September 2010 - Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
Fins & Tales
Serving Kitchener-Waterloo and the surrounding area since 1960
“Take chances. Make mistakes. Get messy!”
Repurposed aquariums -Pg 8
In This Issue: Volume 50, Issue 7
50th Anniversary Celebration - 6
Digging Jayne’s Pond - 16
My First Tropheus! - 23
Next Meeting: Tuesday, September 7 at 7:30 pm
! ! ! Aquascaping with Tianna
Official Publication of the Kitchener-Waterloo Aquarium Society
and counting
Visit us at http://www.kwas.ca

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
In This Issue...
Jayne’s New Pond Journal
DIY: Thinking outside the box
Tropheus and Guppies
50th Anniversary
Celebration
From The Prez’s Desk
Page 4
From The Editors’ Desk
Page 4
Local Store Directory
Page 5
2010 Jar Show Results
Page 5
In this, the second of a
three part article, Jayne
shares her adventures
in moving to a new
house and setting up a
new pond.
“It isn’t actually a
budget anymore but a
shopping list with an
infinite ceiling.”
Page 16
In the fourth
installment of our DIY
column, Tianna
encourages us to think
outside the (square
glass) box when it
comes to aquascaping.
Page 8
Ed shares his experience
breeding Tropheus and
is one step closer to his
next BAP award.
Page 23
Also in this issue is the
start of a new regular
column where Ed will
share his experiences
with livebearers. This
month it’s all about
Guppies.
Page 21
Thanks to Zenin for
summarizing June’s
50th anniversary
celebrations, and being
our (un)official event
photographer. Any
guesses what’s featured
in the photo above?
Page 6
The Final Exam
Page 7
2010 Summer Picnic
Page 9
Exchange Editor’s Report
Page 10
KWAS Meeting Minutes
Page 12
Fry Tank
Page 20
Name That Fish
Page 22
Upcoming Fishy Events
On the front cover
• September 7 - KWAS General Meeting
• September 14 - KWAS Business Meeting
• September 18 - Sarnia Show and Auction
Tianna won at the 2010 CAOAC convention with this gorgeous planted
display made from a standard wine glass. At this month’s meeting she’s
going to show us all how to make something this awesome.
• September 19 - CAOAC General Meeting
• September 26 - London Show and Auction
• October 3 - Hamilton Show and Auction
• October 5 - KWAS General Meeting
• October 12 - KWAS Business Meeting
• October 17 - CAOAC General Meeting
• October 24 - OKTOBERFISH Show and Auction
• October 31 - St Catharines Show and Auction
• November 2 - KWAS General Meeting
Do you know of more events in Southern Ontario
or even just across the US border? If so please
email me so I can include them here. Thanks.
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

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
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 2009 - 2010
Executive
Phil Maznyk (webmaster@kwas.ca)
Ryan Barton (rabar10@yahoo.com)
Brad McClanahan (nasfan@3web.com)
Al Ridley (pyrofish@rogers.com)
Geoff Money (gmoney@golden.net)
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 ! Ed Koerner (edkoerner@sympatico.ca)
Oktoberfish Chair ! Al Ridley (pyrofish@rogers.com)
Librarian ! Terry Clements (fever420@hotmail.com)
Lunch Committee ! Dave Bradley
Programs ! Victor Dinh
Raffle Chair ! Katie McClanahan (nasfan@3web.com)
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 ! Ed Koerner (edkoerner@sympatico.ca)
Jar Show ! Dave Boehm (fishman@golden.net)
Webmaster ! Phil Maznyk (webmaster@kwas.ca)
Pet Store Liaisons! Al Ridley (pyrofish@rogers.com)
! Zenin Skomorowski (zenin@golden.net)
Advertise in Fins & Tales
The KWAS Executive and BOD voted to try a bit of an
experiment starting November of 2009. We will no longer run
explicit ads based on feedback from our readership. Instead we
will focus more completely on content written by our members
(Hint! Hint!). As an alternative we have included a Local Fish
Store (LFS) Directory that lists all the businesses that support
KWAS either through donations, sponsorships or discounts for
club members. Check the table of contents on the opposite page
to learn where that directory is this month. If you would like to
discuss or provide feedback on this policy please email our
editor(s) or any member of the executive/BOD. Thanks.
