THE

SPLASH THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC.

Photo Courtesy of Bob & Laura Matthews

In this Issue:

“BAD BOYS, BAD BOYS...WHATCHA GONNA DO?” THE “RED DEVIL”

Plus Opthalmotilapia Ventralis

February General Meeting

Bob & Laura Matthews Fish Collecting Trip

February/March 2002

MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY SOCIETY OFFICERS President: Dwight Lehman (414) 332-3735 Vice President: Warren Kloth (414) 353-5988 Secretary: Virginia Lehman (414) 332-3735 Treasurer: Jerry Michels (414) 353-5370 Sgt. At Arms: Aaron Glass (262) 691-4739 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairperson: Ray Gettler (262) 662-5591 Splash Editor: Naomi Gettler (262) 662-5591 Board Members: Ken King (262) 284-2684 Joe Martin (262) 252-3148 Jeff Michels (414) 352-5163 Ron Revolinski (414) 353-7680 Past President: Ray Gettler (262) 662-5591 THE SPLASH STAFF Editor: Naomi Gettler (262) 662-5591 Exchange Editor: Ralph Bahrke (262) 377-6546 Technical Editor Joe Martin (262) 252-3148 Publisher: Judy Martin (262) 252-3148 COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS Breeders Award Program (BAP): Kevin Korotev (414) 332-9785 Tom Wojtech (414) 527-0399 Librarian: Bob Suchocki (262) 246-8739 Participation Awards (PAP): Bonnie King (262) 284-2684 Program Committee: Ray Gettler (262) 662-5591 Membership: Judy Martin (262) 252-3148 Bowl Show: Ken King (262) 284-2684 VISIT US AT OUR WEB SITE AT: www.fishclubs.com/WI/MAS

From the desk of the President: As we begin a New Year, I think we should look back and thank those individuals who toiled for the benefit of the club: • Thanks go to all of the speakers that spoke at our general meetings

during 2001 and to Ray Gettler for procuring them. If you have any ideas or requests for speakers, pass them along to Ray.

• Naomi Gettler for running our auctions and picnic and editing the Splash. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

• Bonnie King for keeping track of our PAP points so that we could have a great funny money auction at our Christmas party.

• Jerry Michels for keeping our books and running the Christmas party.

• Tom Wojtech and Kevin Korotev for running the BAP. • Ron Revolinski for maintaining the club’s web page. • Judy Martin for keeping track of our membership and distributing

the Splash. • Heather Hertziger for keeping our minutes and collecting the manu-

facturer donations. • Bob Suchocki for keeping our library up to date. • Ken King for running the Bowl Show and serving as FAAS liaison. • Ralph Bahrke for serving as Exchange Editor. • All of the officers and board members for hosting board meetings

and their tireless efforts in running the club. • And to all the rest of the worker bees, who attended meetings and

helped at club functions. Without you, none of this would be possible. Some of the responsibilities have already been passed to another per-son in the club and some will be passed on in the near future, I just wanted to let those people know that we appreciated what they have done for the club. I want to welcome the new MAS officers and board members as we begin this New Year. A special thank you to Rob Moneyhan for his fascinating talk on saltwa-ter fish at our January meeting. May this year be as good as the last,

Dwight Lehman MAS President

MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC

FEBRUARY MEETING PUBLIC WELCOME

BOB & LAURA MATTHEWS FISH COLLECTING

AMAZON RIVER BASIN

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2002 7:30 P.M.

(No Admission Charge)

ST. PETER IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH 7801 W. ACACIA – MILWAUKEE

MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC. 1955-2001

RAFFLE PRIZES TONIGHT

General Club Information & Assistance: (262) 662-5591 www.fishclubs.com/WI/MAS

2002 MAS BOWL SHOW SCHEDULE

February: A. Red or Pink fish (Valentine fish) B. Photos of 8” or larger fish C. Pelvichromis Pulcher (Kribs) D. Youth Entry in above categories March: A. Green Fish (St. Patty’s Day) B. Platys C. Knick-knack Fish 6” or Larger D. Youth Entry in above categories D = Youth 2 to 14 years old, any fish in categories A, B or C

“DID YOU KNOW???” A LITTLE GOSSIP, NEWS, ETC. ABOUT OUR CLUB MEMBERS

THAT’S NOT NECESSARILY FISH-RELATED.

