October 2009 - Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
Fins & Tales
Serving Kitchener-Waterloo and the surrounding area since 1960
In This Issue: Volume 49, Issue 8
Breeding the Emperor Tetra - page 5
TMA on the Beach in Costa Rica - page 6
PlantED Tank: Amazon Swords - page 10
Mass Murder Attempt by Club VP - page 12
Oktoberfish Information - page 20
Official Publication of the Kitchener-Waterloo Aquarium Society
Next Meeting:
Tuesday, October 6th at 7:30 pm
50 years of KWAS Newsletters
Complimentary Copy
Welcome to our club!
Visit us at http://www.kwas.ca

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
In This Issue...
TMA hits the beach
TMA brings us one of
his last travelog entries
from Costa Rica where
he spends some time on
the beach waiting for
Giant Leatherback
Turtles.
Page 6
Breeding Emperor Tetras
Kelli and Ryan recently
joined our club and
when I called for
articles in June they
stepped up and sent me
6! This is a very
interesting one about
breeding some very
special fish. Thanks
again guys!
Page 5
Mass Murder Attempt
KWAS VP Phil Maznyk
attempts mass murder.
On page 12 he
chronicles his attempt at
ridding his tanks of
millions (billions?) of
dreaded Malaysian
Trumpet Snails. In the
end he finds a very
elegant and enviable
solution to this chronic
problem.
Oktoberfish In November
Don’t miss it.
Page 20
From The VP’s Desk &
From The Editors’ Desk
Sept Jar Show Results
Sept Exchange Editor’s
Report
Surf’s Up
KWAS Meeting Minutes
May Name That Fish
Page 4
Page 9
Page 15
Page 15
Page 16
Page 19
Page 12
Upcoming Fishy Events
On the front cover
• September 26th - CDAS Speaker Dinner
• September 27th - London Show & Auction
• October 4th - HDAS Fall Auction & Market
This photo of a group of Spotted Silver dollars Metynnis lippincottianus by
Phil Maznyk was entered into consideration for our 2010 Calendar. It made
the top 50, but didn’t make the final 12, so we present it here for your
enjoyment.
• October 6th - KWAS General Meeting
• October 13th - KWAS Business Meeting
• October 17th - CDAS Fall Auction
• October 25th - Brampton/Peel Fall Auction
• November 1st - OKTOBERFISH 2009!
• November 3rd - KWAS General Meeting
• November 10th - KWAS Business Meeting
• November 28th - HDAS Speaker Dinner
• December 1st - KWAS Holiday Social
• December 8th - KWAS Business Meeting
Get your cameras out! Your fish or tank could be featured in an upcoming
edition of Fins & Tales! Simply email your high-res photos and a description
to us at cam.turner@gmail.com. Photos must be at least 2400 pixels wide by
1800 pixels tall to be printable. Bigger is better. Questions? Email us.
2

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
KWAS Mission Statement
The Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society (KWAS) is a nonprofit
organization whose primary goals are to:
• Further the hobby and study of tropical fish and related
endeavours
• Inspire the preservation of aquatic life
• Maintain a meeting place for its members
• Develop and maintain a library on aquatic life
• Promote fellowship among its members
• Seek out and establish a kinship with other clubs with
similar objectives
KWAS is a charter member of CAOAC:
The Canadian Association of Aquarium Clubs
Fins & Tales is published 10 times each year between the
months of September and June for KWAS members. Opinions
expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not
necessarily those of the Fins & Tales editors or KWAS. The
mention of any product does not constitute an endorsement by
Fins & Tales or KWAS members.
Reprint Policy — Articles from this publication may be printed
in a not-for-profit publication provided credit is given to both
the author and KWAS. Copies of the reprint must be sent to
both the author and KWAS. Any other use is prohibited without
the written consent of KWAS.
Exchange Program — KWAS exchanges newsletters with other
clubs across North America. If your club is interested in
becoming a part of this program please contact our exchange
editor by mail or e-mail zenin@golden.net
Correspondence — Please send all correspondence to the
Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society, Box 38037 256 King
Street North, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2J 4T9.
Submission of Articles
Cover images and articles can be submitted for publication in
Fins & Tales by all hobbyists and must be submitted digitally.
Priority is given to KWAS members and to topics that have not
been recently covered. Not all submissions will be printed in the
month they are submitted. The editors of Fins & Tales may be
required to edit your submission for length, spelling, grammar
and/or clarity. Please indicate if you would like to proof read
the edited version prior to official publication.
Submissions are due via email to the editors (editor@kwas.ca)
by the 15 th day of the month for publication in the upcoming
issue of Fins & Tales. Please contact us if you have any
questions or would like suggestions or feedback on possible
article topics.
President !
Vice President !
Treasurer !
Secretary !
Past President !
KWAS Officials 2008 - 2009
Executive
Geoff Money (gmoney@golden.net)
Phil Maznyk (webmaster@kwas.ca)
Brad McClanahan (nasfan@3web.com)
Al Ridley (pyrofish@rogers.com)
Kevin Reimer (kevin.reimer@sympatico.ca)
Board of Directors
Editor/Publisher ! Cameron Turner, Tanya Morose
! (cam.turner@gmail.com)
Exchange Editor ! Zenin Skomorowski (zenin@golden.net)
Membership Chair Mary Lynne Lucier (marylynnel@yahoo.ca)
Auction Chair ! ***** Open *****
Oktoberfish Chair ! Al Ridley with Ed and Geoff
Librarians ! Dianna Daigle (daigledianna69@hotmail.com)
! Beth Graham (zagraham@rogers.com)
Lunch Committee ! Katie McClanahan (nasfan@3web.com)
Programs ! Al Ridley (pyrofish@rogers.com)
Raffle Chair ! The Quigley Family
B.A.P Chair ! Ryan Barton (rabar10@yahoo.com)
H.A.P Chair ! Ed Koerner (edkoerner@sympatico.ca)
CAOAC Reps ! Phil Maznyk (and one position open still)
Name That Fish ! ***** Open *****
Jar Show ! Anthony McAslin (mcspetworld@rogers.com)
Webmaster ! Phil Maznyk (webmaster@kwas.ca)
Pet Store Liaisons! Al Ridley (pyrofish@rogers.com)
! Zenin Skomorowski (zenin@golden.net)
Advertise in Fins & Tales
Please contact the newsletter editor if you are interested in
advertising in KWAS Fins & Tales. Rates apply for ten (10)
consecutive issues (one year).
Business Card, B&W! $25/yr
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Advertising of any hobby related items in Fins & Tales is free to
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Join KWAS
2009 Membership Fees
! ! Adult ! Family
! 1 Year ! $25 !$30
! 2 Years ! $48 !$58
! 3 Years! $71 !$86
! 4 Years ! $92 ! $112
! 5 Years ! $100!$120
Junior Members (under the age of 18) $10 per year
3

