London Aquaria Society JANUARY 2008

Transcription

1 London Aquaria Society JANUARY 2008 London, Ontario, Canada

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3 Table of Contents Executive Minutes 3 Upcoming Events 3 Welcome from the President 4 Directions 6 The Move, Spawning Bristlenose Plecostomus 7 LAS Monthly Jar Show Results 9 Membership Application Form 11 Breeders Award Report 13 LAS Executive Meeting There was no executive meeting held in December due to the approaching holidays. The executive wishes everyone all the best for May you have much success in your breeding, spawning and propogation endeavours for this year. Don t forget to complete and submit your BAP and HAP forms to Chris Henricks. Who knows you may be the winner of the 2007/2008 breeders program. Advertising Rates Business Card $25.00 ¼ Page $40.00 ½ Page $75.00 Full Page $ Rates apply for a year of coverage totalling 10 issues of our newsletter. Articles in this publication may be reprinted provided full credit is given to the author, the London Aquaria Society and 2 copies of the published bulletin or magazine in which the article appears is to be mailed to: London Aquaria Society P.O. Box RPO Fairmont London, ON N5W 1A MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS ARE DUE SEE NANCY DRUMMOND TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP UPCOMING EVENTS 2007/2008 LAS Meeting Dates and Monthly Programs January 8 February 12 March 11 April 8 May 13 June 10 Elections and Pot Luck Celebration 2007/2008 Show and Auction Dates Mar. 30 Brant Aquarium Society Auction Only April 19 Sarnia Aquaria Society Auction Only May 4 London Aquaria Society Auction Only MONTHLY JAR SHOW COMPETITION October Fish: Cichilds substrate spawning (angels, kribs, rams, etc.), Open November Fish: Ciprinids (goldfish, koi, barbs, danios, sharks, etc.), Open December No jar show - Christmas Celebration January Fish: Guppies (fancy, Trinadadian, etc.), Open February Fish: Gouramis, paradise fish, Open March Fish: Mollies, platties, Open April Fish: Characoids (tetras, hatchetfish, silver dollars, etc.) families, Open May Fish: Cichlids mouthbrooding (guentheri, aulonacara, etc.), Open June No jar show due to elections Plants: Open Plants: Open Plants: Open Plants: Open Plants: Open Plants: Open Plants: Open 3

4 President s Message I trust that everybody had a great holiday season and has made all their resolutions with wishes of health and happiness for all. With winter s weather upon us it gives us some extra time to start breeding our fish for the contest that Brantford has challenged all the clubs to partake in. Good Luck with all your breeding programs of our finny friends. The shows and auctions will soon be here and this will give us some extra entries and some more bags on the tables for buying and trading and expanding each and everybody s hobby. The Jar Show for January will be Guppies and Swordtails and there will be an Open Class as usual and lets not forget the Plant Class. I have heard a lot of good comments from the advertisers that they are seeing LAS membership cards a lot more this year and that makes them happy to see they are getting support from the members, so do not be afraid to show that card and also introduce yourself to the shop owners. See their ads in the bulletin. ALL THE BEST IN 2008 Happy New Year Ron Bishop President London Aquaria Society Please Support the Southwestern Pet Centre 1474 Dundas Street (In the Eastown Plaza) London, ON They support us!!! 4

5 THE LONDON AQUARIA SOCIETY General Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of every month at 7:30 p.m. at Tanglewood Orchards Co-Op, 24 Spiritwood Court, Unit 77 (off Scenic Drive), London, ON. The London Aquaria Society is a non-profit organization established in June Its main objective is to promote interest in breeding and raising of tropical fish, and also to provide a means through which hobbyists may exchange ideas, gain information, and display their fish, sharing them in the public in the London area. EXECUTIVE 2006/2007 President Ron Bishop ron.bishop2@sympatico.ca Vice-President Dorothy Reimer dmreimer@sympatico.ca Treasurer Eric Geissinger egeissinger@rogers.com Secretary Sharon MacDonald sharon.macdonald@lhsc.on.ca Advertising Open Show Chair Terry Little tlittle28@rogers.com B.A.P./H.A.P. Chris Henricks csnowdogs@rogers.com Library James Kelly no address Jar Show Chair Sarah Lee sarahlee@uwo.ca Membership Nancy Chipps-Drummond nchipps-drummond@fanshawec.on.ca Newsletter Editor Sharon MacDonald sharon.macdonald@lhsc.on.ca Auction Chair Doug Henricks scorpionstinger@rogers.com Webmaster Eric Geissinger egeissinger@rogers.com DJ s TROPICS Fish n Ponds Somethin s Fishy. For all your Tropical Fish needs! 1057 Parkinson Road, Unit #9 Woodstock, ON N4S 7W3 Phone (519) Fax (519) DROP IN AND SEE US AT THIS BEAUTIFUL NEW LOCATION 5

