March 7, 2010 Spring Auction Meeting Location. About the Atlanta Area Aquarium Association. Monthly FishTalk newsletter. Newsletter Exchange

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2 November 2009 Volume XV, Issue 11 About the Atlanta Area Aquarium Association The AAAA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the spreading of information of aquarium and aquarium related information to its members and to the aquarium hobby at large. The club was founded in The club meets the first Sunday of the month. The meeting is held at Emory University. 101 White Hall. This is near Athens Pizza House, 1341 Clairmont Rd, Decatur, GA Meetings begin around 1:30 pm. Membership is $15 for individual or $18 for a family membership. An application can be downloaded from the website, or new members and renewals can also be done through PayPal. The link for PayPal membership can also be found at the website under the join button. Website - Forum - Monthly FishTalk newsletter FishTalk is the monthly publication of the Atlanta Area Aquarium Association. Members are encouraged to submit articles, pictures and other fish related material for the newsletter. Send them to the editor, David Ramsey at djramsey@djramseyonline.com. He will be forever grateful. Please submit your material for the newsletter at least one week prior to the last weekend in the month. The newsletter comes out the Sunday or Monday prior to the next meeting. That will usually be the last weekend of the month. Distribution is via a pdf download, with notification to the membership via . Therefore, a current address on file with the club is extremely important. Any changes to your need to be sent to djramsey@djramseyonline.com or to Mark Powell at pmahound@bellsouth.net. Newsletter Exchange The club does a newsletter exchange with several other clubs throughout the country. Articles of particular interest to other clubs can be used by the exchange club. Reprints of articles appearing in FishTalk may be used by other clubs for their newsletters (noncommercial use) providing full credit is given to the original author and publication. Two copies of the publication containing the reprint should be sent to the AAAA. If the exchange club needs the article in a different format, please contact the editor by . AAAA prohibits distribution of any articles contained in FishTalk on any online electronic service, unless permission is granted from both the editor and the author. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individual author and not necessarily those of the AAAA. March 7, 2010 Spring Auction Meeting Location Bunten Road Park 3180 Bunten Road Duluth, GA Contact Ron Reisinger to get bidder number. reis4@bellsouth.net Web site has seller sheets and additional information on the auction. 70/30 split for club members, 60/40 split for non members. Cover Photo: Newly imported red Santa Isabel Angels, David Ramsey 2

3 Inside this issue: Contacts 4 From the Editor, VP 5 Apisto Adventures: A Tale of Two Cichlids by Jim Datka HAP Award Program Ken Seiders David Ramsey Report 11 Rockin in the Rift Lakes Copadichromis trewavasae Mloto Likoma by Michael Risko, Jr Corydoras paleatus by Ken Seiders AAAA Calendar of Events March 7, 2010, Spring Auction.3180 Bunten Park, Duluth, GA April 11, 2010 DATE CHANGE Mark Denaro, Anabantoids May 2, 2010 Jason Baliban, Aquascaping June 6, 2010 Scott Arney, L number catfish July Club Picnic August 1, 2010 Eric Bodrock Corydoras September 2010 Fall Auction October 3, 2010 Dr. Michael Tolber Cryptoheros For Sale or Trade All Things Fishy Renewal Time and New/ Renewed members Nov 7 Bobby Grauer Breeding Tanganyikans Other Fishy Events April 22-25, 2010 American Livebearer Convention, Detroit, MI May 1, 2010 Georgia Betta Breeders Association International, here in Georgia, still TBA May 29-30, 2010 AKA American Killifish Association, Cleveland June 24-27, 2010 IBC (bettas) Internation Betta Convention, Indianapolis, IN June 10-13, 2010 NADA North American Discus Association Irving, TX July 22-25, 2010 American Cichlid Association Convention, Milwaukee, WI October 21-24, 2010 All-American Catfish Convention Probably Laurel, Md 3

4 Fish Talk AAAA Officers Board of Directors Committee Chairs President Rick Watkins Auctions & By Laws Andrew Hebert AAAA - Officers Board of Directors Committee Chairs richardandtracy@comcast.net Ken Davis andrewhebert@bellsouth.net forum/ BAP Program: Auctions & By Laws Larry Bugg Jerry Rothermel Vice-President Ken Davis lbugg@comcast.net Donations Liaison: Ken President Davis Breeder s Award: Mark Barnett Andrew Hebert David Ramsey Tom Koranda fishfarm@mindspring.com Tom Koranda Fish Talk Editor Donations Liaison: andrewhebert@bellsouth.net djramsey@djramseyonline.com tom.koranda@thehartford.com David Ramsey Secretary Mark Barnett Kirsten Eidsmoe - Historian: Jerry Rothermel Fish Talk Editor Vice-President kheidsmoe@gmail.com George Libby Mark Powell David Ramsey AAAABAP@aolcom Dino Hicks Membership: Historian: pmahound@bellsouth.net Brian Revennaugh Treasurer wehicks@msn.com Mark Powell jrevenn@emory.edu George Libby BJ &Ron Reisinger Newsletter Exchange: Membership: Kevin David Kubista Ramsey reis4@bellsouth.net Mark Powell Mark Powell Secretary djramsey@djramsey.com ikevi10@gmail.com Pet Shop Liaison: Newsletter Exchange: Christine Pirtle Colt Facer - Mark Powell christine@wildaboutbettas.com Kirsten Eidsmore - Programs: Pet Shop Liaison: Treasurer BJ &Ron Reisinger reis4@bellsouth.net Please Support our Sponsors at your local pet shop! kheidsmoe@gmail.com Brian Revennaugh jrevenn@emory.edu Kevin Kubista ikevi10@gmail.com Ken Davis fishfarm@mindspring.com Colt Facer - Publicity: Programs: Jim Datka jim.datka@oreillydepalma.com Dino Hicks wehicks@msn.com Publicity: Website Manager: Jim Mark Datka Barnett jdatka@building-profits.com Librarian: Website Manager: Rick Watkins Mark Barnett HAP Librarian: Program Rick Watkins Ken Seiders kwseiders@gmail.com 4