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
Hi Everyone,
From the President’s Desk
Hello All,
From The Editors’ Desk
Well things are gearing up for Oktoberfish, there have been
several organizational meetings, and it looks set to go.
Now it’s your turn to help the club out, we need lots of help on
the day with the auction and fish room. If you would like to
help out let Al, Ed or myself know.
We are also looking for a few more class sponsors, there are still
some classes left for sponsoring, and in return we will give
plenty of advertising.
Now take a look at your fish, do you have some nice looking
ones, why not show them. This is an opportunity for you to
“give it a try”, even if you have never showed before “go for it”,
you never know you may get a place, and our club will receive
points towards the club challenge trophy.
The photos for the calendar are set, we will be “rolling it out” at
Oktoberfish, I can’t wait to get my copy; I have a place in my
office at work ready to go.
Fall is in the air and the tanks are a little less neglected than
they were last month. ‘Tis the season to have the warmest thing
on our lives be the water in our tanks eh? Sigh.
I’m looking forward to the fall auction season and have my
sights set on some new additions to my show tank. I may even
try my hand at showing fish now that I’ve acquired a few that I
think could compete. Watch out: Newbie in the room. :)
Other than that, I’m not sure what more I have for this column
as I’m sure you’re all sick of me begging for articles and cover
photos. I still need ‘em but that’s all I’ll say this time around.
In the meantime, enjoy this issue.
Cam Turner & Tanya Morose
Newsletter Editors, KWAS
The General meeting this month will see something very
different from our program chair, we will also be talking about
Oktoberfish.
The Jar Show will feature Large American Cichlids and AOV,
October and November are the last meetings to gain points
before the end of the year and the points race.
On a personnel note, winter is on its way, there is a cold nip in
the air, so the RV has gone into storage, can’t wait for next
summer to do it all over again.
See you at the meeting.
Geoff Money
President, KWAS
The Fish Sempai
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info@fishsempai.com
(519) 648-9992
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Butterfly Moors, Jikins, Pearlscales, Tosakin
• Japanese & Malaysian Koi
• Arrange to visit the fish farm to see one-of-a-kind,
rare and marvelous specimens
• Hobbyist Club members receive 10% off purchases
• Wholesaler inquiries are welcome
• Visits by appointment ONLY
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4

I have to chuckle when I hear people talk about how much care
it must take to breed fish and raise fry. I chuckle because so far,
my greatest luck with breeding fish has come when I just leave
them alone and let nature take its course. Now keep in mind,
you do have to have some parameters met: approximate water
temperature, type of spawning materials, food, etc. The rest of it
seems to be a mix of patience, good fortune, and (in my case) a
lot of plants.
As soon as Ryan (my husband) brought home a pair of emperor
tetras from the GCAS fall auction, I knew I wanted to breed
them immediately. I tossed them into a densely planted 55
gallon community tank until I could get a breeder tank set up.
A bit later I was able to set up a 20L with lots of java moss, yarn
mops, and a sponge filter. I filled the tank with a mix of
conditioned tap water and “used” tank water from my 125
gallon planted tank. I covered the tank with a craft mesh screen
(no light) and hoped for fry.
At first they seemed a bit frisky, but as many of you know, fish
can be deceiving in their behavior. I fed them a combination of
white worms, white mosquito larvae, grindals, freeze-dried
bloodworms, and flakes. I was afraid of fouling the water, so I
tried to use as little flake as possible. I checked for eggs
occasionally but wasn’t ever able to see any.
Later at the CCAC Fall Auction, I picked up several new
species, including a school of wild-caught penguin tetras that I
didn’t seem to have a tank for. Finally, much to my dismay, I
just tossed them into the breeder tank with the emperors and
said goodbye to my hopes for fry until I could move them back
out.
O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
The Emperor Tetra
BAP Reprint Article by Kelli Barton, KWAS (kbarto02@uoguelph.ca).
I proceeded to scoop out both species of adults and moved
them to a 40 gallon planted tank already crammed with tetras. I
wasn’t worried about the adults though - I was planning to
rearrange the 40 gallon as soon as the semester was over.
I started the fry out on a pulverized mixture of golden pearls,
freeze-dried bloodworms, and Omega flakes. They took to the
food well, and I’m sure they made snacks out of any infusoria
lurking around the java moss or sponge filter. Later, I added
vinegar eels and regular flake food. As they grew bigger, it
became obvious they were emperor tetra. The fry swam with
their rostral (head) end pointed down. Penguin tetra, ironically,
swim with their tails pointed down. What a convenient way to
identify them!
I’m sure I lost some fry to predation since adults were present in
the tank when we discovered them. Based on the size difference
between various fry in the tank, I think there must have been
two spawns separated by about two weeks. I based the spawn
date on the day we found them free-swimming, so the larger
ones were probably a bit older than 30 days.
In the end, I find it amusing that my conscious efforts to try and
breed fish seem to fall apart, but when I ignore them and
“neglect” them they breed like crazy. Go figure that Mother
Nature knows how to it better than I do! - Kelli
As the semester came to a close, my class work completely took
over my life. Sadly, I goaded Ryan into doing tank maintenance
while I was studying for final exams, and yes, I was very
jealous! (How pathetic is that?) At one point I decided to take a
break so I could instruct him on the order of desperately needed
water changes. Most of the tanks hadn’t had a decent water
change in a while, but the majority of them are planted. I
manage to compensate my infrequent maintenance habits with
lots of plants. Let’s just call it outsourcing.
Anyway, Ryan happened to notice a lone, rather large emperor
fry near a mop in the breeder tank. All thoughts of studying
flew out the window. After relocating the fry to a breeder net
that I tossed in the tank, I explored for additional fry. To my
great happiness, I found more! Most were small and appeared
to be newly hatched. Given that there were two species in the
tank, I wasn’t sure which species had bred. In all likelihood, the
fry were probably emperor tetras, but I couldn’t be sure until
they grew out a bit more.
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5

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
The Minimalist Aquarist
Doing more with less and keeping it simple: Costa Rica – a perfect night at the beach
— Article and Photos by Rein & Char Breitmaier, KWAS (mrrein@gmail.com)
As we continue our conquest of the New World in Central
America perhaps we will begin this tale at the end of a day. The
Pacific Ocean is at our feet and stories abound in our little
cantina populated at sunset with American expats. They’re
abuzz because we’re almost into a full moon and perhaps
tonight at high tide a Baula (pronounced bow-la) will come on
shore.
Sea turtle tracks
Sunset at playa junquillal
Las Baulas as the locals of Costa Rica’s pacific shore call them
are the Giant Leatherback Turtles who’s traditional breeding
grounds in these parts have been eroded by development and
their numbers further decimated by the harvesting of their eggs
for food. They are the largest living sea turtle and currently find
themselves listed as “Critically Endangered”. The Pacific
Leatherback Conservation (PLC) Project would see this turned
about through education and working with the children in the
communities along the coast.
It was this sight on our first morning in Playa Junquillal which
sparked my interest. The wave-washed track to the left marks
the turtle’s climb onto the beach, with her retreat to the ocean to
the right in the photograph. This was a Black (Chelonia mydas
agassizi) we were told and she measured 32 inches between the
front elbows (which is how they drag themselves forward) as
taken from the track in the sand. A baula would have been
significantly larger. Either way you have to love and protect
any creature which dines on jellyfish so TMA was an instant
friend.
The otherwise unremarkable nest was a depression in the sand
just above the high water mark at the edge of the first line of
greenery growing along the shore and by our arrival had
already been dug up and removed to the PLC Project site
further up the beach.
Brightly lit walkways along the shore, flood lights on buildings
and street lights all contribute to confuse the Baulas. It was a
comfort that our little stretch of heaven here at Playa Junquillal
had nary a twinkling light along its crescent of sand. The
leatherback’s (Dermochelys coriacea) nesting habitat and
nocturnal cycle is shared with two smaller and slightly more
prevalent cousins, the Black Turtle and Olive Ridley Turtle.
Recent stats gathered over an 18 month period recorded only 17
confirmed leatherback nestings here of which two were
poached. In one six month stretch there were sadly no nestings
what-so-ever.
Olive ridley nest
6

