Inside This Issue: BAP Report HCCC Photo Contest Species Profiles: Meet a New Member How to Build a Fishroom

Transcription

1 Volume 1, Issue 11 April 1, 2005 Inside This Issue: BAP Report HCCC Photo Contest Species Profiles: - Otopharynx lithobates - Haplochromis sp. Kenya Gold - Thoracochromis brauschi Meet a New Member How to Build a Fishroom

2 April 1, 2005 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Photo Contest 2 Otopharynx lithobates 7 Hap. sp. Kenya Gold 9 Thoracochromis brauschi 10 Meet a New Member 12 How to Build a Fishroom 13 Event Flyers 16 BAP Report Our big spring auction is drawing near. This is a perfect time to stock up on fish to collect BAP points with. Many of the recent submissions have been from cichlids purchased at our auction last fall. March has been a busy month for HCCC breeders with many great reports submitted. Congratulations go out to Terry (mamafish68) on her Premier Spawning Award. With two more spawns reported (and more cooking) she'll be reaching the next level in no time. Kudos to Nathan (vaderjedi) on obtaining his Premier Spawning Award as well. Nathan entered in grand fashion with a first in club spawn of Melanochromis joanjohnsonae. Ryan (codered82) also received the Premier Spawning Award in March. Great work! Lee Ann and I were excited to by Greg Steeves have finally gotten a class C fish (Pyxichromis orthostoma) and reach the Accomplished Breeder level. Double D (Dockusan) still holds a healthy lead in the Breeder of the year race. Looking at the pending points some of us have, however, we're not going to let him run away with it so easily. Sleep with one eye open David! Congratulations to all that have submitted reports and those whose pending points were awarded in March. April looks to be a very busy month as BAP reports are coming in nearly daily. All people with outstanding BAP fish donations please make provisions to have them at the HCCC auction in Austin April 24th. Keep those fish healthy and breeding. Upcoming Events: HAS Auction April 3rd. HCCC Auction. April 24th at noon in Austin. HCCC Show and Awards Banquet May 14th. July 21st-24th. TCA hosts the ACA Convention. Cover Photo: Tropheus moorii Red Rainbow by Donald Davis Current Standings Name Score Pending YTD Greg Charles David D Robert Dave H Duc Paul Jeff Lisa Nick Blair Kris Current Standings (cont.) Name Score Pending YTD Brian 40 Nathan JJ Kevin Dave S James Diane Terry Ryan Mike Robby 60 Dani 15

3 The Lateral Line Page 3 HCCC Monthly Photo Contest First Place: Tropheus sp. "Red" #3 By Donald Davis Third Place: Tropheus moorii Red Rainbow By John Yull Second Place: Benthochromis tricoti Msalaba By John Yull Cyphotilapia frontosa "Burundi" By Terry Isbell Lepidiolamprologus By John Yull Neolamprologus brichardi By Terry Isbell

4 The Lateral Line Page 4 Astatotilapia burtoni By Greg & Lee Ann Steeves Tropheus sp. Black #1 By Robert De Leon Neolamprologus brichardi By Diane Tennison Cyphotilapia frontosa sp. North #1 By Lee Ann & Greg Steeves Cyprichromis pavo Nangu #3 &#1 By Dave Schumacher Petrochromis Texas Blue Fluorescent By Kris Haddad Tropheus sp. "Red" #1 By Donald Davis All pictures cropped for layout purposes

5 The Lateral Line Page 5 Cyprichromis pavo Nangu #2 By Dave Schumacher Julidochromis dickfeldi midnight By Dave Hansen Neolamprologus pulcher By Dave Hansen Cyphotilapia frontosa sp. North #2 By Lee Ann & Greg Steeves Tropheus sp. Black #2 By Robert De Leon Neolamprologus leleupi By Terry Isbell Cyphotilapia frontosa Zaire Kapampa By Kris Haddad Lepidiolamprologus kendalli By Blair Howell

