THE SPLASH THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC CELEBRATING OUR 51ST YEAR. In this Issue: Betta unimaculata

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1 THE SPLASH THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC CELEBRATING OUR 51ST YEAR In this Issue: Betta unimaculata Plus Pretty Easy Caulerpa & The Last Minute Article Fossorochromis rostratus FEBRUARY GENERAL MEETING FEBRUARY 24, 2006 February/March, 2006

2 MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY SOCIETY OFFICERS President: Jeff Michels (262) Vice President: Michael Laursen (414) Secretary: Edell Schaefer (414) Treasurer: Jerry Michels (414) Sgt. At Arms: Ed Curran (262) BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairperson: Kerri Michels (262) Splash Editor: Naomi Gettler (262) Board Members: Joe Mack (414) Gary Schaefer (414) David Timmer (262) Past President: Aaron Glass (262) THE SPLASH STAFF Editor: Naomi Gettler (262) Exchange Editors: Austin Braganza (414) Jim Everson (414) Technical Editor Ray Gettler (262) Publisher: Judy Martin (262) Webmaster: Ron Revolinski (262) COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS Breeders Award Program (BAP): Michael Laursen (414) Jeff Michels (262) Fish Store Liaison Michael Laursen (414) Librarian: Ed Curran (262) Manufacturer s Liaison Kerri Michels (262) Participation Awards (PAP): Ken King (262) Program Committee: Ray Gettler (262) Membership: Judy Martin (262) Bowl Show: Tammy Adyniec (920) VISIT US AT OUR WEB SITE AT:

3 From the desk of the President: The votes are in and MAS has a new board. This year the board has 5 first time board members out of the 12 serving the club and I m looking forward to the new ideas and fresh perspectives that are sure to come along with them. As always even if you aren t a board member but have ideas or thoughts that you feel would benefit the club please talk to one of your board members. Or better yet, attend a board meeting, which are always open to any member wishing to share ideas or gain a sense of what goes on (and then hopefully run at next year s elections!) One of those new ideas is to have interviews with interested club members. Some fishy and not so fishy questions will be answered and then published in the Splash along with a photo of the person. The board hopes that in this way everyone will have an easier time placing names with the faces of your fellow club members and get to learn a little about the people as well. To get things started the board will be interviewed first. The long-term goal is to turn the interviews into a club directory. But more about that another time. Already the 2006 calendar is filling up with club sponsored events. The Spring Auction will be held March 12 Burnham Bowl, dates for combined store and fish room hops are being arranged, and talk of a group trip to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago has surfaced just to name a few things. I hope to see all of you at the next general meeting and don t forget to polish your tanks for the house hop! Jeff Michels President, M.A.S.

4 MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC FEBRUARY MEETING PUBLIC WELCOME FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH, :30 P.M. (No Admission Charge) HOFFER S TROPIC LIFE PETS 7323 N. 76TH STREET MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC General Club Information & Assistance: (262) MAS BOWL SHOW SCHEDULE February: March: A. Red or Pink Fish B. Live Bearers (No Guppies) C. Fishy Fridge Magnet D. Youth Entry A. Killie Fish B. Dwarf Fish C. Fishy Can or Bottle Holder D. Youth Entry D = Youth 2 to 14 years old, any fish in categories A, B or C

5 THANK YOU!!! The Milwaukee Aquarium Society, Inc. would like to thank the following companies for their generous donations to our club in 2005: All Glass Aquarium Fancy Publications Penn-Plex Kent Marine Aqua Culture Lee s Aquarium and Pet Products Zoo Med Python Products Perfecto Manufacturing Hikari Boyd Enterprises Danner Manufacturing SeaChem Wardley Ginger Novalek Inc. Aquatics Unlimited Aqua Exhibits Hoffer s Tropic Life Pets Pets N Things

