. My stock blend ingredients are basic: fish meal, corn gluten
meal, krill meal, Omega fatty acids, garlic, and several algae.
Tests were started the day I received the sample product. My test subject was
the Endler Live Bearer. Housed in two separate twenty-long fish tanks, one tank
received only my stock fish food, while the new blend was used in the other
tank. In two weeks the size increase and color enhancement was easily
observed by sight.
Total strangers could see the difference between the tanks without prompting.
When asked if there was any difference in the two tanks, the FMR tank was
singled out each time as larger and more colorful fish. Only then did I explain
the test to them.
Samples were sent to fellow fish keepers with instructions on how to feed the
food and check results. Spawns were split into two or three tanks. Gobies,
plecos and angelfish showed the same results. A thirty to fifty percent growth
increase and more vivid color was noted in each study.
A friend’s blue Betta fish that had traces of red in the pectoral fins turned pink
while on an exclusive diet of the thirty percent food. I purchased a similar blue
betta, fed according to the same constant with the same results. As my fish
turned pink, I reduced the percentage of FMR to fifteen percent. The fish
returned to its blue color with beautiful red highlights, while maintaining stellar
health and vigor.
The additive is scheduled for release to the open market in the last quarter of
2011. Testing this additive on pond fish has shown a positive prognosis for the
human consumption market. Using a “green” product rather than chemically
enhanced methods to increase healthy growth rates bodes well for the future of
farm—raised fish.
Tests on tropical fish so far have shown a dramatic growth increase which will
allow breeders to cut the time from fry to finish, while naturally maintaining
strong immune systems and brilliant color.
Flowering of the Madagascar Lace
plant Aponogeton madagariensis
by Rob McLure – Milwaukee Aquarium Society
I first obtained my Madagascar Lace plant in early June, 2011. I purchased it
from a local fish store immediately noticed that it had a rather large (approx. 4
cm) bulb. I brought it home and carefully removed 3 brown leaves that looked
dead, leaving the plant with 3 green leaves. I placed the plant about dead
center in my 36 gallon corner aquarium. At this time I had very strong lighting
(near 5 watts per gallon), but no fertilization and the only carbon I was adding
was through daily dosing with Seachem Excel. The plant looked like this at the
time:
Near the end of June I reorganized my tank and moved the lace plant to the
middle rear of the tank as I read in an online forum that this was the best
placement for it. Shortly after I added CO2 with the installation of the larger
Fluval CO2 system. The plant began to grow new leaves daily. By the end of
the week the lace plant had 9 leaves that reached the top of the 18” tank. The
first weekend in July I decided to begin the use of a fertilization regimen and
added KNO3 to the tank. Unfortunately I had read an online forum post wrong
and added way too much! My nitrate levels spiked and were reaching over
200ppm. I quickly did a few 50% water changes in the next few days and the
levels evened out. But it was during this time that I noticed the lace plant put
out even more leaves and on the 4th of July I first noticed the spathe. It looked
like a small flower bud, about 2 inches from the gravel in the center of all the
lace leaves.
By the 8th of July it had nearly reached the top of the tank and looked like this:
I assumed once it hit the top of the water it would open, but I was wrong. Once
it reached the top the spathe turned a right angle and began to float
horizontally on top of the water. By the 11th of July the stem had stretched out
quite a bit and it looked like this:
At this point I was concerned I needed to do something to help it bloom so I
posted on plantedtank.net asking for advice. Thankfully multiple people said to
leave it alone and let nature do its thing. I did and the stem of the spathe
continued to grow and grow until it had circled the top of the tank twice and
was well over 3 feet from the base of the plant. I had just about given up hope,
when on July 20th a full 2 weeks from when I had first seen the spathe I woke
up one morning turned the lights on and saw this:
Over the next 7 or 8 days the flower continued to grow larger and open up
more and more. I attempted to artificially pollinate it with a paint brush but I
haven’t found out if that worked yet. Here are a couple more pictures:
Full Flower:
A close up you can see the pollen pretty well:
Milwaukee Aquarium Society
General Meeting Minutes
August 19, 2011
Membership report: We currently have 41 paid members.
Treasurer’s report: Current balance is $9863.37, of which the library has
$141.04. The June mini auction had 25 items which sold for $96. The running
total for this year’s mini auctions is 79 items for $300.
Splash: Please write articles for Splash.
Webmaster Report (Ted Judy): Ted requested everyone to please use the
website and especially the forum.
Library (Jim Everson): no report
BAP (Andy Hudson): Check your results on the website.
PAP (Ken King): The Christmas party is planned for December 4, 2011. Mark
you calendars.
New Business: The Milwaukee Aquarium Society plans to have a southern ‘shop
hop’ where we rent a 15 passenger van and tour the local fish stores as a
group. We will meet at the Southbound Park and Ride on College Avenue
between 7:00 A.M. and 8:00 A.M. we will depart promptly at 8:00. The fee is
$10. Contact Andy for more info.
We have some great speakers coming up September - David Boruchowitz (TFH editor in chief) - Freshwater Nanoaquariums
October - Steve Ehrlich - Shedd Aquarium's Amazon Rising
November - Rachel O’Leary - Snails and Shrimp
See the advertisement for MAAH Fall Fish Fest to take place October 29 - 30.
