Proud Member of:

Transcription

Proud Member of:

June 2013
Volume 40 – Issue 10
Proud Member of:
Durham Region Aquarium Society
ALL ABOUT US
The Durham Region Aquarium Society (DRAS) was established in September 1966.
During that year our first annual fish show was held and a monthly bulletin created. The
Society’s stated aim, "For the advancement and improvement of the aquarium hobbyist",
has benefited hundreds of members in over 40 years of existence. Our Society is also a
charter member, and current member in good standing, of the Canadian Association of
Aquarium Clubs (CAOAC).
MONTHLY MEETINGS:
Our meetings are usually held on the second Tuesday
of every month. (No meetings in July and August)
TIME: 7:30 pm
MEETING LOCATION:
In the cafeteria of:
Anderson Collegiate,
400 Anderson Street
Whitby, Ontario
MEETINGS:
The monthly meetings include an interesting program with guest speakers, slide presentations or demonstrations. There is
also a jar show, door prize draws and an auction which usually includes fish or hobby related items such as aquariums,
books, plants and other equipment. There is always time to talk to fellow hobbyists.
MEMBERSHIP:
An annual membership includes attendance at the monthly meetings, a copy of our monthly newsletter Tank Talk, voting
privileges, use of the club library, participation in our Annual Fish Show and Auction, Breeders Award Program (BAP),
Aquatic Horticultural Award Program (AHAP) and other interesting events during the year. You have the opportunity to
attend annual fish shows and auctions hosted by other clubs and societies around southern Ontario and the northern
United States. The Society can also assist you in obtaining rare and/or exotic fish and aquatic plants that are not usually
found in pet stores.
VISITORS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME!!
MEMBERSHIP DUES:
For further information contact:
Junior $5.00
Joanne Harder at 905 404-8617
Single $20.00
Family $25.00
U
2012 - 2013 Executive & Standing Committees
Executive:
President:
Vice-President:
Treasurer:
Secretary:
Past President:
Joanne Harder
Ivan M. Shaw
Colette McKee
Barry McKee
Klaus Steinhaus
905 404-8617
905 728-3385
289-660-0100
289-660-0100
905-240-1029
Honourary Members: Mr. & Mrs Earl Gatchell
Mr. Peter Naef
Mr. Wayne Rakestrow
Mr. Doug White
FOR INFORMATION REGARDING ADVERTISING
IN THIS PUBLICATION, PLEASE E-MAIL:
HU
suggestions@dras.ca
U
REPRINT POLICY FOR ARTICLES IN TANK TALK:
Unless otherwise stated, any non-profit organization may
reprint from Tank Talk provided that credit is given to the
author, Tank Talk, and the Durham Region Aquarium
Society (DRAS) and that two copies of the reprinting
publication are sent to the Durham Region Aquarium
Society’s mailing address. Any other use is not permitted
unless written consent from the Durham Region Aquarium
Society and/or the author is obtained.
Tank Talk – June 2013 / Volume 40, Number 10
Standing Committees:
Advertising:
Doug Chessell
AHAP Chair:
Paul D. McIntosh
AHAP Co-Chair Derek Tustin
Annual Show: Tom Mason
BAP Chair:
Tim McCaskie
CAOAC Reps: Barry McKee
Myron Iwanochko
Librarian:
Paul A. McIntosh
Lunch
Convenor:
Maria Topalis
Membership: Mary Hyland
Program Chair: Rick Glencross
Tank Talk
Editor:
Klaus Steinhaus
Exchange
Editor:
Derek Tustin
Webmaster:
Ivan M. Shaw
Forum Admin: Ivan M. Shaw
C.A.R.E.S.
Klaus Steinhaus
Annual Dinner Sonja Hojka
905 683-7119
905 728-1407
905-493-3360
905 839-6764
905 438-9618
289-660-0100
905-427-3307
905 697-7619
905 728-9757
705-357-2672
905-471-1345
905 240-1029
905-493-3360
905 728-3385
905 728-3385
905-240-1029
905-831-4395
Please forward all correspondence to:
DURHAM REGION AQUARIUM SOCIETY
c/o 110 Park Road North, #310
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
L1J 4L3
Page 2
June 2013 Tank Talk
The next general meeting will be Tues, June 11, 2013
The Program will be:
Tom Mason & Derek Tustin
“Native Gathering”
Collecting flora and fauna from the local marshes, streams, rivers and lakes

From the Editor
page 4

May Membership Report
page 4

President’s Message
page 5

Trading Post
page 5

My Green Thumb - Lobelia

Calendar
page 10

DRAS Volunteer
page 10

The Salty Corner – Treating Tap/Source-water for Marine Aquarium Use
by Derek Tustin
by Kevin Thurston
page
6
page 11

AHAB & BAP Standings
page 16

DRAS C.A.R.E.S. Participants
page 17

Year of the Catfish – Talking…… (Doradidae)