6 The Lateral Line Page 6 Tropheus sp. "Red" #1 By Donald Davis A special thanks to Ad Konings for judging our photo contest. Among his many accomplishments for the hobby, Ad is an ichthyologist, photographer, author, speaker and publisher. He owns Cichlid Press ( where one can find his books and amazing photographs. Interview with Ad Konings By Ryan Robinson Ryan: What are you thoughts on the future of the hobby and conditions of the lakes in the future? Ad: The future of the hobby looks good. More and more people will try to duplicate a piece of nature at home and kind of specialize in maintaining a very decorative aquarium. The hobby breeders more and more give up their large scale installations and try to enjoy their cichlids again. Also travel to see the cichlids in their natural setting will increase. The future of the lakes doesn't look so bright as 10 years ago. There are too many people and all are hungry. Overfishing is common in Lake Malawi where locals fish heavily, even in the off-limits National Park, with small-meshed gill nets. Beach seines, although forbidden, is still the main cause that in shallow, sandy areas all cichlids have disappeared. This is particularly true for the sanddwelling cichlids in the Zambian part of Lake Tanganyika. The species, fortunately, are still around but much lower numbers and in deeper waters, beyond the reach of seines. There should be an active ban on seines and stimulating of hook-and-line fishing. Ryan: What tanks and fish do you currently keep? Ad: Uhh, I just gave up my last tank... It overflowed Altolamprologus compressiceps By Kris Haddad one too many times and since I'm traveling a lot there was little time enjoying the cichlids. I do see the cichlids three months a year in the wild which compensates. Ryan: You own and operate Cichlid Press which publishes some of the greatest pieces of cichlid information on the market today. Besides that you also have photos of cacti and surrounding nature. Can you elaborate more on you fondness of cacti as a subject for you photographs? Ad: My wife and I are both biologists and as such interested in anything nature. Around El Paso we have a great nature, the Chihuahuan Desert, and we particularly like the different cacti. We are planning to publish a book on the "cacti in their natural habitat" with those of Texas first. It is very challenging to first find a rare cactus and secondly get a photo of that particular species while it is flowering - in the wild. We do hike a lot to explore new (for us) areas. Ryan: What cameras and equipment do you prefer to use for your photos? Ad: I use a Nikon D1x in a Seacam underwater housing. I have been using Nikon cameras and lenses for the last 30 years and I think they are the best for my budget. The lens I use most is the 105mm macro lens (the call it MicroNikkor). Ryan: Can you explain a bit about your group trips to Africa? Ad: Although those trips are organized by me, at least the itineraries are, I don't do these to generate money. I (Continued on page 7)