Join KWAS
2010 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

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
From the President’s Desk
Hi everyone, Welcome back! Well it's been quite a summer and
I hope all of you got to enjoy some of the great weather. Yours
truly has managed to limp around since our last meeting in
early June. I've been nursing torn cartilage in both knees.
Painful…oh yes, but that hasn't stopped me from finalizing my
planted tank and getting out with some club members to pick
up new fish and plants. Thanks to all who helped get my
project going and see me through a small battle with algae. 'We
Won'! Was there ever any doubt?
At the end of June I had an interesting phone call. CTV called
me and asked if they could come over and interview me about
a Blue Tilapia that was captured in the Grand River not far from
Kitchener. At first I thought it was a joke as it was my birthday
and Dave Boehm was the person who referred CTV on to me.
But the reporter assured me it wasn't a hoax. Sure enough,
within the hour they were at my house, camera in hand. After
we carefully went through everything and I had spent close to
45 minutes talking with the reporter, I got a mere 15 seconds of
air time that night. Oh the wonders of being a TV personality!
At least I got to plug the important fish rescue program that
CAOAC and KWAS is involved in.
The club held its summer picnic at the Waterloo Park Pavilion.
We moved the date up about a full month this year hoping to
get better attendance but that didn't seem to help much.
However for those that did attend there was plenty of good
food and some good chat. Thanks to Rein and Brad in
negotiating a deal with another large picnic group so they
could get out of the showers. Brad and Zenin failed to burn the
pavilion down even though the flames were getting pretty
intense on the barbeque. Thanks Victor for helping secure a nice
barbeque for us to use. Josh another club member from the
Woodburner came through for us in the end. Way to go
Woodburner and thank you for donating the use of one of your
barbeques!
Our meeting on September 7th should be a great. Club member
Tianna Bertolo will be on hand to talk to us about aquascaping.
She has a very unique and effective approach to this. We'll all
get involved at our tables in planning and decorating an actual
tank. Don't miss what should be a terrific start to the fall season.
Speaking of the fall, Shows and Auctions are about to get into
full swing. Our own event, Oktoberfish is just around the
corner. Yes, it's been a full year since we last talked about this.
This year’s event is scheduled for Sunday October 24th. We
could use all the volunteers we can get for our big annual
event. This is the only fund raiser we have in our club so its
success is vital to the next year’s operation of our club.
I'd like to invite any member who hasn't gotten involved before
to spare a short 30 minutes to one hour of your day to help your
club get through this busy day. Every little bit helps. Please take
a moment and contact Al Ridley at pyrofish@rogers.com your
help would be greatly appreciated.
Lastly, we have received notice from Cam Turner and Tanya
Morose that they can no longer continue as co-editors of Fins &
Tales. They will continue to produce our newsletter until
Christmas. On behalf of the entire Executive, Board of Directors
and all club members I would like to thank you both for
producing what I feel is absolutely the finest newsletter in our
hobby. Honestly I am not being biased here folks. I've read
many other clubs newsletters from all across North America
and our publication is simply in a league of its own. If anyone
would like to take on this position, please talk to Cam or Tanya
or come see one of the executive at the front table during one of
our meetings.
See you September 7th!
Hello All.
Phil Maznyk
President, KWAS
From The Editors’ Desk
Yes, what Phil said is true. Tanya and I can no longer continue
to produce the Fins & Tales newsletter for all of you. It’s been a
great two years, and we intend to finish out the remainder of
this calendar year so that the new editors have time to learn the
ropes.