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7 The Move, and Spawning Bristlenose Plecostomus (Ancistrus dolichopterus) by Twyla Lindstrom-Peters From "Fins & Friends" Regina Aquarium Society, Canada Aquarticles I initially acquired a group of four small fish about one inch long and too young to distinguish their sexes. I wanted to be sure to get a male and female of the same species (of which there are many!). I raised them in a seventy gallon tank with a large pair of angels which also raised a large spawn of around 500 fry without any problems. These fish are not aggressive to other fish, fry or aquatic animals. They thrived and grew to maturity. I got one male out of the four fish. Males are distinguished from females by the presence of bristles around and on their snouts. I placed a couple of short PVC tubes in the tank for shelter of the fish and hopefully a spawning site. Nothing happened for a long time- until I d given up actually. At the time, we were planning to move from Pense to Regina and I had a lot of packing and planning to do so it was just as well that I didn t have any extra fry to try to care for. I swear they were eavesdropping and heard us say we re moving, because three days before our possession date in December, they spawned. I discovered a large cluster of yellow-orange eggs in the small piece of PVC tubing that had been laying on the bottom of the tank. The male was diligently watching over the eggs and fanning them with his ventral and pectoral fins. Of all the times to spawn! Then, the eggs all hatched on our very cold and blizzardy moving day. Fortunately, the fry just hung around the inside of the tube while their father watched over them. The male worked really hard keeping the fry away from the edges of the tube. After much consideration and discussion with my friend Shara Lee, I decided to remove the tube of fry to a smaller 2 1/2 gallon tank for the move. When the fry hatch, they just look like an egg with a wisp of a tail wiggling about. They live off their yolk sac for the first few days so feeding isn't an issue till then. Together, we submersed the little tank within the large tank Then, I placed a net on each end of the tube to keep the fry and the male together and carefully lifted the tube into the little tank. Once released, the male was really frantic but calmed down when I darkened the tank with a towel. The male resumed guarding and herding his fry. I added a small airstone and kept the tank dark. We drove into town with the 'nursery' beside the car heater because there was a bad blizzard in progress and the car was not very warm due to the wind. Once at the new house, I filled a 10 gallon Rubbermaid container with fresh de-chlorinated water at about 22 degrees. The little tank was then floated inside for about 30 minutes and then gently mixed with the new water. Then, I removed the tube and laid it on the bottom of the larger container. So far, so good, no fatalities! Following Birgit's expert advice (another fish friend), I added a piece of clean driftwood, a sponge filter with marbles glued to the bottom so fry can t get trapped underneath, and a leaf of blanched Romaine lettuce. Over the next few days, the fry zipped about everywhere and the leaf of lettuce became riddled with tiny holes. I also began feeding brine shrimp nauplii. Once the fry were everywhere, I removed the male and returned him to the group of females. The fry darken in colour over the first weeks and are completely brown by the end of two weeks. Water changes are essential; these little fish eat a lot of lettuce, brine shrimp and driftwood, so produce a lot of waste. I use a ½ inch piece of tubing as a syphon. Inevitably, some of the fry get sucked up. I drain the syphon through a green net so most of the waste goes through but it catches the fry. They can then be returned to the tank unharmed. By the time they are 60 days old, they are about ½ inch long or better and resemble miniature plecos. At this age, if Romaine lettuce is unavailable, very expensive, or just inconvenient, algae wafers are readily taken. Literature suggests they like a ph of , hardness of 4-10 degrees General Hardness, and a temperature of degrees Celsius. Mine did fine in unmodified (de-chlorinated) Regina water. They come from the fast flowing tributaries of the Amazon. They can attain a maximum size of 13 centimeters, but 7 centimeters is more common for aquarium raised fish. They can change their colour from solid dark brown to marbled offwhite with brown blotches depending on their mood. Their eggs hatch about five days after spawning and will darken slightly before hatching. They are an excellent, unintrusive addition to any planted community tank, as they don't eat healthy plant matter, will graze on surface algae on the glass and on the leaves of plants, and will help clean up leftover food that makes its way to the bottom. Sinking pellets should also be fed so they don't starve. Most fish won't bother them either. Try a few! 7