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
A nearby nesting site was identified but not moved as it came
from an Olive Ridley female. Their numbers in this same 18
month period were 242 confirmed nests along this zone so these
are left ‘in situ’ / where they are found. A stick shoved into the
sand marks the centre of the nest and the placard behind places
the nest under community protection. Each nesting site is
named, this one was “Pilla” which in Spanish is a vagabond,
rascal or petty thief. An interesting endearment.
their burrow with your camera if you fancy any hope of a
photograph.
Slug: AKA the Artist’s Understudy
Crab: AKA The Artist
Slug art shows promise
Crab materpiece
Back to our story. It has grown dark as TMA’s vigil begins well
before the next scheduled high tide at 11pm. This was no
organized trooping of the tourists but a solitary commune with
the forces of nature. I had my usual collection of odd-fellows to
keep me company - the beach artists I call them although most
of them had retired for the night. First there were the crabs who
parade about with little clumps of sand while excavating their
burrows and achieve magnificent sand sketches in the process.
No two ever alike of course and all erased with the next
advancing wave. For their part the crabs walk side-ways
incredibly quickly and you pretty much have to stake out near
Next were the little slugs which cavort just below the sand and
create magical eel-like ribbons at the water’s edge. One never
gets to see their craft in an aquarium environment. Those are
grains of sand upon the slug’s shell, giving you an idea of scale
– these are very tiny creatures.
Camouflage crab
7

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
I can tell you that ditch-digging in this environment would not
be my first chosen calling! That task fell to the volunteer seen
leaning on his shovel while speaking with the WWF
coordinators of the project.
Camouflage crab close up
Lastly there are beautiful little crabs which camouflage so
incredibly well that you really cannot find them until you learn
to look for the shadow they cast upon the sand. A world of
beauty at one’s feet.
Alas even Bowdy, the high jumping, sand catching hound who
had adopted us (whom you may call to mind from last month)
departed and left me quite alone with the wind, the stars, the
full moon and the ever crashing surf.
Will Las Baulas come tonight?
Incubation zone
Quadrants had been laid out with string within the fenced area
with labels to identify individual nests relocated here from
along the 5.6 km stretch of beaches involved in the conservation
project.
Data is collected to ensure optimal hatches and the plastic
corrals which protected against predators also permitted official
counts to be taken. The nest temperature by the way needs to be
kept at 29.5 Celsius to ensure a gender balance in the babies,
along with regular freshwater dousing to maintain a proper
humidity level within the sand.
Nest relocation site
As time slipped by I found myself gazing into the little fenced
compound wherein the hope of future turtle generations
incubated. I had inspected it earlier in the light of day
identifying that it begged to be close to the waves so the
hatchlings could sense their way to open water and of course it
was crucial to embrace the tropical sun in order to warm the
nests within. Its proximity to the waves however meant that
someone needed to intermittently re-buttress the perimeter
which kept washing away.
Measuring temperature in the nest
In the 18 month study period there may have been only 17
confirmed leatherback nestings, but there were 380 Baula
neonates born into the project. Add that to the 1452 black turtles
8

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
and 8100 olive ridleys and you have just under ten
thousand youngsters liberated to the environment in this
hauntingly beautiful place.
TMA finally started to nod off as the realization set that I
was not destined to witness a Baula coming ashore this
night. I would learn later that a black turtle had nested on
the adjacent beach just south of my watch point. So close
and yet so far. What I did uncover was an appreciation for
the travails of endangered species, the hidden quiet beauty
of the great Pacific Ocean and the tireless work of
volunteers and their NGO’s (non-governmental
organizations). That and wet salty feet. And to my friend
Phil, this last photo is time lapsed, with neither flash nor
flashlight painting nor computer wizardry, using only a
pocket tripod and a full moon in the middle of the night.
Its simplicity gives me goose bumps afresh as I await the
return of the next generation of Las Baulas.
September Jar Show Results
Judged by Bob Wright
Cyprinids! Species! Points
Zenin Skomorowski! Black Lyretail Sword #1!4
Geoff Money! Female Guppy!3
Geoff Money! Black Lyretail Molly!2
Zenin Skomorowski! Black Lyretail Sword #2!1
Juniors
Jonathan Samson! Male Black Guppy!4
Griffin Quigley! Black Molly!3
Jonathan Samson! Female Guppy!2
Griffin Quigley! Yellowtail Guppy!1
AOV
Bob Channen!
Zenin Skomorowski!
Bob Channen!
Zenin Skomorowski!
Orange and Blue Betta!4
Dwarf Neon Rainbow!3
Betta!2
Dario Loach!1
Juniors
Griffin Quigley!
Jonathan Samson!
Griffin Quigley!
Jonathan Samson!
Melinitius Cory!4
Orange Leleupi!3
White Cloud!2
Delta Betta!1
Full moon over Playa Junquillal
My latest data from a websearch at the time of this writing
was that poaching has dropped to zero this year, especially
important for the leatherbacks, and that captive hatch rates
have improved to in excess of 80% for all three species.
Way to go Junquillal! - TMA
We still need sponsors!
If you can help find
Sponsors for
Oktoberfish please
contact Al Ridley ASAP.
Peoples Choice
Bob Channen! Orange and Blue Betta!2
Totals
Zenin Skomorowski!63
Geoff Money!51
Bob Channen!8
Tony Gibbons!8
Al Ridley!7
Alan Smiley!5
Ryan Barton!1
Juniors
Jonathan Samson!78
Griffin Quigley!70
For future classes visit: http://www.kwas.ca/jar_show.htm
9