6 7323 N. 76th Street - Milwaukee, WI

7 SPLASHING THROUGH THE EXCHANGES 2006 FEBRUARY Spring is in the air, all the sights and all the sounds. Actually it s nearing the end of another fairly mild winter. Some trees around the country have started to bud, others have sprung into blossom too early because of the 40 degree days we have been having, I even heard of some daffodils trying to break through the soil and some people breaking through ice on frozen ponds. be careful out there. Even trying to skate on your tub pond could prove dangerous with this kind of weather. On Feb 2 nd Punxsutawney Phil said he saw his shadow, this was communicated through a translator, this means we have to endure 6 more weeks of winter, or what feels more like an early spring. That is of course only if you believe ground hogs can predict the weather and care to make statements about whether or not they saw their shadow on February 2nd. Check out Reprint of an article by Eric Rogne titled American Characin Basics in The Granite Fisher, publication of the New Hampshire Aquarium Society. The article was originally written for Splash, the article was reprinted from aquarticles.com. Thanks for all the excellent fish you bring into the club Eric and a very nicely detailed article. In other news The Minnesota Aquarium Society celebrated their 75 th anniversary. A very interesting organization dealing with native fish is the Native fish conservancy This site was mentioned in two fish club magazines. Many of you are probably known as the fish expert in your circle of friends and you probably get asked questions about setting up a tank for the first time often enough. Well instead of rattling off a few tips for first timers, you can refer them to an article appropriately titled, Setting up a tank for Dummies by Grant Gussie. Originally published in The Calquarium, Vol.40, No.7 from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Also available on aquarticles.com. One point I thought especially noteworthy was that it is easier especially for a beginner to provide a stable environment in a 25 to 50 gallon aquarium than a 10 gallon aquarium.

8 It was interesting to note that a few other clubs are starting up HAP (Horticultural Award Programs). Thanks once again to Aaron Glass for our own HAP. Aaron has been receiving a steady number of entries for the HAP, I hope you catch up with your paperwork. A planted aquarium can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. Plants can be grown in big or small aquaria to suit any budget or experience level. Even young children are putting together and maintaining low cost, low maintenance mini planted aquaria in 20oz soda bottles and pickle jars. Austin Braganza, Exchange Editor Milwaukee Aquarium Society The September /October 2005 issue of the Brazos Valley Aquarium Society Newsletter reprinted Brian Torreano s article Fundulopanchax gardneri N sukka They Spawned? in it s reprint of the month column. Also mentioned in the same newsletter are Jerry Michel s article Fake Fish Facts and Eric Rogne s article American Characin Basics. The same article was also reprinted in the December 2005 issue of The Granite-Fisher (the newsletter of the New Hampshire Aquarium Society). By the way has anybody mentioned that Eric Rogne was GCCA s 2005 breeder of the year? His 101 species submitted to the BAP program accounted for a third of the entire program submissions for Congratulations Eric. The December 2005 issue of The Tropical News from the Sacramento Aquarium Society covers the main points of articles written by Warren Berg ( Barclaya longifolia ), Terry Tankersly ( Corydoras sterbai Be Patient ), and Ed Curran ( Apistogramma bitaeniata ). These same three articles were mentioned in the November 2005 issue of the Michiana Tropical Times, the newsletter of the Michiana Aquarium Society. Jim Everson Exchange Editor Milwaukee Aquarium Society

9 THE MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY Presents a TROPICAL FISH AUCTION SUNDAY, MARCH 12, 2006 BURNHAM BOWL 6016 W. BURNHAM MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN Doors open for viewing at 10:30 a.m. Consignment of fish and aquatic plants taken from members and the general public New aquariums and equipment will be available Large selection of fish books and magazines THE AUCTION BEGINS AT 12:00 NOON ADMISSION IS FREE! For additional Auction information contact: Naomi Gettler (262) WEB SITE : MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY CELEBRATING OUR 51 st YEAR The Milwaukee Aquarium Society is a non-profit organization