5 From the Editor David Ramsey This coming weekend we will all get together for our spring auction. For some, a great time to sell off lots of stuff. For others, a great time to buy up lots of stuff. Great bargains everywhere. And for others, they will bring little if anything for the auction, and may not buy anything. For them, it is just a great day spent with their fish friends. I salute you all. The weather is supposed to be nice, but the yard can wait one more week. This auction is a major source of income for the club that is used to pay the travel and hotel needs of our speakers. So bid, and bid and bid. Bid against people you don t know, bid against people you do know. Hey, bid against your spouse. And especially, bid against John. He loves the competition. Just don t bid too much against what I am bidding on! OK? While you are there, take a moment and thank the members who work very hard to make it all happen. I especially want to single out 2 areas. In the back of the room will be Ron and most likely BJ. They will be there early, leave late, and work very hard to get everyone checked in, checked out, and keep all the money straight. Please don t wait until the last minute to check in your fish. Their girls will probably be there with a good supply of Girl Scout cookies. Buy early and buy often. It is a good organization and these are great kids. In the next room will be some folks pouring drinks, making hot dogs, and selling snacks and chips. They won t even see the fish or what all is going on in the auction room. Stop by and say thank you. We have another exciting newsletter for you this month. Without your contributions we would be looking at the same ho-hum couple of pages that the other clubs put out. But we are not a ho-hum club. Thank you to all that help make the newsletter something to be enjoyed and shared. This month we have some great articles. Ken Seiders not only has his HAP information, but comes through with an article on his adventures with Corydoras paleatus. Jim Datka shares with us his latest Apistogramma breeding. And Michael Risko comes through again with great info on still another Lake Malawi cichlid. Somewhere in here he has got to run out of fish to write about. Everyone has some great fish experiences, how tos, tips, or just good stories. Take a moment and write them down and send them to me. Share them with the club. It is cool to see yourself in print. No one will bite you, I promise. It is the club s newsletter. Keep it going. The Aviarium gives Atlanta Area Aquarium Association members a 10% discount on all purchases excluding tanks. Take along your membership card and get the discount. And remember to tell them you appreciate their support of the club and its mem- 5

6 Apisto Adventures: A Tale of Two Cichlids By Jim Datka They were the best of cichlids. They were the worst of cichlids. But like many things in life, good or bad is largely determined by on your own expectations. I was fortunate to have both my Apistogramma cheekspots and A. atahualpa colonies spawn at the height of last fall s storms. While there are a lot of physical similarities between these two species, in terms of temperament and aggression they could not be further apart. This month I will describe my experience with A. cheekspots and leave the she-demon that is the female A. atahualpa for next. This undescribed species is found at Ilsa de Marajó, a huge island at the mouth of the Amazon River. Nearly the size of Switzerland, it is the largest island completely surrounded by fresh water. A member of the A. regain-group of Apistos, it is similar to A. resticulosa and is distinguished by a cheek band with a noticeable bend roughly midway between the eye and bottom edge of the gill plate. The first surprises with A. cheek-spots are the large size of the females and - when not in breeding color their similarity to males. Not until very mature will the males be significantly larger than the females. In a 20 gallon long colony of 5 fish, I had two confirmed males, two confirmed females and one by all appearance was male but would turn yellow whenever there was a spawning. Unlike the other males, this fish claimed a spawning cave, but spent much less time at home than the other females. I suspect that this is a sneaker male as it most often resembled a female in the presence of the alpha male. This is not an ornate fish. It is a faint yellow from its pectoral fins to its anal fin, and above that it is drab olive transitioning to a dark gray on top. They usually display a faint banding which becomes darker and prominent when frightened. Females turn a light yellow when spawning (or are in a tank with one who is.) The cheek spots refer to iridescent spots on the gill plates one of its only distinguishing features. My biggest surprise was how peaceful and low key this Apisto is. The males would only challenge each other over food, and once a pecking order was set I never saw the authority of the alpha male threatened again. This was reinforced as the alpha male quickly outgrew his rival by having first access to feedings. The two males actually spent a lot of time together foraging on a piece of driftwood in the center of the tank. The males would take on a metallic appearance and their colors would intensify 6

7 Referenc Apisto Adventures: A Tale of Two Cichlids By Jim Datka when trying to impress the ladies. The secondary male would only display to females when the alpha was not around. These fish are most comfortable with a lot of cover and a dense bed of Java moss. They often flit between points of cover and try to avoid open areas. They would not do well with aggressive eaters. The females were at least 9 months old before they claimed spawning caves and territories. I saw only a single battle for dominance between the two females. They locked jaws, one twisted the other to lay her against the substrate for about 30 seconds, and that was it. The victor took the cave where they fought; the other took one on the opposite end of the tank. Except at feedings the females kept to their ends of the tank. No chasing, nipping or body slams. Cheek-spots are a cave spawner. The females bury themselves in caves when they have eggs. I had several failed spawnings before succeeding at the end of October. I noticed that the females had a tendency to break out of their caves during feedings, and shortly afterwards would abandon their nest. I stopped feeding the adults while a female was entombed and started getting fry. Within a week of the first set of free-swimming fry, the second female brought out her brood. They were on opposite ends and took turns coming out to graze on the sponge filter in the middle of the tank. The alpha male would often swim among the fry in the first week. I was surprised that after two weeks the females allowed the other males to swim unchallenged among their still bite-sized babies. I never saw any predation. By four weeks the fry were wandering off on their own and had fully dispersed throughout the tank. After six weeks the first female had spawned again, and the males were removed to end the population explosion. This is an excellent species for someone interested in observing the harem breeding habits of Apistogramma but is concerned by their reputation for mayhem. A. cheek-spot creates a recognizable hierarchy, but with very little drama and without bloodshed. 7

