June 2015 - Jersey Shore Aquarium Society

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JUNE, 2015
The Official Publication of the Jersey Shore Aquarium Society
Volume 26 No. 06
www.jerseyshoreas.org
Next Meeting:
JUNE 8th
Kevin Carr
“10 Largest New World Cichlids”
The Shoreline ~ June 2015
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
All-Aquarium Catfish Convention 2016
Page 32
This month we have an
old friend of mine speaking,
Kevin Carr. I’ve know Kevin
since the 80’s and I can’t begin
to tell you how much I’ve
learned from him about fish
keeping. Kevin is one of the
most entertaining speakers I’ve
ever heard. You may not be interested in extra large cichlids
but I guarantee you will enjoy
his talk. Check out the photos
Chris took at the first native
collecting trip of 2015. There is
a great tip for all of you that
raise brine shrimp in Chris’s
Presidents Message, don’t miss
it.
Frozen Beef heart “Supreme”
Page 33
See you at the meeting….
Not Your Average African Cichlid.
Page 34
Russ
Advertisements
Page 36
Clash of the Cichlids 3
Page 37
JSAS Meeting Schedule
Page 38
JSAS Membership Rewards
Page 39
JSAS Sister Clubs Info
Page 40
JSAS INFO
Page 3
This Month’s Speaker
Page 4
President's Message
Page 5
ACA Convention
Page 7
BAP Report
Page 8
Native Collecting 2015
Page 9
Heros severus
Page 12
Video Corner
Page 18
NJAS Fall Event
Page 19
SHORELINE Trading Post
Page 20
The Majestic Opah Is The World's
First Truly Warm Blooded Fish!
Page 21
North East Weekend 2015
Page 26
Oeichthys Cosuatis By Dr. Paul Loiselle Page 27
Tilapia Mariae, The Tiger Tilapia:
The Shoreline ~ June 2015
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JERSEY SHORE AQUARIUM SOCIETY
2015 OFFICERS & LEADERSHIP
PRESIDENT
WEBSITE
MEMBERS AT LARGE
Chris Metta cgdchris@gmail.com
Jeff Compell
Dean M.
VICE PRESIDENT
jcomp13@yahoo.com
Shelly K.
Bill Loesch allaboutpetsllc@yahoo.com
MAP PROGRAM
Matt S.
TREASURER
Dean Majorino
Russ W.
Norman Gruenfeld nogru@optonline.net
deanmajorino@crimsonword.com
Nancy V.
RECORDING SECRETARY
MEMBERSHIP
Jeff C.
Rich C.
Nancy Villars/Hallgring
SNACKS & BEVERAGES
PAST PRESIDENTS
sccichlids@aol.com
Bill G. & Rich C.
Shelly Kirschenbaum
BAP PROGRAM
BUDGET CHAIR
Matt Siegel
Michael Palmese
Position is Open
Al Giancola
mpalmese@rcggs.com
SPEAKERS/PROGRAMS
AUCTION
COORDINATOR
Paul Sherman
Russ White
The Jersey Shore Aquarium Society meets at 8:00 p.m.
on the second Monday every month (except August) at
The American Legion Hall 62 West Main Street in
Freehold, New Jersey.
Each meeting typically features an interesting slide or
video presentation of related tropical fish topics. Our
presenters are often professionals or experienced
NEC LIASON
Nancy Villars/Hallgring
sccichlids@aol.com
EXCHANGE EDITOR
Position is Open
THE SHORELINE EDITOR
Russ White
rwhite8@optonline.net
hobbyists in their respective fields.
ANNUAL DUES:
Single Membership—$20.00
Family Membership—$30.00; couples ages 17 years old and above who attend regular meetings
together.
Junior Membership—$10.00; 16 years old or younger attending meetings on their own.
Such membership requires written approval by a parent/guardian.
Guests—$5.00; applicable towards membership at that meeting.
PAYMENT OF DUES:
Membership dues are due in full at the time of joining regardless of the time of year. Dues will be prorated for the second year of membership.
The Shoreline ~ June 2015
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JSAS Meeting
Monday, June 8th
.
Kevin Carr
“10 Largest New World Cichlids”
Kevin has been in the organized hobby since he was 16 years old, is an Honorary Life Member of
the North Jersey Aquarium Society and a Life Member of the American Cichlid Association. He has
held every position in the North Jersey Aquarium Society, including five times as President. He has
chaired or co-chaired several tropical fish events including national conventions. Kevin
says, “Also because of my big mouth I have offered my services as an auctioneer to several of the local fish clubs”. His voice is definitely very appropriate for an auctioneer, and his
great sense of humor turns any auction into a fun event. Kevin has won several awards
showing tropical fish (mostly cichlids) including the ACA’s Pat Mahoney Award. He has
kept and bred many of the larger South and Central American Cichlids. He has also worked
in the retail pet industry and been a co-owner of a tropical fish wholesale business.