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
PlantED Tank: Pen is Mightier than Sword
A Regular Column by Ed Koerner, KWAS (edkoerner@sympatico.ca).
… But a good sharp knife is much better when dividing them…
As most of you that have been reading my articles here have
likely figured out by now, I am a bit partial to South American
fish. I like plecos, corys, tetras, dwarf cichlids and many of the
other cool and interesting SA species. With that, it would only
be right to incorporate some plants from that bio type and I do
have many in my collection.
Maybe the most commonly thought of aquarium plant when
thinking of the jungles and black water haunts of the Amazon
would be – come on everyone and say it with me – the Amazon
sword. I will describe some of the different swords that I have
kept and propagated. They are quite easy to grow and
propagate really and I did an earlier article on just that subject
in the November 2008 issue of Fins & Tales. For any of you that
do not have a copy Phil has set up a library of past issues on the
KWAS website that can be accessed by club members. Check
out some of those older issues for many interesting and useful
articles and pearls of wisdom.
Now back to our regularly scheduled program; Amazon
swords. These plants fall into the family of Echinodorus and
there are many different shapes, sizes, colours and leaf types to
keep “planties” busy for some time. These babies can grow
from small little pygmy chain swords two inches tall and
thinner than grass to more substantial beast like Amazonicus
that can grow well over two and a half feet tall. There are
narrow leaves and wide leaves, green leaves and red leaves,
straight leaves and ruffled leaves – in short there are currently
30 different species catalogued in the CAOAC directory and
there are more being found or developed all the time. I have
found several new plants offered for sale just recently and hope
to see the numbers grow steadily.
Echinodorus are rather easy to grow and will adapt well to
different water and tank conditions with very little serious
needs. For light, they most need little more than 1 wpg but will
handle higher levels without any issues. They may develop a
bit of red in their leaves and there are several species that have
been developed that are designed to show red. These will need
more light to grow their best – put them in conditions that they
will receive 1.5-2 wpg and their colours will be worth it.
When fertilizing swords, they are more of a root feeder than
leave feeder. Liquid fertilizers will still be useful and increase
growth but you might want to try a tab or cone placed into the
substrata at their roots. These will dissolve slowly over time
and will provide nutrients for several months and can be
simply placed and forgotten. It should be noted that swords
have crowns above the root ball from which the leaves shoot.
When planting be sure to bury the roots but not the crown as
the plant will start to rot away if it is covered too deep. Also,
when planting a large root ball, you may find it easier to either
trim back some of the roots so that you can actually cover them
without many sticking up out of the substrata and looking a
mess or you can loosely tie the roots into a knot and bury the
whole thing.
Being from the Amazon, swords have evolved in soft and
sometimes black water conditions. They will adapt to harder
water but I feel that they will do best in softer water. Swords
will often “melt” or loose most of their leaves when taken out of
one tank and placed into another with widely different
conditions. Usually the old leaves will brown and die back but
if the root ball is healthy there will be new growth develop
shortly. When leaves look to be dying or have been damaged it
is better to trim off the whole leave from the plant. This will
avoid the plant directing wasted attention to the damaged plant
and concentrate its energies to producing new and acclimated
leaves.
Another issue that will often be seen is the leaves developing
holes. This can be from a lack of nutrients and simple fertilizing
should stop this from continuing and allowing new plants to
grow with a rich and healthy appearance. Again, trim off any
damaged leaves to help boost new growth.
As mentioned, swords can acclimated to many conditions. They
will even develop emersed growth and will grow leaves out of
the water. I had a nice sized plant left floating for a while as I
was making some changes to the tank and didn’t have room to
put it anywhere. Well, it floated for some time and after a week
I saw new growth from the root ball, as I had trimmed away
most of the old leaves as they were damaged and rotting. The
leaves were a bit thicker and red-tinged and were doing quite
well for several weeks. Then, I decided to plant the thing and it
only took a few days for the new leaves to fall apart and
disintegrate. I am patiently waiting and hoping for yet another
set of new leaves to form submerged, but starting to wonder if I
waited too long to plant it.
Temperatures do not seem to be a problem with most swords. I
have seen them do fine in various temperatures from high 60’s
in a pond to low 80’s in discus tanks.
After plants have acclimated and have found a happy home
they will grow and propagate in your aquarium. There are
several methods that they will use, some being much easier to
develop new plants from. As they grow and develop stronger
root balls mother plants will send off runners that will send up
plant shoots and will develop into individual plants. You can
simply cut them form the mother plant and move them to
10

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
another location and should end up with a nice new plant. If
you are careful you can also cut the root ball into pieces and
pull them apart and plant divisions. This is done much the
same as you would divide garden perennials such as hostas.
Just keep some root ball and leaf stalk with each division and
replant and fertilize. New leaves should begin shooting up and
soon you will have a nice well rounded plant again.
Swords will also send flower stalks rather easily and if you have
an open tank (having a tank covered will often burn off any
stalks when they reach the surface) they will reach out of the
water and produce flowers and plantlets. The plantlets will
form roots and can be carefully pinched from the stalk and
planted. These will form new plants by themselves. Flowers
will produce seeds if pollinated of course and these can be
floated and will develop small shoots and roots that can be
planted. I have had several species of sword flower for me but
have not taken the time and effort to attempt pollinating and
saving seeds as yet. I was working on that as a summer project
with some swords in outdoor ponds but I will leave that for
another article.
The following are basic descriptions and observations that I
have made in growing various species of Echinodorus. None of
them are particularly hard to find and none have given me any
real trouble in trying to grow. If you are going to try one, just
leave enough space in the tank for them to grow out as they will
need some elbow room over time.
Echinodorus amazonicus (Amazon Sword)
This is the basic and most often thought of plant when people
think swords and the one most commonly found in your LFS. It
has long medium green leaves and can grow over two feet tall.
The leaves will start widening out into a sword near the base
and grows 1-2 inches wide depending on light conditions – It
will usually be narrower when growing quickly with more
light. It can handle lower light conditions than many other
swords and can live for years in a tank with stable conditions. It
is very easy to propagate and should be considered a beginner’s
plant as long as the tank has the space.
Echinodorus bleheri (Amazon Sword)
This plant is also commonly known as the Amazon sword but it
looks a bit different. It is found for sale quite often as well, and
when small looks similar to the amazonicus species. When it
matures and grows out it’s leaves grow much rounder or spade
shaped and will get 3 or 4 inches wide. These leaves will
develop on a longer stem but will have the same coloration as
the former variety. It is also a beginner plant with no problems
in growing and will take up more footprint space as it gets
larger as its leaves will fall open and tend to float in the water
column rather than grow in an upward tight grouping.
Echinodorus 'Kleiner Bar'
This is a newer cultivar or hybrid that is actually a cross
between two other Echinodorus species. It is quite attractive
with its wide slightly wavy leaves that develop some red in
them. As with most plants there is a bit more light needed to
fully appreciate the red tones so keep this plant under medium
light. I have found it to be hardy and easy to develop flower
stalks and propagate.
Echinodorus martii (Ruffled Sword)
This is an attractive plant that looks very much like an
aponogeton (stay tuned next month for more on those) with its
wide and very wavy leaves. Short stems form into 2 inch wide
rolling leaves and it will flower quite readily. It is light green in
colour and can be grown in the upper range of low light. It will
need more space in the tank because of the shape and size of its
leaves but makes for a good center piece plant.
Echinodorus Osiris (Melon Sword)
This is another rather large species and can grow over two feet
tall with long stems leading to large round spade shaped leaves
that are a darker green. This plant seems to have thicker,
heavier growth and is very stiff. It would be a good plant where
there is a lot of water movement as the leaves will not be
pushed and swirled around in the current or where there are
larger boisterous fish like some loaches, barbs or cichlids. I have
found that under high light new leaves will show some red but
will turn green as the get older and larger.
Echinodorus “Ozelot” (Ozelto Sword)
An ozelot is a small spotted South American cat. As you might
then expect this sword has spots on its leaves. There are two
varieties available – green and red. The leaves are large and
round on medium stems and are covered with random
splotches of colour. The more light, the more intense the colour
will come through. I would suggest keeping this plant under
medium light at least. It will send up flower stalks rather easily
and produces many plantlets on each stalk, each developing
into a new plant. I have tried dividing this plant a few times but
not found it as hardy and accepting of this treatment as most
other swords. It takes on a rather open and wide growth pattern
and does not like to be crowded so give it a fair bit of space but
it is interesting enough to be worth the room it takes.
Echinodorus rigidifolius (Rangeri Sword)
This is one of my newer swords and have only been keeping it a
few months. New leaves are rather oar shaped growing from
narrow stems but as the plant matures the leaves get more
spade shaped somewhat similar to the melon sword, but does
not seem to reach the same almost brutish size. This is one
variety that I have only seen on a couple of occasions and looks
nice. It has grown under medium light and I have split it up
quite ruthlessly by cutting the root ball and it grew quickly into
several new very robust plants.
Continued on Page 18...
11