May 2013 Executive Meeting Minutes
page 22

May 2013 General Meeting Minutes
page 22

Aquarium Photography – part 3 ”post processing”
by Dave Hansen
page 23

WTFish?: Auctions – Does Labeling Make a Difference? by Derek Tustin
page 31
by Derek Tustin
page 18
The Durham Region Aquarium Society (DRAS) and the editors of Tank Talk
do not endorse and are not responsible for the actions of any advertisers or
merchants found within or through Tank Talk. Any dealings between you, the
member and these companies or individuals including payment for and
delivery of products, services and any other associated dealings are solely
between you and the relevant advertiser or merchant and are made at your
own risk and by your own choice.
Page 3
May 2013 Membership Report
We currently have 67 active members.
New Members:
Anders Holder
Welcome to the Club 
From the Editor
Member Renewals:
No renewals
Respectfully submitted by: Mary
Hyland
If you move or change your phone number,
PLEASE let me know ASAP.
Another “fishy” year is over again and I trust everybody
is looking forward to a (hopefully) great summer.
Looking back, I belief that 2012/2013 has been another
good year for our club and it appears that the 2013/2014
season will be a very special one to look forward to. The
executive is working already on new events that will take
place next year that will make our club even more
successful.
So all I can do now is wish all of you a very nice and
relaxing summer and hope to see you all back in
September.
Any suggestions and aquaristic articles are welcome 
Please submit an article about ANY aquatic subject.
buntbarsch @rogers.com
Page 4
Hey there folks,
Well another year is nearly over and I think it was a successful one. I would like to thank all the executive
and standing committee members for their time and hard work as this club would not exist without them.
So Ivan, Barry, Colette, Klaus, Tom, Sonia, Doug, Paul, Derek, Tim, Myron, Paul, Maria, Mary and Rick
Thank You all very much.
I would also like to thank John Adamson for stepping up last month and accepting the new social media
position. Can’t wait for next year should be exciting!!
As some of you know I traveled to Edmonton last month to attend the CAOAC meeting, had a bit of a
mix up as to when and how the general meeting was being held and actually missed it, I do apologize for
that. On a good note however was the convention itself, very well organized and met plenty of terrific
people. The speakers were entertaining and friendly, and dinner was scrumptious, especially the dessert
table. I was able to get the word out about next years convention we are hosting and quite a number of
people are interested in the CARES program, I wouldn’t be too surprised if Klaus hasn’t already heard
from the Edmonton and Calgary clubs to get more info. I also heard a couple of people are already
planning on attending which I thought was a terrific sign. Now, just to get everything organized and to
pull it off, working with the exceptional support team we have it should be a piece of cake.
I hope you all have a fantabulous summer.
Looking forward to another fun filled year, Joanne
Trading Post
If you have anything to sell, give away or if you are looking for a particular item, please let the Editor know.
buntbarsch @rogers.com
Page 5
My Green Wet Thumb:
Lobelia
Derek P.S. Tustin
W
hen I was just starting to attempt to grown aquatic
plants, I used the scattergun approach, buying
whatever appealed to me in the moment, and didn’t
always do my research. Actually to be honest, I rarely
researched, and as a result often brought home plants that
were completely unsuitable for my set-up and was confused as
over a period of weeks most of the plants quickly died. Despite
all the advice I was given, true information was lacking.
Looking back, I was the victim of many uninformed store staff
out to make a quick buck. Despite informing them of my setup, the advice was usually something along the line of “Oh
yeah, this will grow for you”, regardless of the plant’s actual
suitability. One of my first major disappointments was an
attempt at growing Lobelia cardinalis submersed. I soon gave
up on the species, believing it to be beyond my capabilities.
Lobelia cardinalis
A number of years later, in 2008 to be precise, I attended the
CAOAC Convention in Edmonton, Alberta. There I met Rudy Kern, an accomplished aquatic horticulturist
who was presenting at the convention. I had the opportunity to speak with him on the second day of the
convention after he gave a presentation on aquatic horticulture. Part of his presentation was the display of a
selection of various species that he had propagated, and one of these specimens was a 120 cm (48” or 4
feet) immersed grown L. cardinalis that was in full bloom. I was stunned with the size and condition of the
plant, and later related my story to Rudy about my complete failure with this species. He sympathized with
the bad advice I had previously been given, quickly identifying the changes in conditions that I would have
needed to properly grow this plant and, displaying the generosity that this hobby is known for, provided me
with a small potted L. cardinalis to take home.
The plant was added to my tank, and I managed to successfully maintain it submersed for an extended period
of time. But as often happens, I changed my set-up slightly and sold the plant at one of the Durham Region
Aquarium Society’s monthly auctions.
When my wife and I moved into our home, one of my goals was to set up a pond in the backyard. I did so
that first year, and for the last four years, I’ve maintained an approximately 375 litre (100 gallon) in-ground
pond with numerous planting ledges scattered throughout. I’ve chronicled some of my successes and failures
previously, but as a summary, I’ve tried a lot of different aquarium plants in emergent growth conditions, and
have kept a smattering of annual and perennial marginal plants. But in all that time, I never tried L. cardinalis
again, at least not until last year…
L. cardinalis, also known as the “Cardinal Flower”, is a member of the Lobelia genus, a group of flowering
plants comprising in excess of 360 species. The genus is named in honor of Mathias de Lobel (sometimes
Matthias de l’Obel), a 16th century physician who is credited with the first attempt to classify plants according
to their characteristics, rather than to their medicinal uses which had been the previous practice.
Page 6
The genus is distributed around the globe, occurring in tropical to warm climates. The plants in the family
vary widely in appearance, hardiness, colouration, size and habitat, but many species are cultivated as
ornamental plants in ponds and gardens.
Approximately 90 of the 360 species in the genus are native to North America. One of these North American
species, Lobelia inflata, commonly called Indian Tobacco, was used by Native Americans to treat respiratory
disorders (such as asthma), as a laxative, and later used by non-native doctors as a herbal medicine to
induce vomiting (hence the common names of pukeweed, barfweed, heaveleaf, retchwort and vomitwort).
As aquarists, there are several species that are very suitable for our use. Two are commonly available, and
third would necessitate some effort to acquire. They are Lobelia cardinalis, Lobelia siphilitica and Lobelia
dortmanna.
Lobelia cardinalis
Lobelia cardinalis is by far the most
available of all Lobelia species,
especially for aquatic horticulturists. In
the emersed form, vibrant tubular or bell
shaped scarlet red flowers will grow from
a stalk that usually reaches up to 120 cm
(48” or 4 feet) in height, although it is not
uncommon in the wild for plants to have
stalks standing in excess of 180 cm (72”
or 6 feet). The flowers, which begin
blooming in May and continue through
October, can last up to six weeks, are
usually 5 cm (2”) in length, and will
attract
both
butterflies
and
hummingbirds.
It was first discovered by European
Lobelia cardinalis
explorers in Canada, who sent the plant
back to France in the mid-1620’s. The
species name, “cardinalis”, likely was chosen as the colour of the flowers closely resembled the colour of
robes worn by Roman Catholic cardinals.
In addition to the area where the plant was initially found (which is believed to be somewhere in what is now
the province of Quebec), it can be found alongside ponds, streams and other waterways in parts of central to
eastern Canada (Ontario, and New Brunswick in addition to Quebec), and most of the eastern half and
southern half of the United States. It does not naturally occur in western provinces of Canada or in the
northwestern United States.
Tropica, the renowned aquatic plant nursery, sells L. cardinalis that has been submersed grown, and they are
occasionally available in local pet stores that carry aquatic plants. Both Vandermeer Nursery Ltd. in Ajax,
Ontario and Moore Water Gardens in Port Stanley, Ontario, carry emersed grown L. cardinalis as part of their
standard stock, and the plant is also occasionally sold at local aquarium society auctions.
In the submersed form, the plant can last for a number of years. It will stay relatively compact, will not flower,
but will produce bright green leaves that have a scarlet red / deep purple under-leaf. In the “Dutch Aquarium”
(a form of aqua-scaping using plants to create a garden-like appearance), L. cardinalis is one of the more
popular plants used to create a “street” (a row of plants running left to right). However, it appears that a
Page 7
specialized form of L. cardinalis, L. cardinals ‘Mini’ or L. cardinalis ‘Dwarf’, is the preferred form for creating
“streets”, and I have been unable to find any information on the emersed growth of this form.
If growing submersed in an aquarium, moderate lighting is the minimum tolerable, with higher lighting levels
resulting in a more compact growth. CO2 injection is not absolutely necessary, but doing so will also result in
better growth. And finally, it is strongly recommended that a proper and generous regimen of water
fertilization be utilized, as this will aid in obtaining the fastest, lushest and most vigorous growth.
But in my experience, the more fulfilling use and best display of this plant is to grow it emersed. Last year I
picked up two pots from Vandermeer Nursery Ltd., and subdivided them into several emersed pots on the
planting ledges of my pond. By mid-June I had several stalks in excess of 120 cm (48”) in height, bearing a
multitude of vibrant red flowers that quickly become one of my wife’s favourite plants in the pond. They
remained in bloom throughout the rest of the summer. My only problem was that as they grew taller, they
became more unstable, falling over when brushed up against by one of my dogs, or in strong winds. Wider
and longer pots providing a better base proved to be the solution for this, and once rectified, they remained
upright for the remainder of the season.
While listed as being a perennial plant, and while wild plants will usually survive the winter, it has been found
that plants placed in the pond in our climate zone (Zone 5 or Zone 6 depending on your source), more often
than not will die over the winter. However, this plant is self-seeding, and you can easily gather seeds from the
plant and use them the following year. As the lower leaves die off, they will leave behind seed pods, from
which the seeds can be harvested and saved for seeding the following year. The seeds are very fine, and
even a single pod can contain thousands of seeds.
Vandermeer Nursery Ltd. also sells a plant labeled as Lobelia fulgens ‘Elm Fire’. Be aware that L. fulgens is
actually a synonym for L. cardinalis, and is the same species although a different variety. L. cardinalis ‘Elm
Fire’ should remain slightly smaller than L. cardinalis, reaching an approximate maximum of 120 cm (48” or 4
feet) in height, and the flowers tend to be darker, ranging from “deep beet red” to burgundy to purple in colour.
Lobelia siphilitica
The second species of Lobelia that has started to
become commonly available in our area is Lobelia
siphilitica. Known as the “Great Blue Lobelia”, it is
similar in appearance to L. cardinalis, except it
remains smaller, usually reaching a maximum of
90 cm (36” or 3 feet) in height, and has a flower
that can range from light blue to purple to lavender
in colour. It blooms later in the year, starting in
August and continuing through October.
Also native to North America, its range is less than
that of L. cardinalis. If you were to divide North
American vertically in half, L. siphilitica can be
found in most of the eastern half, with the
exception of the Arctic provinces, the Maritime
provinces and Florida.
Lobelia siphilitica
The species name, “siphilitica”, refers to the erroneous historic belief that the root of the plant was a treatment
for syphilis.
This plant is also currently available at Vandermeer Nursery Ltd., and might be found in other plant nurseries
in Ontario.
Page 8
Lobelia dortmanna
The third plant that would be suitable for
aquatic usage is Lobelia dortmanna, the
only true aquatic (as opposed to marginal)
plant in the genus, and appropriately
named “Water Lobelia”. This plant is not
something that is available in commercial
nurseries, having a somewhat plain and
unattractive appearance.
In fact, my
interest in this plant was roused by
researching this article, and it appears that