Congratulations are in order to Sean Lehman, son of Dwight and Virginia, who has been accepted into the R.O.T.C. program at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. Sean will most likely be spending this summer at basic training. Did you know our own Ralph Bahrke spent New Year’s eve on a cruise ship in the Caribbean? What a way to bring in the New Year. Speaking of traveling club members, Dwight and Virginia Leh-man spent the early part of February in Arizona, visiting Virginia’s father and other relatives. Hope they had a good time and brought back some hot sunny weather. Congratulations to our daughter, Cassandra Gettler, who has been accepted to the College of Business at the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater. Cassandra plans on a degree in ac-counting, which probably should include a one credit course in document shredding. Did you know that our club will be having a new event this year? Fish-O-Ramma will be held on Sunday, May 19th at Burnham Bowl from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Fish and fish-related items, both new and used, will be available. Admission is $2.00 per person and $5.00 per family. Vendor tables are available. To register or for more information, contact chairperson Jerry Michels at (414) 353-5370. Don’t forget about our special speaker night coming up this May. Chuck Rambo will speak on Lake Victorian’s. There will also be a rare fish auction afterwards. Hope your Valentine’s Day was special! Until next time!

Naomi

In Pursuit BAP 2002

Wading Thru the Exchanges … By Ralph Bahrke, MAS

(RBahrke@aol.com) I’m back….You missed me, I know you did! As always, there is a wealth of interesting articles available in the exchanges. Here are just a few… REVIEWS The November 2001 issue of the “Reflector” from the Central New York Aquarium Society contains a well-written and entertaining article by Stanley Domanowski titled “GOODEIDS, The Gems of Mexico, The Live-bearers You Never Heard Of”. Sexual differences, diet requirements (“Spirolina is a must”), and their use as dither fish are discussed. Are MBUNA your “cup of tea”?..read on… “Pseudotropheus Greskakei” by Terry Bergeron appears in the February, 2002 issue of “Tank Tales” from the Aquarium Club of Lancaster County , PA. Another Mbuna article “Melanochromis Johanni” by Dave Tourtle is re-printed in the “Cichlid Evening Post” from the Great Lakes Cichlid Society. This article originally appeared in the May 2001 idssue of “Mack Attack”, the official publication of the Mid-Atlantis Cichlid Keepers. This informative article describes the various forms of johanni in depth. Tips on identifica-tion of the true M. johanni are given Good reading! This issue also contains “Apistogramma Hongsloi” by Peter Robinson. Geographical origin, water conditions, color variability, setup, courtship behavior, and spawning are explored in this detailed account of this very attractive little fish. Been there, done that…”Lamprogile Dysfunction” by Joseph Linert details his trials and tribulations with Lamprologus species. This entertaining arti-cle appears in the November 2001 issue of “All Cichlids” from the Michi-gan Cichlid Association. “Apistogrammas My Way” by Don “Z-Man” Zilliox is another good read in this issue. “Quarantine, Quarantine, Quarantine” by Dennis Eichorst is a horror story with which most of us can relate “Under The Top Glass” from the Heart of America Aquarium Society of Missouri is the publication. On the same subject…”Aqua News” Jan/Fen 2002 from the Minnesota Aquarium Society has an article by Randy Carey “The Practice of Quaran-tining”. I’m sure we can all relate to Randy’s painful experiences and can

learn from them. “Showfish”, a publication from California’s Organization of Aquatic Show Tropicals presents a two part article “Breeding Angelfish” by Steve Rybicki in the December and January issues. Water requirements, tank setup, breed-ing stock, feeding, first spawn, and fry raising are discussed. This article also contains detailed pictures of fish, eggs, and fry development. Very in-teresting article! Not in my tanks…(yeah, right!)… The January 2002 issue of “The Cal-quarium” from the Calgary Aquarium Society dips into a subject near and dear to all of us…”Freshwater ‘Pest’ Snails by Pam Spencer. Did you know they have teeth? Did you know that not all snails breathe the same way? Various snail families are covered, as well as the “services” and benefits they provide. Some of them eat hydra, algae, waste, extra food, and are sometimes a valuable live food source for some fish. They also indicate the quality of the aquarium, and since they breathe, “if oxygen levels are low, they will move to the waterline and remain at or near the surface until the adverse condition is rectified”. And I know you’re out there Killie Lovers…check out the December and January issues of the “Newsletter” from the Green Bay Aquarium Society for parts one and two of a continuing article from Jim Overly titled “A Few Words About KILLIES”. Origins, behavior, water changing, spawning, and other topics are covered, with more to come. “Breeding Corydoras Catfish” by Carol Sindelar is brought to us by the “FINFLAP”, the publication of the Eastern Iowa Aquarium Association. She includes tank requirements, temperature, live foods, and conditioning in her detailed article. M.A.S. REPRINTS “Little Yellow Catfish With Spots??” by Rob Moneyhan was reprinted in the January 2002 issue of the “Aqua Babble”, the Official Publication of the Aquarium Club of Edmonton. Kevin Korotev’s article “2wks4thpull, The Emperor Tetra” has been reprinted in the “Reflector” Nov/2001 , the Publication of the Central New York Aquar-ium Society. The “Youngstown Aquarist” from the Youngstown Area Tropical Fish Society contains Tom Wojtech’s article “Betta Albimarginata” in its entirety . (Yes, the WHOLE thing!) REVIEWED M.A.S. ARTICLES Ron Revolinski’s article “Tropheus sp. Black Pemba Orange” is reviewed in