8 Exciting News from Ken Seiders at the Lettuce Box What a great meeting we had last month! An experienced expert on breeding tetras and barbs. I got one of the books (with an authentic signature, no less) and read it from cover to cover. If you are a person who has a plethora of plants in your fish tanks, you often find yourself looking for fish that won't be harmful to the plants. In my planted tanks, I don't have any Silver Dollars, Oscars, Pacus, most larger cichlids, or any other fish that will either demolish or uproot the plants in the tank. As you might suspect, small tetras, barbs, and danios are perfect for the planted tank. In fact, many planted tank enthusiasts use these small fish as a design element in their aquascaping plans, selecting them for their color, or tendency to school. I have often read that some aquascapers have a school of 75 fish in their 125 gallon tank. Well, that is a lot of fish. But thanks to the great speaker, we can just buy a few fish and breed any amount we want. Of course, that involves more tanks, and naturally, more plants to fill those tanks. So where do you get those plants? Well, at February's meeting, we had the following plants submitted for HAP points, by the following members: Which, if you have been keeping track (or, I suppose, even if you haven't), brings the new standings to: Bear in mind that all the members who grow plants in their tanks are not necessarily on this list. Many of our members grow plants because they look good (the plants, not the members), or they have fish that like to eat them (it seems like there are many fish that will eat Duckweed), or for any number of other reasons. Just like every member that has breeding fish does not seek BAP points. But if a member believes that she or he would like to join the HAP program, and watch their points grow, and get plaques suitable for hanging in conspicuous places, and recognition from fellow members, then they would just read the HAP point rules on the Atlanta Area Aquarium Association's web site, follow the simple directions, and a new beginning would start for them. A new beginning much like we get in the spring. When this terribly cold weather (and being from South Florida, this arctic tundra stuff is unbearable) is finally over, that is when we get a new beginning. Or as I like to call it, Proceed to Our Next Destination, or POND for short. The time of year when we can take our hobby outdoors. When we can get outside, enjoy the fresh air, and partake in an 8

9 Exciting News from Ken Seiders at the Lettuce Box entirely new dimension of fish keeping and plant horticulture. Generally, it seems that hobbyists who keep their fish outside during the summer readily admit the fish look better than they do when grown inside. They have more color, grow faster and larger, and breed readily. Aquatic plants do much the same thing. Since many plants do best when at least part of the plant is growing emersed (out of the water), a pond is a great place for them to grow. Echinodorus species send their flower spikes out, often over 3 or 4 feet long. These spikes often do not have room to grow in the tanks indoors, but in a pond, they are unrestrained. Plants grow larger, both in height and width. Having natural sunlight probably has a lot to do with the increased growth. No matter how good a lighting system one has, the sun just seems to do it better. And let's face it, all plants grow exuberantly in the spring. I find that aquatic plants that survive the Atlanta winters are the easiest to keep in a pond. There really isn't anything special one has to do. Perhaps fertilize the plants in the spring and summer, trim off the dying leaves during the summer and fall, and complete trimming the dead leaves sometime during the winter. Then when spring arrives, the plants will begin new growth as soon as possible. The early growth helps to take some of the nutrients from the algae, which often grows in ponds. There are undoubtedly many species of aquatic plants that will grow in Atlanta year round. As proof of this, just visit any local lake, pond, or stream and see what plants are growing. You might be surprised! One of my favorite plants for the POND experience is Echinodorus. Echinodorus cordifolius is native to the Southeastern United States, so it is accustomed to growing outdoors in our weather. Each spring it sends out new leaves and growth, new flower spikes, and is one of the first plants to turn green. It continues to grow during summer, sending out flower spikes, creating new plants, multiplying the leaves on current plants, and quickly fills the space in which you would like it to grow. In fact, unless you trim it to keep it in the right place, it quickly grows in many places you would rather not have it grow. Once the new plants on the flower spikes have grown a bit, they can be brought indoors, where they make a most decorative aquarium plant. I find that in my high light tanks with co2 added, they grow quite large, reaching the top of the tank, and growing flower spikes of their own. They often shade the other plants in the tank, so they may need to be trimmed accordingly. In lower light tanks without co2 added, they do not grow as quickly, or as large, but still make an attractive addition to the tank. They can also remain in the pond, increasing the number of plants, which helps to use the nutrients in the pond. They can be planted in pots, which restrains them somewhat, or allowed to grow in a marshy area of the pond. Since this Echinodorus grows so well, I am planning on adding several other varieties this year, to see what happens. Another plant which grows well, and gets several feet tall is the Umbrella Palm. It's scientific name is Cyperus alternifolius. It has to have the tops of the plant growing emersed, while only the roots and perhaps some of the stalk is underwater. While one may attempt to keep them in a pot, they have a tendency to travel around the pond, sending their rhizome in any direction they deem necessary. They get full and bushy, adding a tropical look to the pond. The easiest way I have found to propagate them is to bend the tip of a stalk with flowers on it into the water, where new plants will develop from the flowers. They die back every winter, but are usually the last plant to turn brown. In the spring, fresh, green stalks begin growing in earnest. I try to fertilize them at least once a year, but they seem to grow well even if I forget. Every so often the rhizome grows out of the pot, but just cut it and put back where it belongs. This summer, I tried some new plants in the pond, such as Ceratopteris thalictroides (Water Sprite), Pistia stratiotes (Water Lettuce), Shinnersia rivularis (Mexican Oak Leaf), Cabomba caroliniana (which is another native of the Southeastern United States), Limnobium leavigatum (Amazon Frogbit), Ceratophyllum demersum (Hornwort) and the ever popular Duckweed (Lemna sp.). They all grew quite well during the summer, spreading happily, filling the tank with greenery. During the winter however, some of these choices do not look promising. The Water Sprite has 9