10 Betta unimaculata By Eric Rogne, MAS The Betta unimaculata originates from East Malaysia on the island of Borneo. According to horst Linke, this island is involved heavily in palm oil, rubber, and cocoa farming. At the time of literature Labyrinth Fish, the Bubble-Nest Builders (Tetra Press, 1991), the countless farming has not seemed to bother the overall aquatic fauna. Betta unimaculata is a paternal mouthbrooding anabantoid (male mouthbrooding ovum care). This species obtains a size of about 12cm (5 ). The male displays a deep green to blue metallic color on a torpedo shaped body. The mouth is upturned, meaning that it spends most of its time along the surface. This metallic color covers the whole body on into the fins, except for some regions around the forehead. Males are more colorful than females, possess a larger head, slightly longer fin extensions, more pronounced operculum colored scales. Females will generally have a bilateral black horizontal stripe that runs from behind the operculum to just before the caudal peduncle, and the base body is brown to grey. In the wild, this species can be found in small slow moving streams and creeks with a lot of surface vegetation. Generally, the average temperature is 25 degrees C with a ph of 7.5. In the aquarium they are very adaptable. They will take prepared foods well (pellet or flake, etc). Personally, I kept this species around 6.5pH, and at a temperature of 74 degrees F. They were initially in a large community 20H and moved to a half filled 10 gallon with Wisteria plants on the surface, bare bottom, a few plastic plans and a sponge filter. I initially started with a group of eight (3M, 5F). A Columnaris bacterial infection developed in the aquarium. In treatment four were lost leaving me with one male and three females. Over the next couple months I had a hard time getting the male to hold longer than three days. I started striping at day three. The eggs were a little bigger than killie mop eggs (3 to 3.5mm), and would develop at different stages. The spawning process takes hours, if not a day for most mouthbrooding betas. I placed the spawn, close to 80 eggs with only 10% starting to develop, into a ½ gallon pail half full of 100% R/O wa-

11 ter and Methyl Blue. A slow flow air line was placed. Over the next couple days most of the eggs fungused with only seven fry present free swimming in ten days from spawn. Over time, the male started holding like clockwork every two weeks, and started holding for longer periods of time. I started striping the male around day seven or eight. Each consecutive spawn I would count larger and larger quantities of viable fry. The largest viable quantity was about 60 fry. The fry are about 1/8 when free swimming, and will take live brine right away. The fry grow pretty even, unlike most other anabantoids. The growth rate is also not as fast as many anabantoids. Fry possess similar markings to that of females. Color will not be noticeable on males until they are half grown. The fry are hardy after about one week out of the father s mouth. The father does not hold any parental care for the fry after he spits them out of his mouth. After about thirty days the fry will start accepting dry prepared foods (crushed flake and crushed pellet). This species was a joy to own, once stabilized. Betta unimaculata is probably one of the easiest C class fish to try to breed. As long as you have baby brine for the fry when ready, you should be good to go. Keep surface plants in mind, to minimize conspecific aggression. If you want to place them into a community tank, choose large robust peaceful fish that do not look alike to this species. They are jumpers, so keep a tight cover on the aquarium. One interesting fact about this species is that the male takes the fertilized egg from the ground. For most other mouthbrooding betas, the female grabs the fertilized egg and spits it at the male s mouth to pickup. It must save on spawning time. If I only had the space, I would love to keep this species around; yet I have more species to turn and burn. ADVERTISING IN THE SPLASH If you are a business that is interested in advertising in The Splash, our current rates are as follows: $ x3.5 business card size $ /2 page ad $75.00 full-page ad This is for 1 year (six issues) If interested, please contact the Editor, Naomi Gettler at or mas-splash@wi.rr.com