the only way in which I could obtain this
plant would be to gather one from the wild.
This plant is native to North American, with
its distribution being limited to all of
Lobelia dortmanna
Canada (excepting Nunavut and the
Yukon Territory) and the northeastern and northwestern United States), but can also be found in the British
Isles, and from northeast France through to northwest Russia.
The plant base will be found totally submersed along peat, sand or rock shorelines, and in some wetlands, but
rarely in river environments. It can grow to a height of 210 cm (84” or 7 feet), but the flowers are significantly
smaller than those of L. cardinalis, being only 2.5 cm (1”) in size, and significantly fewer than those found on
L. cardinalis, with a maximum of 10 produced on one stalk.
The species name of “dortmanna” was given by Carl Linnaeus in honour of Jan Dortmann, an early Dutch
apothecary.
While known to exist in the wild in Ontario, documentation on exact locations is sparse. I think that one of my
future projects may be an attempt to locate and keep this plant in my own pond.
The commonly available Lobelia species are beautiful examples of native pond plants, and Lobelia cardinalis
is a plant that is also suitable for aquarium usage. Should you want a plant with beautiful flowers in your pond
this year, I would heartily encourage you to pick up Lobelia siphilitica, Lobelia cardinalis, or one of the Lobelia
cardinalis varieties.
Latin Name
Lobelia cardinalis
Common Name
Cardinal Flower
Height
Width
Light
pH
Growth
Difficulty
120 cm (48")
30 cm (12")
High
6.0 - 8.0
Slow
Easy
Lobelia siphilitica
Great
Lobelia
90 cm (36")
30 cm (12")
High
6.0 - 8.0
Slow
Easy
Blue
Lobelia
dortmanna
Water Lobelia
210 cm (84")
30 cm (12")
High
6.0 - 8.0
Slow
Easy
Page 9
CALENDAR
DRAS Meeting Dates for the 2012/2013 Season:
June 11th, 2013
June 23, 2013 CAOAC Meeting & Presidents Barbeque
11:00 AM CAOAC Executive meeting (Location to be
announced)
12:00 PM CAOAC General meeting (Location to be
announced)
September 15, 2013 CAOAC Meeting
11:00 AM CAOAC Executive meeting Waterdown, ON
12:00 PM CAOAC General meeting Waterdown, ON
October 20, 2013 CAOAC Meeting
November 17, 2013 CAOAC Meeting
Barry Sheppard
December 15, 2013 CAOAC Meeting & Annual Potluck
Lunch
The DRAS Volunteers
This month’s volunteer is
Barry Sheppard
Barry, also a long time member of
our club, has carried the
responsibility as our Treasurer for a
number of years and still helps out
when needed. Being in this hobby
for very many years, he is always
willing to share his knowledge and
help wherever he can.
Thank you Barry for helping DRAS
to become a better club 
Page 10
“The Salty Corner”
Treating Tap/Source-water for Marine
Aquarium Use
by Robert Fenner
Reprinted from
Aquarticles.com
Most
municipalities
disinfect their drinking
water with chlorine or
chloramines.
These
chemicals are deadly
toxic to disease-causing
microbes,
unsightly,
distasteful algae, and
unfortunately,
our
desired
aquatic
life!
Present practices result
in a highly variable tapproduct; one that should
be monitored and must
be dealt with, either by
storage/aeration over an
extended period, conscientious treatment, or very slow and/or limited water change regimens.
This article will familiarize you with the whys of these sanitizers, your options in dealing with
them, and symptomatology & therapy for poisoned livestock. Hey, I'll even give you my version
of "the best way" (according to the Fishman) to render tap water usable. Ho-boy!
Why Do We Have To Deal With This Stuff Anyway?:
Always a good question. Answer: Because it's there. Water intended for human consumption;
drinking, bathing, washing, what-have-you is rendered biologically zippo (that is, nothing living
in it) by semi-unselectively poisoning it with materials that are supposedly not very toxic to us.
As the story goes, there was/is a high positive correlation with the blending of free chlorine with
organics, present more and more in source waters, resulting in compounds termed tri-halomethanes (spelling mine). Tap water in the U.S.A. used to be primarily treated with chlorine as
a gas, or liquid (principally as the bleaching agent, sodium hypochlorite, aka hypochlorous
acid). Due to the aforementioned problem, linking colonic cancers with tri-halo-methanes, the
fed. EPA saw fit to pass laws supplanting free-chlorine-liberating means of potable water
sanitizing with the less noxious (as far as colonic cancers go) but more persistent chloramines.
But, dear reader, please allow me a short digression:
Page 11
There are still places where this magazine reaches, like Britain and Japan, where chlorine is still
in vogue, and even (gasp!) Western Europe, and some communities utilize the commiesubterfuge-itself, fluorine(!). And so, let us have a slight review of the ole High School level
qualitative chemistry, shall we? As you'll recall, in the most popular presentation of the primary
building blocks of the universe (atoms), there is an arrangement of these elements in a Periodic
Table, or Chart.
By definition, the vertical columns in the periodic chart of elements are called Families of
elements. Ostensibly, all members of a given family share alike chemistries on the basis of
kindred arrangements of electron-cloud configurations. The column immediately adjacent to the
far-right family of noble gases, is termed the halogens (note the similarity of halo above and
halogen here). Geez, anyway what I'm trying to get to here is that all members of the halogen
family (halogenated be thy name?) act (poison) the same. Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine
and Astatine. Anyhow all these atom-types are very reactive, wanting only one more electron to
fill out their outer electron cloud, but that's another story (thank goodness). They all will kill
your fish, invert’s, algae, live-rock, whatever you have, in sufficient concentration. On with this
story.
Chlorine (Cl 2) bound up with ammonia (nominally NH3) we'll call chloramine. This critter is
responsible for almost as much captive mortality as hobbyist-generated-booboos! No small feat.
And the reason(s) why? Let's make that a separate article, okay? Suffice it to write here that:
1) Chloramine is present in toxic quantities in virtually/actually all city water supplies, 2) It
takes a good week or so to "dissipate" by "setting", "aeration", "hopeful wishing", or other such
means, or 3) Can be neutralized by various store-bought or home-made chemical conditioners,
some only-effective with concurrent contactor filtrates (e.g. carbons, zeolites) to remove
resultant ammonia. But most all wanna-be advanced-aquarist-types know some version of this
extended-greatest-fish-poisoning-story-evertold.
Basically, know this, the water district types are
not your best fishy buddies. For various
reasoning’s, they fool with the water, very
occasionally yielding a more and more toxic
product that you must remain vigilantly
suspicious of.
Mode Of Action:
Chlorine, Chloramines, Fluorine compounds et al.
are hemolytic in their action, splitting up blood
cells. Additionally, in sufficient concentration, the
actual gill membranes will dissolve in their
presence. Both these reduce respiratory capacity
(no duh!)
What's A Pet-Fish Type To Do? First and
foremost, be aware! How else are you going to
"get by" in the world, let alone optimize your
opportunities? Next, determine whether you're
going the intensive versus extensive (lazy)
mode. In the former, extend your senses and
Page 12
get a test kit for chlorine/chloramine. How 'bout an advertisement/schpeil here? Okay!
Aquarium Pharmaceuticals has a nice inexpensive liquid-reagent variety, Hach and LaMotte
have some nicer units for the hoi polloi, and there are even electronic types for the lotterywinning, ultra-tech-ee. The extensive/lazy approach is to MAKE FREQUENT, SMALL WATER
CHANGES (boy, that's bright on the old word processor), say 10-15% at weekly/twice-monthly
intervals, gambling on absorption, complexing of tap sanitizers with "what's in your system". 3)
The last and generally least desirable, but necessary to discuss means, are directly chemical in
nature. You know their names, the sundry new/tap water conditioners. Let's not name-names
directly here, but do let us make a general classification scheme/discussion on the basis of
apparent activity, and some letting-on concerning ingredients...
A) Dechlorinators: These are the tried and true (sodium) thiosulfate, aka hypo, or hyposulfite
compounds. Yes, this is the same stuff you may be familiar with in terms of photographic
developing chemicals for (surprise!) removing free chlorine to eliminate interaction with silver...
More on this real soon.
B) Dechloraminators: Here I mean one's that "really" work, that is, that take care of both
chlorine and ammonia. These typically involve poly-vinyl compounds. This is a big hint!
C) Pea Suede Oh (pseudo), read that as phony "Dechloraminators". Yes, there are products,
some quite popular, that profess to "remove chloramines in "one-step". A vital clue here is their
formalin/formaldehyde smell. What a scam! These products "work" by 1) poisoning your
livestock such that it produces slime and other materials in response to the formalin and thus
precludes chlorine/chloramines from entering their bodies, and 2) as a placebo, albeit toxic one,
where no treatment was necessary.
Don't believe me? Get a test kit and do the simple experiment. How do these companies stay in
business? People buy their stuff out of ignorance. Don't be ignorant.
Too Late, I Already Blew It:
What can you do, if your livestock are poisoned by these sanitizers? You have to act quick,
seconds, to minutes, to (rarely) hours. Depending on the source and degree of the problem, do
(in order of possibility):
1) Move your livestock to a non-toxic environment. Keep your eye constantly on your charges,
especially for bullying.
2) Treat the water you twit! With items listed in 3 & 4 below.
3) A real dechloraminator, and definitely not with a phony one. More mucus production and
hemolytic activity by formalin poisoning will only exacerbate pushing your critters over the
edge. Watch the dosage. Do not over treat!
4) Engage filtrates (carbons, zeolites, appropriate resins) to remove the source of the problem.
5) Flush the whole mess and start over again. Oh sorry, just kidding. Other Sources of These
Noxious Chemicals:
Principally from "cleaning" ornaments and tanks with "chlorine bleaches" and household
cleaners' fumes and aerosols making their way into your tanks. What you can do to avoid these
Page 13
despicable circumstances should be obvious, and I don't get paid by the word, but here's a
gander at poisoning prophylaxis: A) Rinse the dickens out of whatever cleaning stuff you're
using, air-dry, use a cheap bio-assay, break-down and buy/use a test kit, will you? 2) Be
careful, don't use ammoniated or chlorine-containing and releasing compounds around your
system, geez. 3) Flush the whole mess, no, not this again!
How To Save Your Livestock, Your Sanity, & Your Pocketbook:
My real advice is really to just do frequent partial water changes and not sweat it, but, in
reality, if you're changing a lot of water, I would suggest what I and our service company do:
Batch process your water with, I mean cheap, home-made hypo solution purchased from a
chemical/lab or photo supply outlet and either pump/drain your supply water over a chemical
filtrant (cited above) to remove the remaining ammonia. Sodium thiosulfate at about two
pounds dissolved in a total volume of one gallon, used at one-two drops per tap gallon is about
right. There are folks who sell this stuff through the magazines, if you won't get off your duff
and check out your local "yellow pages".
And the Very Best Method!? None At All:
Premixing/Storing Saltwater
The simplest, most assured way of making sure
sanitizers,
metals
(that
can
be
settled/complexed),
excess
gasses...
are
removed from solution ahead of using synthetic
salt mixes is to pre-mix and store them for a
week or so ahead of use. This is best
accomplished by way of buying and dedicating
"Fish Tank Only" gear to the purpose. A new (my
favorite are the Rubbermaid (tm) Brute) trash
can and lid (to keep little hands and stuff out)
maybe with their spiffy dolly to roll around... a
pump (like a power head, but with a nozzle for
attaching a bit of flexible tubing to ease moving
the water to your system(s)... and possibly a
thermostatic heater (make sure and unplug this
when doing additions)... and your trusty
hydrometer...
By allowing the new water to mix and circulate,
many things are done... chlorine/amine are
liberated, perhaps excess gas, metals... and the
various soluble and not so components of your
salt mix are able to complete solubilize ahead of use.
Let's Wrap This Thing Up Already:
Chlorine and chloramines poisoning are significant causes of livestock loss. The sources of these
sanitizers and there testing, removal and therapeutic treatment has been surveyed. If you
won't invest in and use a test kit, be chary of massive water changing, or at least use "real"
dechloraminators. Thanks!
Page 14
Fish, Reptiles & Pond Supply
Located at 7 Dundas Street West
Napanee, Ontario
Monday to Friday from 10:00AM to 7:00PM
Saturday from 10:00AM to 5:00PM
New Location
905-565-1232
Page 15
Aquatic Horticultural Awards Program
(AHAP) – Current Standings
Breeders Award Program
(BAP) – Current Standings
Grand Master Horticulturist