American Legion Hall
62 W. Main Street, Freehold NJ
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President’s Message ~ June 2015
I would like to start this month’s message with a fish tip I learned this
month while helping my dad feed his fish over at his place. I noticed that when I
was in my pops fishroom he had a gallon water jug filled with water labeled
“salt” on it. I asked him what this was for and he said brine shrimp. He premixes brine shrimp water 1 gallon by a time this way he doesn’t have to add salt to
every batch. Makes sense right? Less work in the long run! When I picked up
the gallon of water I noticed there were a couple “rocks” inside. When I asked
him about the rocks, he told me they were pieces of calcium coral that he
throws into the water to make the brine shrimp water harder. WOW! What a difference it makes in the hatch of brine shrimp! I know this probably isn’t a secret
but I cant believe how much better hatches I am getting off of a cheap B grade
can of brine just by hardening the water a little. My water which is normally
arouns 125-150 PPM in hardness is now around 350-400 PPM with the coral
and it results in better hatches, the shrimp staying alive longer, and just overall
better fishkeeping.
Ok I’m going to stop rambling! To all the people that just joined us on the
collecting trip thanks so much for coming. These are trips that I look forward to
every year and this year we did very well. The last time we hit Batsto lake was
in 2012 I believe and we went in July. The water temperatures were too high in
the upper lake shallows for anything to even live there. It seemed like
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President’s Message ~ June 2015
everything was in deeper, cooler water. Being that it was May this time, the water was cooler in the shallows so we did very well. I was very pleased by the
blue spotted sunfish we caught in this lake. They had an amber-reddish color
all throughout their bodies which was awesome! Everyone had a great time collecting and it seems like everyone got what they wanted to take home.
In other news, lets talk club stuff. Kevin Carr will be speaking on Monday
June 8th @ 8PM on the 10 biggest cichlids. We have decided on a date for our
fall auction. Sunday November 1st @ the South Wall Fire Department (Same
place as our spring auction) See you all at the meeting!
SNEAK PEAK AT UPCOMING EVENTS: I try to plan new things every
year for our club to do. I'm speaking to a local boat captain I know about potentially hosting a fishing trip where we would have a charter boat all to ourselves.
More to come at a later date.
Chris
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breeders award program
JSAS Breeder’s Award Report – May 2015
1
2
Larry Jinks
Michael Palmese
3120
1420
23
24
Michelle Palmese
Jesse Reddin
Jennifer Palmese
Gary Wong
85
70
3
4
5
6
7
Dean Majorino
Richard Janssen
Frank Nell
Dave Leshinsky
Bill Loesch
1290
825
785
370
340
24
26
27
28
60
55
45
40
8
9
John Wares
Rory Lay
325
310
Chris & Matt Metta
Kimberly Palmese
Bob & Lauren Hicks
Tony Gallirio
Barbara & Dan DeCross
Gary Biondi
29
30
10
11
12
13
14
Anthony Metta
Robert Janssen
Bill Arndt
Leonard Reback
Jim Sorge
290
270
265
225
200
30
Herb Frietsch
Klaus Huenecke
Adam Gwizdz
Jeff Compell
Gary & Cindy Silver
20
15
16
17
18
19
20
Lothar Koenigstein
Luis Morales
Nancy Villars
Tony Angso
Shelly Kirschenbaum
200
165
165
160
135
130
32
Frank Policastro
Bill Barbito
Rich Corkery
Dave Maxwell
James Golazeski
Frank Brown
Louis Mauro
David Cohen
Bill Guest
Stephen Morgan
5
21
22
Jim Costello
Dave Salkin
Charles Smith
31
33
100
90
25
10
Spawns for the Month of April 2015
Cryptoheros Chetumalensis – Nancy Villars/Hallgring
Spawns for the Month of May 2015
Cyathopharynx Furcifer Ruziba– Tony Angso
Cyoho Gibberrosa Mpimbwe– Tony Angso
Michael Palmese, BAP Chairman
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NATIVE COLLECTING
2015
JSAS and NJAS
Photos Submitted by Chris Metta
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Wow it’s a Cichlid not a Livebearer,
Keeping and Spawning Heros severus
By Wayne Toven
Reprinted from The Greater Akron Aquarium Society Tank Topics
October/November 2011
In my 24 years of fish keeping, I find it hard to believe it’s been that long, that’s
almost a quarter of a century, I have kept Heros severus one other time, but never
had them spawn. Now that I have done some research, I know why, I didn’t keep
them in water with a
low enough Ph,
high enough temper-
ature, and a large
enough aquarium,
guess it’s three
strikes and they’re
out, but it is al-
ways nice to learn
something. Previ-
ously known as
Cichlasoma seve-
rus the species was
described in 1840
by Heckel, and first
imported to Ham-
burg, Germany by
Carl Siggelkow in
1909. H. severus
can be found in
the Orinoco river ba-
sin, and the upper
Orinoco river drain-
age in Colombia
and Venezuela, the
Amazon river ba-
sin and the Negro river basin in northern Brazil (in South America in case you were
wondering). Their natural habitats are calm clear waters in lakes, ponds, and slow
flowing rivers around rocky outcroppings with dense vegetation and floating plants.