10 Exciting News from Ken Seiders at the Lettuce Box turned all brown, but so far is keeping it's shape. The Water lettuce, Duckweed, Frogbit and Mexican Oak Leaf are completely gone. They turned brown, then dissolved in the water, becoming one with the detritus on the bottom of the pond. The Cabomba is still green, even after the recent covering of ice on the pond. It is not growing, but it is green. The Hornwort is mostly brown, but looks like it has some promise of surviving. Once I discover which plants will fill the pond, and return year after year, I will be able to have a nicely planted pond, with a minimum of work. Of course, the plants species that remained in the pond during the winter are also being carefully tended indoors, so that if they don't survive the winter outside, I will have more to put out in the spring. Having plants to use the excess nutrients, and keep it from the algae, is a good thing. I also think a well planted pond adds to the natural beauty of any space. And a pond doesn't have to be built into the ground either. Most plants will grow well in a plastic tub on a deck, porch, or balcony. If they get some sun, and have some water, even little spaces can be filled with big beauty. Containers for water gardens are easy to find at most home improvement stores, discount stores, and even specialty pond stores. While they are being filled with plants, most containers will be useful places to breed fish as well. So this year, we should all Proceed to Our Next Destination. Take the time to start an outdoor pond again, or for the first time. Who knows what new experience might be waiting? Isn't this a great hobby? There is always something new and interesting to keep it alive. And thus ends another exciting month of HAPpenings. Get involved in the HAP program, it will grow on you! 10

11 The David Ramsey Report The February meeting featured Randy Carey with a talk on "Making Sense of the Barbs, Danionins and Rasboras". Randy's talk was more of an overview of the 'family trees' of the different fish, but still held some information for the aquarist to take back and use in his tanks. One needs to do some research of the different species and determine what is a good microhabitat when designing a tank for these fish. Do they normally hug the shoreline, or stay near the bottom or stay near the top? Do they hide in or next to plants, structure or are they found in open water? Do they live in single or small groups, or do you need to provide a larger group for them to be happy. How territorial are these fish? That can be especially important with some of the barbs. Black Ruby Barbs will stake out and defend a territory when spawning. Tiger Barbs are very territorial, so they need a good deal of space per fish to allow for this. The old rule of thumb was to add more Tiger Barbs to the tank so the aggression is spread out among more fish. This may actually cause more problems, as even more fish try to get enough space to feel comfortable. With all of these fish a long tank is far more important than a deep tank. These fish are level swimmers, so having lots of up and down room is pretty much wasted for them. Basic signs of spawning activities consists of the male pressing against the vent area of the female. This is a sure sign that spawning is not too far away. As a rule, the male and female come side to side, vibrate, and the female drops 2-7 eggs. These eggs are scattered in many locations. The eggs are very clear, making them almost invisible from predators. Eggs hatch in hours. For the next 2-4 days the hatchlings just lie on the bottom, living off the yolk sac and hoping to be ignored. By day 5 they will rise up and hang from the glass, plants or other verticle objects. Their head is sticky and will attach to a likely spot. After another day or so they will go free swimming and be looking for food. They are small and will need infusoria to start with. Some of the Danionins and Rasboras are among the smallest fish. Several are less than 1" as adults. Another tip, Rummynose Tetras spawn at night. Seeing them spawn is going to be a challenge. Randy's new book, "Tetras and Barbs", is an excellent basic book on keeping these fish. Examples of tank setups, foods, plants and other structure is covered very nicely in the book. Spawning info and how to save the eggs from being eaten is also covered. Add to that lots of good pictures of the Tetras, Barbs and Rasboras that you are likely to come across makes this a must have book or your fish shelf. 11

12 The David Ramsey Report 12

13 Copadichromis trewavasae Mloto Likoma, The Ivoryhead Cichlid Habitat: endemic to Likoma Island, East Central Lake Malawi, Africa. Aquarium Habitat: 40 Gal. Breeder aquarium; sand substrate with large rocks. Sex Differences: Dimorphic by size and color. Males are larger; much more colorful, with midnight blue body and a white blaze, continuing through dorsal fin. Females have iridescent scales and three spots, best when spawning. Breeding: Maternal mouthbrooder. Males are territorial, excavating brooding sites around rocks or caves. Fry: Incubation period days. Fry should be stripped from female and isolated. Water: Hard; ph = 8.2; Temp 80 F. Water should be kept very clean and well aerated, with regular water changes. Diet: Predators in nature, feeding on small crustaceans and invertebrates; omnivorous in the aquarium. They can be trained to eat just about anything. Described by: Ad Konings; 1999 By: Michael A. Risko, Jr. This magnificent Utaka, Copadichromis trewavasae Mloto Likoma has often been called the Ivoryhead Cichlid, or referred to as the Mloto Likoma. They are a magnificently beautiful and interesting fish to keep and raise, and have proven to be a very curious Cichlid to observe here in our fish room, as well as very popular with our members. Our efforts with Copadichromis trewavasae Mloto Likoma began in 2001, when we acquired one dozen 1 1/2 inch sized juveniles from a favorite importer / distributor. These were imported with the purpose of raising them and increasing the number and quality of the Haplochromine Cichlid species in our fish room. They were acclimated to a 40 Gal Breeder size Copadichromis trewavasae Mloto Likma dominant male aquarium in our Malawi section. The aquarium is very old but in great condition, and was acquired at the demise of another aquarists fish Photo by Stephen Bradley, Veetoo.com, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK room many years ago, along with many other identical tanks. The species Copadichromis trewavasae Mloto Likoma is endemic to the east central areas of Lake Malawi, Africa. These were apparently collected from the Likoma Island area, from the name. They are obviously very closely related to Copadichromis borleyi, sharing the same body shape, but C. trewavasae have different color patterns. Cichlid- Forum.com states they come from Along the Tanzanian coast, from Msisi to Manda as far as Cobue, Mozambique. A relatively new Cichlid, the species was described by Ad Konings in 1999, and named in honor of Dr. Ethelwynn Trewavas, the renowned British ichthyologist who was his mentor, so we have learned. I bet she would really be 13