They will have some great speakers. Also, there is a Madison meeting Saturday
at 11 am at Dream Lanes.
A new Midwest fish distributor is looking for local fish breeders.
The Milwaukee Aquarium Society
Board Meeting Minutes
August 9, 2011
The Board meeting was held at Tim Pilat’s house. the meeting was called to
order at 3;30 P.M. Present: Ted Judy, Andy Hudson, Jerry Michels, Tim Pilat,
David Miller, Danielle Jirik, Ken King, and Don Hinske.
We all welcomed Danielle as the club’s new secretary.
Treasury: $9863.37, incl library at $141.04, June mini auction 25 items for
$96 - year to date 79 items for $300.
Splash: The June edition was completed with the help of an article from
Aquarticles. Ted will provide Tim with information about MAAH activities for
future editions. Don will provide some old society journals.
Exchanges: Don is working on moving to digital exchange and he is also cross
referencing for bad addresses.
Manufacturers Liason: Bonnie K will take this job over. Andy gave Ken a list
of companies.
PAP: Ken indicated that all is on track for Xmas party and we should have
plenty of stuff for the auction.
BAP: Andy indicated the point totals are almost fully updated. Many members
need the very difficult “double D”. Ted mentioned the GCCA life time
membership for ultimate breeder. Andy will send Ted an updated list.
Auction: Our Fall auction will occur on October 9th at New Berlin Bowl. GCCA
is offering MAS a “promo table” at their next auction on September 19th.
Fish-O-Ramma (swap): The next dates are November 13 and January 8.
Speakers: The August general meeting will featured Andy with a presentation
on lighting for planted tanks and Ted with a presentation on substrates for
planted tanks. The MAAH club will provide plants as a way of saying thank you
to the MAS club. The plants will be in the auction and offered as door prizes.
September - David Boruchowitz (TFH editor in chief) - Freshwater Nanoaquariums
October - Steve Ehrlich - Shedd Aquarium's Amazon Rising
November - Rachel O’Leary - Snails and Shrimp
We are still arranging for speakers for 2012 - Feb. Apr. Jun. Nov.
- fish disease based upon conditions Terry F?
- marine topic with local marine club SEWReefers?
Old Business
Aquarium Beautiful Nov 12 and 19, (9 A.M. to 1 P.M.) - need volunteers to
help kids set up aquariums at Hoffer’s. Austin is the chairman. Will someone
write an article for the Splash?
The Chicago Shop Hop will occur 9/18. We plan to rent a van and the fee is
$10 per person. Andy is coordinating. Meet at the College Avenue Park and
Ride at 8:00 A.M.
New Business
Christmas party fee - price set same as last year. Consider ALA 2013 or MCA 2012/2013 Ted will do exploratory.
Should we conduct a survey? - Ted will research.
Next Meeting - September 3 @ 1:00. Ted hosts.
Splash Classifieds
FOR SALE: 2 1/2 gallon aquarium tanks (used) $6.00 each
10 gallon aquarium tanks (used) $10.00 each
contact
John O’Conner
(414) 254-7272
Goodea atripinnis (livebearer) $ 7.00 pr.
Ameca splendens (livebearer) $ 7.00 pr.
Xenophorus captivus (livebearer) $ 7.00 pr.
Limia variatta ( livebearer) $7.00 trio.
Xenotoca eiseni (red-tail Goodea - livebearer) $8.00 pr.
contact
Ken King (262) 284-2684 ( will not ship out fish )
(Place your Ad Here for items you wish to sell or are looking for)
Contact Jerry Michels or Andy Hudson for ad information.
THE SPLASH
The Splash is the official publication of the Milwaukee Aquarium Society,
and is published six times per year under the direction of the Board of
Directors.
Articles are always welcome. Please submit them to the editor (Tim Pilat)
no later than the first day of even numbered months to be included in the next
issue. Articles should be submitted in digital format to tim.pilat@gmail.com.
We will gladly exchange our publication with all interested societies.
Please mail exchanges to Exchange Editor, P.O. Box 250824, Milwaukee, WI
53225. Reprints of articles published in the Splash are always permitted and
encouraged, provided that credit is given in reprinting to The Splash, author
and Society. It is also requested that a copy of the issue containing the article
reprinted be sent to the address above to be shared with the author. This would
be in addition to any exchange copies.
Please inform the editor of any address changes in forwarding of this
publication to members or other societies.
THE MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY
The Milwaukee Aquarium Society is an organization devoted to the
hobby of tropical fish, both freshwater and saltwater. Its membership consists
of hobbyists gaining expertise in all phases of raising and breeding tropical
fish, as well as area retailers. Our membership expertise covers a wide range,
from beginners to expert breeders, but all members are interested in
promoting the hobby and encouraging others to join in the fun.
General meetings are held monthly, the third Friday of the month, 7:30 p.m. at
Hoffers’s Tropic Life Pets, 7323 N. 76th Street, Milwaukee.
We thank them for their hospitality. Free parking is available, and guests are
always welcome. No general meetings are held in July or December.
Annual membership dues are $20.00 for a Family and $15.00 for an individual.
Membership dues provide for the Splash, monthly speakers, community
support, annual events, and show support. A yearly subscription to the Splash
is available for $15.00. New or renewal of membership dues should be sent to
the treasurer: Jerry Michels 6333 W. Boehlke, Milwaukee, WI 53223