the Jan/Feb 2002 issue of the “Aqua News” from the Minnesota Aquarium Society. The January/February 2002 issue of “SWAM”, the publication from the Southwestern Michigan Aquarium Society contains reviews of three “SPLASH” articles: “The Fifth Times’s a Charm” by Tom Wojtech “Little Yellow Catfish with Spots” by Rob Moneyham “Betta Albimarginata” by Tom Wojtech Tom’s Betta article is also reviewed in “The Fish Flash”, November, 2001 from the Greater Portland Aquarium Society Please contact me if you would like to further explore any of these articles, or if you are looking for other information that may be available in the ex-changes.

“BAD BOYS, BAD BOYS…WHATCHA GONNA DO”?

The “Red Devil”

By Ralph Bahrke, M.A.S. Some time ago I purchased a few of these reddish looking fish called Cichlasoma species (or as I later found out Cich-lasoma labiatum or “red devil”) from a pet store in Oconomo-woc for just a couple of dollars. Guess the owners wanted to get rid of the six fish. (You all know how I can’t pass up a bar-gain!) Little did I realize how big these fish could get and what bad boys they really are and how aptly named too! Since my main interests are Tanganyikan cichlids, and mostly shell dwellers, of my 62 tanks my largest tank is 55 gal-lons. So that’s where they ended up. As they grew, they pro-ceeded to annihilate their various tank mates: plecos, synodontis cats, red hump geophagus, etc. After over eighteen months and the loss of three of the six fish, they were now in the six-inch plus range. I came home from a weekend in Madison and after doing a few chores, I pro-ceeded to manage the fish. They had spawned on the back-side of a large stone in the corner of the tank and also on a cou-ple of smaller stones in the immediate area. These stones were located in the corner of the tank that was not readily accessible for viewing. The view was terrible from where I was looking, but I could see that there were some eggs on the rocks. There was load of eggs that had been deposited. If all the eggs were to hatch, I’d have trouble feeding them. All I know is that in the end, after spawning, there were only two fish alive in the tank. The third fish had passed on and was floating on the surface of the water. After removing the dead fish, the two that remained seemed to be fairly content. They still would eat the trout chow and Cichlid pellets they were fed, but maintained a diligent guard in the corner of the tank. I could not tell which of the re-maining two fish was which sex. They looked alike to me. I did no weekly water changes, just fed them and watched and watched for 3 weeks! Well, none the less, the water in the

tank started to foul and I had no choice but to do a water change. You see I have a tendency to over feed. In the course of siphoning the bottom, I managed to siphon up some of the fry, a fairly large group, swimming around. I don’t know how many I managed to suck up and put down the drain before I no-ticed them; but I was able to save a small bunch. (Hey, these things happen!) The fry were really small, with the parents guarding them at all times. The tank was kept at 80°, 8.0 pH and filtered by use of four Hydro sponges and a power filter that was modified with a sponge on the end of the input tube. In this way, the fry would never get sucked up into the power filter. An underground filter was useless with these fish, as they seemed intent on rearrang-ing the landscape and live plants were out of the question. Mind you, that this tank is only a 55-gallon. There are no other fish in it at this time (they’ve since departed), just a lot of rocks and plastic plants. The fry seem to be growing at a fairly good rate of speed. Presently, I have them in a 20-gallon tank and am feeding them baby brine and crushed flake. Seems to be working… they are still alive. Even with tons of rocks and plastic plants, the aggres-sion level remains high. They have grown dramatically in the past two weeks and chase each other constantly. I have no plans on keeping the parents, as they are just too large for my likes…but kinda pretty if you like a big ugly fish that likes to beat the snot out of everybody! Summary: This species seems to be an aggressive fish and not suitable in a community tank unless the co-occupants are large themselves and active members of the WWF. Also, make sure that a suitable sized tank is available for them - 75 gallons or more. I understand they can grow much larger than those that I have, and I would recommend a larger tank than the 55 gallon I used. These guys can get very nasty! (Major under-statement!)