Diet in the wild consists of algae, plants, fruits, seeds, and detritus. H. severus are
one of the more sensitive species of cichlids, poor water quality can lead to head and
lateral line disease. Water parameters should be between 5 – 7 Ph, a hardness of 4 –
12 dH, and temperatures ranging from 73 – 84 degrees F, for breeding the
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temperature should be in the low to mid 80’s.
Their common names are banded cichlid, eyespot cichlid, hero cichlid or just
severum. About a year and a half or so ago I got a few green Severums and a few
that are called gold or lemon severums, which is a leucistic form. They were all
around 1 ½ - 2 inches in size, and since they are a supposedly mild mannered cichlids they were all housed in a 75 gallon aquarium. It was set up with a layer of sand
as a substrate, some rocks, driftwood, a large sponge filter, and heated to 76 degrees F, see I used something that I learned. Severums are omnivorous, but do
need slightly more vegetable matter in their diet, so I fed a good quality flake food
with a little extra veggie flake mixed in, small floating cichlid pellets, occasionally an
earthworm or frozen bloodworms, and duckweed if I had extra, which if you keep fish
you know is always. They would chow down on so much duckweed that most of it
went right through and came out as green as it was when it went in. The six got whittled down to four, two green and two gold, and at 4 inches in size they were moved
to their current home, a 180 gallon aquarium, set up the same way but heated to 78
degrees F. The only difference was the filtration; at first I used a large double ATI
sponge filter and a Magnum 350 canister filter, which kept the tank pretty clean.
Then along came the wonderful Poret foam, thanks to Stephan Tanner, all of
my aquariums 75 gallon and larger have a 4 inch thick foam filter completely covering one end (on the inside), with two air driven lift tubes, no need for the magnum
constantly using electricity. Since installing the Poret foam filter the water has never
looked cleaner or clearer. The water flow is excellent even in my 265 gallon aquarium that is 31 inches deep; my central air system consists of a ½ horsepower Gast
air pump that has been running nonstop for over 13 years, it supplies air for 140
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aquariums with no problem. The pump is directly under my living room; if it is real quiet and you listen very carefully you can hear water bubbling but not the pump running.
I do 20% water changes on the severum tank every 2 – 3 weeks, the water
stays tea colored due to the very large piece of Malaysian driftwood, which also helps
to bring the Ph down to what the severums like. I have well water which comes out of
the tap at a Ph of 7.4 and it all goes through a Kinetico water softener, I have never
tested the water in the severum tank to see exactly what the Ph is, but it seems to be
to their liking. Since severum will eat live plants like they would in the wild, I use plastic plants that I bought at a craft store, they actually look like aquatic plants and since
they get some natural sunlight, they get a light covering of green algae which makes
them look even more natural.
At present I have two male green severums, both of their bodies measure 7
inches long by 4 ½ inches high, one male gold about 5 ½ inches, and the lone
female is also gold, about 4 ½ inches by almost 3 inches high. There is usually no
aggressive behavior, except when they spawn and then it is just the female
guarding the eggs and the male guarding a territory around her, keeping the tank
mates at a safe distance. Speaking of tank mates there are only a couple, an 8
inch bodied anabantid, and an 8 inch Megalodoras irwini. Back to the severums, the
green’s basic body color is an olive-brown with some blue green markings, and bluish
green under the eye from the mouth to the gill plate. The males have longer and more
pointed dorsal and anal fins, gee sounds like most cichlids; these extensions are a
good 1 ½ inches longer than the caudal fin, the anal fin and ventral fins of both
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are clear, dorsal and caudal fins are normally a very pale shade of the body color to
almost clear, the olive-brown for the greens and yellow for the golds. On the males
this will change when in breeding color; the dorsal gets a couple rows of orange spotting, a row of prominent blue green spots on the margin, and some blue green streaks
in between the rays near the extensions. The ventral and anal fins get a more promi-
nent orange color, and the caudal fin gets some bluish green color at the margin and
as spots in between the rays. The bluish green color on the face from the mouth
back to below the eyes and on to the gill plate also intensifies; this is only for the
dominant male. The other main sexual difference is the facial markings; the males get
some brown squiggly lines and spots above the mouth up between the eyes, and below the eyes onto the gill plate, the females don’t. The green males also have 6 -7
dark vertical bands on the sides of their bodies, these vary in intensity depending on
their mood, the dominant male has more prominent bands but even they are not all
the way up the side from the belly, while the subdominant male’s bands are almost
nonexistent. The one broken dark vertical band that seems to remain most of the time
is the one at the base of the tail. The gold forms don’t show these vertical bands at
all.
One day when I was working in the laundry room, that is where the 180 gallon
tank is set up; I noticed the gold female hovering around the mouth of a 4 inch flower
pot lying on its side. Upon closer inspection, although she tried to block my view, I
could see there was a clutch of eggs on the inside of the pot, and one of the green
males was patrolling nearby. Hooray!!! I finally got the conditions right and they
spawned, I kept checking on the eggs since I didn’t know when they had spawned,
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about two days later in the morning I noticed that some of the eggs were gone, I
thought they had stated eating them, but nooooo! There were tiny fry (wrigglers) lying
in the bottom of the pot, they had started hatching, the rest hatched during the day.