7 The Lateral Line Page 7 pay my own flights and don't get paid for "leading" the participants although Stuart Grant (Malawi) and Toby Veall (Tanganyika) feed and lodge me. I just do these safaris as I think people should see the fantastic beauty of the cichlids in their natural habitat. Usually I plan a trip to a specific part of the lake where I want to do some more observation and get more photos. Since the boats are large we can accommodate a lot more people than me alone. Anybody interested in the current itinerary is invited to come along. Recently I have become involved in various scientific projects on Lake Malawi (with Jay Stauffer of Pennstate University) and I may have to stop organizing safaris because I will need all my time doing experiments at specific spots in the lake. So this year's safari to Malawi will be only one week as I need another three weeks to do my work for Pennstate. If anyone is interested they can find the details of this year's trips (also two weeks Lake Tanganyika) on my website (cichlidpress.com >safari). Of course, anybody can organize his/her own safari by directly contacting Stuart or Toby. Contact details are on the website. Ryan: Do you have any word of wisdom for new cichlid keepers? Ad: Place your tank in the room where all family members can see it. Explain your family about the wonders of cichlids. Cichlids are great and if you get the whole family to like and appreciate them, there is always one to care for them when you are gone for a few days. Start with common species as they have been popular for a long time for a good reason: they are beautiful, easy to keep, and easy on your wallet. I had two pairs of Firemouth cichlids in my living room tank for over 8 years and they were the family's favorites. I still think they one of the most spectacular cichlids around (and very forgiving). Species Profile: Otopharynx lithobates "Zimbawe Rock" It was a dark and stormy night.well ok actually it was a pretty nice day with the sun shining back on the 28th of September My best friend and I took a trip down to Armke's where I purchased several species of cichlids, four of which being medium small Otopharynx lithobates "Zimbawe Rock". My friend originally turned me on to these fish by showing me several pictures of nicely colored up males and that was all it took, I wanted some. Out of my original four I ended up getting two males and two females, however my dominant male developed bloat a month or two after I got them home and died. As sad as this was it actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the subdominant male quickly colored up and is by far a better looking fish than the other male could ever hoped of being. Now with the other male out by Ryan Robinson of the picture the once subdominant male is feeling as if he is king of the tank and is quickly wanting to breed with the two ladies in waiting. On November 17, 2004 just a little less than 2 months from time of purchase I came home for lunch to find a very exciting site in my tank. I walked into the house and as always I glance over at the tank, which is just to the right of the door, I River City Aquatics a proud supporter of the HCCC Member discounts: 25% off livestock 15% off dry goods / 10% off aquariums Roxie Dr., Suite D Austin, TX (512) (Continued on page 8)

8 The Lateral Line Page 8 come in through. As I looked at the tank I thought it funny that all the inhabitants of the tank were huddled up next to the glass on the far right side of the tank. Upon closer inspection I noticed that my male Litho was on the left side of the tank all alone moving some sand around next to one of the rocks. My curiosity and excitement was very peaked. As I watch I then noticed that one of the females would come over near the male as if to see what he is doing he would then promptly chase her all around the tank. After a few minutes of this my wife who had also come home for lunch was watching the tank with me and almost as excited as was. The male litho now had dug out kind of a half moon hole up against the rock in the sand and would swim around in it keeping the area cleaned out. After that was done the female then came over and this time was not chased away but rather she went into the hole the male had made. The male now jittering up a storm they begin circling and doing their "dance" as we called it. It was truly awesome watching the female dropping her eggs and turning around quickly to scoop them up into her mouth. The "dance" and whole process lasted probably 45 minutes to an hour and by the end the female had a full mouth of eggs and retreated back to the back of the aquarium behind some rocks and the other fish were allowed back to other parts of the tank. The next day I looked into the tank and noticed that the other female litho was now hiding in the back of the tank. Upon further inspection I noticed that she now had a mouth full of eggs as well. This excited me, as this would be my first breeding if Photo By Greg Steeves successful. I did a lot of reading online to find out more about how long they hold, how to strip, etc. One thing I missed was water temperature affecting hold times. I keep my tank at about degrees and everything I had read was based on a tank temp of about 76. So with this mistake I figure I would let her hold for about 21 days or so then strip. Well at 17 days of holding on December 3rd, 2004 I come home from lunch and find that the first female that spawned spit her fry in the tank upon which the other fish had a quick tasty meal. After uttering some expletives I notice the other female was still holding. I quickly pulled the canopy and tops off the tank so as to catch her and strip her. I figured since she spawned just a day after the other female that I had better strip her before she too spit the fry out into the main tank. I caught her fairly quickly and held her in the water with the net while my wife got me a cup of tank water and a stool. I put the stool next to the tank and me and put the cup of water on it so it would be about waist high. I had never stripped a fish before so I was a bit nervous. I pulled the net out of the tank and gently held Amazonia International a proud supporter of the HCCC Member discounts: 20% off Fish & Live Plants 10% off Tanks, Stands, Eheims and Eclipses 25% off Filters and Powerheads 4631 Airport #116 Austin, TX (512) (Continued on page 9)