Opthalmotilapia Ventralis

By Eric Rogne, MAS Opthalmotilapia Ventralis is known as one of the feather fin cichlids of Lake Tanganyika. The vigorous personality and vi-brant color in territorial males is what intrigued me about this species. This species has a large distribution over Lake Tanganyika with many color variations over different locations. Males display bright variations of metallic black and blue with gold, light blue, white, black etc. highlights. Some yellow forms are even known in the northern part of the lake. This species has a fairly stream-lined body. Males have extremely elongated pelvic fins with yel-low lappets at the tips. These yellow lappets are the most real-istic egg dummies known. Males also have slightly elongated dorsal, anal and caudal fins. Males obtain a size of around 15cm. with females slightly smaller. Females display a silver-gray coloration. In the wild males defend territories on rocks meters above the lake’s floor chasing away conspecific males and attracting fe-males. Females school in groups of 500 or more. A male will display and lead a female from the group to his territory. Males usually don’t make an elaborate nest in the wild. They usually move a little sand around that is located on a flat rock. When courting the male will lead the female in a head to tail dance while he flutters his fins. At times he will lift his body from the nest, while his pelvic fins remain in contact with the nest. Being mouth brooding, the yellow lappets attract the female to place them in her mouth. The lappets, being so identical to real eggs in color and size, ensure proper fertilization of the brood of eggs. A single female will spawn with various males in a single brood, generally holding 20 to 30 eggs. In captivity it is not as hard to spawn Opthalmotilapia Ventralis,

as it is to get the females to hold for even a few days. The males are extremely aggressive towards both males and females of con-specific. I suggest housing this species in a six foot 100 gallon or larger aquarium. I recommend the use of sand as substrate. I also use piles of rocks on both ends of the aquarium with the middle open. I used limestone sheet and slate rock. Tall plastic plants can give holding females a place to retreat from a dominant male. Pur-chase a group of Opthalmotilapia Ventralis to minimize direct ag-gression. I also would mix a large amount of dither fish. Various Lamprologous species work well, but I found Malawian Haps of the same size to be more effective. I had the problem of losing Op-thalmotilapia Ventralis from a group and couldn’t get the female to hold longer than a day for a few years. One day I placed many mid-size to larger Alonocara, Protomelas and Copadichromis males into the Opthalmotilapia Ventralis 125. These were fish that I was clearing out of the fish room and wanted to open up more table space. I over stocked the tank. A few days later I noticed another female holding. I didn’t want to deal with striping her that day, so I let her be. I found that with a tank full of large haps the dominant male Opthalmotilapia Ventralis was too preoccupied to harass the female to hold six days before striping her and moving the fry to a tumbler to develop. The young developed well and were rather large in size. They also tend to be dominant when housed with other African cichlid fry. Growth also seems fast, being similar to that of Malawian Mbuna. Opthalmotilapia Ventralis is an exciting species of fish to watch with their flashy color and vigorous personality. Although they don’t always maintain bright colors, if you add multiple males wit higher ratios of females, at least one male will maintain full color. Subdominant males will flash colors on and off when challenging other males. Although a large aquarium and lots of other fish are needed, Opthalmotilapia Ventralis is certainly worth the space oc-cupied.

Advance Notice of a Milwaukee Aquarium Society:

FISH GROWING CONTEST

with

THORICHTHYS AUREUM- “The Golden Firemouth” From collecting experiences in Mexico, I have found that Thorichthys spe-cies (including aureum) tend to inhabit shallower portions of rivers and lakes and are most frequently found in smaller streams. It is very common to find them in areas laden with submerged branches which provide territories for pairs engaging in spawning activities. Most Thorichthys species rarely exceed five inches in total length, and all exhibit outstanding coloration. In addition to pleasing reds, blues, and yel-lows, the flanks usually have metallic reflectivity, all contributing to an attrac-tive appearance. Large tanks are not required, as a compatible pair can be successfully housed in as little as a ten gallon tank. They can also be set up in community tanks of compatible species in forty gallon aquaria and larger. As a result, they are good choices for hobbyists with limited tank space still interested in Neotropical cichlids. Tank maintenance is not difficult as long as the nitrogen cycle is managed; as with many cichlids, ammonia is not well tolerated. Thorichthys species are not picky eaters with most live, frozen, and prepared foods accepted readily. One of the few foods not taken is plant material. Spawning is in typical substrate-spawning cichlid fashion. Spawn sizes can range from as few as 25 to a few hundred, depending on the size and spe-cies. (Excerpts from an article originally published in "Cichlid News Magazine" Aquatic promotions, Vol. 2. No. 1, January 1993; pp. 14-15. Don Danko. Some editing has occurred.) Fry, spawned in December of 2001 are currently being raised in Milwaukee tap water for distribution at the MAS February monthly meeting. Any MAS member can participate for a $3.00 entry fee (which will be used to buy prizes). Entry fish and complete rules will be available at the February meeting. Rules will also be posted on the website: http://fishclubs.com/WI/MAS/ This will be a 6 month contest culminating at the September, 2002 Milwau-kee Aquarium Society monthly meeting.

The Longfin Lace Ancistrus And a pitch

By Rick Boester, GCCA & MAS

It has been a long time since I have written anything for the Milwau-

kee Aquarium Society. I was thinking of writing something about a debate I have been having with Kevin Korotev about sexing zebra plecos but decided it was a losing battle. He still hasn’t convinced me there isn’t some kind of relevance in the striping pattern, but he has put doubts in my head. Then I thought about I should write something on the GCCA Classic coming May 24,25 and 26 at the Holiday Inn Holidome in Rolling Meadows. On second thought I need to mention a few things so here goes my pitch to come this year.