We’re not leaving the hobby in any way, we simply want to try
other roles on the BOD and executive and feel that we’ve taken
this newsletter as far as we can. It’s time for some new ideas,
and hopefully some new members on the BOD.
We’ll continue to handle printing of the newsletter with the
colour covers if asked to do so by the new editors, and we’d be
thrilled if our replacements wanted to use our template as a
starting point.
If you’re interested in discussing what’s involved in taking over
this responsibility then please feel free to email us at
cam.turner@gmail.com. The simplest transition would be for
someone with a Mac computer as the template and software are
ready to go, otherwise someone with experience in MS
Publisher or some other PC layout program.
Lastly, thanks to all of the authors who’ve contributed over
these two years. Sometimes it’s been a challenge to get our
schedules coordinated, but it’s always been a pleasure to read
about your experiences in this fine hobby.
Cam Turner & Tanya Morose
Newsletter Editors, KWAS
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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
Store Directory
If you know of any stores we’re missing, please email the BOD.
Aquarium Services (Big Al’s) Ω Φ! Kitchener, Ontario
www.BigAlsCanada.com!(519) 894-1810
508 Wilson Ave.
The Fish Sempai Ω Φ!
www.FishSempai.com !(519) 648-9992
By Appointment Only
Breslau, Ontario
Mc’s Petworld Ω Φ!
Cambridge, Ontario
Email: mcspetworld@rogers.com!(519) 241-2691
Currently By Appointment Only
Tropical Fish Room Ω Φ!
Brantford, Ontario
www.TropicalFishRoom.ca!(519) 756-6225
166 Grand River Ave.
John’s Fish Food Ω!
Kitchener, Ontario
www.JohnsFishFood.com!(519) 897-1567
By Appointment Only.
The Fish Bowl Ω!
Elmira, Ontario
www.inTheFishBowl.net!(519) 669-0202
120 Oriole Parkway, Unit #4
Garden Supermart Ω!
Cambridge, Ontario
www.GardenSupermart.com!(519) 624-2554
Homegrown Hydroponics Ω Φ!
www.Hydroponics.ca!(519) 648-2374
79 Woolwich Street South, Unit #4
Breslau, Ontario
Moore Water Gardens Φ!
Port Stanley, Ontario
www.MooreWaterGardens.com!(519) 782-4052
PO Box 70, 4683 Sunset Rd.
The Fish Place Φ!
N. Tonawanda, NY
141 Robinson St., 14120! (716) 693-4411
PlecoCaves.com Φ!
Richmond, IN
Brantley Berry! (765) 914-9712
worldwide73@yahoo.com
Ω KWAS member discount of 10% or more (does not apply to tanks or glass).
Φ Supports KWAS through participation in our annual Oktoberfish event.
We highly encourage you to check the above websites for store hours.
2010 Jar Show
Each year KWAS holds a Jar Show competition where members
bring their most prized fish to our monthly meetings to share
with others, compete and teach. The various classes and basic
rules are laid out below, but first the 2010 Standings. After five
months of competition this is where we stand:
! Seniors:! Points
! Zenin Skomorowski!36
! Alan Smiley!12
! Al Ridley! 11
! Tony Gibbons!4
! Juniors:! Points
! Jonathon Samson!44
! Griffin Quigley!6
There is a limit of two fish per person per class. You may also
bring any species of the featured classes in any other month;
they will be entered in any other variety also known as AOV. If
you have any other non-fish creatures, or odd-ball fish, they can
be entered in the AOV class. If you have any questions about
the Jar Show Competition please contact Dave Boehm.
2010 Jar Show Classes:
January: !
February: !
March: !
April: !
May: !
June: !
September: !
October: !
November: !
Dwarf Cichlids / Rainbow fish
Rift Lake Cichlids
Characins
Catfish
Loaches & Killifish
Cyprinids
Livebearers
Large American Cichlids
Anabantids & Plants
Everyone is encouraged to participate. For tips on how to enter,
what to bring and what to look for ask any of the competitors
above. They obviously know a thing or two about it :).