9 The Lateral Line Page 9 the body of the fish with the net. I had her so that her head was poking out and I held her just over the water in the cup. So far so good however I ran into a little bit of a problem trying to open her mouth. I finally caught her bottom jar with my fingernail and opened her mouth just as I did 3-4 small fry darted out and into the water in the cup, I then dipped her head with mouth open into the water and several more fry darted out. I did this a couple of more times and then got to worried that I might be keeping her out to long or hurting her so I decide that was enough and put her back into the main tank. Looking in the cup I now have 11 baby lithos. I quickly dump then into a breeder net that I had setup on my 10 gallon shellie tank. I did miss a few that the female held onto but she spit them out into the main tank within a day or two of stripping the others. I was very glad that I went ahead and stripped this female as the fry she was holding were fully developed and didn't even have any of their egg sacks left so it wouldn't of been much longer before she spit them out naturally. The fry I stripped into the breeder box all did great. I feed them crushed NLS and Cyclop-eeze both of which they gobbled up eagerly. At the time of this article the fry are now three months old and growing like weeds. I did loose one fry do to getting something stuck in his mouth but that was the only lose. Now for a bit of technical info on Otopharynx lithobates. The Otopharynx genus consists of haplochromine fishes endemic to Lake Malawi, Africa. They are mostly very colorful, and similar in general appearance to the peacocks of the Aulonocara group. Otopharynx refers to a structure in the cranium, which is the differentiating feature of the genus. These fish have been in the hobby for quite some time, sold as the "Red Top Aristochromis". All lithobates females and juveniles have the same coloration, which is a brownish gold with three dark blotches running along the lateral line, and four smaller markings along the base of the dorsal. Males, depending on local population, become infused with varying shade of blue, with the lips and head turning first and a bright yellow blaze starting from the upper lip extending up the forehead and through the dorsal fin to the tail making for a very beautiful fish. I feed my fish a combination of NLS, Dainichi, frozen brine shrimp, Photo and By frozen Greg mysis Steeves shrimp. The water is a constant ph of 8.1 and I use no other conditioners other than Stress Coat and Melaflex as needed. This being my first experience with this whole breeding thing I must say it was very enjoyable and exciting and since then I have stripped several more fish. Species Profile: Haplochromis sp. Kenya Gold by Lisa Boorman This is a gorgeous little Lake Victorian cichlid. From what reports I can discover on this fish, it comes from the Kenyan side of Lake Victoria. This is a very unique looking cichlid. The dominant males sport a lovely gold colour. They also develop a red tail and have an almost vertical black bar that goes through their eye, going from forehead to the gill plate. When in dominant colouring they tend to not show their horizontal and vertical stripes. Females do not have the gold colouring and will show the striping. In the wild, this cichlid reaches a maximum size of 1 1/2" (3.8 cm). However, in most aquariums "Kenya Golds" can obtain a size of up to 3" (7.6cm). The water temperature for "Kenya Golds" should be around 74-78F. The ph should be 7.5 to 8.5. As far as I can tell, "Kenya Golds" are omnivorous and will eat just about anything that you give them. I feed my adults pellets, flakes and occasional treats of live baby brine shrimp. I received these fish from a friend in Texas who sent me a box full of Victorian 'goodies' (These were Paralabidochromis sp. 'Rock Kribensis' "Mwanza Gulf", Haplochromis sp. 'blue back', Pundamilia nyererei "Python Island" and Mbipia lutea 'spotbar'). Most of the fry were quite small yet, but the "Kenya Golds" (Continued on page 10)