Friday night we will have Rick Borstein from Adobe giving a presen-tation on digital imaging. Rick will also being auctioning off a software pro-gram after his speech and Adobe will be offering a great show special on their elements software for digital imaging of only $69.00. Then Daryl Syska will give a talk on genetics and diseases.

Saturday starts off with Dr. Marty Greenwell D.V.M. from the Shedd Aquarium on disease prevention and fish nutrition. Followed by Julia Mann, discus author and international show judge. Julia will also be donating some of her discus for silent auction on Saturday. Then Saturday afternoon starts off with Pam Chin, PCCA editor, author of “Ask Pam”, winner of FAAS awards including "Best Continuing Column" and Author of the Year, and founding member of the BITCHES (Babes in the Cichlid Hobby) talking on African’s. After Pam is a breeder panel discussion which will include your very own Dan Cram and Tom Wojtech along with Milo Manden, Rick Perez, Howard Schmidt and newest and fastest to achieve Master status Al Desau-tels. Is that enough? No, following the panel will be Mike Wise from Colo-rado talking on What's New & News in Apistogramma, Breeding Apisto-gramma. Mike has been a member of the Apistogramma Study Group since 1983 and is the technical editor for the Apistogramma Study Group since 1985. I refer to him as Mr. Apisto! Then of course we have the Cichlid Clas-sic show where some of the most beautiful cichlids kept in the hobby can be seen. We are counting on donations from several vendors which so far include New Life Exotics, Pablo’s Teepot’s fish farm in Florida, (which will be in the silent auction on Saturday) and possibly from a collector from Africa with some never before seen fish and another farm in Florida for South Americans. We will have the awards banquet Saturday night (with your pick from a menu of several choices) and of course the Hospitality room on Friday and

Saturday night. The cichlids only auction is on Sunday with Mike Schadle doing the auctioneering. Well enough on the Classic, but there will be more yet to be mentioned. Stay tuned but if you are planning on attending and staying at the Holidome, get your reservations in early as we are expecting a sell out on the rooms. Mention the GCCA Classic to get the $79.00 rate.

Now back to the pleco: We acquired these beauties from a friend, Robert Smith, from Texas. Robert knew we like plecos and said he found a guy that raised these plecos and wanted to know if we would be interested in getting some. He described them rather poorly and said they had about a two inch dorsal fin on them. As they were rather expensive and since he was coming to visit, we said we would take six of them. When we got them, we couldn’t believe how beautiful they were and asked if we couldn’t get more. He hooked us up with the guy and I called him. Wouldn’t you know it he had just sold out. This was in May and he said to call him back in August and he would have more. I anxiously waited until August 1 and gave him a call. He said funny you should call he was going to take his adults to Houston tomorrow and sell all he had. Now I was getting excited. I asked him how many he had and he said 40. After a little negotiating, I, excuse me, I mean we (my wife, Monica, had to give her approval), we came to a figure between one and two thousand and agreed to buy them. He said he would throw in twelve small ones and he had to cover the shipping for buying them all. We put eight of the 2.5” “fry” up for auction and got over $320.00 for them so I guess he more than covered the freight. I have enclosed a picture that hopefully will

be included with the article. I can honestly say the picture doesn’t really cap-ture all their beauty. They breed just like a normal Ancistrus. The guy we bought them from said they bred in Rhino type caves, one on top of the other. We put these caves in the breeders tanks along with the “Boester’s pleco bells” and they have always chosen the bells to breed in. If this isn’t enough, we are getting a few albinos out of one of the group’s we are breed-ing. Hope they turn out to be longfins also but they are too small to tell yet. Hope to see you all at the Classic!

ANNOUNCING MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY INC.

FIRST ANNUAL

FISH-O-RAMMA

SUNDAY, MAY 19TH 11:00 A.M. TO 3:00 P.M.

BURNHAM BOWL

6016 W. BURNHAM AVENUE MILWAUKEE, WI

Fish & Fish Related items - New or used available

ADMISSION $2.00 PER PERSON - $5.00 per family

VENDOR TABLES AVAILABLE

CONTACT JERRY MICHELS (414) 353-5370

TO RESERVE A TABLE OR FOR INFORMATION

THE MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC.

Presents a

TROPICAL FISH AUCTION

SUNDAY, APRIL 7TH, 2002 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

THE AUCTION BEGINS AT 12:00 NOON

ADMISSION IS FREE!

For additional Auction information contact:

Naomi Gettler (262) 662-5591 OR VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT:

www.fishclubs.com/WI/MAS

MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY 1955-2001

The Milwaukee Aquarium Society is a non-profit organization

promoting tropical fish keeping.

MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC.