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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
50th Anniversary Celebration
Article by Zenin Skomorowski, KWAS (zenin@golden.net). Photos provided by the author.
The June 1st monthly meeting featured many KWAS 50th anniversary celebration events. About 75 people enjoyed pizza, soft drinks and a
KWAS 50th anniversary cake.
Members also qualified for draws of gift certificates from local Tropical Fish stores, ceramic pleco caves, and two aquarium kits. A complete
list of draw winners is in the meeting minutes (page 10).
Doug Radtke won the 55 gallon kit
Chris Daniels won the 20 gallon kit
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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
Al presented congratulatory certificates from the City Of Kitchener and from
the City Of Waterloo
Ryan Barton, Phil Maznyk, Al Ridley, Brad and Katie McClanahan, and Victor
Dinh (note the CAOAC convention awards on the table)
The Final Exam
More Fun by Char Breitmaier, KWAS
1. Is fin rot the only reason your fish has torn, choppy,
ragged fins?
2. True or False? Fish carry many diseases that usually
remain dormant until fluctuations in environment such as
pH and temperature occur.
3. Is there a fish called a dolphin?
In attendance was the first President of KWAS and his wife, Bill and Carol
Schultz. Bill presented the club an original copy of Volume One, Number
One of Fins ‘N Tails from August 1960.
4. What is the largest member of the salmon family in North
America?
5. Name that fish: These fish are blind and have an enhanced
ability to detect vibration and odour.
6. You've decided that your community tank is too much of a
mish-mash. You're going to make it a purely "Amazonian"
tank. So will you have to find a new home for your Black
Neon Tetras (Hyphessobrycon sp.); Spotted Headstanders
(Chilodus sp.); Pencilfish (Nannostomus sp.); or Severums
(Heros sp.)?
7. What is the purpose of a Gourami’s floating bubble nest?
8. Only three species of cichlids are native to India and Sri
Lanka. They are all members of the genus Etroplus but
what is their more familiar name to aquarists?
Al Ridley with Volume One, Number One of Fins ‘N Tales
9. How would you best characterize Otocinclus, the
miniature Loricariid catfish? Herbivore, detrivore,
piscivore or omnivore?
10. Your Harlequin Fish are behaving strangely. One is
turning upside-down and quivering under a plant leaf.
Why?
11. Bonus: Does KWAS have a website or just a forum?
7

This time of year the perfect time to start a new aquascaping
project. Rather than recycle winter wine bottles and Christmas
candy containers, what about reusing them? Aquascaping in
repurposed containers is a rewarding challenge that stretches
our sleeping imaginations.
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
DIY: Thinking Outside The {Glass} Box
Repurposed aquariums for the artistically-minded.
Article by Tianna Bertolo, KWAS (tbertolo@gmail.com). Photos provided by the author.
While it looks misleadingly large in photographs, this aquarium
is a mere 0.1 gallons – a repurposed Ferrero Rocher® package.
The plants – R. rotunifolia, Anubias nana ver. ‘petit’, HC and HM –
were grown entirely by sunlight.
Are rectangular boxes too conventional for you? What about a
window display of planted champagne flutes! Planted light
bulbs would be intriguing; the spiral bulbs (be careful! These
contain Mercury!) particularly so. You know those hollow glass
or plastic ball Christmas ornaments you can pick up on
clearance after the holidays? Plant them or add rocks and sticks
and hang the ornaments from your favorite tree in the garden
next spring! Many perfume bottles have interesting shapes. I’d
love to see a hanging display of planted milk bags. The
possibilities are endless! If your display is outside, you may
even have aquatic creatures – such as shrimp-like damselfly
larvae - begin to call your displays home.
Your display needn’t even be a container made to hold fluid.