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
Malaysian Trumpet Madness
Anti-BAP article Submitted by Phil Maznyk, KWAS (webmaster@kwas.ca). All photos by the author.
I first thought about writing this article several months ago. Yes,
it’s taken a while for me to put my anguish on paper. I almost
decided to name this article Malaysian Trumpet Sadness.
Madness, sadness. Do you get the feeling I am not a happy
aquarist? Well for the record, I am now. Several months ago, I
was anything but. This article isn’t about an orchestra based in
some part of Asia; it is all about (Melanoides tuberculata)
commonly known to us fish keepers as Malaysian Trumpet
Snails. I cannot give you accurate statistics, but I will go out on
a limb and say that a large number of us who have ever had
these snails feel like we have done something very bad to be
burdened with something this evil.
Malaysian Trumpet Snail
I feel the term evil is perhaps being polite to these tiny hard
shelled critters. I’m pretty certain if I told you how I really feel,
my days on the clubs executive would be over in short order!
The shell of these snails is primarily made up of calcium
carbonate. In other words they are very hard. Aquarists should
be familiar with this chemical as the buffering agent that
promotes pH stability in their tanks. As a consequence of this,
these particular snails seem to prefer harder and more alkaline
water. In fact, softer acidic water tends to soften their shell and
leave its occupant open to attack from predators including
loaches. Fine for those keeping planted tanks with lower pH,
not good for those of us with hard alkaline water high in pH.
Clown or YoYo Loaches will grab the unprotected soft part of
the snail and literally suck the snail out of the shell.
This can be quite entertaining as you hear your loaches happily
clicking away on them. Keep in mind though, that if the
infestation is bad enough, no amount of loaches will remove
them. Perhaps keep them in check but at best, this is all you will
see. Is this why those hobbyists who have planted tanks with
softer water don’t seem too bothered? It is important to note
that the soft-bodied section of the snail can be quickly
withdrawn into their hard shell, thus forming a fairly good
defense against predators.
My personal journey to madness began almost magically
overnight sometime in 2008. Many of you who know me also
know that I like to switch things up in my show tank. Whether
it is a new aqua scape or even new fish. Most snails unless
purchased separately are what we would term ‘Hitchhikers’.
They either found a free ride on a plant or on a piece of
driftwood. In my particular case, I’ll rule out the driftwood
theory as I boil each and every piece of previously enjoyed
wood for at least 30 minutes. Surely 30 minutes at 212 degrees
Fahrenheit would melt the little pests into oblivion or would it?
Early in 2007 I had decided on setting up another planted show
tank. Half the substrate was removed from the tank and
replaced with new Seachem Flourite. Given the huge number of
club members that are into planted tanks, I thought I would call
a few club members and ask for some clippings. In short order I
had more than enough plants to fill my 6 foot long tank.
Knowing full well that snails like to hitchhike, all the plants
were well rinsed (at least I thought they were) and treated prior
to planting. In they went followed by a colony of 8 Firemouth
cichlids (Thorichthys meeki). They joined a small but boisterous
gang of 5 young clown loaches (Botia macranthus). Even the fish
were rinsed in 2 separate tubs of tank water. Are you thinking
I’m paranoid yet? If you said yes then you are correct.
Things could never get out of hand when you have clown
loaches in a tank right? WRONG! This little posse of loaches
were absolutely obsessed with uprooting my new plants. Every
single night when I came home I would find a new plant or in
some cases multiple plants floating at the top of the tank. The
loaches were not eating the leaves or roots; they were simply
grabbing them sometimes as a tag team and pulling them out.
They would then go on their merry way looking for the next
innocent plant to assault.
This little game became quite annoying and after about 3 weeks
of constant replanting I decided my loaches were going in the
next pail out of Kitchener! Just so nobody gets the wrong
opinion of the author; I simply do not have room to setup
12

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
another tank. Why I didn’t just remove the plants and keep the
loaches is beyond me. Selling them was probably the single
biggest mistake I made for 2 completely different reasons. First,
my wife who is what I would term a mild closet fish enthusiast
absolutely lit up when I told her the loaches were sold. You
would think I had sold one of our kids, I am not kidding. Whoa,
I won’t go down that path again anytime soon.
Clown loaches searching the substrate
Second, having no loaches in the tank allowed the then likely
very small population of snails to go unchecked. Over the next
few months I would see the occasional snail but nothing more
than that. Certainly nothing to consider going to war over. Fast
forward several months. One evening I set up my camera to
take some shots of my Firemouths and as I peer through the
viewfinder I see what appears to be moving substrate. I kid you
not; it was kind of spooky at first. At first I actually thought the
auto focus on my camera was acting up.
New born MTS snails are seen as tiny specs in this image
I’ll make a conservative estimate that there were about 100
small snails just below the surface of the sand. I checked other
areas of the tank and couldn’t see any more evidence snails. I
should have known better! They were there, oh were they ever
there…just well hidden from sight. Some claim you can find the
snails on your glass in the morning but other than those under
the sand I had not seen a single one. That area of sand was
immediately removed and I suppose it was wishful thinking
that I had captured all the snails. Do snails communicate with
each other? I ask this because literally within days of removing
that initial patch of snails, I suddenly found more snails, many
more snails. Only this time they were everywhere.
Within 2 weeks, I noticed the outflow on one of my canister
filters had slowed to a trickle. This filter normally pumps about
350 gallons per hour so when it stops you know it. What
happened next is just plain evil. I removed the filter and opened
it up to find a seething mass of these snails on everything inside
the filter. The sponges, the other media and even the actual
motor head were infested with several hundred small snails.
How could this population explosion happen so fast? It was at
this moment that I knew my tank was under siege from this
cone shelled silent enemy! Over the course of the summer and
fall I ended up having to continually dismantle and clean each
canister filter just to keep the flow going. This does not make for
happy fish keeping!
Fast forward to the late fall; I’ve tried the lettuce trick and I’ve
even gone as far as heavily dosing the tank with copper in the
hopes of eradicating the snails. Have you ever heard of
something that just plain won’t die? These snails should be
classified under that heading. For strictly experimental
purposes I actually placed a dozen or so of these snails into a
container and added pure Cupramine (Seachem’s) copper
product. I left them in there for 24 hrs and they still were
happily sliming their way around the container. I can see the
agents from P.E.T.S (People for the Ethical Treatment of Snails)
knocking on my door after they read this. I really should have
known better.
A good friend of mine and fellow member of our club had
recently gone as far as soaking a tank in 100 percent pure bleach
5 inches deep and still he could not rid the infestation in his
substrate! Another possible option and one that I tried is
Assassin Snails (Clea helena). From what I have researched they
seem to have appeared in the hobby sometime within the past 2
years. These are voracious predators that relish other snails for
food. Before you get to excited, read on! Generally, they target
smaller specimens by stabbing them with their siphon,
liquidating their prey in the process. They then eat the remains
of the dead snails. Sounds like one of those creatures found in
the Alien movies! These snails should not be mixed with
anything but the snails intended as food for the assassin snails.
The problem with most MTS infested tanks is there are simply
far too many for the Assassin to do a thorough job. They are
13