AUCTION RULES

AUCTION REGISTRATION BEGINS AT 10:00 A.M. VIEWING BEGINS AT

10:30 A.M. AUCTION STARTS PROMPTLY AT 12:00 NOON. 1. MEMBERSHIP IN AN AQUARIUM SOCIETY IS NOT REQUIRED TO BUY OR SELL FISH. 2. LABELS SUPPLIED BY MAS MUST BE USED. The following information is required to appear on each bag: SELLER #, BAG #, QUANTITY OF FISH IN BAG & DESCRIPTION. 3. PROPER BAGGING IS REQUIRED. No Zip lock bags or baggies allowed. MAS will charge the seller a fee of $1.00 for any fish that needs rebagging. 4. ALL FISH MUST BE OF SELLABLE SIZE. Minimum size of 1 inch except in the case of dwarf species. 5. AUCTION SPLIT: ( Selling price minus $1.00) X 80% = Consignor’s share.

Example: ($11.00-$1.00) x 80% = $8.00 6. FOR EACH (4) ITEMS REGISTERED YOU WILL RECEIVE (4) DIFFERENT COLORED TAGS. Prior to auction MAS will draw order of colors to be auctioned. 7. MAXIMUM OF 5 BAGS PER SPECIES (A SPECIES INCLUDES ALL COLOR MORPHS). MAXIMUM OF 50 BAGS PER HOUSEHOLD. 8. ALL UNCLAIMED ITEMS BECOME THE PROPERTY OF MAS. 9. ITEMS CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM THE AUCTION AFTER REGISTRATION. 10. NO PERSONAL SALES OR TRADES OF ANY KIND WILL BE ALLOWED ON THE AUCTION PREMISES WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL OF THE AUCTION CHAIRPERSON. 11. ALL RULES WILL BE STRICTLY ENFORCED. THOSE ITEMS NOT ADHERING TO THE RULES WILL BE REJECTED. THE AUCTION CHAIRPERSON OR DESIGNATED PERSONS HAVE SOLE AUTHORITY OVER THE INTERPRETATION AND ENFORCEMENT OF ALL RULES. EACH ITEM WILL BE SOLD TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER. THE AUCTIONEER WILL SETTLE ANY DISPUTES AS TO THE BIDS AND HIS DECISION ON SUCH MATTERS WILL BE FINAL. 12. ALL PERSONS ATTENDING THIS AUCTION DO SO AT THEIR OWN RISK. NEITHER MILWAUKEE AQUARIUM SOCIETY, INC., ITS OFFICERS, AND MEMBERS OR ANY PERSONS CONNECTED WITH THIS SALE, ASSUME ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY LOSS, DAMAGE OR INJURY OR ASSUME LIABILITY LEGAL OR OTHERWISE IN ATTENDING THIS SALE.

Tropheus Polli

By Ron Revolinski, MAS

revo@execpc.com If a beauty contest were held for the genus Tropheus, the polli would not have to worry about winning. Tropheus polli is probably one of the plainest fish in the tropheus genus. The body coloration consists of alternating bands of white and gray. The soft rays of the dorsal fin contain a yellowish tint with a small amount of orange along the edge. Tropheus polli have a lyre tail, which is black with yellow along the edges of the tail. The eyes of the polli are blue and the gill plates contain a bluish hue. The bands on the male’s body disappear during courtship. The black markings on the tail and fins be-come more intense on both sexes during courtship. The male polli are ap-proximately 4 inches in length with the females being slightly smaller. Tropheus polli are found on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika near Bulu Point in Tanzainia. Axelrod named Tropheus Polli after a Belgian ich-thyologist Professor Dr. Max Poll. Tropheus polli occupy the shallow rocky areas along the shoreline. In their natural habitat, tropheus feed on the auf-wuchs covering the rocks. The term aufwuchs refers to the algae, diatoms and other microorganisms that cover the rocky formations. Raising and maintaining tropheus is not a very difficult task. A group of 6 polli were housed in a 55gallon aquarium. This tank also contained a group of 5 Sciaenochromis fryeri and a group of 7 Otopharynx lithobates “ Yellow Blaze “. The water was kept at 80 degrees. Filtration was provided by an Eheim canister filter and a Hydro 4 sponge filter. The tropheus were fed flake food, which was a mixture a 50% spiriluna flake and 50% brine shrimp flake. The substrate consisted of a mixture of crushed coral and red gravel. Numerous rocks and pieces of pvc pipe provided shelter for the polli. Ag-gression among the tropheus was not a problem. The other species in the tank provided ample targets for the tropheus to ward off any aggression. This group was a little over 1 year old when the first spawns appeared. The first spawns were small and only 2 to 3 fry were produced by the fe-males. As the females matured the size of the spawns increased with the largest producing 9 fry. I allowed the females to hold the spawns for 21 days before stripping the fry. After 21 days the fry still have a small egg sac which is usually absorbed within 3 days. The fry are raised in a 10gallon tank and feed crushed spiriluna flakes.