12 Pretty Easy Caulerpa (Algae) By Bob Nourse, MAS It is hard for me to call this algae even though it is but it looks like a plant. Never thought I would want, much less grow algae in my tanks. I have a 75-gallon Reef tank that has been up over 20 months, almost 2 years now. I was having diatom bloom problems and hair algae during cycling so I added one small 6 long string of Caulerpa prolifera. It looks like leaves growing upward, kinda like Vallisneria. I purchased it from Pets & Things along with a piece of shelf rock it was attached to. I have 110 watts of Power compacts 50/50 on the tank along with 160 watts of fluorescent full spectrum 48 bulbs. Well, the snails and crabs took care of the hair algae and diatoms. The Caulerpa took care of helping to eat up the nitrates and ammonia. My water straightened out and I added a Goby, 2 Clowns, and 3 Pajama cardinals. The Caulerpa took off and almost overtook my tank so I harvested some and took it to my local pet store at Tropical Paradise in Paddock Lake as he feeds his Tangs with it. I still have quite a bit but now have harvested it to my sump (in progress) and a separate 15-gallon quarantine tank which now houses 5 High-fin Mollies and babies as I have changed them over to saltwater. This is another long but interesting story. It seems all this Caulerpa needs is light and water to grow but it will go sexual with white-yellowish bulbs and turn the water yellow if it is not regularly harvested. I have not had this happen in my sump as it has one 48 fluorescent full spectrum. I have 2 inches of live sand mixed with crushed Florida shells, 100 pounds of Base and Live Rock along with miscellaneous crabs, snails, Grape caulerpa, and another species of algae (Chaetomorpha) spaghetti algae. Caulerpa roots itself to soft substances like sand or other articles and sends out runners that will root along the way.

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14 The Last Minute Article Fossorochromis rostratus By Edward Curran II I have never been one who enjoys writing an article, but it is particularly a problem when you think you have a B spawn and you really have an A. Please bear with me as I write this in haste. Going to fish auctions and BAP auctions have become my main stay for purchasing fish. Mostly due to the cost and the wide selection of fish. At the 2004 spring auction of MAS I purchased a bag of juvenile Fossorochromis rostratus for about two bucks.not a bad deal considering there were 10 fish in the bag. The fish were put in my African tank, a 40-gallon breeder, were they were allowed to grow and grow and grow. I really thought I d never get anywhere with these fish. Then at about a year and a half old, two fish started to color up showing some blue and black. Mind you these fish were between 5-6 long by now. The funny thing is when they were 4 long a man at a fish store said I had all females, glad I didn t listen to him. It didn t take long and the fish were fighting and spawning, so I netted one female out and began to wait. The female was in her own little 20-gallon tank and it took about a week before I saw any fry. The clutch contained about 60 little fry, which I found to be quite amazing since they all were in her mouth. The fry were silver with little black dots, almost like the female. The fry grew at an ok pace being fed only crushed flake, and I even managed to sell some at the fall 2005 MAS auction. So for fish that cost me $0.20 each I managed to sell the parents in September at the GGCA, and half the fry at the MAS fall auction, not bad. So if you re on a tight budget try buying BAP spawns and go to auctions. You can save a ton of money, get a lot of uncommon fish and make some money in the end. Till next time happy breeding

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16 The 2006 elections were held on Friday, January 27 th, 2006 Based upon the results of the elections, the following is the new Officers and Board Members: President- Jeff Michels Vice President- Michael Laursen Secretary- Edell Schaefer Treasurer- Jerry Michels Sgt. At Arms- Ed Curran Board Members: Kerri Michels Joe Mack Gary Schaefer David Timmer Dave Timmer will be hosting the February Board meeting. He has not determined a date or time yet but will make notifications as appropriate. Respectfully submitted, Aaron Glass MAS Past President Milwaukee Aquarium Society Board Meeting February 4, 2006 The meeting was called to order by Naomi Gettler at 5:23 p.m. at the home of Jeff & Kerri Michels. Present: Austin Braganza, Naomi & Ray Gettler, Mike Laursen, Jeff & Kerri Michels, Jerry Michels, Gary & Edell Schaefer. Naomi thanked the previous Board and Officers for their service and welcomed the new members. Nominations were made for Board Chair Naomi Gettler (declined) and Kerri Michaels (accepted). Kerri was selected to serve by consensus. The sign-up sheet for hosting future Board meetings was circulated. President: no report Vice-president: no report Secretary: no report Treasurer: Jerry Michels reported that there is $3, in the treasury with $67.50 earmarked for the library. It was noted that the January meeting mini auction brought in an unusually high amount - $314 for the 45 bags that were sold. Jerry also mentioned that the Christmas Party has been confirmed for December 3, 2006 at the Domes. Membership: we are ahead of last year with 36 new and renewing members already paid by the end of January.