I left the fry with the parents since they seemed to be guarding them pretty closely, at
about ¼ inch they started free swimming, I waited about 5 or 6 days and since there
were other fish in the tank I decided to siphon some out. The fry were moved to a
small nursery tank with water from the spawning tank and a sponge filter, yet another
mistake on my part, being summer I thought they would be okay in a room temperature tank, but the tank was in the basement fish room which is a little cooler than the
spawning tank. Needless to say they were all dead within a week. The fry in the
spawning tank didn’t do any better; they were all gone within about 11 days. Then to
my surprise a few weeks later there was another clutch of eggs, on the outside
of the same flower pot, again the parents did the guarding routine. This time I let the
fry get a little older, I thought maybe I had stressed them too much for how young
they were the first time, when they were about 3/8 inch I siphoned some out. After I
removed some fry, the parents started moving them around the tank, every day or
two they were in a different part of the tank. I made sure to see where they were so I
could add some crushed flake in that area for the fry, and made sure the adult fish
were well fed. The fry were doing well and growing, at about ½ inch they started to
show the 6 – 7 dark vertical bands, after a month the parents were no longer guarding
the fry, they were just swimming all around on their own, and the larger fish were paying no attention to them whatsoever. The fry I removed to a nursery tank were
smaller than the ones I left with the parents so I returned them to the 180, they
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mixed right in with the others, the young stayed near the bottom around the rocks
and plants most of the time. I noticed that there is one gold fry in the batch; it is growing a lot slower than the greens, at about two months old the greens are almost an
inch long, the gold is just over ½ inch. I don’t know how many eggs there were but
there are at least three dozen young severums swimming around the tank now, I’m
sure there was a quite a few more eggs than that, but the real surprise is that the
Megalodoras irwini was not actively hunting them down at night. I guess that sometimes it is best to trust that the parents will do a better job than I will with the fry. I’m
just watching to see if they will do it again.
References:
Baensch Aquarium Atlas - Dr. Rudiger
Riehl & Hans A. Baensch
My observations
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1 - Rachel O'Leary Fish Room by Ted Judy
2– Fry Rack Part 1 by Ted Judy
3- Fry Rack Part 2 by Ted Judy
ALL ABOUT PETS
Located at Route 35 & Sea Girt Avenue ~ 732.223.4530
JSAS Members are always
treated to 20% off their fish
& aquarium purchases!
Be sure to stop in
and ask for Bill and
His friends!
FISH—BIRDS—RABBITS—REPTILES &
A BIG SELECTION OF FOOD & SUPPLIES
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for sale
Albino Cory’s $2 ~ Albino or Brown Ancistrus $3
120 gal. Oceanic Reef tank 4’ x 2’ ~ 50 gal. sump and pump
~ Aero Foamer Skimmer ~ 1/2 hp. Chiller ~ Oak Stand and
Hood (needs tlc) ~ Metal Halide Lights ~ HO lights $500
Contact Russ at rwhite8@optonline.net
Plastic fish bags as follows;
2x8 (100pcs)
= 1.50
3x14 (100pcs)
= 3.00
4x18 (100pcs)
= 6.00
6x20 (100pcs)
= 8.00
8x20 (100pcs)
= 11.00
10x22 (100pcs)
= 13.00
16x14x36 (8 pcs) =2.00
Also for trade –potted Lotus plants (pink & white) pond plant , can
get large.
Contact Dean at: deanmajorino@crimsonsword.com
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The Majestic Opah Is The World's First Truly
Warm Blooded Fish!
By Allegra Staples on May 21, 2015 ~ Submitted to the Shoreline by Chris Metta
The Opah is a striking fish species that can grow as large as 7feet in diameter and weigh over 100 pounds. Also referred to as
moonfish, the giants that can be found in both temperate and tropical seas reside at depths of 150 to 1,300-feet where the waters can
be extremely chilly. Scientists have often wondered how the fish can
withstand the temperatures given that they lack typical deep sea
dweller characteristics like a large heart. Now thanks to some curious California researchers that mystery has finally been solved - The
Opah has warm-blood!
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The chain of events leading to the discovery was accidental. It
all began in 2012 when Southwest Fisheries Science Center researchers Owyn Snodgrass and Heidi Dewar caught a few more
Opah specimens than normal during a research trip off the Southern California coast. Since very little was known about the elusive
fish, the scientists decided to take advantage of the unexpected
catch and sent some tissue samples to their colleague Nicholas
Wegner for dissection.
While the researchers had expected to learn some intriguing
facts about the fish's lifestyle, they had not anticipated anything
earth shattering. Even Wegner, who specializes in the respiratory
adaptations of fast-swimming fish, later admitted that he had always thought the Opah was just another sluggish cold-blooded
deep-water species.
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So you can imagine everyone's surprise when Wegner discovered that the opah's gill tissue is webbed with red and blue blood
vessels or "rete mirabile." This means the fish has one set of blood
vessels to carry warm blood to the gills, and another to transport
cold, oxygen-rich blood to the body core. Because the two sets of
blood vessels are entwined tightly, the warm blood heats up the
colder blood as it circulates. As a result, the Opah can maintain
higher body temperatures than cold-blooded fish or "ectotherms"
that rely on the temperature of their surroundings to regulate body
heat. The Opah's body is further optimized to retain heat with insulating layers of fat that protect its heart from the gills and the pectoral muscles from the cold ocean water.