Corydoras sterbai

By Kevin Korotev, MAS Kkorotev@ameritech.net

Corydoras sterbai is a hobbyist’s favorite with distinct ‘spotted bands’ in black on silver and orange pectoral and ventral fin spines. It can be easily distinguished from it’s look-alike cousin; haraldshultzi, by the head markings. Sterbai has white spots on a black head while haraldshultzi has the reverse. Another easily confused look-alike is the Corydoras araguaiaensis. Here, the ID is made when you notice that araguaiaensis fin spines are not the distinctive sterbai and haraldshultzi orange. My sterbai have surprised me on 2 accounts. First, they began spawning much earlier (at a smaller size) than I thought they would. Second, it is very easy to miss their eggs. As I was not aware how old these fish were when I got them, there is no point commenting on their spawning age…but the second matter does beg a little commen-tary. Many Corydoras spawns are easily spotted. You can see the eggs clearly as you enter your fishroom and approach the tank. It could be the size of the eggs, the quantity of eggs or the placement of eggs, in clusters, on the tank walls that make the event obvious and memora-ble. My sterbai are secretive and are quite stingy. Before I added spawning mops, I would get no more than a dozen widely scattered, single eggs placed in any and all corners. Never on the middle of a glass pane and often low on the glass rather than higher up (which is nearly a constant with Corydoras). Once I threw spawning mops in (the first Cory I’ve ever deliberately done this with), eggs were hardly ever found again on the glass. During what seemed to be a spawn-ing drought, I removed the mops to clean gravel and dislodged over a dozen newly hatched sac-bound fry. The eggs had been placed deep within the mop just 4 or 5 days before, I’m sure. All my other standard Cory rules worked with this beautiful catfish. Cool water, live foods on occasion and a group of, in this case, eight fish. If you have Corydoras sterbai, watch the edges, peer in the dark places and you may be rewarded.

As the Manufacturer’s Committee Chair, I would like to extend a big Thank You to all of the manufacturers who donated to our club in 2001 and helped to make our functions such a suc-cess: Aquarium Fish Magazine Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Boyd Enterprises Ebo-Jager Inc. Freshwater and Marine Aquarium Magazine Ginger HBH Enterprises Hagen Hikari Jungle Laboratories Kent Marine Inc. Kordon Lee’s Aquarium & Pet Products Lustar Products Co. Mardel Laboratories Marine Enterprises Marineland/Aquaria Ocean Nutrition OSI Marine Labs Penn-Plex Inc. Perfecto Rena Corporation San Francisco Bay Brand Sea Chem Laboratories Tropical Fish Hobbyist Publications Tetra Wardley Laboratories Inc. Zoo Med Laboratories

Heather Hertziger Manufacturers Committee Chairperson We, at MAS, would also like to thank the local pet stores that made donations to our club throughout this past year: Aqua Exhibits Hoffer’s Tropic Life Pets Pets ‘N Things Seascapes Also, thanks are in order to the following people who donated fish for our Rare Fish Auction: Jeff Cardwell Gary Greenwood & Pets ‘N Things Kevin Korotev Joe & Judy Martin Eric Rogne Mike Schadle Tom Wojtech Thank you to all of the above for your support, without you our club wouldn’t be nearly as suc-cessful.

Board Meeting January 5, 2001 In Attendance – Jerry and Betty Michels, Ken and Bonnie King, Dwight and Virginia Lehman, Joe and Judy Martin, Ray, Naomi, and JR Gettler, Ron and Ingrid Revolinski, and Heather Hertziger. Treasurer’s Report – All the bills are paid including the permits for the picnic and Christmas party. We have $879.85 in the treasury with $210.02 in the library fund. Membership – We have 61 paid members, 13 lifetime members and 5 hon-orary members. 13 members have paid for 2002. PAP – points are starting over starting with the Christmas Party. Bowl Show – The categories for January are: Goldfish Stuffed fish 6” or smaller Livebearers, no guppies Youth Entries in the above categories The categories for February are: Red and Pink fish Photo of your 8” or larger fish Kribs Splash – February 1st is the deadline for the next issue. Speakers – Joe Olenik was supposed to speak on saltwater for the January meeting but can’t make it, instead Rob Moneyhan will give a speech on salt-water. The speakers for February will be Bob and Laura ‘Legs’ Matthews on fish collecting in South America. March and April will feature a Tetra speaker on ponds one month and Jeff Michels on plants the other month. The order of the talks has yet to be determined. Chuck Rambo will be speaking on Lake Victorian cichlids in May, Al Anderson will be speaking on Barbs and Rasboras in June, and Charlie Grimes will be speaking on his Mexican diving trip in September. Wayne Leibel is tentatively scheduled for October. Fish Store Liaison – This position is still open, see any of the board mem-bers for more details. Website – The website is up to date. Advertising – This position is still open, see any of the board members for more details.