8 JAR SHOW RESULTS TO DATE Name Month Competition Fish Name Ribbon Jason Hodges September Loaches, suckers, catfish, open Synodontis eruptus Red Jack Parkinson September Loaches, suckers, catfish, open Albino corydory Blue Jason Hodges September Loaches, suckers, catfish, open Striped Raphael (platydoras costatus) White Ron Bishop September Open Betta (blue and red) Red Jack Parkinson September Open Emperor tetra Blue Jack Parkinson September Open Buenos Aires tetra White Jason Hodges October Cichlids substrate spawners Buffalohead Steatochromis casuarius Red Chris Henricks October Cichlids substrate spawners Gold Angel Blue Jason Hodges October Cichlids substrate spawners Julidochromis reganni White Ron Bishop/Annette Turpin October Open Cherry barb male Red Ron Bishop/Annette Turpin October Open Cherry barb male Blue Ron Bishop/Annette Turpin November Cyprinids Cherry Barb female Red Ron Bishop/Annette Turpin November Cyprinids Cherry Barb male Blue Ron Bishop/Annette Turpin November Cyprinids Red Tail Shark White Ron Bishop/Annette Turpin November Open Gold Wag Platy female Red Jack Parkinson November Open Buenos Aires Tetra Blue Ron Bishop/Annette Turpin November Open Molly - male White December No Entries due to Christmas Celebration PLANTS RESULTS TO DATE Name Month Competition Plant Name Ribbon Dorothy Reimer September Open Cryptocoryne pontederiifolia Red Dorothy Reimer October Open Cryptocoryne Nevillii Red Dorothy Reimer November Open Anubius Red December No Entries due to Christmas Celebration 8

9 COME AND SEE WHY BIG AL S AQUARIUM SERVICES WAREHOUSE OUTLETS IS CANADA S LEADING RETAILER FOR THE TROPICAL FISH HOBBYIST - 10,000 GALLONS OF FRESH AND SALTWATER TROPICAL FISH - EXOTIC GOLDFISH & FEEDER FISH - SUPER IMPORT SELECTIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD AND FROM OUR EXCLUSIVE FLORIDA FISH FARMS - SUPERB AQUATIC PLANTS IMPORTED FROM AROUND THE WORLD - HUGH SELECTION OF AQUARIUM AND POND SUPPLIES - AQUARIUMS FROM 2 TO 275 GALLONS - BIG AL S QUALITY LINE OF AQUARIUM PRODUCTS, FISH FOODS AND WOODEN STANDS - EXPERT STAFF TO HELP YOU WITH ALL OF YOUR AQUARIUM NEEDS - BEST PRICES IN TOWN GUARANTEED 10% Discount To London Aquaria Society Members (except sale items) 9

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11 LONDON AQUARIA SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION NEW AND RENEWAL MEMBERSHIPS New Renewal Junior Regular Family $15.00/yr. $20.00/yr. $25.00/yr. Name: Address: City: Prov.:/ P.C.:/ State Zip Code Phone (Home): Address: Check here if you will allow the information given above to be published in a London Aquaria Society Membership Roster Aquatic Interests: Fresh Water Species Brackish Water Species Marine Species Number of Tanks Number of Tanks Number of Tanks General Fish Keeping Breeding Fish Species Preservation Propagating Plants Aquatic Life (other than fish and plants) Shows & Competitions Tank Beautiful Competitions Live Food Collecting Research Other Areas of Specialization Non-Aquatic Interests: Photography Computers Cooking Writing Video Recording Design & Layout Journalism Drawing Painting Arts & Crafts Public Speaking Woodworking Other: 11

12 LONDON AQUARIA SOCIETY Please list all household members to be included in this L.A.S. membership. Name: Occupation: Name: Occupation: Name: Occupation: Name: Occupation: How did you learn of the London Aquaria Society? (Please check all appropriate sources and list names) Member: Newspaper Ad: Pet Shop: Other: Magazine Ad: Radio Ad: L.A.S. Event: What do you expect to obtain from your L.A.S. Membership? To return this form or obtain additional information, please contact: For Official Use Only: Life Membership London Aquaria Society P.O. Box 45010, RPO Fairmont London, ON N5W 1A3 Membership Expires: December 31 st of each year Paid - Cash Paid - Cheque Amount Paid: $ 12

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14 ` London Aquaria Society P.O. Box RPO Fairmont London, ON N5W 1A