14 Continued pleased to have such a beautiful fish with her esteemed name on it! So by raising these Cichlids, we get not only a gorgeous fish, but it is also named for tropical fish royalty, you might say. I m sure every Cichlid fish would probably like to have these distinguished names attached to them! Copadichromis trewavasae Mloto Likoma dominant male and female. Phot by Stephen Bradley, Veetoo.com, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK 14 Their aquarium was set up with a gravel substrate, using our Special Mixture, consisting of 1/3 crushed coral, 1/3 dark brown river gravel, and 1/3 light brown river gravel. We have a ton of this (no kidding), if you would like some. We used granite river slicks, as is our normal Malawi biotope procedure for cover and hiding places. After acclimation, the Mloto Likoma will grow quickly compared to many other species, though one may notice they do appear a bit shy. They were given a good diet, consisting of HBH Triple Flake Growth Food, HBH Spirulina Graze Flake, SFB Frozen Brine Shrimp, plankton, and even our chopped crabmeat / gulf shrimp mix, as they grew large. We never feed any of our Cichlids pellets. As is our normal practice, they received weekly water changes of 50%. The minimum tank size I would suggest for these fish would be a 40 Gal. tank, and then only for 1 dozen fish. The species is a territorial rock dweller, with the dominant males excavating a depression in the gravel substrate around stones to claim spawning territories. They hide in and defend their territories around the stones, cautiously emerging when dinner approaches. The species will grow to 5 6 inches, given sufficient space, a clean aquarium, and those all important water changes. Our aquarium is glass-topped to prevent jumpers. We accomplish surface agitation of the water with the powerful return from our sump filtration system, which turns over the entire aquarium 15 times per hour. No plants were used, after an initial attempt, which resulted with the fish digging them up. Oh, well, I expected that A normal daylight on and off cycle for lights was normally employed. The aquarium system s temperature was set to 80F, and the ph at 8.2. As is our normal practice, SeaChem Cichlid Lake Salt and Malawi / Victoria Buffer were used to increase our water s alkalinity. This ph was easily maintained with our weekly 50% water changes. Did I mention they like lots of water changes? The Copadichromis trewavasae Mloto Likoma did really well in this aquarium, and grew nicely. The males began excavating their breeding territories, and trying to lure in receptive females to spawn! Whoopee! This species does not have the adult coloration from birth; the most dominant males develop the best colors, which begin as a darkened version of the striped juveniles, then turns to a midnight blue, with a white blaze. The blaze extends through the dorsal fin, and with age, turns a beautiful light blue that the aquarist should not miss out on. So don t sell your breeders before they mature! When kept in a colony as I prefer, they will grow large, look gorgeous, and have lots of fry by spawning with as many females as they can seduce. Females are not an ugly fish either, having irridescent scales when in best condition. See the photo of Copadichromis trewavasae Mloto Likoma Juveniles. Photo by Stephen Bradley, Veetoo.com, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK

15 Continued the adult male and female from our breeder colony, to see what she looks like. The fry are very small when they emerge; for a mouthbrooder. 1 mm, or pinheads with tails as I like to describe them. The fry will require a very small food, infusoria, newly hatched brine shrimp, or Cyclop-eeze. We culture algae on the rocks, and fry were observed in the algae. As they grow, they were gradually given larger foods such as daphnia. Start the fry off with small percentage water changes, then slowly acclimate them to the larger 50% water changes, performed weekly as the fish grow to maturity. Of course, it s always best to make any changes slowly. From looking at photos on the internet, and some sent from an Aquabid.com member, we have learned that there are two geographical or color morphs of this species, or possibly a second species with similar coloration, as the body shape is different (more elongated) on the other fish. This one does not look like our fish, other then the color resemblance, so I suspect it may be another species. Copadichromis trewavasae Mloto Likoma is a fascinating species to observe, and a magnificent addition to your Malawi Haplochromine Cichlid aquarium. We have successfully raised this fish for nine years now, and we have distributed our offspring widely to several Georgia Cichlid Project members, all over the Southeast and to members all over the USA. If you have never kept these magnificent Cichlids, I would highly recommend them for your tank. ************************************* By the way. Has anyone seen or heard from Harvey Langabeer? Our update letters have been returned by the Post Office, and we received no response to phone messages we have left. If anyone knows what has happened to him, please let us know. I would likely not be raising African Rift Lake Cichlids, if not for Harvey. We sure do hope he is alright. Georgia Cichlid Project Michael A. Risko, Jr. and Para Jolene Risko 358 Patterson Road Lawrenceville, Georgia USA mailto:gacichlidproject@yahoo.com 15