17 B.A.P.: we are waiting for the January data entry to be completed. We will have achievement levels and quarterly drawing information ready by the next meeting. Articles are being submitted. Certificates and plaque upgrades need to be completed, but information is still be verified. P.A.P.: no report H.A.P.: no report Bowl Show: February will include a) red or pink fish, b) livebearers (no guppies), c) fish refrigerator magnet. March will include a) killie fish, b) dwarf fish, c) fish can or bottle holder. Exchanges: Austin has completed the article for the Splash and will be submitting it soon. F.A.A.S.: no report Library: no report Manufacturer s Liaison: Kerri will supply a list to Naomi for the Splash. Speakers: a wide variety of suggestions were offered for meeting program speakers. Ray Gettler is trying to get someone from the Milwaukee Aquarium that is under construction at the Milwaukee lakefront. Ray expects to have February, March and April speakers confirmed within the next few weeks. Splash: Naomi would like articles and announcements early the week of February 6. Now that she has a new computer things are coming together more smoothly for the issues. There was discussion of starting a column where MAS members would be interviewed and a photo included. This would be done to help members become more familiar with each other. We will start with interviews of the Board members. Webmaster: the URL www. mas-wi.com is working. Spring Auction: the auction will be held March 12 at Burnham Bowl. A goal this year is to get the labels and consignment forms up set up on the website. Naomi would like someone to contact her to help with food. Ray will handle the auction treasurer s duties. Unfinished business: A.L.A. 2007Convention: the American Livebearers Association handles most of the work which makes hosting these conventions somewhat easier than most. Despite that, there is some concern that MAS members will step forward to help with duties such as auction runners, at the event should our bid be accepted. If we win the bid, we will be looking for commitment from MAS volunteers. Tee Shirts: the prices will be $15 for a tee shirt, and $18 for polo with pocket. Sign up sheets will available at the February and March meetings with delivery of the shirts expected at the April meeting. Swap Meet: the Spring swap meet is booked for May 7 at Burnham Bowl, and fall on November 19 also at Burnham Bowl. There was some discussion on requests from people that we reverse the order and hold the swap meets after the fish auctions. It was noted that there would be conflicts with some of the Chicago group events.

18 Goals: we will be planning a fall field trip to the Shedd Aquarium; a house-fish room hop, including any stores along the way of interest; and adding volunteers to assist with the work of the B.A.P. committee. New business: Fish collection: the date is June 10 in Mukwonago. We will meet at the Gettler s home first. Those who aren t actively collecting fish, will enjoy a shopping experience at the Mukwonago flea market. Picnic: two individuals have expressed interest in hosting the picnic Ken (Bonnie) King, and Ingrid (Ron) Revolinski. It was suggested that they agree among themselves who will host, and the other can assist with the details. There being no further business before the Board, Naomi moved to adjourn, Gary seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 6:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Edell Schaefer, MAS Secretary EDITOR S NOTE This is just a quick note to remind everyone who has a committee report (BAP, HAP, Exchanges, Minutes, The President s Page) that it will be due on April 1st for the next issue of The Splash. The BAP and HAP stats are being worked on, and current reports should be available in the next issue. If you are interested in your current standings, please see the committee chair people at the February general meeting. The Gossip Column will also be back next time, so please be sure to let me know if you have any information that you would like to have mentioned. Naomi Gettler Editor MAS OPEN POSITIONS If you are interested in increasing your involvement in M.A.S., you may want to consider this vacant position within the club that needs to be filled: Advertising Chairperson Picnic Chairperson If you are interested in learning more about this position, please contact Aaron Glass. Thank you.