There are a few other fish like tuna and sharks that possess rete
mirabile. However, their ability only extends to warming their blood
to heat individual body parts for short bursts of time. This means
that the fish cannot maintain their core body heat for too long in
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deep waters and have to surface periodically to shallower waters
to warm up. The "endothermic" Opah, however, can maintain a
constant body temperature, enabling it to remain in deeper, colder waters for extended periods of time.
To measure how much warmth the Opah can retain, the scientists fitted some with tracking thermometers. What they found was
that the fish were consistently able to maintain a body temperature
of about 5°Ç higher than the surrounding water, regardless of depth.
The researchers say the fish's ability to keep its muscles, brain, and
heart warm means it can swim faster and see better than both, its
prey and predators, allowing it to react quicker when hunting or being hunted.
As to how this amazing fish manages to warm its blood even in
the coldest environments? By constantly flapping its wing-like pectoral fins. This action not only heats its blood but also helps it propel
faster.
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These surprising findings have resulted in a new respect for this
fish. According to Wegner, who published the results in Sciencemag
on May 15th, "All indications are that this is a very fast fish and an
active predator . . . Specialized for living deeper than those other
predators." Hardly the lazy giant it had been made out to be! Just
shows how much we still have left to learn about the amazing marine
animals that reside in our oceans.
Click Here to Meet Opah - The First Fully Warm-Blooded Fish
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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NorthEast Weekend 2015
The latest news for the 2015 NorthEast Weekend. Check back often for updates.
The 2015 NorthEast Weekend will be held Sept. 18th-20th in Albany, NY. in the
Albany Airport Best Western Inn
900 Wolf Road, Albany, NY.
Reservations: 518-458-1000
Tentative Plans:
Saturday Banquet: Price to be determined.
Italian Feast: fruit salad or antipasto salad – Warm rolls with butter – Italian style green
beans – Penne pasta with homemade marinara sauce – Chicken parmigiana OR Egg-
plant parmigiana – Italian meatballs OR Sausage with onions and peppers – Assorted
non-alcoholic beverages – Chef’s choice dessert
Speakers: Friday evening and all day Saturday – To be announced.
Sunday Grand Auction: This year we will be open to all species of tropical fish.
Breeder Sales Tables: Saturday Morning. Killies, Plants, Live Foods, Books and much
more available.
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Oeichthys cosuatis
By Dr. Paul Loiselle
Re-printed from the Reporter, November 2014
Oeichthys cosuatis is another species long known to science but a relatively recent addition
to the ranks of ornamental fishes. The precise date of its aquaristic debut is unknown, but 1996
marks its first appearance in a reference work (Riehl and Baensch, 1996). Like many Indian fishes, it was described by Francis Hamilton, a Scottish physician employed by the British East India
company who was tasked with carrying out natural history surveys of the Company’s Indian possessions. Although type specimens are lacking for most of Hamilton’s species, his accurate - and
often well illustrated - descriptions, which frequently included precise collecting localities, leave
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little room for doubt as to the identity of their subjects. This is certainly true of the high fin headstander barb, to give the subject of this essay its most widely used - if slightly misleading common
name. This species certainly does sport an impressive dorsal fin. However, while its color pattern
is vaguely reminiscent of the South American headstanders of the genus Chilodus, males alone
assume a head-down posture characteristic of those characoids - and then only during the course
of their highly ritualized aggressive displays!
The extensive range attributed to this species by several on-line data bases, e. g. FishBase, extending throughout India eastwards to Burma and Thailand, is highly misleading. Originally described from the Khosi River, a tributary of the Ganges, O. cosuatis is retricted to the drainages of
the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers in northern India and Bangladesh. The Oreichthys reported
from southern India’s Western Ghats, Burma and Thailand represent different - and in several cases, undescribed species.
This is a small barb. Both males and females can grow to just over 1.75" [4.3 cm] SL, but it is
unusual to encounter individuals larger than 1.5" [3.8 cm] SL. While not a schooling species, the
high fin headstander barb is a markedly social fish, best kept is a group of six or more individuals.
Males tend to establish a peck order, whose intensity is a function of the living space available to
the group. While the small adult size and relatively sedentary character of O. cosuatis would seem
to recommend it as a candidate for life in a nano aquarium, this aspect of its behavior dictates that
a mixed-sex group be housed in at least a 10 gallon [40 l] aquarium. This is a rather retiring species that does not do well when housed with larger, more boisterous tankmates. Under such conditions, O. cosuatis will be outcompeted at feeding time and gradually waste away. Ideally, it should
be housed in a single species tank. However, Boraras, Trigonostigma, Microdevario and Tanichthys make appropriate tankmates, as do Trichopsis and Dario species. High fin headstander barbs
look their best and behave more normally in a well-planted tank with a dark substratum. A layer of
floating plants also goes far towards putting this species at ease.