16 Corydoras Paleatus By Ken Seiders Sometimes, we are successful at something, not because we know what we are doing, but because in our ignorance, things just happen to work for the best. Best known as Dumb Luck, this enables some to succeed where others have not. Not due to any great wisdom of their own, but merely through the act of being in the right place at the appointed time. Such is my experience in breeding Corydoras paleatus. Truth be known, I am partial to Corydoras metae. I have had them in the past, even bred them (quite by accident), and have always found them to be one of the most attractive corys. But I have been unable to find them recently. Hoping to be able to find some, and hoping to breed them (on purpose) one day, I thought to myself, Hey, why don't you get some experience breeding corydoras, so that when you get the one you want, you will already have experience breeding corydoras? (Notice the multi-level process to my thinking.) My local fish store, who I must talk to about supporting AAAA, had Corydoras paleatus and some white Corydoras with black spots. (But it seems like most of the corydoras I see are white with black spots!) I did some internet research on Corydoras paleatus. Quite interestingly, this popular cory has a place in aquarium history it was just the third exotic fish ever imported for the hobby (imported in 1876). It was preceded by the Goldfish, and the Paradise Fish, Macropodus opercularis, and, like them most likely survived the journey because it is not strictly tropical and tolerates lower temperatures. Hey, that's pretty unique, not all fish have that claim to fame. In addition, there is another claim to fame for this Corydoras in that it was first discovered by Charles Darwin on his famous five year voyage on the Beagle in Terrific! A fish with historical significance, and according to most of my research, one of the easiest Corydoras to breed. Most descriptions include the phrases breeds in typical corydoras fashion, perhaps the easiest corydoras to breed, and great corydoras for the beginning cory breeder, all of which described exactly what I was seeking. So, off to the local fish store to purchase a 'colony' of corydoras. Having read many web pages, and lots of books, I was already an expert at telling the males from the females. The females are heavier in body, stouter than the males; the males, supposedly, have a longer dorsal fin than the females and males are usually smaller than females. So being the instant expert that I was, I rushed to the store, carefully examined all the corydoras paleatus in the tank, and got the nice young lady to catch the 2 females and 3 males that I selected. (As it later turned out, I believe I actually got 3 females and 2 males that day.) I got them home, acclimated them to the 10 gallon tank into which I was going to put them temporarily (by careful addition of tank water to the acclimation container for a while) and put them into the tank, which contained a pair of Apistogramma macmasteri (which I have been trying to breed, but they are most uncooperative). I read somewhere that corydoras should not be put into the same tank as dwarf cichlids, so I kept an eye on them closely to make sure that no great disasters took place. The temperature of the tank was 74ºF, ph was around 6.3 to 6.8, and the water was Atlanta soft. The 10 gallon tank was planted profusely, without the addition of co2, in a low-tech fashion. I fed them alternately frozen brine shrimp, frozen mysis shrimp, frozen bloodworms and frozen tubifex worms every night. In the morning, they got flake food or shrimp pellets. I thawed the frozen food, and placed it directly on the gravel so it would be accessible to the corys, without too much interference from the apistogramma. They existed somewhat harmoniously, as the corydoras mostly ignored the insistence of the apistogramma. Who knows, I thought, perhaps the corydoras will spur the apistogramma to breed. This continued, routinely, for two weeks and three days. The night of the third day after the second week, as I was routinely examining my charges, I saw 'typical' corydoras spawning behavior (as per the many articles I've read in books and on the internet). The male was sitting on top of the female, shaking intensely, he would then get in front of her, and they would form the T stance of breeding corydoras, as he clutched her face in his pectoral fin (although I had never before witnessed this first-hand, I recognized it from the descriptions I had read). They would then separate from this 'embrace' and lie motionless, euphoric apparently. The female had clamped her anal fins together, forming a pocket, and laid eggs into the pocket. They were spawning! My first thought was that they had probably been spawning all day, laid 1,000 eggs, and the apistogramma ate them all! I pulled the apistogramma out of the tank with great haste, and put them into another tank, leaving the corydoras alone to continue their pursuits. Which they did. They would 'T' and the female would lay from 2 to 4 eggs, mostly 2 at a time. She would then proceed to swim around most every inch of the tank, with the eggs in her pocket until finally she found a place to slather them onto the glass. After pressing them onto the glass, the whole process would begin again. I was able to ascertain which fish were female. I watched them for quite a while, wondering what to do with the eggs. As I had no place to put the parents other than the tank they were currently occupying, I tried to figure out what to do. Perhaps if I left the eggs in the tank, the parents would not eat the babies. Maybe. I had read accounts of people who picked the eggs off the glass and put them into a hatching tank. Having no tank, but having recently purchased a 'net breeder', I figured the net breeder, if put in the tank, would nicely hold the eggs, separately from the parents, and allow them to develop and hatch safely. I could get the eggs off the glass by gently rolling them between the glass and my finger, until they stuck to my finger. Easy! Well, mostly easy, if you are not light handed enough, it is possible to crush the eggs against the glass, causing mild expletives to erupt. The hard part was getting them off my finger. They would not stick to the net, I couldn't 16