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
good but, if you are out numbered this badly save your money
for the new hardware you’re likely going to have to purchase.
filter? I placed 4 individual 30 micron filter sleeves over the
intake on the filter to ensure no snails, even the tiny young got
drawn into this snail free filter. Most snails lay eggs, however
the Malaysian Trumpet Snail is a live-bearer. Each female will
give birth to literally dozens of live young snails which are
almost undetectable at this small size.
They spend most of their time buried under the substrate and
will not appear until foods are dropped or when darkness falls.
When the new tank and stand arrived, 50 gallons of existing
tank water were kept for re-introduction into the new tank. I
even went as far as adding 4 fresh micron sleeves to the hose
when I added that water to the new tank. Oh, did I mention it
was new hose! If there was going to be any snails in that new
tank, they weren’t going to get there as a result of my
carelessness.
Assassin snail doing what it does best
Do you get the picture now? The snails won, hands down. I
never stood a chance. It’s late in the year now and I’ve decided
that I’m going to start fresh by getting a new tank, new filters,
new heaters, new substrate, new rock, new fish and even a new
custom wood stand and canopy…yes NEW EVERYTHING. I
wanted to leave the sadness of my defeat to these snails far
behind. Even as I write this article, it brings back nasty
memories. Okay, I retract a little bit here; the custom stand is
something I’ve wanted for a long time so we won’t count that.
Was this extreme? Of course it was. If I had the room and
another large tank, I might have done some things differently.
Believe it or not, many people who get this snail in their tank
really don’t have any complaints about them. Apparently, these
snails do actually perform some good in the aquarium. They
will eat some of the detritus and left over small bits of food.
They also will help oxygenate the substrate by virtue of their
tunneling action. Others, like me find themselves at the
opposite end of the scale. For some unknown reason we are
literally overwhelmed by the onslaught of wave after wave of
these snails. They multiply so rapidly we never stand a chance.
Love em or hate em, snails have been around for 500 million
years. They aren’t going to be leaving us anytime soon! - Phil
The new setup in my dining room
At the CAOAC convention earlier this year I won the silent
auction for a new Eheim 2028 Pro II canister filter. I knew I
would have to get at least one filter mature for when my new
tank arrived. How can I do this without contaminating the new
14

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
October Exchange Editor’s Report
Submitted by Zenin Skomorowski, KWAS (zenin@golden.net).
The newsletters featured in this column and others are available to
you. Please let me know by email, or at the monthly meeting, which
ones you would like to read.
The June 2009 issue of the Brant Aquatic Enquirer from the
Brant Aquarium Society features two articles from Randy
Austin. The first is “Pelvicachromis Pulcher – The Little African
Cichlid that is not from the Rift Lakes, with more than one
Name”. This colourful West African dwarf cichlid is a joy to
watch giving bi-parental care of their eggs and fry. The
second is “Girardinus Falcatus – The Gold Belly Top Minnow
from Cuba”. This livebearer is not usually available at local
fish shops. They are a nice addition to a planted tank and the
parents usually do not eat their fry.
There are three varied spawning reports in the June/July 2009
issue of Tank Topics from the Greater Akron Aquarium
Society. First is Otopharynx tetrastigma, a very colourful
Malawi cichlid, by Joe Reich. They like to sift through the
sand looking for food, somewhat like the South American
earth eaters. Second is “The Goods on Goodeids” by Wayne
Toven. Find out more about this group of livebearers from
Mexico that Wayne has spawned over the years. Third is
Nandopsis haitiensis, a large Central American cichlid. They
are silver with irregular black spots. When breeding, the
female dramatically turns to all black.
Have you considered keeping a turtle ? In the July 2009 issue
of Some Things Fishy from the Tropical Fish Club of Erie
County, an article by Lianne McLeod DVM from About.com is
featured. “Aquatic Turtles as Pets” talks about what you need
to know before getting a pet turtle, turtles and children, size
and life span, housing and feeding, all leading to being a good
pet turtle owner.
Altolamprologus calvus is a highly specialized Tanganyikan
cichlid. Find out what makes them special in the July 2009
issue of Finformation from the Greater Pittsburgh Aquarium
Society. Also in this issue, an unnamed corydoras sp. CW21 is
described by expert breeder Eric Bodrock.
Four interesting spawning reports can be found in the July/
August 2009 issue of Fincinnati from the Greater Cincinnati
Aquarium Society. Callochromis stappersii is a maternal
mouthbrooder from Lake Tanganyika, spawned by Todd
Leising. Batasio havmolleri is a catfish from Thailand, spawned
by Steve Smith. Ancistrus sp. Albino, a pleco from South
America, and Chapalichthys paradalis, a goodeid, were also
spawned by Steve Smith.
Originally from Guatemala, the synspilum is a large colourful
cichlid. Bruce Hart writes about breeding Paratheraps synspilus
in the September 2009 issue of Aqua Antics from the Sarnia
Aquarium Society. Also in this issue, Fundulopanchax puerali
was bred by Peter Melady. This is a beautiful killifish originally
from Cameroon in West Africa.
Charlie Drew wrote about breeding the Black Harlequin
Rasbora in the September 2009 issue of The Monthly Bulletin
from the Hamilton & District Aquarium Society. Also in this
issue, Joe Bastianpillai has started a series of articles detailing
his experiences with Discus in “Discus Made Simple”. “Air
Supply” continues here as well in part 2 of 2.
Another mouthbrooding cichlid from Lake Tanganyika ? Yes,
Todd Leising has written about yet another one in the Sept/Oct
2009 issue of Fincinnati from the Greater Cincinnati Aquarium
Society. Paracyprichromis nigripinnis males have bright neon
stripes down the flanks of their bodies.
Surf’s up!
Here is this month’s web site to explore:
www.Goodeids.com is the premier website for all things
Goodeid (Goodeidae) Sources for fish, photo galleries, expert
advice on care and breeding, discussion forums, Free Classifieds
and much more!
The goal of Goodeids.com is to:
1. Bring the scattered, sometimes hard to find Goodeidae
information into one central location;
2. Operate a Forum so all hobbyists that keep these rare and
endangered species can trade ideas and personal hands on
information;
3. Operate a Goodeid Species Maintenance Program (GSMP), in
which all hobbyists with goodeids can log species kept,
spawning information, and location of the hobbyist. The GSMP
will give a better understanding of how secure each goodeid is
within the hobby, and allow additional programs to be setup by
its members to better circulate the more rare species.
15