10 The Lateral Line Page 10 were young juveniles. I placed them into a 33 gallon tank by themselves. The tank has a gravel bottom. There is a large Bolbitis plant that is attached to a large piece of wood in the tank as well to give them some place to hide since they seem to be very shy. This tank is filtered by a sponge filter and gets weekly water changes of approximately 20%. The temperature in this tank is 74F. I basically left them alone for several months except to feed and clean the tank and filter. One day I noticed that one of the smaller fish had a full mouth. I was unsure when she started holding and figured I would catch her on the weekend and then remove the fry then. The next day she was no longer holding. So, I had to wait. The wait was not long. A short while later, I again saw a female holding and this time I stripped her since none of the fry seemed to survive in the main tank. I got 6 full term fry. The next time I got fry from the "Kenya Gold" tank, I got a mouthful of 10 fry. All these fry were placed in a 10 gallon bare bottom tank and were fed baby brine shrimp and crushed flakes. So far all of the fry have survived. This is a wonderful little Victorian cichlid! If you have limited space, this is a fish you CAN have. It has looks, personality, and is easy to keep. What more can you want from a cichlid? Photo By Dave Hansen Species Profile: Thoracochromis brauschi by Greg Steeves Thoracochromis brauschi is endemic to the Fwa river region of Zaire. I have heard the locale of these fish stated as Lake Fwa. This is not a false statement as Lake Fwa is actually a widening of the Fwa River. Dense vegetation makes collecting in this region difficult at best. There are a number of cichlids endemic to this region but the Thoracochromis brauschi is the only one I have ever seen in the hobby. Even this beautiful fish is rare in captivity and I would be very interested in seeing what other gems inhabit this corner of the world. Both male and female Thoracochromis brauschi grow to almost five inches. Females and subdominant males will retain an olive green to gray body coloration while dominant males are brightly colored. Body coloration above the lateral line is a light brown while the belly is white. A black bar runs through the eye. The area around the throat is colored a vibrant blood red giving this fish their common name "blood throat". The bright blue lips are a beautiful contrast on the surrounding red region of the head. The dorsal fin of Thoracochromis brauschi is distinctive to this species. A wide black stripe begins at the front of the dorsal region and extends upwards diagonally dissecting the dorsal in half. Alamo Aquatic Pets San Antonio, TX 10% off livestock

11 The Lateral Line Page 11 A thin red line extends along the lower edge of the black dorsal bar with the bottom half of the dorsal fin being hued yellow. Thoracochromis brauschi is a maternal mouth brooder. It is a mildly aggressive species. Provided that there is ample room with caves and rockwork scattered throughout the tank, it is possible to house more than one male that will show full dominant coloration. If one is to consider trying to give these fish a home similar to their native range, areas of thick plantings should also be included in their tank setup. This however could be trying, as Thoracochromis brauschi males will excavate large pits in the substrate. Males are territorial and will stake out a rock formation to call their own. Any aggression shown by this species is confined to small interspecies conflicts. Thoracochromis brauschi does not seem to be bothered by sharing tank space with other species. We have ours housed in a fifty five gallon tank with Cyprichromis leptesoma "blue flash", Synodontis petricola sp. "dwarf" and Synodontis nigrita. This seems to be a pretty good mix as everyone gets along for the most part. Thoracochromis brauschi will completely burrow in the substrate when threatened. I believe this to be an evasion technique to elude predation. The first time this occurred, I was attempting to net out a holding female. As soon as the net entered the water, the brauschi disappeared. Another observation of interest; broods conceived in my hard water conditions with high ph are always male heavy. I haven't experimented to see if lowering the ph would render more females. Thoracochromis brauschi don't spawn with the regularity that most other haplochromine cichlids do. Young females are more prolific than older brauschi. Our largest broods have numbered near thirty with being the normal clutch size. Gestation is 20 days at 80F. Captive feeding requirements pose no problem at all for Thoracochromis brauschi. Although any and all food is readily accepted, a spirulina, or green vegetable based diet is advisable to compliment the Vallisneria grazing witnessed in wild populations. Thoracochromis brauschi is a wonderful cichlid for the aquarium. It is very hardy and will accept any food offered. Temperament is as non-aggressive as a haplochromine can be. What is unfortunate is that this beauty is not readily available in the hobby. I have stumped many well-seasoned cichlidphiles, who had no idea of what this fish was. Although I don't know it's status in the wild, we should make every effort to ensure the beautiful Thoracochromis brauschi stays in the hobby. Photos By Greg Steeves On a final note, thanks should be given to Heiko Bleher who in 1988, collected in the Fwa River region and brought back some of the first live specimens that found their way into our tanks. Keep a lookout for more fish from the Fwa River region because if they are half as colorful as Thoracochromis brauschi, we are in for a treat. Lisa s Lair Bookstore Online Books Various Discounts for HCCC Members Visit:

12 The Lateral Line Page 12 Meet a New Member I would like to welcome you to a new monthly feature. Due to the fact that we have so many members now, I thought it would be nice if we got to get know the members a little better. So each month we will feature a member and present them with a short Q and A session. For this initial article, I would like to present Terry Isbell, aka mamafish! Starting next month Terry will be running this feature (thanks Terry). We have tried hard to get people involved in different aspects of the club and thought this would be a great thing for Terry. So let's get on with questions! Interview conducted by Dave Hansen. Dave: Let's get the obvious question out of the way. What is your setup like and what fish are you currently keeping? by Dave Hansen will bite! So now I've sticking with the Africans : ). Dave: What are your future plans and ideas regarding your fish keeping?? Terry: Well in an ideal world I'd have more space, hmm perhaps if I could just get the Mother-in-law out I could then use her room... <sighs> sadly I'm stuck for now. Dave: What are some other interest outside of fish and feel free to elaborate as much as you want? Terry: I live a really simple life out here in the sticks. Mike (husband) and I get on our HD Fat Boy and ride as much as we can. Each year, going on 5 yrs, we make it up to Austin for the ROT rally. I have two dogs, a Jack Russell and a young Boxer that are handfuls. That's about it with me, I'm just a good mom and I love my family. Terry: Hmm, well its a mixed up crazy fish world here. I started out with strict lake only tanks but as the orphans & rescues started coming in that went out the window. Almost every room has a tank of some sort, water or not. Meaning lizards, crickets, fish.. All three main African lakes are represented here. Dave: Tell us a bit on how you got into the hobby and how long have you been keeping fish? Terry: It all starts with that one kid starring into the feeder tank doesn't it? The feeder turns into a Comet, the bowl turns into a ten. The ten turns into a 29, in comes the rescue 12"Oscar and here comes the 55. Suffice it to say convicts are rats and Managuense Dave: Tell us a bit about you and your family (i.e.. where did you grow up, what do you do for a living, about your kid(s), etc)? Terry: Both of my folks are long gone, I've lived just about every side of San Antonio except for the west Armke s Rare Aquarium Fish a proud supporter of the HCCC Member discounts: 20% off livestock N. Business 35 New Braunfels, TX (830) (Continued on page 13)