17 Corydoras Paleatus By Ken Seiders knock them off, I had them on my finger and couldn't get them off! It is a wonder these things even survived, as I was flicking them this way and that, trying the get them off my finger. Somehow I managed to flick them off my finger, knowing that all the babies (if they hatched) would probably have brain damage from mishandling. I got 17 eggs, then stopped, thinking that would be a decent number, and that at least 5 would survive to adulthood (BAP points, you know!). The remainder of the eggs I left in the tank with the parents. As to my wonder concerning if the parents would eat the eggs or babies if left in the tank, they will! All 17 of the eggs put into the net breeder hatched, and the babies were safe in the net breeder. The eggs left in the tank (I think I counted about 20 eggs still in the tank) hatched as well, but I have only seen a glimpse of 1 baby corydoras on only one occasion. It took about a week for the eggs to hatch at 74ºF. The fry were quite small, and looked like a tiny body with a long tail, similar to a skinny tadpole. It was another week before the fry were free swimming. It seems like the fry start swimming around, in jerky movements, after about 5 days, but they really aren't ready to eat anything until they swim around more uniformly. At first, not knowing what the fry would eat, nor whether they could eat baby brine shrimp (BBS) right away, I fed them frozen rotifers, just a few, swirled into the net breeder. I didn't want to pollute the water, but I wanted food to be available in the event they were hungry. I saw all 17 fry swimming around at the end of 7 days, and they looked large enough to eat BBS, so that is what they got. Having the fry in the net breeder was quite advantageous. The water circulated through the breeder, I could raise the breeder (draining the water) and lower it, filling it with fresh tank water. But most usefully, the parent corydoras would eat the food from the bottom of the net breeder. They would literally 'suck' the BBS through the net. In the process, they really kept the bottom of the net breeder clean, so that junk did not accumulate on the bottom of the net breeder. Any leftovers from the babies would be hastily dispatched by the parents. The saddest part is that I could not photograph the fry as ardently as hoped, as they couldn't be clearly seen through the net breeder. At 14 days old, I began to include frozen daphnia in their diet along with the BBS. They were able to eat the frozen daphnia, and for the first time would swarm to the food. I believe the swarming had to do with the frozen daphnia falling directly to the bottom of the breeder, in a clump, which the corydoras fry hastily dispatched. Things went along well for 2 weeks. I had raised the temperature of the tank to about 78 degrees, under the assumption that the babies would need the extra warmth. Anyway, for a couple of weeks, the parents did not lay any further eggs. But at that temperature, algae was growing on the side of the net breeder much more quickly, so I lowered the temperature to 74 degrees again. Then, much to my surprise, when I went to feed the corydoras one morning, there were eggs stuck all around the tank! I counted about 45 or so (so maybe the adults already ate some, I hear they lay in the hundreds). My first thought of course, was what was I going to do with all those corydoras (yes, I was indeed counting my fry before they hatch)? I certainly didn't need a bunch of them (after all, I just wanted the experience breeding corys and the BAP points). So I decided on a number, 24, and kept that many of the eggs. I used my finger, took them off the glass, and put them in the net breeder with the 2 week old baby corydoras. The eggs were easier to move this time, so I think perhaps the eggs were older than the first time I did that, perhaps not being so freshly laid. The eggs were easy to take off the glass, I didn't crush any, and they easily stuck to the side of the net breeder. But, after I put the eggs into the net breeder, it hit me! What if the 2 week old corydoras decided to eat the eggs or fry? Now what was I going to do? My solution, and remember, I was still operating under dumb luck, was to put the parents in another tank, release the 2 week old fry into the 10 gallon tank holding the net breeder, and leave the new eggs and fry (when they hatched) in the net breeder. So, I caught the parents, put them into a 55 gallon tank I had ready for something, then upturned the net breeder, dumping the 2 week old fry into the tank, but leaving the eggs stuck to the net breeder. Well, as I mentioned, the tank was planted quite profusely. But with the net breeder in the tank, and the fry, and not having changed much of the water in a while, there was an abundance of algae in the tank, much of it growing on the side of the net breeder. I know, I know, I hear everyone saying that with fry, the water in the tank should be changed, like 50%, like every other day, or every day. Here is where the dumb luck really kicks in. I had not changed the water since the first eggs were laid, two weeks ago. The water was basically clean, and I figured the plants would take any really bad stuff out of the water, and besides, the algae was growing in profusion, which usually means there is excess nutrients in the water, and the algae is cleaning it. However, now that I had taken the parents out of the tank, and there was no one to suck the food through the bottom of the net breeder any longer, it seemed like a good time to change the water. I did a 25% water change, being careful not to suction the fry out of the tank. This was fairly easy, as they stayed on the substrate, and I could siphon the water from the upper regions of the tank. The fry were no worse off, the eggs were doing fine, and the water had been changed. Now for the hard part, making sure the fry have enough to eat so that at least 5 of them will raise to a happy, healthy BAP size. I fed them mostly baby brine shrimp. However, if I just dropped the BBS into the tank, they seemed to float, and never really made it to the bottom of the tank, where the baby corydoras would eat them. So, I used an eyedropper (that holds 5 ml of liquid) to squeeze the BBS (baby brine shrimp) close to the bottom of the tank. As there is gravel in the tank (to hold the plants) I didn't want to squeeze the BBS into the gravel (where the fish couldn't get them) so I actually put them a couple of inches above the gravel. This worked well. The baby corys would congregate in 17