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20 PISCES PAGE For Sale Want Trade Give away To submit a request for an upcoming issue, please send the desired information to: Naomi Gettler, S74 W25825 Hi Lo Drive Waukesha, WI Or at mas-splash@wi.rr.com Deadline is the last Friday of odd-numbered months. Although anyone may purchase from the Pisces market, you must be a member to have an ad posted. ANNOUNCING MAS 51ST ANNIVERSARY T-SHIRTS! ORDERS WILL BE TAKEN AT THE FEBRUARY AND MARCH GENERAL MEETINGS, AS WELL AS THE SPRING AUCTION ON MARCH 12TH. $15.00 T-SHIRT WITH POCKET $18.00 POLO SHIRT WITH POCKET ALL SIZES ARE AVAILABLE, AND THE CLUB WILL HAVE A LIMITED AMOUNT OF LARGE AND EXTRA LARGE SHIRTS ON HAND IF YOU DO NOT PRE-ORDER. HOWEVER, IF YOU WANT A SMALL, MEDIUM, 2XL, OR 3XL, YOU MUST PRE- ORDER.

21 AQUA EXHIBITS HUGE SELECTION OF FRESH & SALTWATER FISH OPEN DAILY 10-6 SUN GALLON SHARK DISPLAY! 1335 N. 3RD (KING DR.) (414) DOWNTOWN 1 1\2 BLOCKS NORTH OF THE BRADLEY CENTER

22 UPCOMING EVENTS February 24th: MAS General Meeting 7:30 p.m. Speaker TBA Hoffer s Tropic Life March 4th: MAS Board Meeting 5:00 p.m. Contact David Timmer (262) March 12th: March 24th: MAS Spring Auction 12:00 Noon Burnham Bowl 6016 W. Burnham Street Milwaukee, WI Contact Naomi Gettler (262) MAS General Meeting 7:30 p.m. Speaker TBA Hoffer s Tropic Life April 28, 29, 30th: American Livebearers Association Annual Convention Ramada Inn & Conference Center East Hanover, NJ For info call: Rich Serva (330) rjserva@juno.com

23 THE SPLASH The Splash is the official publication of the Milwaukee Aquarium Society, and is published six times per year under the direction of the Board of Directors. Articles are always welcome. Please submit them to the editor (Naomi Gettler) no later than the first day of even numbered months (i.e. February 1st) to be included in the next issue. Articles should be sent to the editor, Naomi Gettler, S74 W25825 Hilo Drive, Waukesha, WI We will gladly exchange our publication with all interested societies. Please mail exchanges to Exchange Editor, P.O. Box , Milwaukee, WI Reprints of articles published in The Splash are always permitted and encouraged, provided that proper credit is given in reprinting to The Splash, author and Society. It is also requested that a copy of the issue containing the article reprinted be sent to the address above to be shared with the author. This would be in addition to any exchange copies. Please inform the editor of any address changes in forwarding of this publication to members or other societies. ABOUT THE MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY The Milwaukee Aquarium Society is an organization devoted to the hobby of tropical fish, both freshwater and saltwater. Its membership consists of hobbyists gaining expertise in all phases of raising and breeding tropical fish, as well as area retailers. Our membership s expertise covers a wide range, from beginners to expert breeders, but all members are interested in promoting the hobby and encouraging others to join in the fun. General meetings are held monthly, generally the fourth Friday of the month, at 7:30 p.m. at Hoffer s Tropic Life Pets, 7323 N. 76th Street, Milwaukee. We thank them for their hospitality. Free parking is always available, and guests are always welcome. Annual membership dues are as follows: Families: $20.00 a year; Individuals: $15.00 a year. Membership dues provide for The Splash, monthly speakers, community support, annual events, and show support. A yearly subscription to the Splash is available for $15.00 a year. New or renewal of membership dues should be sent to the treasurer: Jerry Michels West Boehlke, Milwaukee, WI 53223

24 The Splash The Official Publication of the Milwaukee Aquarium Society, Inc. Milwaukee Aquarium Society, Inc. P.O. Box Milwaukee, WI Address Service Requested