13 The Lateral Line Page 13 side. Far north USAA area when it was still country and we rode horses all around, Alamo Heights for many years also. Then an area close to Ft Sam when Mike and I were just starting out, thank God we got out of there fast & onto the North East/Perrin Beitel area. To where we are now, deep south Bexar County. I'm a housewife and that in its self is a huge job, some say its as stressful as two full time jobs My youngens are Toby, he's 9 almost 10 in April and Emily is 7 going on Dave: What is your favorite thing about the HCCC and what would you do different or add to the club? Terry: WOW, well personally I wouldn't add or change the club in the least, its small enough to be personal and big enough to be exciting and fulfilling. I dig the fact that everyone is so excepting and open, I've come across some real fish snobs in the 4 years I've been in the hobby and it's wonderful to come back home to HCCC where your always welcome. How to Build a Fishroom by Bob Nuckols So many people ask me how to build a fishroom and after some research on what was available out there in the hobby I decided to put my two cents worth in. First of all do the prep work, paint walls, insulate, ventilate, and level floors, do anything now you could possibly want to do later. Next start with the tank stands. All my stands are made of 2" x 4" lumber. The construction technique is simple so that the stands are able to be mobile, easy to take apart and put together. The two by fours are cut for the legs (green in picture) to reach from the floor to the ceiling. Next, two by fours are cut to the length of the tank plus four and a half inches. (Blue in picture) and to the width of the tank minus 3 1/2 inches these are jointed together to make a frame to support the bottom of the tank. These 2x4's are jointed together with screws. Legs are then cut to the level of each tank. (Red in picture) I recommend that all the tanks be the same levels. For example 16'' and 38" off the floor but these measurements will be variable depending on tank sizes and ceiling heights. Also how tall you are and what is a comfortable working height for you will help you determine the correct heights. This will make running the drain, feed, vent and electrical lines easier. An additional frame running along the back (yellow in picture) at the top is added to mount electrical outlets to support feed and vent lines and to have something to attach the front panels later if you want to get fancier. Another board is placed on the side legs to support the drain lines. Once the tank support frames are built and the support legs are cut it is time to assemble the stand. I used 3 lag bolts to attach the legs to the support legs two inches long and 2 lag bolts two inches long at each corner to attach tank support frames to the legs. Pre-drilling all the holes first makes it much easier to assemble. I also used a 1/2 inch spade bit to counter sink the lag bolts in, not that you have too it just makes it a little nicer looking. Now if everything went as planned you should have a stand that holds two tanks with a 1/2-inch to spare on each side. (It is nice to have a little fudge factor) and (Continued on page 14)

14 The Lateral Line Page 14 has spots for feed, drain, vent, and electrical lines. Now the stands are built be sure to level them before you set the tanks in place. Level the tanks and get ready for the next step. How to wire your fish room...or at least a suggestion or two First and foremost I am not an electrician but wiring is really not as hard as you might think either. Setting up a simple wire schematic is not that hard. Okay, let's get started what do we need for this project? How many outlets do we need and of what kind? I built my tank stands to stand-alone and have adopted a "modular" approach to plumbing (more on that later) and wiring is "modular" as well. Each tank stand is treated as a single unit, so what does that unit need? I feel I need eight "power always on", four "switched", four "timed switched" and four "temperature switched" outlets for each tank stand. I use the "power always on" for power heads, outside power filter and heaters, the things that have to run all the time. With the power off run your wire from your power source to the eight boxes. Green wire goes to the ground. Black wire to the copper colored bolts and white wire to the silver colored bolts. Follow the same system connecting one outlet to the next. This will be your "power always on" circuit. Next are the "switched" outlets. I use these outlets for things I want to control manually night viewing lights for example. Run a wire from you power source to a switch box. Allow the white wire to go through the box uninterrupted. The black wire is cut in two and connected to the bolts on the switch. Then continue the wire to the four outlet box at the tank, and wire it the same way, ground to ground, white wire to silver colored bolts and black wire to the copper colored bolts. This will be your "switched" circuit. Next are the 'timed switched" outlets. I use these outlets for lights or auxiliary power heads. Run a wire from you power source to a timer box. I got mine from the local hardware warehouse, there where two to chose from a twenty-amp timer and a forty-amp timer. I have many lights so I chose the forty-amp model. The timer connects the same as a switch. Allow the black wire to continue through the box uninterrupted and cut the white wire and connect them to the silver colored bolts in the timer box. The timer box will act just like a switch. My model has a built in switch so that I can turn the lights on and off manually if I chose. Continue the wire to the four outlet box at the tank, and wire it the same way, ground to ground, white wire to the silver colored bolts and the black wire to the copper colored bolts. This will be your "time switched" circuit. Lastly is the "temperature switched" outlets. I use this circuit to turn off and on fans extra lights, chiller pump (Continued on page 15)