Wayne & Sandy Rakestrow

Derek Tustin
1760
1750
Master Horticulturist

Myron & Sharon Iwanochko
Advanced Award

Barry McKee

Myron & Sharon Iwanochko

Peter Naef

Wayne Rakestrow
835
Expert Horticulturist

Susan & Jim Mantle

George Banavage

Bill Dukitsch
615
535
455
Advanced Horticulturist

Jim & Carol Taylor

Barry McKee

Peter Naef
Intermediate Horticulturist

Paul McIntosh

Geoffrey Daw

Richard Clifford

Paul Figueroa

Dave Morland
2675
1380
1285
895
Senior Award
260
220
220
195
125
125
100
60
Aquatic Horticulturist

Dennis Bidon

Jenny Fisher

Peter Pulman
30
20
5
If anyone requires forms, guidelines or further information
on the Aquatic Horticultural Awards Program (AHAP),
please contact AHAP Chairman Paul D. McIntosh.
Don’t forget that your pond plants are included in this
program!

Jim & Carol Taylor
425
Intermediate Award
(No individuals currently in this category)
Junior Award

Udo Rohman

John Adamson

Ivan Shaw

Barry Sheppard

Tim McCaskie
Novice Award

Bill Dukitsch

Derek Tustin

George Banavage

David Fischer

Zachery Langille

Paul A. McIntosh

Jim Greenacre

Gary Peakock

Larry Shank

Patrick Boisvert

Eric Man

Sonia Hojka
215
160
170
170
210
90
80
65
65
55
45
30
30
20
15
10
5
If anyone requires forms, guidelines or further information
on the Breeders Award Program (BAP), please contact
BAP Chairman Tim McCaskie.
Uaru amphiacanthoides
Page 16
DRAS C.A.R.E.S. Participants
Species
Status
George Devries
Paretroplus kieneri
Paratilapia polleni
Ptychochromis oligacanthus
Paretroplus nourissati
vulnerable
vulnerable
at risk in nature
endangered
Tom Mason
Cryptoheros myrnae
Cryptoheros nanoluteus
Melanotaenia boesemani
Ameca splendens
endangered
vulnerable
endangered
critically endangered
Derek Tustin
Melanotaenia boesemani
endangered
Melanotaenia oktediensis
vulnerable
Ivan Shaw
vulnerable
Cryptoheros myrnae
endangered
Barry McKee
Xiphophorus couchianus
extinct in the wild
vulnerable
Cryptoheros myrnae
endangered
Paretroplus kieneri
vulnerable
Tim McCaskie
Paretroplus menarambo
critically endangered
Ptychochromis grandidieri
at risk in nature
Ptychochromis oligacanthus
at risk in nature
vulnerable
Cryptoheros myrnae
endangered
Tilapia snyderae
vulnerable
Pundamilia nyererei
Near Threatened
Paretroplus kieneri
vulnerable
Barry Sheppard
vulnerable
Astatotilapia aeneocolor
vulnerable
Joanne Harder
Botia sidthimunki
endangered
Jeff Brown
Puntius denisonii
endangered
Page 17
Year of the Catfish
A monthly column about Catfish
Talking...
(Doradidae)
by Derek Tustin
(Author’s Note: I started The Year of the Catfish
with the intention of writing an article relating to
some aspect of Catfish in the aquarium on a
monthly basis. Last month, April 2013, I did not. I
know this caused a bit of consternation on the part
of Klaus Steinhaus, the editor of Tank Talk, and he
had to find another article to fill the space. As such,
I offer both he and the readers of Tank Talk my
sincere apologies and to make up for it, give you a
double helping of The Year of the Catfish this
month. – Derek P.S. Tustin)
D
o you have that one fish
Agamyxis pectinifrons
species of fish that you have
an unbridled affinity for? That
one special species that just strikes a chord with you that you want to keep no matter what? Perhaps
something that you have kept every time the opportunity presents? I think we all have a small group of
species that no matter how unattractive other aquarists may find them, we want to keep them.
I think you all know by now my absolute fascination with rainbowfish, and the extent that I am willing to go to
obtain certain species. Given that, you might be surprised to know that my “soft-spot species” isn’t a
rainbowfish, but rather a catfish, specifically the White-Spotted Doradid, Agamyxis pectinifrons. (Or it actually
might be… but I’ll get to that in a bit.)
Agamyxis pectinifrons is a member of the
Doradidae family.
The etymology (or
meaning of the word) of Doradidae is from
the Greek word “doras”, which literally
translates as “leathery skin”, and the “idae”
being a suffix attached to denote the
naming of a zoological family. Essentially,
these the family of catfish with a leathery
skin.
Planetcatfish.com currently lists 95 species
of Doradidae across 32 genera.
All
members of the family are from South
America river basins, but are absent from
the Pacific coast drainages and from
drainages south of the Rio de la Plata. The
majority of the species, 70%+, are from the
Amazon basin.
Page 18
They are nocturnal for the most part, and physically have scutes, or a line of bony projections, along the
lateral area of the body. These projections are very sharp, and are the method of natural protection of the
fish. In general, they are not the most stream-lined of catfish, but as a group they are very interesting in
appearance. The species range in size from 3.5 cm (1.5”) (Physopyxis lyra) to 120 cm (47”) (Oxydoras niger).
They have three pairs of barbels, an adipose fin, and… they talk!
I currently have ten Agamyxis pectinifrons
in my largest tank at home, with the longest
living being over 8 years old. Over that
time that I’ve kept this species, I’ve had to
move the fish on several occasions, either
due to residential moves or tank rearrangements. Each time that I have done
so, I’ve marveled (and my wife has
shivered – she finds it eerie) as the catfish
makes audible sounds when removed from
the water. This sound, often referred to as
“talking” is the result of the fish grating its
pectoral fins against the fin socket. This
noise is then amplified by the swim bladder
and sounds like a croaking noise. Every
fish in the family has the same ability to
Amblydoras nauticus.
produce audible sounds. (By far the best
way to move the fish is via a jar or pitcher.
The scutes of the fish tend to get caught in any net used, making it very difficult to remove the fish. Further,
I’ve experienced the scutes of the fish puncturing plastic bags, so I recommend moving these fish in harder
containers such as Tupperware.)
While there are 95 species, only three species (or maybe five depending on how you look at things… but I’ll
get to that in a bit) are commonly available to the aquarist. In fact, two species were available at our auction
in April. The three named species that you will most often see offered for sale are the aforementioned
Agamyxis pectinifrons, Platydoras armatulus, and Amblydoras nauticus.
The Raphael Catfish
The most commonly available
of the Talking Catfish is
Platydoras
armatulus.
Commonly called the Raphael
Catfish, it is also sometimes
seen labeled as the Humbug
Catfish, the Stripped Talking
Catfish or the Chocolate Talking
Catfish (the latter being used
mostly in the United Kingdom).
However, most aquarists will
believe the correct binomial
name of this fish to be
Platydoras costatus.
For
decades, P. costatus was
believed to be the correct name,
Platydoras-costatus
Page 19
but a paper published in 2008 (Platydoras brachylecis, a new species of thorny catfish [Siluriformes:
Doradidae] from northeastern Brazil by Nivaldo M. Piorski, Julio C. Garavello, Mariangeles Arce H. and Mark
H. Sabaj Perez) determined that the correct binomial name of the fish was actually P. armatulus.
Growing to approximately 20 cm (8”) in length, they have a dark brown upper part of the body, with a white /
beige coloured lateral line which runs back down the body from the head. This strip actually runs right along
the line of scutes on the side of the body. The ventral surface is usually cream or beige in colour.
Native to Paraguay and portions of both the Amazon and Orinoco River basins, they prefer to be kept in a
group (with four fish being the minimum desired number), but care needs to be taken to provide sufficient
retreats for each fish, as they can squabble over the best hiding place, and the strong pectoral fins can result
in minor injuries from such disputes.
They are a nocturnal species and as such are much more active during the night. A red light flashlight can
assist in viewing of these fish after “lights-out”, although as they age they may become active during feeding
time and hence viewable with the tank lights on. Very easy to feed, they will relish frozen bloodworms, and
sinking foods including both shrimp pellets and algae wafers. Interestingly enough, they also are an excellent
fish for snail control.
Unfortunately, while first described in
1840, there have been no reports of
breeding in home aquaria, and as a result
all available fish are wild-caught.
Now, remember how I mentioned that
there may actually be five species of
Doradidae that are commonly available?
Orinocodoras eigenmanni, native to the
Orinoco River as the genus name
suggests, is a separate species of
Doradidae that appears very similar, at
least at first glance, to Platydoras
armatulus. As such, some imports of P.
armatulus (likely those gathered from the
Orinoco River) have been known to
contain the odd contaminant of O.
eigenmanni. If you carefully examine a tank full of P. armatulus, you may find the occasional O. eigenmanni,
and several aquarists have been known to gather a school of them in this fashion, keeping them separate
from the P. armatulus. The two main differences are that O. eigenmanni has a more pointed nose and the
scutes tend to be smaller.
The White-Spotted Doradid
The next most commonly available of the Talking Catfish is my personal favourite, Agamyxis pectinifrons,
commonly labeled as either the White-Spotted Doradid, the Spotted Talking Catfish, or the Spotted Raphael
Cat. Four of these fish were available at the 2013 Aquariama.
Native to Ecuador and Peru, the basic colouration of the fish is black to chocolate brown with an irregular
smattering of white or beige coloured dots over the body and fins, with no two fish having identical patterns.
They are a hardy species, with reports of a potential life span in excess of 17 years. They will remain slightly
smaller than P. armatulus, usually only reaching a maximum size of 15 cm (6”).
Page 20
The recommended care and diet is essentially the same as P. armatulus. However, unlike P. armatulus,
there have been scattered reports of this fish breeding in the home aquaria, with the fish apparently being a
bubble nest builder, or laying eggs on floating vegetation at the water surface, and further reports that
breeding can by induced via the use of hormones.
Also like the relationship between Platydoras armatulus and Orinocodoras eigenmanni, Agamyxis pectinifrons
has a sister species, Agamyxis albomaculatus, that may often be a contaminant in imported shipments.
However, unlike P. armatulus and O. eigenmanni, there are no visual differences between the two species,
and the only way to tell the two species apart is via dissection to determine the number of gas bladder
tendrils. As such, there is no way to know if a fish identified as A. pectinifrons is indeed that species or
actually A. albomaculatus…at least not and still have a live fish.
Marbled Talking Catfish
The third of the commonly available Talking Catfish is Amblydoras nauticus, commonly known as the Marbled
Talking Catfish, Blue-Eyed Catfish, Croaking Spiny Catfish or Hancock’s Catfish. Two of these fish were
available at the recent Aquariama.
This is another fish that for a number of years was known under a different name, specifically Platydoras
hancocki. As a result, this fish is often still referred to as Hancock’s Catfish. Sometime in either 2008 or
2009, it was realized that the genus had been misidentified, and that the fish was actually Amblydoras
nauticus.
The smallest of the three common Talking Catfish at 10 cm (4”), it should also be kept in a group with a
minimum of four fish. Widespread throughout the Amazon region, this is a fish with a beige to caramel
coloured body, a slightly lighter coloured ventral region, and a light scattering of small black dots across the
body.
Care and dietary requirements are the same as Platydoras armatulus and Agamyxis pectinifrons, and again is
a fish that has not been bred in captivity.
So there you have it, three species (or five if you count the contaminants) of Talking Catfish that are
sometimes available and would make an excellent addition to any community aquarium. But I would ask that
if you consider keeping these fish, you remember that they really like to find a secluded spot to spend the
daylight hours. If you don’t provide caves in rocks or under driftwood, they will try and wedge themselves in
any place that they feel provides some sort of cover. One common place will be between the side of the tank
and an aquarium heater, and this often results in burns to the body of the fish, sometimes resulting in death
and often in badly burned skin. If you keep them, please provide the appropriate cover, and strongly consider
heater shields to keep these reclusive creatures safe.
Current Latin Name
Old Latin Name
Platydoras armatulus
Platydoras costatus
-
Amblydoras nauticus
Platydoras hancocki
Raphael Catfish
White-Spotted Doradid
Hancock’s Catfish
Stripped Talking Catfish
Spotted Talking Catfish
Marbled Talking Catfish
Length
20 cm (8”)
15 cm (6”)
10 cm (4”)
Temperature
24 – 30ºC (75 – 86ºF)
22 – 26ºC (72 – 79ºF)
23 – 28ºC (73 – 82ºF)
pH
5.8 – 7.5
5.5 – 7.5
5.5 – 7.5
Difficulty
Easy
Easy
Easy
Compatibility
Community
Community
Community
Common Names
Page 21
DRAS Executive Committee Minutes
Date: May 28, 2013
The DRAS Executive Committee meeting was at Tartan Tavern 555 Rossland Rd, Oshawa.
Quorum not met – no meeting held.
Old Business
Reviewed draft brochure – revisions suggested will be applied.
New Business
Respectfully submitted by: Joanne Harder
DRAS General Meeting Minutes
Date: May 14th, 2013
The meeting was held in the cafeteria of the Anderson Collegiate Institute in Whitby, Ontario.
Meeting called to order at 8:03pm by Joanne.
Executive Minutes
Myron motioned and Tom seconded to approve the April Executive minutes. Carried
Advertising
Nothing new to report.
AHAP
No news to report. The forms are available through Paul or website.
Annual Show & Auction
The Annual Show and Auction another financial success. We will be going out to all our sponsors for their participation and
donations.
BAP
No news this month.
CAOAC
Nominations are open for all positions within CAOAC executive at the Edmonton Convention in May. CAOAC Authors award rules
have been amended as suggested by Derek Tustin. These awards will no longer require a time limit and will be based in quality.
Library
No report.
Lunch
No report.
Membership
Absent.
Programs
June will be a presentation on gathering native fish by Derek Tustin and Tom Mason.
Annual Social Dinner
No report until the fall.
Tank Talk
Absent.
Exchange Editor
Everything is up to date & posted on-line.
Jar Show
The Jar Show Program is suspended until further notice.
C.A.R.E.S. program
Absent.
Website
Absent.
Forums
Absent.
Announcements
st
Tim McCaskie has organized a Madagascar Fish Program fundraiser and will be selling Blue Jay tickets for June 21 . Contact Tim
at fahaka@ hotmail.com or on Facebook at the “Madagascar endangered fishes” page.
Evening Program
May program was presented by Kevin Gaines and Nuri Fisher from PISCINE ENERGETICS.
Nuri Fisher will talked about the harvesting, processing and nutritional value of freshwater mysis.
Kevin Gaines talked about the Coral Restoration Foundation and their goals.
DRAS 2013-2014 Executive Elections
The election was produced by Carl McCleary and the results will be published in Tank Talk.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:00pm.
Respectfully submitted by: Barry McKee
Page 22
Aquarium Photography
Part 3
“Post-Processing”
by Dave Hansen
An important part of digital photography is post-processing (PP). To some, this is a somewhat controversial
process. Is it cheating to use a photo editing program to modify your pictures? I would say no, it isn't cheating.
It is just a tool. It still takes a good photographer to take the image. If the exposure or focus is off there is only
so much you can do to fix it and most of those shots are decent at best. I think it is "easier" to do on the
computer than what you do in a darkroom. Usually it is the hardcore film guys that think it is cheating.
Push/pull film, filters, dodge, burn, color washes, etc. Those are all film techniques applied by the photographer
and/or lab to alter the image. Is that cheating?? It is really a stupid argument. Some folks go overboard on PP
and the pictures reflect that. If the first thing you notice is the PP then you really didn't accomplish your goal in
capturing an image. It is the nature of the digital beast that the images need some PP. Some people will say I
don't touch my pictures they come right out of the camera that way. Yes and no. They don't come out that way
on their own. Anytime you have a jpeg version of an image it has been PP by the camera. Sharpening, color,
contrast, and saturation have all been applied by the camera. Most DSLR have several sets of parameters from
which to choose. In addition, you can usually set up some custom parameters as well. Without the PP the
pictures would be relatively "flat" looking. RAW images on the other hand have no processing done to them at
all. These require a few more steps and a little more time to PP, but the amount of data available to you make it
worth it in my opinion.
Before we begin, let me outline my basic workflow. This is just a shell and at times I will deviate from it, but it
serves me well the majority of the time.





