London Aquaria Society FEBRUARY 2008

Transcription

1 London Aquaria Society FEBRUARY 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 Breeding Crayfish 7 LAS Monthly Jar Show Results 8 Membership Application Form 11 Breeders Award Report 13 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 1A3 LAS Executive Meeting The Executive meeting was held at Dorothy Reimer s home. It was nice to see some of our regular members at the meeting. As stated at our meetings, anyone who wishes to attend an executive meeting can do so. As you will note in the President s message this month, we are having a Tips and Tricks/Q & A session. When the weather has improved we will have guest speakers at the meeting. Just a reminder to our members that the Brant Aquarium Society has issued a challenge to all clubs - This is a fish breeding competition. We at the Brant Aquarium Society believe that we can breed more different kinds of fish than any other club within CAOAC. We are willing to invite the winning club (should you possibly win) to our picnic for free the summer following the contest (not including transportation) that could be up to a $ value. If anyone has any topics they wish to discuss at upcoming regular meetings, please let us know and we ll see what we can do to get an information program. Don t forget to complete and submit your BAP and HAP forms to Chris Henricks. These are available on our website for downloading so there is no excuse. DON T FORGET IT S TIME TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP FOR 2008 SEE NANCY DRUMMOND, MEMBERSHIP CHAIR UPCOMING EVENTS 2007/2008 LAS Meeting Dates and Monthly Programs February 12 Tips & Tricks/DIY March 11 April 8 May 13 June 10 Elections and Pot Luck Celebration 2007/2008 Show and Auction Dates Mar. 2 HDAS Spring Auction & Flea Market Mar. 30 Brant Aquarium Society Auction Only April 13 Durham Aquarium Society Show & Auction April 19 Sarnia Aquaria Society Auction Only May 4 London Aquaria Society Auction Only May CAOAC Convention - Edmonton 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 hope everybody has a few tips and tricks they use to make their hobby a lot easier for themselves and I trust that they will share their secrets with all in the club. With the blustery weather all around us I hope we all get down to see the new store that Southwestern Pet Centre has just opened. All the best to Paul and his staff on the new business venture. I was down there about a week before the move and I was impressed at the difference in size of the new place. The challenge from Brantford on the breeding contest is underway and we are registered for competing. Any fish bred should be reported to Chris Hendricks for verification and to be entered into the program. The Jar Show for February will be Bettas, Gourami s and Paradise fish 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. Have a great Valentines Day Be nice to your sweetie, Ron Bishop President London Aquaria Society Please Support the Southwestern Pet Centre 1641 Dundas Street (New Location Dundas & Saskatoon) 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 Breeding Crayfish William Berg In the text below I shall try to give a short overview of some of the basics when breeding crayfish. Particular species may have other behaviours and demands. It should be said that my main experience as an aquarist is with relation to fish, but I shall try to convey what little knowledge I have. Sexing Crayfish Sexing crayfish isn't always easy. The genital openings are located in different places on the body depending on whether it's a male or a female. Males have their genital openings behind/under their posterior pair of legs. Females have their genital openings under the third pair of legs counted from the posterior. However, many individuals have a male as well as a female genital opening, making the sexing much more complicated. But these are always either male or female; usually male but you can't be sure. Mating and egg carrying In aquariums, spawning is possible any time of year. The male makes a little sperm packet and places it on the female's stomach. The female then spawns her eggs, passing them through the sperm packet so that the eggs get fertilized. It is not uncommon for the female to lose a claw during this process. She then places the eggs under her tail where they will be kept until they are ready to be released. How long this will be depends on the water temperature and the species, but it will be at least 4 weeks. A lot of other factors can also affect the length of the egg carrying period, such as water quality, and food supply and quality. The mother will watch over the young for a short time after birth. Fry The fry are very small when they are born but are fully developed miniature crayfish. Fry are usually detritus feeders, which means that they will feed on any decomposing plant parts and food leftovers they can find while scouring the bottom. Vegetable food is preferred and they can be fed boiled lettuce leaves that are left to decay in the aquarium. Be aware of the water quality. Fry are often very cannibalistic and a large aquarium is required if you want a higher number of fry to survive. Sorting fry for size may help the survival rate. Breeding Now you know about their breeding behaviour and how to raise the fry, but how can you get them to breed in the first place? Well, first of all you have to give them the right environment and good food to get them in a condition in which they can spawn. Some species also need different triggers to breed. These triggers may be a change in the amount of light and number of light hours, a change in temperature, change of circulation, etc. Feeding Crayfish usually accept most kinds of food, and I would recommend feeding them a diet based on boiled lettuce, sinking pellets, shrimps, and once or week or so, fish meat. This will get them in good condition and help the female survive the spawning period since she usually doesn't eat while she is carrying eggs. Housing/environment Many crayfish species can be kept in relatively small aquariums, but I recommend using larger aquariums since this lowers the pressure on the females by the males. The aquarium should be decorated so that a lot of hiding places of suitable size are provided. Hiding places can be created using rocks, roots, flowerpots, coconuts, PVC pipes, and so on. It's important that there is at least one, and preferably several hiding places for each crayfish. Article by William Berg originally published at Article may be reproduce as long as it is not edited and a live link to is placed in the article header. (java links and PHP links are not allowed) Included this resource box as is with live links on the bottom of the page. 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 Ron Bishop/Annette Turpin January Guppies, Swordtails Female Half Black Guppy Red David Stit January Guppies, Swordtails Male Sword, black tail Blue Ron Bishop/Annette Turpin January Guppies, Swordtails Male Pineapple Sword White Ron Bishop/Annette Turpin January Open Male Rainbow Tetra Red Ron Bishop/Annette Turpin January Open Male Banded Widow Blue Jack Parkinson January Open Family Bristlenose Plecos White Alyssa Turpin January Junior Male Crown Tail Betta Red 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 Jack Parkinson January Open Water Soldier Red 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

10 How to grow Madagascar lace leaf plants From There's been lots of controversy about this plant - as far back as the 1920's Innes was fairly baffled. Some people had luck some didn't, nobody knew why. Some though soft acid water was needed, other thought hard water was required. I'm convinced cool water (certainly less than 80 and preferably less than 74F) and sufficient food is required and nothing else. Oh, clean water helps, you're fairly doomed if you have suspended dirt in the tank all the time. And it is a powerfully heavy feeder - I'd stick a planttan under the roots every 3 weeks or so. The best one I had utterly filled a 40 gallon long tank with leaves up to two feet long and 6 inches wide. It sent up many flower stalks. The most impressive display I saw was Jim Robinson's in Mississauga when he imported a couple of hundred bulbs and kept maybe 20 or 50 in a 65 gallon tank and just ignored them. Over the months and years they flowered profusely and many, many baby plants, probably in the hundreds were growing in the gravel. There was one (maybe two, but I doubt it) T12 4-W warm white bulb over the tank. Strong light and CO2? It'll make them grow faster but they absolutely do not need them from my experience or what I've seen - only cool water and lots of food - that's the secret. Given these they're ridiculously easy to grow and will become massive plants filling all but the largest aquarium. This is looking down the long way of a 40 gallon tank that is three feet long. The bulb is planted at the far end of the tank and the big leaf you can see is 6" wide and over two feet long. It had maybe leaves at all time. The tank was way too small for it but the biggest one I had at the time. Richard Sexton,

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: State Phone (Home): Prov.:/ P.C.:/ Zip Code 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