I’ve even used a table-top candle lantern. The ventilation spaces
in the bottom and sides of this lantern were filled with black
silicone and an LED puck push light was installed in the top.
For a different look, the new “tank” was planted entirely using
red plants. Voila! An interactive night light. Even among nonaquarists,
this is a conversation-starter.
To really get your creative juices flowing, try planting
containers that need much finessing to plant at all and nearly
bonsai-esque planning and patience to grow. Wine decanters are
a favourite for me right now; sold in the most interesting
shapes, most have impossibly narrow necks with a wide base.
This wine glass is well on its way to becoming a table
centerpiece. The matching decanter has such a narrow neck that
the plants have to be added in a careful sequence. The
aquascape is being planted one species at a time through the
neck, and the plant is allowed to grow and spread into place.
The rest of the plant is removed through the neck, and then the
next species is added.
Chances are, you already own most of the items needed to start
a repurposed aquarium. Check your recycling bin for bottles
and packages to turn into a tank. Your local thrift shop is a great
place to find economical figurines, bottles and unimaginables
that can be transformed. Borrow some soil from the garden or a
potted plant for substrate. Scissors are undoubtedly nearby. If
you choose to plant your recycled tank, look to the smallest
plants practical; I’ve found that various mosses, HC, HM, some
of the dwarf chain swords and crypt plantlets are hardy enough
to be used in smaller, unheated tanks. While a sunny window
or outdoor patio table works well for these types of tanks, LED
book lights are also small and unobtrusive enough to illuminate
small aquarium displays if needed. Unless you are reusing a
larger item, livestock, with the possible exception of some
snails, is probably impractical. - Tianna
“Take chances. Make mistakes. Get messy!”
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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
2010 KWAS Summer Picnic Photos
Photos by Zenin Skomorowski, KWAS (zenin@golden.net)
Surf’s up!
Here are this month’s web sites to explore:
Two more clubs have been added to our newsletter exchange:
Youngstown Area Tropical Fish Society – in north-eastern Ohio
www.yatfs.com
Michiana Aquarium Society – South Bend in northern Indiana
www.michianaaquariumsociety.org
9

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
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.
I have a considerable backlog of issues with good articles to report on, so I will be more brief than my usual meanderings - Zenin
Date Publication Publisher Author Title
April 2010
May 2010
The Cichlid
Monthly
Aquatic Views
Aquatic Views
The Cichlid
Monthly
The Cichlid
Monthly
Hi-Fin
Hi-Fin
Tank Tales
Finformation
Exchange Editor’s Report
Modern Aquarium
Modern Aquarium
Paradise Press
Aquatic Views
Submitted by Zenin Skomorowski, KWAS (zenin@golden.net).
Victorian Cichlid Society Phil Maznyk –
KWAS reprint
Cambridge & District
Aquarium Society
Cambridge & District
Aquarium Society
Klaus Steinhaus
Carl McCleary
Malaysian Trumpet Madness
Victorian Cichlid Society Uri Bouman The Fish I Keep
An Excellent Tropheus companion:
Simichromis babaulti
Robert Little Public School Aquarium
Replacement
Victorian Cichlid Society Ste Chester Natural Environments, Leaf Litter in the Dwarf
Cichlid Aquarium
Peel Region Aquarium
Club
Peel Region Aquarium
Club
Aquarium Club of
Lancaster County
Greater Pittsburgh
Aquarium Society
Greater City Aquarium
Society of New York
Greater City Aquarium
Society of New York
Long Island Aquarium
Society
Cambridge & District
Aquarium Society
Martin Kelly
Ian Pitts
Michael Steffen
Stan Chechak
Tommy Chang
Claudia Dickinson
Jim Peterson
Carl McCleary
Cladophora aegagropila: The Lake Balls
(Marimo Balls)
The Peacock Goby (Tateurndina ocellicauda)
Telmatochromis sp. “temporalis shell”
Fundulopanchax gardneri (Lafia Gold Strain)
MTS (Multiple Tank Syndrome) Is There a
Cure ?