Like most fish of north Indian provenance, O. cosuatis is not particularly demanding when it
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Like most fish of north Indian provenance, O. cosuatis is not particularly demanding when it
comes to water chemistry. This species will prosper over a pH range of 6.5 - 7.5 and hardness up
to 17° DH. This species inhabits slowly flowing waters in nature, and does not appreciate strong
water movement in its aquarium. It is nonetheless sensitive to high nitrate levels, so regular partial
water changes are essential to its successful maintenance. Although its generic name - Oreichthys means “mountain fish”- implies an inhabitant of cooler waters, its preferred temperature range
of 75° - 83° F. [24° - 28° C.] is suggestive of a tropical lowland species. High fin headstander
barbs will eat flakes, but their diet should contain a high percentage of live and frozen foods for it
to prosper. Frozen CyclopEze©, Artemia nauplii, live Daphnia and Grindal worms are particularly
relished.
Oreichthys cosuatis is not difficult to sex. The reddish ventral fins noted by Hamilton
(1822) in the original description are more intensely colored in males, which also boast a taller
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dorsal fin and a more clearly defined black anal fin spot. As is usually the case in barbs, females
are noticeably fuller-bodied than their consorts.
What little is known of the reproductive behavior of this species (Riehl and Baensch, 1996)
suggests that it is an egg-scatterer, spawning adhesive eggs in fine-leafed plants. Males display
constantly to females, behavior characteristic of species like white clouds that spawn on a continuous basis. It is probably safe to assume that like the generality of barbs, it is an enthusiastic egg-
eater whose mobile fry require infusoria as their first food. Breeding success thus depends on either removing the adults from the breeding tank as soon as possible after spawning or else feeding
them so generously that in a heavily planted tank a few fry will escape their parents’ attentions.
Hobbyists owe the availability of this species to the revival of ornamental fish exports from
India. As O. cosuatis is not at present being commercially bred, the fish in the trade are wildcaught. Possibly because it does not show itself to best advantage in their tanks, retailers seem reluctant to stock this species. As they often list the high fin headstander barb, . on-line vendors represent a viable option for acquiring this subtly colored little beauty.
Literature Cited
Hamilton, F. 1822. An account of the fishes of the River Ganges and its branches.
George Ramsay and Co., London, pp. 1 - 405.
Reihl, R. And H. A. Baensch. 1996. Aquarium Atlas. Volume 3. Mergus, Melle, pp. 1- 11044.
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Welcome to the All-Aquarium Catfish Convention 2016
October 13-16, 2016
Hyatt Dulles
2300 Dulles Corner Boulevard
Herndon, VA 20171
The Potomac Valley Aquarium Society is proud to present its seventh biannual All-Aquarium Catfish Convention. This is the official website for the
convention, and your source for all things Catfish.
Stay Tuned - More info coming!
The Shoreline ~ June 2015
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John Todaro, BAS
From the Brooklyn Aquarium Society’s publication
SCRUMPTIOUS MEALS & LIVE FOOD TREATS Compiled, Edited & Written by John Todaro
Frozen
Beef Heart “Supreme”
H
ere is a simple recipe picked up at a South Jersey Guppy Group Auction. It’s designed to help guppy breeders put weight and size on their guppy fry, but is also
excellent for any fish or fry that needs a high protein diet. Depending on how
much you blend it, you can produce a chunkier version to feed more mature or
bigger fish like Cichlids. Other than uneaten reside, there should not be any problem with feeding Frozen Beef Heart Supreme to your fish once a week. Coupled with newly-hatched baby
Bine shrimp, it’s an excellent food that should put size on your guppy fry or any other fish.
INGREDIENTS:
6 to 7 lbs. of beef heart
2 jars strained carrots
2 hard-boiled egg yolks
Enough water to blend
OPTIONAL:
Any other ingredients or supplements
you wish to add.
PREPARATION:
1. Remove all fat and sinew from the
beef heart.
2. Cut the cleaned beefheart into
1/2” inch cubes.
3. Blend 1 cup of cubed beef heart with
1 1/2 cups of water until syrup
consistency. Continue above until all
beef heart is blended.
(At this point, you can blend some of the
beef heart less for a “chunkier”
consistency for larger fish.) Keep this
The Shoreline ~ June 2015
mixture separate for feeding larger fish.)
4. Strain mixture through a colander,
disposing of all remaining fat and sinew.
5. Mix in other ingredients after thinning
with water. (You can add any other
supplements or ingredients at this time.)
6. Freeze in freezer bags, removing all
air in bags and pressing the mixture
to about 1/4 inch thick. Lay them on
cookie sheets as they freeze to keep
them flat.
FEEDING:
To feed, break off enough Beef Heart
Supreme to be eaten in 5 to 10
minutes. Before feeding, allow to
melt slightly to facilitate breakup.
Or you can use a grater to grate the
frozen beef heart mixture directly into
the tank. This method probably will
not work well with “chunkier mixtures.”
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Joseph Graffagnino, BAS Re-printed from Dec.—Nov. 2013 BAS Aquatica
Tilapia mariae, The Tiger Tilapia:
Not Your Average African Cichlid.