I download all the images from the camera and take a quick look at them. I delete the obvious ones right
away. Poor composition, out of focus, etc. I then copy all the remaining images to a disc. This basically
keeps them as a "digital negative". I always have the original shots if I need them.
I then convert the RAW files into images. I might do some basic cropping at this stage as well.
Here I will make adjustments such as black level, white point, middle tones, color adjustment, and
saturation. This would be where I would take care of imperfections such as blemishes, scratches, dust,
etc
This would be the step that would involve more advanced and time consuming corrections. Ideally the
images don't need much if any of this!!
Finally I will save the files and get them either to the web or a lab for a printed copy.
I shoot RAW and will begin with that step of the process. Photo-editing software can't work with RAW files, so
they must be converted first. RAW is convenient because changes can be made during the conversion mode as
if they were shot that way with no degradation of image quality. The white balance (WB), exposure, and
shadows are the options I usually touch here. There are a couple of ways to handle WB. You can attempt to
match the WB while shooting or setup a custom WB, or change it in your conversion software. If I am doing a
session with consistent lighting I will do a custom WB. This saves me some time later on in PP if this is right
from the get go. It is no biggie to change it here; it just saves a few steps is all. WB isn't as big a deal in film,
because lighting conditions were taking into consideration when you choose the film you will be using. So after
opening a RAW image this is where we are at:
If you are going to change the WB you have a few choices. There is a drop down menu with several options
such as As Shot, Auto, Flash, Shady, Tungsten, etc. You can play with these and see if any are to your liking.
Basically what you are doing is attempting to eliminate any color cast in the photo.
Page 23
You can use the custom option, which lets you
adjust the temperature and tint of the light.
There is also a WB eyedropper tool that lets
you select an area of the image that is
supposed to be neutral and adjust the rest of
the image once you click on the neutral spot.
This for me is the least effective unless you
have planned for it. By planning for it I mean
including a gray card in the photo and selecting
the card. What is nice is you can place a gray
card in the first image you take and then later
on when doing your PP you can select that
card with your eyedropper tool and then apply
those settings to all the images with a batch
process. Just something to think about when
doing your photo session. Once again though
in that case I would probably do a custom WB
in the beginning of the shoot and use it for the rest of the pictures. For this particular picture I shot it without
any WB adjustments. This was shot at Greg Steeves house and if you have been there you know that he uses
regular fluorescent bulbs on his tanks. They are infamous for giving off a yellow colorcast, so that is what I will
address first. I cycled through the presets and
none of them looked very good, so decided to
use custom WB. I moved the temperature
towards the blue end to get rid of the yellow. I
adjusted the tint a hair and I was in much better
shape immediately as you can see. So now that
you have your WB set, let's move onto the
exposure and shadows sliders. You can eyeball
this if you want but I like to go at it a bit more
precisely. You can look at your histogram and
see what colors are clipping and where you
might be losing some detail in the highlights or
shadows. This is very intuitive for some, but
not for everyone. I like to use a little shortcut.
Click on the slider for exposure. Then hold the
ALT key down and the whole preview screen
will be black.
Any colored spots you see are where clipping is taking place in the highlights for a particular color channel. In
the image above I have exaggerated the exposure slider to show this. I adjust the slider to the point right before
the colored spots begin to show up. You have some room to go back and forth with the slider, but not extreme
range. If your original picture is improperly exposed you can only do so much before you realize you can't save
this image. Now I do the same thing with the slider for Shadows. I slide the bar a bit until right before colored
spots start to show up. You have to analyze your image a bit at this point. If the shadows are clipping in an area
that has no detail, such as a black background, you can have some clipping and it won't hurt you at all. If your
image is a bit dark at this point, don't worry, that is easily corrected. You might be thinking that my original
picture wasn't this dark, why did I make these changes. The goal here was to bring out details in the highlights
and shadows that didn't show up originally. Now if an image is exposed properly dead on, there are many times
you don't touch anything!! Next we move onto brightness and contrast. These are adjusted usually by sight and
to the photographer's preference. The two sliders work together and some tinkering is involved to get it right. I
keep these movements to a minimum myself. I take extra special caution with contrast. This is a control that is
overdone quite often in my opinion. The problem is you crank up the contrast till it looks good and then you
mess with some other settings and go mess with contrast some more. Each time you change it the image looks
Page 24
good and then you get acclimated to it and
decide it could be bumped up some more and
then you are at an image that looks very edited
to someone else and has very unrealistic
contrast. I leave contrast to a later time and I
will explain why at the time. This is usually the
point where I stop the conversion process. Any
other changes I will make in the editing
program itself. I may do some cropping on
some images, but not here. Above the tail to
the left are some imperfections in the glass and
I will look at them a little closer to see how
tough they will be to fix and how that might
effect my cropping of the picture. Now I will
save a .tiff copy of the image. Then I will open
it in my photo-editing software. I use
Photoshop CS2 and love it. There are some other good ones as well. The one I would like to try is Aperture, but
it is only for Mac OS.
So we have the image open in PS, what we do. Before I get into the series of steps I will use in processing the
image, let's have a brief discussion about layers. Many folks will start editing the image by choosing
Image>Adjustments> (desired adjustment) from the menu bar at the top. These changes affect the images
directly and cause what I call "pixel damage". When you start making changes, the underlying pixel value is
altered. Once you start doing a bunch of these, it becomes difficult do undo any one change because you have
to hit undo a bunch of times and lose everything else you have done. The original pixels are affected and you
have lost your untouched image. What I use and recommend highly is to use adjustment layers. These can be
found in a fly out menu on your layers palette.
When you use layers you are basically creating
a copy of the image and making changes to
that copy of the image. The layers start to build
up, and often I will have 6-7 layers before I
know it. If you don't like the changes you made
in a particular section, you can either delete a
single layer or you can click on it again and
edit it some more. These options aren't possible
if you don't use layers. In addition, it is easy to
see what changes have been made to the
picture. Each layer has an eye icon that enables
you to view the image with the layer and
without the layer, so you get a direct before
and after. The options available in layers are
too numerous to discuss here and we will just
be touching the tip of the iceberg in this article.
We will be using the very basic functionality
that layers offer, but in many cases this is all that is necessary.
Let's move onto the first adjustment that will be made. I usually like to touch Levels first. This adjusts the white
point, black level, and midtones of the image. After you use the fly out menu to select the Levels adjustment
layers you have a histogram with 3 triangles beneath that can be moved.
Page 25
The basic adjustment I make is to move the
end sliders first. The slider on the left
represents your black level. The triangles
initially are placed at the very ends and in the
middle. I usually move this in to where the
histogram starts, and you can see this in the
above example. The slider on the right
represents the white point. I also move this in
to the edge of the histogram. This is a very
subjective step and the sliders can be moved
any way you want to achieve the desired tonal
range. The middle slider represents the
midtones and moving it back and forth will
change the brightness of the midtones. Move
this till the image meets your approval. There
are no hard and fast rules here. You can
manipulate the image any way you want, but
99% of the time these moves work for me. Hit OK and that is done. Once again if you ever want to go back and
tweak the settings, you simply double click the layer. Often the different adjustments have a subtle affect on
other layers and you will need to go back and adjust accordingly.
The next layer I work on is Curves. I think Curves are one of the most difficult aspects of PP to master and
understand and this lends them to being under utilized because it scares people away. Whole books have been
written on Curves alone and how to use them. Curves can be used to enhance contrast and/or target certain
colors. I use if for contrast myself. There is a separate Contrast layer and many people use that instead of
curves, and it works effectively, but I feel like curves offer much more precise control.
The lower left corner represents your dark
tones and the upper right your bright tones.
When you first open the line is straight and at a
45 degree angle. There are a couple of ways to
attack the curve. You can click on a point on
the curve and it creates an anchor point. This
locks that part of the curve down. When you
make changes to other parts of the curve, the
anchor point will not move but everything else
will in attempt to keep a smooth curve. If you
really need to keep a certain part of the curve
in one spot, I would use several anchor points
to keep a larger portion of the curve where you
want it. In addition you can click on the image
and a marker will show the corresponding
point on the curve. This will help you in
making sure you are moving the correct
section of the curve for the desired effect. In the majority of cases there is an easy curve that works wonders,
the classic S-curve. On the lower portion of the curve pick a spot on the curve that is about 20% in from the
edge. Each grid line represents about 10% of the image range. Do the same thing in the upper point of the curve
as well. Bring the upper point to the left a tad and bring the lower point to the right a tad. Grab the middle of the
curve and move it up or down a bit and bam you have a much-improved contrast in all ranges. I usually use this