Conservation Awareness: A CARES
Conservation Priority Species Success Story
Children Are Our Future
Paradise on Paradise Island
Aqua Antics Sarnia Aquarium Society Lisa Boorman Melanotaenia Irianjaya
Aqua Antics Sarnia Aquarium Society Jack VanderAa Melanonaenia Praecox
The Bulletin
Hamilton & District
Aquarium Society
Larry Johnson
Nimbochromis Linni
Michiana Tropical
Times
Michiana Aquarium
Society
Ken McKeighen
Pools, Construction and Maintenance
Michiana Tropical
Times
Michiana Aquarium
Society
Ben Slocum
Goodea Gracilis
May/June
2010
The Youngstown
Aquarist
Youngstown Area
Tropical Fish Society
Charlie Grimes
Swordtails, The Rusty Wessel Way
Fincinnati
Greater Cincinnati
Aquarium Society
Todd Leising
Neolamprologus helianthus
Fincinnati
Greater Cincinnati
Aquarium Society
Andrew Subotnik
Choosing The Right Air System
10

June 2010 Fancy Fins
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
Circle City Aquarium
Club Indianapolis
Charley Grimes
Bloodfin Tetras
Aqua Antics Sarnia Aquarium Society Peter Melady Barbus Oligolepis
Aqua Antics Sarnia Aquarium Society Jack VanderAa Cyprichromis Leptosoma “Utinta”
Modern Aquarium
Modern Aquarium
The Cichlid
Monthly
The Cichlid
Monthly
The Cichlid
Monthly
Finformation
Finformation
Michiana Tropical
Times
The Bulletin
The Bulletin
The Bulletin
Greater City Aquarium
Society of New York
Greater City Aquarium
Society of New York
Alexander A. Priest
Stephen Sica
A Touch Of Gold: Betta Midas
Grand Cayman’s North Sound
Victorian Cichlid Society Graham Rowe R.O.A.R. Cichlid
Victorian Cichlid Society Peter Robinson Lepidiolamprologus hecqui: A Fish by Any
Other Name
Victorian Cichlid Society Scott Haymes Neolamprologus Magarae Calliurus
Greater Pittsburgh
Aquarium Society
Greater Pittsburgh
Aquarium Society
Michiana Aquarium
Society
Hamilton & District
Aquarium Society
Hamilton & District
Aquarium Society
Hamilton & District
Aquarium Society
Stan Chechak
Regina Spotti
Ben Slocum
Charles Drew
Charles Drew
Ernie Gemeinhart
Trigonostigma Heteromorpha (Harlequin
Rasbora)
How It All Started
Archocentrus Panamensis
Ponds and Water Gardens: Pygmy Helvola
Aspidoras Albater
Whiteworms
Final Exam Answers.... (Questions on Page 11)
1. Your fish may not be ill at all. It may be getting picked by
another member of the community. Be sure to pay attention
to the behaviours of your fish or you may lose one due to an
over aggressive fish.
2. TRUE. Fish are capable of carrying many diseases that are
not a threat to their everyday health. When changes to their
environment occur fish may weaken and become subject to
those diseases.
3. YES. There is a mammal and a fish called a dolphin.
4. Chinook.
5. Cavefishes are rarely seen in the wild, but visitors can see
them in tanks at Kentucky's Mammoth Cave.
6. Black Neons, Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi, are fishes of
the seasonally flooded Mato Grosso grasslands, to the south
of Amazonia, in the separate drainage system of the
Paraguay.
7. In stagnant waters that may be low in oxygen, the bubbles
keep the eggs close to atmospheric oxygen and protect them
from drying.
8. The two familiar Etroplus species are "Orange Chromides"
and "Green Chromides." "Haplochromines" designate a
species flock of African Rift Lake cichlids. Tilapia from the
Nile are now widely aqua cultured as food fish. And all the
Geophagus "earth-eaters" come from the Neotropics.