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
Meeting Minutes
Submitted by Al Ridley, KWAS
General Meeting - Sept 1 st 2009
President Geoff Money called the meeting
to order at 7:33pm with 43 people and 1
parrot present.
Executive Present: Geoff Money
(President), Phil Maznyk (Vice President),
Brad McClanahan (Treasurer)and Al
Ridley (Secretary)
BOD Present: Cam Turner (Editor/
Publisher), Mary Lynne Lucier
(Membership), Zenin Skomorowski
(Exchange/NTF/PSL), Dianna Daigle/
Beth Graham (Library), Katie
McClanahan (Lunch), Quigley Family
(Raffle), Ed Koerner (HAP) and Ryan and
Kelli Barton (BAP)
There were 4 guests present.
Announcements
• Pick up your newsletter with Mary
Lynne
• Coffee and donuts are now available by
donation due to new City of Waterloo
regulations.
• New book in the library – Rock Fish of
the North Pacific and Bleher's Discus
Volume 1.
• The Cambridge and District Aquarium
Club presents dinner with Hernan
Lopez-Fernandez, Associate Curator of
Ichthyology at the Royal Ontario
Museum, speak about his travels in
South America on Saturday 26
September 2009 at the Cambridge
Conference Centre. Cost is $35.00 per
person. Limited seating.
• We are looking to fill a few Board of
Director positions, we need someone to
run the auction at each meeting, and we
also need a person to look after the
monthly show jar.
Oktoberfish
• Sign up sheets for runners and sponsor
sheets for fish classes were made
available.
• A brief overview of the event was
described.
Breeder Award Program
• Awards were handed out to Ed Koerner
and Kelli and Ryan Barton.
• Ed Koerner received his Junior
Breeders Award.
Horticulturalist Award Program
• Awards were handed out to Kelli and
Ryan Barton and Jayne Glazier
• Ed Koerner and Jayne Glazier received
their Beginning Aquatic
Horticulturalist Award.
• Ed Koerner and Geoff Money received
their Aquatic Horticulturalist award.
• Cam Turner received his Master
Aquatic Horticulturalist award.
Name That Fish
• Brad McClanahan guessed the Green
Tiger Loach.
Some of the auction goods were sold
followed by a social break.
Program
Phil and Matt presented an excellent
program on photography and taking
pictures of our fish. We then reviewed the
fifty photographs submitted for
consideration in our 2010 KWAS calendar.
Final selections will be made at the
September Business meeting.
Show Jar Judged By Bob Wright
• There were 5 people showing 16 fish in
2 classes. Detailed results are printed in
the Newsletter.
• Next month is Large American cichlids
The balance of the auction items were
sold
Raffle
• Library Draw won by the McClanahan
family
• Large prizes won by:
• Chris Daniels – Pond Care Koi &
Goldfish Food
• Alex Campbell - $25.00 gift
certificate to Aquarium Services
• Greg Matthew - Live Plant Starter
Kit
Geoff adjourned the meeting at 9:56 pm
Business Meeting - Sept. 8 th 2009
The meeting was called to order by Geoff
Money at 7:30 pm at the home of Cam
Turner.
Executive present: Geoff Money, Phil
Maznyk, Brad McClanahan, Al Ridley
BOD present: Zenin Skomorowski, Mary
Lynne Lucier, Ed Koerner, Ryan Barton
and Cam Turner.
Motion to accept the June Business
meeting minutes as published made by
Phil, seconded by Ed… V&C
Motion to accept the September General
meeting minutes as emailed made by Ed,
seconded by Ryan… V&C
Future Business meetings – October at
Ryan and Kelli Barton’s in Guelph.
Treasurer’s report read by Brad. Accepted
on a motion by Zenin, seconded by Phil.
V&C
Check from AquaProf from last years
Oktoberfish finally arrived (thank you
Frank), the other tardy payment is still
outstanding.
A suggestion to accrue a list of assets that
the club owns and maintain it on our
forums database/server was discussed.
All Exec and BOD were asked to supply a
list to Brad of items in their possession.
Correspondence – Email from Steve
Millinger in Wingham (The Fish Bowl)
received by Zenin. Al and Phil will
16

espond to address the questions on our
forum and Oktoberfish.
Committee Reports
Newsletter (Cam)
• Calling all KWAS members and
hobbyists – articles required!
Webmaster (Phil) - nothing to report
Program (Al)
• October: Kate Gallagher cannot join us
so Al will present a mini program on
the evolution of our club newsletter.
• November: Jamie McDougall on
running and ordering stock for a LFS;
• December: our annual Awards night/
Christmas party,
• January: Zenin on Loaches.
Oktoberfish (Al)
• Meeting to be held September 22 nd at
Geoff’s home.
Exchanges (Zenin)
• Report sent to Cam for publication.
CAOAC (Phil)
• Phil recapped the June CAOAC
meeting/Presidents barbeque along
with Bob Wright’s revitalized direction
for CAOAC and a refreshed website.
Membership (Mary Lynne)
• We had one new member join in
September. Geoff has the printer for the
membership cards.
• A discussion on the format of our
membership fee structure resulted in a
proposal to change the By-Laws next
February. The idea is that brand new
members (not renewals or previous
KWAS members) joining July 1 st or
later of that calendar year will receive
their membership through to December
of the following calendar year for the
single annual rate. Members joining
January to June will still be under the
current prorated system. More
discussion to follow.
O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
Auction (open) - nothing to report
Library (Beth and Diane) – no report
Raffle (Quigley’s) – chair absent.
• A suggestion to merge this position
with the Library and only sell tickets on
the Library Draw and Gift Certificates
was discussed due to the availability
and quality of small raffle items. Al will
go through the Oktoberfish donations
received to see what could be
scrounged. Geoff will email the
Quigley’s for their input and ideas.
HAP (Ed)
• Getting caught up.
BAP (Ryan)
• We classified the following fish
• Geophagus sp. “bahia red” – C
• Gymnogeophagus sp. “blue neon”
– Class C
• Carassius auratus (shubunkin
goldfish) – Class B
• Cherex quadricaricarinatus (red
clawed crayfish) – Class B
• Lymnaea sp. (Melantho pond snail)
– Class A
Name That Fish (Zenin)
• Brad’s loach was eaten by his oscar.
• Zenin made a motion that we eliminate
the 10 cents per guess rule to encourage
more participation. The motion was
seconded by Cam. V&C.
Show Jar (Anthony) – chair absent
Lunch Counter (Katie) – chair absent
• Pat Dent will be helping at the lunch
counter. Thank you Pat.
Pet Store Liaison (Zenin and Al)
• Petcetera stores have been visited. The
Kitchener store is not due to have
livestock until December and the
Waterloo store will have livestock in
October
Calendar (Phil)
• Photographs of the top 12 ranking as
voted by the KWAS membership were
viewed. As there were a number of ties,
there were 21 photos to select from. The
KWAS Executive and BOD present
selected the 12 photos to be printed in
our calendar. Each month’s photograph
will feature the owner of the fish, the
photographer of the fish, the Latin and
the common name of the fish.
Old Business
• Al will follow up with Tomkar on the
black CAOAC logo to see if it meets the
requirements to finish the Miecia
Burden Ambassadors Award plaque.
We will approach the Adult Recreation
Centre to see if we can mount the
plaque in the meeting room
permanently. The committee must meet
again soon to complete the
requirements for this award.
Summer Picnic
• Looking at booking our picnic for 2010.
• Will try to book early in July first, then
late June
New Business
• A request From HDAS (Hamilton) to
sponsor a class in their annual show for
$35.00 was discussed. Phil made a
motion to sponsor a class in the HDAS
Annual Show for $35.00. Cam seconded
the motion. Voted and defeated. Two in
favour, five against and one abstainer. It
was seen as an exchange of cash
between clubs with no benefit to either
organization.
• Dave Boehm has given notice that he
would like to help KWAS on our BOD.
As we have a few positions available
currently, Phil will discuss them with
Dave to see were he feels he can be of
the most help.
• Effective in November, the two
members who received a ban will be
eligible to rejoin the club and attend
club functions as per the stipulations
laid out in the letters they received last
November.
Motion to close V&C at 10pm
17