as a starting point and tweak a bit from there. Since I was pretty happy with the contrast already the S-curve is
barely visible, but the slight changes to improve it a little bit. As with any adjustment, if you get too carried
away you can always hit cancel and start over again. Don't be afraid to experiment a little.
Next we will move onto Color Balance. Once you select this adjustment you will be presented with a dialog
Page 26
box that has 3 sliders on.
Each slider has 2 colors associated with it.
These are used to remove any colorcast you
may have left in your image. I don't use this
one too much, as I hope I am on with my
colors. It doesn't hurt to look at it and see what
affects it has on your image. The best way to
use this tool is to move the sliders to the
extreme ends and see what it does. Then
slowly move them back in until you reach a
pleasing look. Often you will find you are
pretty close to 0 if your image was dead on. A
couple notches either way is no big deal and
can add a little pop to the picture. This isn't
going to add any colors that weren't there
before, but will remove some undesirable tints.
The thing to remember this is a global adjustment. You might be thinking this will really enhance a certain
color in the fish. It will do that but it will change the whole image as well. Your Red Peacock looks great now,
but that gray piece of holey rock has a reddish tint now as well. Use with a little caution is all I would say with
this tool.
Now we move onto a dangerous adjustment layer. That would be the Brightness/Contrast layer. Like I
mentioned earlier I feel Contrast is a tool that is over used and gives many images a very fake look. The dialog
box presents a slider for each adjustment.
The 2 sliders work in conjunction. A move of
one slider usually involves touching the other.
I hit the Brightness one first. This is usually
very minor, as I have hopefully nailed it
through the use of curves and levels
adjustments. The same goes for Contrast. I
might give a couple quick moves and see how
it looks. Now if you opted to not play with
Curves you will spend a bit more time with
this adjustment layer. I would make the moves
you feel comfortable with and click OK. In this
example I gave each a very slight boost. There
are times when these sliders will play a much
bigger role. I would then toggle the eye on and
off to see if your adjustments had the desired
affects.
The next adjustment can be a source of trouble as well. That would the Hue/ Saturation adjustment.
It doesn't take much to over do this and have a picture with some pretty, but unrealistic color. This is another
would I would adjust in steps and toggle the eye icon on and off to get it right. I have a hard rule that I follow.
Do not ever move the Saturation past +20. It is not very much and many people go way past that and that is fine
and their choice. I want accurate color representation and often I keep it under 20. To my eye anything over that
looks a little too science fiction for me. In addition to affecting the entire image, you can choose separate color
channels and only affect specific colors that you feel would benefit. I am not sure I have ever touched the Hue
slider.
Next I want to crop the image. I really liked the shallow depth-of-field in this image and thought the fish had an
Page 27
interesting head. I decided to crop out the
empty tank space and really focus on the fish
and his head. This is the resulting crop.
Now it is time to make any corrections to
flaws. There were quite a few water spots on
the tank glass. My favorite tool for this kind of
problem is the spot healing brush. It is
wonderful for fixing small imperfections,
especially if the flaw occurs in an area of one
color. I zoom in on the area that need
correcting and choose a brush size that just
covers the area I need to fix. One click of the
mouse and bam, it blends in seamlessly. There
are countless tools and techniques to fixing
problem spots and each one would be worthy
of an article in itself.
My next step is to save the file again. I save it
as a .psd file, which is an extension Photoshop
uses. I do this now so I have all my adjustment
layers available to me later if I want to change
something. Once it is saved I go to the top
menu bar and select Layers>Flatten Layers.
This compresses everything down to 1 layer
again. Save again as a .tiff so I can send that to
my lab if I want a print. The last step here is to
sharpen the image. Most images from a DSLR
benefit from some sharpening. DSLR's have an
anti- aliasing filter in them and sharpening will
combat some of the softness that the filter can
create. Sharpness is also a by-product of the
lens as well. Some lenses are much sharper
than others, so the degree of sharpening is
dependent on the lens somewhat as well. I use
UnSharp Mask (USM). The settings used in
sharpening have been discussed to death and
everyone has a group of setting that work for
them.
The USM filter works by taking high contrast
edges and enhancing contrast even further
along those edges. The 3 areas that concern us
here are amount, radius, and threshold. The
amount setting is basically the intensity of the sharpening that will take place along the edges. The radius
determines the size of the area that will be affected along the edges. The threshold controls what gets
sharpened. It defines how much contrast must exist along an edge as whether it should be sharpened or not. The
settings of 300, 0.3, and 0 are my default numbers for most fish shots. I play around with the amount a little,
usually staying between the 100-300 range. You can click anywhere in the image to have it appear in the
preview area to see how the sharpening is working.
Page 28
Once this is done I will save again and re-size
a version for the web. It seems like it takes
awhile, but after a little practice you can knock
this out in 1-2 minutes. I know some of the
changes we made above didn't seem very
radical and I try to keep a light hand when
doing PP. I have included a before and after
shot. I really hope this was a helpful article for
you and if I can answer any questions or
address something more specifically. Please let
me know.
Originally published in The Lateral Line, the
official publication of the Hill Country Cichlid
Club.
Page 29
AQUARIUM HOBBYISTS
YOU CAN HELP THE ENVIRONMENT
Got an unwanted fish? Know of someone who has an
unwanted fish? Our Society will assist in trying to find homes
for any unwanted fish.
Most aquarium fish, plants, crayfish, snails, frogs, salamanders
and turtles are not native to Ontario. Releasing them into a
lake, river, pond or wetland is not only against the law, but it
could establish a new population which has environmental and
economic impacts.
Most aquarium plants and animals sold in pet stores are
imported from Florida, Central and South America, Africa, and
Southeast Asia. Some of these species are tolerant of colder
climates and can survive over winter in Ontario. Although you
may think you are doing them a favor, releasing aquarium
animals into Ontario waters is NOT a humane way to dispose of
an unwanted pet. They may soon die due to predation or
temperature extremes, or may die slowly due to starvation,
parasites and diseases.
Page 30
WTFish?: Auctions – Does Labeling Make a
Difference?
Derek P.S. Tustin
I’ve been saving the last the little while. Not money
(although I strongly suspect my wife would like that I do
more of that), but rather items for our annual auction. Over
the last couple of months, I’ve been tempted to rip out a
couple of clumps of Vallisneria americana and a couple of
stands of various Cryptocoryne species that had taken over
areas of several tanks. But I held off, knowing that I would
be able to sell my excess plants at the Durham Region
Aquarium Society’s annual Aquariama Auction and Vendor
Expo. After all, if I were to rip them out, they would end up
as compost, but if I were to sell them… then I could afford
to buy more stuff at the auction!
In the weeks leading up to the auction held in April of this
year, I began to survey my tanks, thinking about what I
wanted to clear out, and what items I wanted to move
around. To my surprise, I found that I had a lot of extra
plants – more than I thought I did. So many in fact, that I
would be entering multiples of at least eight different
species and enough to fill two lot numbers. (Remember
that each lot for the annual auction consists of 20 items.)
I’ve always been one who appreciates companies that take
that extra step when selling something. Tropica provides cards with some of their potted aquarium plants that
list basic care information. At Vandermeer Nursery they label their potted pond plants with a sticker that gives
the common name and preferred water conditions. I find such information allows me a starting point when
considering what is and what is not appropriate for the conditions that I maintain in my tanks and ponds. In
the past I’ve labeled my items at the annual auction with a sticker giving a colour picture of the item I’m
putting up for sale, along with some basic care information. My thinking is that such information will give
someone else that same starting point I’ve always appreciated receiving from others.
But with 40 items going into the auction this year, and thinking of all the work creating labels for all the items
would entail, I wondered if it was worth it? Do people find that information useful? And from a more
capitalistic point of view, does it make me any more money?
The Process
So to find out, I decided to divide my entries into two lots, each consisting of the same items in the same
position, with the only difference being that I would take the time to create a “fancy label” for all items in one
lot, and label the second lot by hand, using a Sharpie right on the bag. By doing so, I would ensure that two
identical items were on the same table, that essentially the same item would be auctioned within a short time
frame of one another, that each item had the same name, but that each would appear different.
Page 31
To further even things out, I would make sure that both lot numbers were either even or odd. (I had an
additional 10 items to use in a third lot, these being what I considered to be “special items” such as a large
Anubias barteri, 5 bags of the new Hygroryza aristata, a rare Lagenandra thwaitesii, 2 bags of the new
Vallisneria caulescens, and a bag of Nymphaea lotus ‘Zenkeri’ bulbs.) I applied for and received lot numbers
23, 24 and 25 a week in advance. I decided to use 23 and 25 for the duplicate items, reserving lot 24 for my
“special items”, placing the two lot numbers further apart, and having both being odd to avoid any potential
even / odd prejudice.
So my two lot entries looked like this;
Lot 23
23-1
23-2
23-3
23-4
23-5
23-6
23-7
23-8
23-9
23-10
23-11
23-12
23-13
23-14
23-15
23-16
23-17
23-18
23-19
23-20
Item
Bolbitus heudelotii
Bolbitus heudelotii
Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia
Cryptocoryne walkeri
Echinodorus sp. 'Rubin'
Eleocharis vivipara
Lobelia cardinalis
Neocaridina heteropoda var. 'Red'
Neocaridina heteropoda var. 'Red'
Nymphaea lotus 'Zenkeri'
Vallisneria americana
Lot 25
25-1
25-2
25-3
25-4
25-5
25-6
25-7
25-8
25-9
25-10
25-11
25-12
25-13
25-14
25-15
25-16
25-17
25-18
25-19
25-20
As you can see, I entered 8 species of plants and 1 species of shrimp. There were;