T
his beautiful yellow and green cichlid from Africa would be a great addition to
any aquarium. The Tilapia mariae, also known as Tiger Tilapia and Tilapia Marie, is not your average African cichlid. It is not well known or a publicized aquarium fish, and that is why it’s not easy to
acquire, but more about this later. Allow me to describe this strikingly beautiful fish:
The male is larger than the female by
Trout cichlids, Champsochromis caeruleus, in
approximately one to two inches (male 5 -1/2 to the tank, the Tilapia showed no inclination to
6 inches, female 4 to 4 - 1/2 inches). Both gen- spawn. When these large fish were removed,
the Talapia seized the opportunity and laid apders have a yellow body with light green top
proximately 80 eggs on a vertical side of a
and back. Along the lateral line are five black
piece of wood. I then placed a tank divider bedots. The female has a red blotch behind the
tween the Tilapia and the other fish in the 180
pectoral fins and above the stomach area
gallon tank (four Turquoise severums, a pair of
(similar to Salvini cichlid), the pectoral fins are
Aulonocara baenschi, a pair of Haplochromis
yellow, trimmed in black. The eyes have a red
rhoadesii, a large clown loach and a large Synblotch with a black diagonal line running
through them. The anal fin has red streaks in it, odontis angelicus).
and the most beautiful part, the tail and dorsal
fin, has a light florescent green dot pattern with
a red, white and blue edging.
Tilapia mariae are very tolerant of pH
and water hardness, and will eat anything
(except snails). They like their temperature in
They are extremely protective of their fry 70’s°F and for breeding in the low 80’s°F. They
and will attack any fish or even a human hand if make an excellent aquariumfish for for mild or
medium tempered, African or Central/South
it ventures close enough. It was interesting to
American cichlids. The fry from the spawn they
note that while I had large green severums and
had are the most indestructible fry you will ever
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See. They will voraciously eat anything, but really love floating plants. The fry will put on a show
for you when you feed them Sera nips®, 8 per
pack, tablets that stick on the side of the glass.
The fry go berserk, as the 80 of them hit this tablet at the same time and won’t stop until it’s all
gone. I also believe that plant and vegetable
matter is an important part of their diet.
the temperature at 80°F. I’ve never checked the
water hardness.
I believe it would be of interest to you to note that
I obtained this pair of fish from Basil Holubis,
President of the Norwalk, CT Aquarium Society,
by trading him a small colony of Aulonocara
baenschi, Sunshine Peacocks.
One of the many benefits of joining an
aquarium club is that you have an opportunity to
meet members of other clubs. Often these members have aquarium that, in many instances,
your club members don’t have. By exploring the
possibilities of either trading or attending another
After ten days with the parents, I separat- club auctions or shows, you can open an avenue
ed the majority placed them in a 15 gallon tank. I to obtain new and different and of course yourleft 9 fry with the parents. I fed the same menu to self.
all the siblings. To my surprise the fry that stayed
In addition to swapping or buying fish, you
with the parents more than doubled in size. The
larger ones are 2 to 2-1/2 inches in length,
can open a resource of knowledge for any and
whereas the ones moved to a 15 gallon tank
all information regarding tropical fish. When I visit
were only 1 to 1-1/2 inches in length. Even
aquarium clubs like, North Jersey AS, South
though I did water changes to the smaller tank
more than to the larger tank (3 to 1 ratio), the fry Jersey AS, Norwalk AS, Greater CITY AS, Naskept with their parents grew much faster. My
sau County AS, Long Island AS and many othconclusion is the larger volume of water in the
ers, I meet and i n t e r a c t wi t h hobbyists and
original tank helped increased growth more than
professionals in the aquarium business. These
just water changes.
people can, and do,provide all kinds of inforI then moved the 9 original fry into another mation on tanks, equipment, transporting, fish
180-gallon tank shared with African and Central / food, insulation tips, etc. I’ve met and have had
South American cichlids, and they are doing fine. in-depth discussions with Ginny Eckstein, Dr.
I placed their smaller brothers and sisters back
Paul Loiselle, Chuck Davis, Ad Konings, Joe Ferinto the tank with the parents, and another surdenzi, Lee Finley, Rosario LaCorte, Frank Poliprise to me... the parents took them back without castro and Tom Miglio to name a few of the exa problem. It is now several weeks later and they perts in this hobby. These people are REAL,
are still with the parents and doing great.
they’re friendly and easily accessible, and by getThe parents have not shown any inclina- ting active in an aquarium club, you too can
tion to spawn again, perhaps because the babies have access to a wealth of practical knowledge
remain with them. However, they still continue to you’ll never find in any set of books.
The babies have a beige body with eight
black bands around it, from the eye to the base
of the tail, resembling Tilapia buttekoferi. I noticed that after two months there are red streaks
in the dorsal fin.
protect their fry.
REFRENCES:
I have been feeding them flake food,live
black worms, frozen bloodworms, home made
vegetable food and pellets -- they eat everything!
And when I place duckweed, riccia or other floating plants in the tank, they devour them in
minutes.
PHOTO: Wikipedia
I keep the pH slightly alkaline at 7.6, and
The Shoreline ~ June 2015
The Most Complete Colored Lexicon of Cichlids,
by Herbert R. Axelrod, TFH Pub., Inc., 1993.