15 The Lateral Line Page 15 etc. I purchased mine from Grainger it is used for controlling temperature in refrigeration units. The rubber coated probe is safe for saltwater use and can be use to measure air temperature as well as water temperature. It costs about $45.00 dollars. Run a wire from your power source to the temperature controller. Allow the black wire to continue through and cut the white wire in two and connect to the white wire to the silver colored bolts inside the controller. Continue the wire to the four outlet box at the tank, and wire it the same way, ground to ground, white wire to the silver colored bolts and the black wire to the copper colored bolts. Are you sensing a pattern here? This will be your "temperature switched" circuit. I actually use two of these circuits one to run air temperature things, exhaust fans etc. and one to run water temperature things, homemade chiller pump for example. (I use a small pump that pumps water to a container of water that sits outside the basement window, the temperature controller controls this pump. It works great when it is cold outside)! How to run all you other lines. Okay, now you have tanks and stands and electrical lines, it is time to run all the other lines in the fishroom. Let's start with the feed lines from the pump. Like I mentioned earlier I have moved toward a modular format so I can attach one stand to another. I use rubber connectors that use stainless steel pipe clamps to hold it together. I run the appropriate size pipe and cut it four inches longer than the stand. That way I have plenty of space for my unions. BAP Fish For HCCC members only. Check forum for current availability Aulonocara flavescent blue dorsal 6 fry $5.00 Aulonocara baenschi 6 fry $5.00 Aulonocara stuartgranti Bi-color 6 fry $5.00 Labidochromis caeruleus 6 fry $5.00 Cynotilapia afra "cobwe" 6 fry $5.00 Aulonocara stuartgranti Bi-color fry 5.00 Metriaclima estherae "red Zebra" 6 fry 5.00 Neolamprologus leleupi 6 fry 5.00 Melanochromis joanjohnsoni 6 fry 5.00 Copadichromis azerus 6 fry 5.00 Aulonocara saulosi 6 fry $5.00 Cyrtocara moorii 6 fry $5.00 Pseudotropheus demasoni 6 fry 5.00 Lamprologus brevis "Ikola sunspot" 6 fry 5.00 Auloncara stuartgranti "Maleri Island" 6 fry 5.00 Otopharynx lithobates 6 fry 5.00 Cichlasoma nigrofasciatum 6 fry 5.00 Pseudotropheus flavus 6 fry 5.00 Neolamprologus brichardi 6 fry 5.00 Aulonocara jacobfreibergi "Otter Point" 6 fry 5.00 Various businesses have expressed support for the Hill Country Cichlid Club. They provide our club with meeting places, free gifts and discounts to HCCC members. More information on these businesses can be seen throughout the newsletter and on our website. Please stop and show them we appreciate their support. River City Aquatics Austin, TX Amazonia Austin, TX Armke s Rare Aquarium Fish New Braunfels, TX Alamo Aquatic Pets San Antonio, TX CB Pets Spring Branch, TX Lisa s Lair Bookstore Online books

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17 The Texas Cichlid Association host this year s ACA Convention Radisson Hotel Plaza Forth Worth, TX July 21-24, 2005 This summer brings a very special event to Texas. The Texas Cichlid Association () will be hosting this year s annual American Cichlid Association convention. Confirmed speakers for the event include: Ad Konings, Willem Heijns, Al Klee, Laif DeMason, Wayne Leibel, Spencer Jack, Ric Perez and Howard Schmidt. At this years s convention you will also find vendor displays, silent auctions, raffles, the largest cichlid show and a Texas-size cichlid auction on Sunday. For more information visit

18 HCCC Cichlid Day Fish Auction The Hill Country Cichlid Club would like to invite fish enthusiasts to join us for our fish auction. Hobbyists and professionals will be bringing fish and other items. Nonmembers are welcome to attend and take part. Event: Cichlid Day Auction Date: Sunday, April 24, 2005 Time: 12:00pm until it's over Location: American Legion Travis Post No W Cesar Chavez St Fish Auction Dry Goods Raffle Items Cash and Checks only For more information visit www.