4 bags of Bolbitus heudelotii (aka African Water Fern), 2 bags in each lot,
4 bags of Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia, 2 bags in each lot,
14 bags of Cryptocoryne walkeri, 7 bags in each lot,
2 bags of Echinodorus sp. ‘Rubin, 1 bag each lot,
2 bags of Eleocharis vivipara (aka Umbrella Hair Grass), 1 bag in each lot,
2 bags of Lobelia cardinalis (aka Cardinal Flower Plant), 1 bag in each lot,
4 bags of Neocaridina heteropoda var. ‘Red’ (aka Cherry Shrimp), 2 bags in each lot,
4 bags of Nymphaea lotus ‘Zenkeri’, 2 bags in each lot, and
4 bags of Vallisneria americana, 2 bags in each lot.
To make things random, I placed the items in alphabetical order on the registration sheet. I didn’t want put
something onto the first table in an attempt to get a higher price from the initial enthusiasm, and also didn’t
want to try and guess where the later tables would be in the random order. With the random ordering of the
tables after tables 1 and 2, I knew that the alphabetical order would be mixed up.
All bags were hand tied, and the bags for each corresponding item in each lot were the same size.
Page 32
As to the labeling, all items from Lot 23 were given a “fancy label”. All items from Lot 25 had the scientific
name hand-written on the bag with a Sharpie permanent marker.
For those of you who attended the auction, you are aware that I acted as auctioneer along with Jim Taylor
and Bob Wright. First, let me express my gratitude for their allowing me to work alongside them. Over the
previous several years, I have learned a lot from watching them on how to be a fair and engaging auctioneer.
Second, I want to point out that I did not auction a single item from either Lot 23 or Lot 25. I was somewhat
mysterious with both Jim and Bob and all the runners about why I refused to auction items from either lot, so
thanks to all of them for not questioning me on why I was doing this and quickly passing them to the other
auctioneer. I wanted to remain as neutral as possible with the items in the above two lots, and neither Jim nor
Bob were aware that the items were mine.
So I have identical items in two different lots, entered in a random order, being auctioned by impartial
individuals. With the preparation all done, the only thing left was to wait for the results.
After a long day (Approximately 980 items being sold between 10:13 AM and 5:19 PM, or 7 hours and 6
minutes, averaging one item sold every 29 seconds), I visited with Barry McKee, Barry Sheppard and Collette
McKee to collect my payment. (For those of you who care, I actually made a little bit of money at the end of
the day after bidding on and winning multiple bags of both Melanotaenia boesemani, Melanotaenia
parkinsoni, a bag of Agamyxis pectinifrons [White-Spotted Doradid], and several species of plants… but found
that I had spent that much and more on items from the vendors…)
The Results
Lot 23
23-1
23-2
23-3
23-4
23-5
23-6
23-7
23-8
23-9
23-10
23-11
23-12
23-13
23-14
Sold for
$
7.00
$
7.00
$
4.00
$
3.00
$
8.00
$
7.00
$
7.00
$
4.00
$ 12.00
$
9.00
$ 11.00
$ 17.00
$
6.00
$
6.00
23-15
$
10.00
23-16
$
7.00
23-17
23-18
23-19
23-20
$
5.00
$
5.00
$ 11.00
$
8.00
$ 154.00
Item
Bolbitus heudelotii
Bolbitus heudelotii
Eleocharis vivipara
Lobelia cardinalis
Neocaridina heteropoda var.
'Red'
Neocaridina heteropoda var.
'Red'
Lot 25
25-1
25-2
25-3
25-4
25-5
25-6
25-7
25-8
25-9
25-10
25-11
25-12
25-13
25-14
Sold for
$
5.00
$
7.00
$
3.00
$
4.00
$
7.00
$
8.00
$
7.00
$
5.00
$ 11.00
$ 11.00
$
5.00
$
6.00
$
4.00
$
6.00
25-15
$
7.00
25-16
$
7.00
25-17
25-18
25-19
25-20
$
5.00
$
4.00
$ 10.00
$
8.00
$ 130.00
So the items from Lot 23, the “fancy labels” sold for $154.00 and the hand-written items from Lot 25 sold for
$130.00. So Lot 23 earned $24.00 more than Lot 25.
Page 33