Events – Spring Auction – April 7 Fish Collecting – TBA Picnic – July 14 Fall Auction – October 20 Christmas Party – December 8 Christmas Party 2001 – We had 29 adults and 7 children. Business Cards – Judy Martin brought a sample business card for the club that she had printed on her computer. She proposed that we print our own cards rather than have them professionally printed to save the club money. Jerry motioned that we do as Judy proposed, Naomi seconded the motion. The motion passed, Judy and Joe will print the clubs business cards at home. PAP meeting – A meeting to help revise the PAP point system will be held at Bonnie Kings on Feb 23rd at 5pm. New Business The February board meeting will be held, February 1, 2002 at 7pm at Dwight Lehman’s. Dwight Lehman motioned for the meeting to adjourn, Virginia Lehman sec-onded the motion, the motion passed, the meeting adjourned at 6:25. Respectfully submitted, Heather Hertizger MAS Secretary

EDITOR’S NOTE I hope that you enjoy this issue of the Splash. It was hard to choose from the many articles that were submitted. I am pleased to note that we have an article from one of our Illinois members, Rick Boester, who combined information about the GCCA Cichlid Classic along with information about his Longfin Lace Ancistrus. Thanks to Virginia Lehman, who typed two articles for me. You are a lifesaver! I’m working with a new software program, and hope to do some great things with it once I get used to it. Keep your fingers crossed. As always, I am looking for articles, so keep working on them! The deadline for the April/May issue is April 1st. Naomi Gettler

PISCES PAGE 6767676767

For Sale – Want – Trade – Give away For Sale: 125gal black tank, glass tops, twin tube lights, and stand $250.00 125gal same as above with Aquaclear 300 filter, under gravel plates and submersible heater $325.00 5 1/2gal tanks (3) $ 6.00 each 20high tanks w/tops (7) $ 10.00 each 20" wrought iron stand $ 10.00 30" wrought iron stand $ 15.00 Eretmodus cyanostictus (F1) goby cichlid $ 12.00 each Contact Jeff Michels (414)352-5163 E-mail J_Michels76@hotmail.com Free to a good home: Bare root Philodendron plants (variegated and green) - excellent cover for tanks or paludariums. Contact Ray or Naomi Gettler (262) 662-5591 E-mail fishfam@core.com

To submit a request for an upcoming issue, please send desired information to:

Naomi Gettler,

S74 W25825 Hi Lo Drive Waukesha, WI 53189

Or e-mail at fishfam@core.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.

AQUA EXHIBITS

HUGE SELECTION OF FRESH & SALTWATER FISH OPEN DAILY 10 - 6

SUN. 12-5

4000 GALLON SHARK DISPLAY!

1335 N. 3RD (KING DR.) (414) 224-0486

DOWNTOWN 1 1\2 BLOCKS NORTH OF THE BRADLEY CENTER

UPCOMING EVENTS February 22nd: MAS General Meeting Bob & Laura Matthews Fish Collecting - Amazon River Basin St. Peter Immanuel 7:30 p.m. March 1st or 2nd: MAS Board Meeting (TBA) March 22nd: MAS General Meeting Jeff Michels Plants St. Peter Immanuel 7:30 p.m. April 6th: MAS Board Meeting - 5:00 p.m. Contact Naomi Gettler (262) 662-5591 April 7th: MAS Spring Auction Burnham Bowl 6016 W. Burnham Street 12:00 Noon For info call: Naomi Gettler (262)662-5591 April 26th: MAS General Meeting Speaker to be announced St. Peter Immanuel 7:30 p.m. April 26th – 28th: The 2002 American Livebearer Association Convention - Canton, Ohio (330)494-7129 www.livebearers.org May 17th: MAS General Meeting Special Speaker Night Featuring Chuck Rambo Rare Fish Auction to follow St. Peter Immanuel 7:30 p.m. May 19th Fish-O-Ramma 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Burnham Bowl For info call: Jerry Michels (414) 353-5370

THE SPLASH The Splash is the official publication of the Milwaukee Aquar-

ium 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 53189. Or e-mail to fishfam@core.com.

We will gladly exchange our publication with all interested societies. Please mail exchanges to Ralph Bahrke, P.O. Box 250824, Milwaukee, WI 53225. 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 forward-ing 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 mem-bership consists of hobbyists gaining expertise in all phases of raising and breeding tropical fish, as well as area retailers. Our member-ship’s expertise covers a wide range, from beginners to expert breed-ers, but all members are interested in promoting the hobby and en-couraging others to join in the fun.

General meetings are held monthly, generally the fourth Fri-day of the month, at 7:30 p.m. at St. Peter Immanuel Lutheran Church, 7801 West Acacia, 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. 6333 West Boehlke, Milwaukee, WI 53223

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