Enjoying Cichlids, by Ad Konings, Cichlid Press,
1993.
Cichlid Aquarium, by Dr. Paul V. Loiselle, Tetra
Press, 1994.
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THE STORE WORTH TRAVELING TO SEA!
30% off
732.967.9700
For JSAS
415 State Route 18 East Brunswick, NJ http://www.aquaridise.com/
Hours of Operation: Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.,
Sunday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
15% off for JSAS
10% OFF FOR JSAS MEMBERS
The Shoreline ~ June 2015
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The Shoreline ~ June 2015
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JASA MEETING SCHEDULE ~ 2015
June 8 @ 8:00 pm. ~ Kevin Carr “10 Largest New World Cichlids”
July 13 @ 8:00 pm ~ Joe Chiappetta “Collecting in Uruguay”
August—There is no meeting in August
September 14 @ 8:00 pm ~ Larry Jinks “Catfish Breeding”
October 12 @ 8:00 pm ~ Bowl Show and Zoomed New Products
November 9 @ 8:00 pm ~ Frank Policastro “Building a Fish Room”
December 14 @ 8:00 pm ~ Holiday Party
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE JERSEY SHORE AQUARIUM SOCIETY
Editor: Russ White
rwhite8@optonline.net
Exchange Editor: Position is Open.
Any material reprinted from The Shoreline for noncommercial use, unless previously
copyrighted by the author, credit must be bestowed to the author and The Shoreline. One
copy shall be forwarded to the Editor.
The Shoreline accepts contributions from members and non‐members and prints submissions as space permits. We are always seeking articles about keeping or breeding fish,
maintaining a fishroom, photos, anecdotes, etc. If you’re interested in seeing your submission published, please send via email to the Editor.
Submission deadline is the last Friday of the month for the following month’s issue.
Members in good standing can place ads at no charge. Send ad copy by email to the Editor.
The Shoreline is published monthly (except August) and distributed via email to members in good standing and online at www.jerseyshoreas.org.
The Shoreline ~ June 2015
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membership rewards
Your JSAS Membership Card entitles you to valuable discounts at these great
retailers. Be sure to show your current membership card at checkout for your
discount. JSAS membership has its privileges. We must support those who
support us.
Absolutely Fish, Clifton
15% Discount (excludes sale items)
Shark Aquarium, Hillside
15% Discount
Adam’s Pet Safari, Warren & Chester
15% Discount
Sharkey’s Aquarium, Point Pleasant
10% Discount (excluding feeder fish/
shrimp)
Air Water & Ice
www.AirWaterIce.com
10% Discount—Use promo code #
39769 Free Shipping over $150—Use
promo code # 99090
All About Pets, Sea Girt
(JSAS Member)
20% discount—Fish & Aquarium Dry
goods
Allquatics, Hamilton
15% Discount
Tropiquarium, Ocean
10% Discount—Fish Only
Vladiscus, Feasterville, PA
10% Discount
Your Fish Stuff
www.YourFishStuff.com
10% Discount—Use promo code ‘jsas’
Red Sand Aquarium, Dunellen
10% Discount—Marine
Aquaridise, East Brunswick
30% off all fish & most dry goods
Jim Straughn’s Aquarium, Feasterville,
PA
15% Discount
Ocean Gallery Aquatics, N. Plainfield
15% Discount
You can obtain your JSAS
Membership Card from Nancy
Villars/Hallgring when paying or
renewing your annual dues.
WWW.JERSEYSHOREAS.ORG
The Shoreline ~ June 2015
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Brooklyn Aquarium Society—Meets at 7:30 pm on the 2nd Friday each month
(except July and August) at the Educational Hall of the New York Aquarium at
Coney Island, Surf Avenue at West 8th Street.
www.BASNY.org
North Jersey Aquarium Society—Meets at 7:45 pm every 3rd Thursday each
month (except August—Picnic; December—Holiday Party) at the Quality Inn 10
Polito Ave, Lyndhurst, NJ.
www.njas.net
Bucks County Aquarium Society—Meets at 7:30 pm on the 1st Thursday each
month (except August) at the Churchville Nature Center, 501 Churchville Lane,
Churchville, PA. www.bcasonline.com
Delaware County Aquarium Society—Meets at 8:00 pm on the 1st Friday each
month (except July and August) at the Springfield Township Building, 50 Powell
Road, Springfield, PA. www.dcas.us
Garden State Betta Association—Meets the 2nd Sunday each month at Frank
Siracusa’s house. Contact him for details: finny1@aol.com
Aquarium Club of Lancaster County—Meets at 1:00 pm on the 3rd Saturday
each month at Hand-in-Hand Fire Co., 313 Enterprise Drive, Bird-in-Hand PA
17505. http://aclcpa.org
Northeast Council of Aquarium Societies (NEC)—As a JSAS member in good
standing, you are automatically a member of NEC. For more information, visit
www.NorthEastCouncil.org or speak with Nancy Villars/Hallgring at an upcoming meeting.
WWW.JERSEYSHOREAS.ORG
The Shoreline ~ June 2015
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