18 Corydoras Paleatus By Ken Seiders the front of the tank eating the BBS as they fell to the gravel. Unfortunately, so did the hydra. I don't know if anyone else has a problem with hydra, but when I feed my baby fish BBS, the hydra proliferate. I probably feed too much, but I don't want to starve the fry. Well, in another two weeks, the new eggs hatched, and I put the BBS in the net breeder. The older fry would, just like their parents, eat the BBS from the net breeder. Upside down, they would literally suck the BBS out of the breeder. The new fry had enough, and any extra would be eaten by the older fry. The older fry also got occasional frozen daphnia, and frozen cyclops. While the fish were happy, and growing quite well, so was the algae in the tank. The net breeder by this time had one whole side completely green from algae. I changed the water, about 25%, weekly since the first water change. Well, after the fry in the net breeder were 2 weeks old, I upturned the net breeder in the tank so they, too, could have their freedom. That also enabled me to remove the net breeder, and about 75% of the algae in the tank. (I cleaned the net breeder with clorox water, and it is now white and ready for more breeding, but that is the subject of another story!) At this time, I also trimmed the plants, removing any plants that were algae infested. When I breed baby fish, the tanks get algae infested, as I don't change the water daily. I don't even think I change it as much as I usually do. That is too much work, and who has the time? I do try to change the water at least once a week, but sometimes it goes longer than that. As soon as I clean the algae out of the tank, the plants sprout new growth, and out compete the algae, making the tank clean again. The baby corys loved this treatment. I still keep the water in the tank at about 74 degrees, as the corydoras paleatus seem to like that temperature. It seems the most difficult part in breeding the corydoras is getting the food to the babies. They do not swim through the water column as most other fish do, so they won't eat the food until it settles on the bottom of the tank. Which means I have to turn off the filter so the water stills. The hydra were growing so profusely, it seemed the fry could not settle on the gravel without being impeded by the hydra. So, I began to feed the fry Omega One fish food, crushed, and soaked in water. Then I would us the eyedropper (that holds 5 ml of liquid) and squirt the food directly to the bottom of the tank. They liked that. The bigger fish would get the topmost layer of food, and the smaller fry would get the food that fell between the gravel. I also began feeding the fry frozen BBS (which the hydra don't seem to like as well) which has the advantage of falling more quickly to the substrate. So now, they are fed Omega One crushed flakes, frozen BBS, frozen daphnia, frozen cyclops, and since the last meeting, walter worms (from Garfieldnfish) as well. They have a great variety of food, they eat about as much as I put into the tank, they are growing well, and are terrifically amusing swimming around the tank, constantly picking at the gravel and looking for little tidbits of food for their pleasure. Now I have far more corydoras than I need. Thank heavens for AAAA auctions, where I will bring some fry for BAP points at the big auction in March. I also will have the proven breeding colony of 5 adults available at the auction. They have served their purpose well. They were indeed an easy corydoras to breed, their care was easy, they have continued to lay eggs in the big tank where they now reside (though they eat them, one must really remove the eggs if one wants fry to survive) and they would make a splendid addition to someone else's tank, giving someone else the opportunity to get BAP points. While they are not the corydoras I ultimately want to keep, they are well worth having. They are vivacious, entertaining, lively, and incredibly peaceful. They are easy to care for, eat just about anything you give them (if it sinks to the substrate before all the other fish eat it), add activity at the lower level of the tank, and breed quite easily in a 10 gallon tank. Besides, I still have over 30 them remaining, so it's not like I am getting rid of them. 18

19 For Sale or Trade all things Fishy Roger Lorts Stendker discus... many varieties... quarter size and up starting at $10 Apistogramma agassizi Alenquer F1 $15 pr Aphyosemion. australe gold $10.00 pr Fundulopanchax mirablis mirablis Mbio $10.00 pr Fundulopanchax greseni $10.00 pr Fundulopanchax. scheeli $8.00 pr Pelvicachromis taeniatus Moliwe $10 pr Juliochromis ornatus Sumba 3/4" - 1" $5 Juliochromis ornatus Sumba proven pr $35 Cryptoheros septemfacsiatus proven trio $20 Holey rock $2 lb. Petrified wood.50 lb David Ramsey djramsey01@bellsouth.net Sewellia lineolata (Hillstream loaches) 1-1/2 F1 $8 ea Pearl Gourami youngsters 1 to 1-1/2 $2 ea Bushynose Albino 1 or better $3 ea. 2-1/2 or better $5 Neolamprologus multifasciatus shell spawner 5 for $20 White worm starter culture $6 Steve Levin (770) , Pick up or Delivery [Atl area] Labeotropheus trewavasae $7.00 Yellow Labs [ Labidochromis caeruleus ] $ "+ Copadichromis Red Fin Borleyi Kadango $ "+ Aulonocara stuartgranti "Ngara Flametail" $ "+ 19

20 Bringing to the Auction Bob Major bringing to the auction: corys :metae,deckeri,melini porthole cats banjo cats otocinculus dwarf asian bumblebee cats bumblebee goby sumo loach Kuhli loach genghis khan goby betta picta betta rutilans betta pugnax goby tetras von rio tetras black emperor tetras red phantom tetras danio rayo zebra microrasbora micro rasbora blue form " " red form galaxy microrasbora ******************************************* David Ramsey Albino bristlenose breeding size killifish several varieties P. annulatus (Clown killie) young Albino Corydoras Pearl Gouramis Apistogramma Borelli Small tanks (2 gallon critter tanks) White worm starter culture. 20

21 Membership Renewals Due Renewals due this month, don't miss an issue! Please check the notice and check the date we have on file for your membership expiration. I think the database may be off on a few members. And some memberships are showing as elapsed that I feel sure were just forgotten. So check the and be sure your membership renewal date looks right. If you have expired, it is time to renew. 70/30 split for members at the auction, 60/40 for non members. Please welcome these people who joined or renewed within the last month. Joseph Gentry Ken Davis Tom Koranda Rudy Wadkins Bob Major Keith Hudkins Arlene & Larry Cohen Justin Brunson Erica Duvic Mary & Alan Bathurst Sybille Finnegan Cary Gammalo See ya at the meeting! 21