The PlantED tank: Continued from page 11
Echinodorus v. Rubin (Red Rubin Sword)
As the name would suggest this variety has red leaves. Under
sufficient light conditions the red colour is rather spectacular for
a plant of this size and shape. It has the same basic shape as the
Amazon sword but with heavier veined leaves that can get
almost a light burgundy. It is another hybrid that has been
developed for its colour. It should be kept in no less than
medium light conditions and the more light the greater the
colour you will achieve. I have found it to be a bit slower
growing than some other species, but it is worth finding a spot
in your tank if you are looking for some solid colour in a plant
that is sturdier than the red stem plants. !
Echinodorus Uruguayensis (Uruguayan Sword)
This is a nice tall and narrow plant that sends out long oarshaped
leaves on long stems. It is a light to medium green in
colour and does not make demands on light. It grows quite
easily and will grow more upright and will require less
footprint space than some of the wider growing species.
Echinodorus latifolius (Chain Sword)
This is one of the smaller varieties of the group, growing only
3-4 inches high. It has narrow leaves that resemble dwarf sag
(saggitaria subulata) and can very easily be mistaken for that
species. It is not seen for sale very often but is a nice foreground
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and ground cover plant. I find it slower growing but once
established makes a solid plant. It has a smaller root structure
so it might not take well with loaches and corys digging
around.
Echinodorus tenellus (pygmy chain sword)
Pygmy chain sword is the smallest of sword plants, growing
only a few inches in height and having leaves only a few
millimeters in width. It’s dark green leaves look like sprouts of
grass shooting up in a line as it shoots runners under the
substrata and new plants spring up every two inches. It can
develop runners a foot long and when planting it may be easier
to pinch off plants and bury them separately as the runners
tend to be stiff and twist and make it difficult to keep roots
buried. The roots are also fairly shallow and may be easily
uprooted by bottom dwellers or tank maintenance and a finer
substrata will work much better for this plant. Over time a
dense ground cover can be formed and will make a very natural
foreground.
So, that is a short look at some good South American plants but
there are other places to visit and next month I will jump
continents to take a look at some of the more popular African
plants. Some are hard water plants, some are slow growing, and
some only show up when they want to. Hopefully you will
want to take a look at what I can come up with there and maybe
answer a question or two that somebody has been wondering.
- PlantED
Come to our meetings. We love to have guests.
KWAS meets on the first Tuesday of each month from September until June at the Adult Recreation Centre at 185 King Street
South in Waterloo (at the corner of King and Allen). We meet on the second floor in the large multi-purpose room. The meeting
room opens at 7 PM with the meeting starting at 7:30 PM sharp. Join Us!
Guests are welcome any time.
Bring your friends and show
them what our club is all
about!
Meeting
Parking
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O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
September Name That Fish
Submitted by Zenin Skomorowski, KWAS (zenin@golden.net).
Syncrossus hymenophysa - Photo from www.loaches.com
This month’s “Name That Fish” guessing game featured a
couple of Green Tiger Botia Loaches ( Syncrossus hymenophysa ).
They were guessed by Brad McClanahan.
The origin of this species of loach is Borneo, Sumatra, Indonesia
and Malaysia in South-East Asia. Ideally they should be kept in
a large aquarium of at least 3 feet, and moving to a larger
aquarium as they grow. They quickly grow to 15 cm ( 6 inches )
and some have grown to 25 cm (10 inches). The substrate
should be a fine sand to protect the sensory barbels. Like most
loaches, they like to wedge into tight spots to rest, so provide
hollow logs, bogwood, and piles of rocks to make natural caves.
These large botias are not for a quiet community tank. They are
fairly aggressive and like to swim very quickly. Ideally, 3 or
more Green Tigers should be kept to spread aggression and
establish a hierarchy. Other companion loaches must be large
botias like Yoyos, Clowns and regular Tiger Loaches. They
have also been successfully kept with cichlids and other fast
swimming fish.
The Green Tigers eat all flake and pellet foods. Supplement
occasionally with frozen and fresh worms and larvae.
Sexual differences are not noticeable, and breeding does not
happen in the home aquariums.
Want a Challenge?
Want to help out around KWAS?
Zenin would like you to take over the “Name That Fish” part of
the program. It’s a great chance to learn about the fish of the
world and to go fish shopping on the club’s dime (too bad you
don’t get to keep them).
The job entails:
Winner Brad McClanahan - Photo by Zenin
• Buying items at local fish stores, auctions, or from hobbyists.
• Quarantining or housing the fish until the meeting.
• Showing up at the meeting, fish in tow.
• Writing illegibly on a white board in front of 30 people.
• Writing this page in the newsletter and the KWAS website.
• Receiving the accolades of the entire club for a job well done.
• Being perceived as the most knowledgeable person in the
club by (at least) the guests and new members.
• Optionally attending some of the Business Meetings.
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O C T O B E R 2 0 0 9
KWAS Presents
Southern Ontario's Premier Tropical Fish Show & Auction:
OKTOBERFISH
Sunday November 1 st 2009
There's something for everyone at the area's largest Tropical fish show and auction.
HUGE 32 Class Fish Show. Over 250 Entries!
Over 1,000 bags of fish, plants and new gear for sale.
Cash prizes and certificates for 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd place!
Waterloo Inn 475 King Street West Waterloo, Ontario
Doors open at 7:30am, Auction starts by 9:30am
Complete Details and Forms: http://www.kwas.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=72
It only happens once a year, so DON’T MISS IT!
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