In ten instances, the item from Lot 23 sold for more than the equivalent item in Lot 25.

In six instances, the item from Lot 23 sold for the same price as the item from Lot 25.

In four instances, the item in Lot 23 sold for less than the equivalent item in Lot 25.
But that doesn’t really tell the whole story. Overall, Lot 23 made me more money than Lot 25, but to
understand the results, it helps to look at the individual entries… (The images are a comparison of the actual
labels for Lot 23 versus Lot 25. Labels were identical for all duplicate items with the exception of a change in
the item number, i.e.; Lot 23-1 had the same image and information as Lot 23-2.)
Bolbitus heudelotii
Lot 23
Sold for
23-1
23-2
$
$
$
7.00
7.00
14.00
Item
Bolbitus heudelotii
Bolbitus heudelotii
Lot 25
Sold for
25-1
25-2
$
$
$
5.00
7.00
12.00
23 over
25
40%
0%
17%
Overall, all 4 bags of Bolbitus heudelotii, the African Water Fern, were consistent in the amount they sold for,
with the average being $6.50 per bag. There was one that sold for $2.00 less than the others (which each
sold for $7.00), and the lower priced item was from the Lot 25. Not much interest in this plant (which is
somewhat surprising given its infrequent availability), and I think I only saw one other specimen in the auction.
Page 34
Lot 23
Sold for
23-3
23-4
$
$
$
4.00
3.00
7.00
Item
Lot 25
Sold for
25-3
25-4
$
$
$
3.00
4.00
7.00
23 over
25
33%
-25%
0%
Again, the prices for Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia were very consistent, averaging $3.50 per bag. It surprises
me that there wasn’t more interest in this plant, which is one of the easiest grown and unique looking species
in the genus.
Lot 23
Sold for
23-5
23-6
23-7
23-8
23-9
23-10
23-11
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
8.00
7.00
7.00
4.00
12.00
9.00
11.00
58.00
Item
Lot 25
Sold for
25-5
25-6
25-7
25-8
25-9
25-10
25-11
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
$
7.00
8.00
7.00
5.00
11.00
11.00
5.00
54.00
23 over
25
14%
-13%
0%
-20%
9%
-18%
120%
7%
I’ll admit I may have gone a bit overboard on entering this particular plant, but I had a lot of success growing it
this year. Each bag from both lots was entered with the hand-written entry “12+ plants”, and there were more
like 13 – 16 plants in each bag. And I still have a good portion in each of my tanks at home.
But I wanted to see if there was a fatigue with the same plant available multiple times. There were no other
C. walkeri available in the auction (although there were several Cryptocoryne wendtii available). The prices
actually were higher for the group than I anticipated (averaging $8.00 per bag), and I was surprised at 4 bags
exceeding $10.00. However, considering what you will pay for a pot containing six plants at local aquarium
stores, it was a steal.
Page 35
Echinodorus sp. ‘Rubin’
Lot 23
Sold for
23-12
$
17.00
Item
Lot 25
Sold for
25-12
$
6.00
23 over
25
183%
This is one of my all time favorite plants. The two items in the auction were small plantlets grown from a
mother plant acquired last year from Vandermeer Nursery. They were grown emersed in my pond last
summer on the runner from the mother plant, and grown submersed in my aquariums from mid-August
onwards. The two plants were approximately the same size, and the leaves were all in the same relative
condition. I have no explanation for why one plant sold for $11.00 more than the other, but it is interesting to
note that the plant that sold for the higher price came from the “fancy label” lot.
Eleocharis vivipara
Lot 23
Sold for
23-13
$
6.00
Item
Eleocharis vivipara
Lot 25
Sold for
25-13
$
4.00
23 over
25
50%
I only placed two of these plants in the auction. While an interesting species of plant, many people do not like
the hair grass species, and I’ll admit that I don’t often grow them. But I had a surplus, so I placed in two lots.
The “fancy label” actually went for 50% more than the other.
Page 36
Lobelia cardinalis
Lot 23
Sold for
23-14
$
6.00
Item
Lobelia cardinalis
Lot 25
Sold for
25-14
$
6.00
23 over
25
0%
In my opinion, this is an underappreciated species. Grown in a pond, the tall stalks of brilliant red flowers are
unparalleled. While the price on both plants was identical, it surprised me that the one from Lot 23, with a
picture of the vibrant flowers, didn’t go higher. Of all the entries where I thought the presence of a “fancy
label” would make the difference, this was it.
Neocaridina heteropoda var. ‘Red’
Lot 23
Sold for
23-15
$
10.00
23-16
$
7.00
$
17.00
Item
Neocaridina
'Red'
Neocaridina
'Red'
heteropoda
var.
heteropoda
var.
Lot 25
Sold for
23
25
25-15
$
7.00
43%
25-16
$
7.00
0%
$
14.00
21%
over
I honestly expected a lot more shrimp in the auction than there actually were. That being said, I was very
happy to see the prices that these four entries obtained (averaging $7.75 per bag), but cannot account for one
of the four going for $10.00 while the others only went for $7.00. However, the one that did go for $10.00 was
from the “fancy label” lot.
Page 37
Nymphaea lotus ‘Zenkeri’
Lot 23
Sold for
23-17
23-18
$
$
$
5.00
5.00
10.00
Item
Lot 25
Sold for
25-17
25-18
$
$
$
5.00
4.00
9.00
23 over
25
0%
25%
11%
I have had this plant for a number of years, and it is another that just keeps multiplying for me. Each bag
placed in the auction contained at least three plants, and I was actually very disappointed that with the
amounts they sold for, with the average price only being $4.75 per bag. They were very close in price, with
only one going for $1.00 less than the other three bags, which all sold for $5.00.
Lot 23
Sold for
23-19
23-20
$
$
$
11.00
8.00
19.00
Item
Lot 25
Sold for
25-19
25-20
$
$
$
10.00
8.00
18.00
23 over
25
10%
0%
6%
This plant continues to stun me. I can’t kill it if I try, and in fact have to prune it once a month, removing
multiple plants each time, usually throwing the removed plants into the compost. I placed some in the auction
last year and they sold for prices that I was very, very surprised with. And the same happened this year. The
average price per bag was $9.25, with a bag from each lot going on the high end of the scale of $8.00 $11.00, and one on the low end of the scale.
Page 38
Analysis
The numbers I have presented were all gross, that is the $1.00 per bag for DRAS has not been removed.
Gross
Total
Lot 23
$ 154.00
Lot 25
$ 130.00
Gross
$ 284.00
23 over
25
18%
Lot 23, the one with the “fancy labels”, was actually 18% more profitable than the hand-written labels when
using the gross numbers. However, if we remove the $1.00 per bag fee that is to be paid to DRAS, the
numbers change slightly;
Net to Seller
Total
Lot 23
$ 134.00
Lot 25
$ 110.00
Net
$ 244.00
23 over
25
22%
Using the net numbers, the extra effort of placing “fancy labels” on the bags from Lot 23 was 22% more
profitable to me as the seller than the equivalent bags from Lot 25, netting me an extra $24.00.
But that $24.00 is spread across 20 items, meaning that each item only netted me an average of $1.20.
The comparison of prices as outlined above shows that people were willing to pay approximately the same
price for an item with a fancy label as for one without. The actual difference can easily be explained by
individual bidding habits and practices, and a multitude of desirable items being in the auction. The only
comparison that was significantly different was between the two Echinodorus sp. ‘Rubin’, with the “fancy
label” going for $17.00 and the hand-written label going for $6.00. In fact, if we remove that single item from
the above calculations, then the “fancy labels”, or Lot 23, only obtained 10% more, or $13.00 over 19 items,
than Lot 25, for an average profit per bag of $0.68.
So…
From a purely profit based perspective, the time that it took to create the label, source the image, research
the parameters, write the blurb, print the label and affix it to the bag, was not worth the net $1.20 per bag.
From a hobbyists perspective, the added information, and the correct identification of the item with basic care
information ensures that other hobbyists have the needed information. Of course this would only apply to the
newcomers, as most individuals who are bidding on a specific plant have an idea of what the item they are
trying to buy actually is.
And finally, from the perspective of an auctioneer, I would like to think that the information I included on the
label, including clear printing and a basic description, makes their job easier… at least on the given item.
Next year, it is highly likely that I won’t take the time to create what I have termed as “fancy labels”. It didn’t
appear to make that much of a difference in the long run, and I could have used the time taken in creating the
labels for something more constructive. Still… be sure to label your items clearly and correctly. In the end,
that is all that is really needed to make the auctioning of a given item a success.
Page 39

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