9. Herbivore. A detritivore eats semi-decayed detritus. (So,
would a "dentivore" eat other fishes' teeth?) A piscivore
specializes in eating other fish. An omnivore eats a little of
everything. Only an herbivore really describes the algaeeating
vegetarian Otocinclus.
10. It is spawning. Unlike conventional egg-scattering
rasboras, our Harlequin Fish deposits a few sticky eggs at a
time on the underside of a broad leaf, where egg predators
may not notice them. This soft water Southeast Asian enjoys
the softest, salt- or other electrolyte-free water you can
provide. Water retention, often a terminal symptom, can
make a fish lose its balance. or even float at the surface. Fish
suffering from gill parasites often "flash" their belly as they
turn to rub their inflamed gills on a hard surface.
11.Yes of course we have a website, we even won the CAOAC
award for best website in 2009. Perhaps it’s time you went
and browsed Phil’s hard work :).
11

Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the June 2010
General Meeting
President Phil Maznyk called the meeting to
order at 7:34 pm with 75 people present.
Guests were welcomed and asked to sign
our guest book with Mary Lynne and get a
complimentary copy of our newsletter.
There were three guests present, Ronnie
Elms and Bill and Carol Schultz.
Announcements
Victor Dinh was introduced as our new
program chair.
The article from The Record was available
at the front table and at the membership
table.
Al presented the club with Congratulatory
Certificates from the City Of Kitchener and
from the City Of Waterloo. They will be
posted on our webpage shortly.
Phil introduced the Honourary Members
present. Dave Boehm, Rein Breitmaier and
Al Ridley
Phil introduced the first President of KWAS
and his wife, Bill and Carol Schultz. Bill also
gave the club the original copy of Volume
One, Number One of Fin’s N Tails which
was printed in August 1960. This will also
be made available through the clubs
website.
CAOAC Convention
CAOAC President Bob Wright was
introduced.
Geoff Money was presented his CAOAC
Aquatic Horticulturalist Award and his
CAOAC Advanced Aquatic Horticulturalist
Awards.
Jayne Glazier was presented her CAOAC
Aquatic Horticulturalist Award.
Ed Koerner was presented his CAOAC
Basic Merit Award and his CAOAC Basic
Livebearer Award.
Special notice was given to the winners at
the Convention. Jonathan Samson, Rein
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
Breitmaier, Zenin Skomorowski, Phil
Maznyk and Cam Turner. Congratulations!
Name That Fish
Corydoras pygmaeus won by Sean Glazier
Acipenser rutienus (Sturgeon) won by Rein
Breitmaier
Hemiancistrus subuisidis (Green Phantom
Pleco) won by Barb Ireland
Program
Pizza, Pop and Cake was enjoyed. Thank
you to Pepi’s Pizza for their help.
Zenin ran a slide show of pictures from
KWAS past and present
Door Prizes
Brad Smith, Derick Nakluski, Rick
Glencross, Ricardo Rolon, Amanda Radtke
and Geoff Money each won a Pleco Cave
Sean Glazier, Brad McClanahan, Dave
Boehm and Tanya Morose each won a
$50.00 Gift Certificate to the Tropical Fish
Room, Brantford
Rick Ryan and Kent Hunter-Duvar each
won a $50.00 Gift Certificate to The Fish
Bowl, Elmira
Doug Radtke – 55 Gallon Aquarium Kit
Chris Daniels – 20 Gallon Aquarium Kit
Bill Boulton and Bob Wright each won a
$50.00 Gift Certificate to Big Al’s Aquarium
Services, Kitchener
Thank you to Big Al’s Aquarium Services,
Tropical Fish Room, Plecocaves.com, The
Fish Bowl and Zenin Skomorowski.
Jar Show
Dave announced the winners of the Jar
Show competition. There were eleven
entries and three exhibitors (Zenin, Cam
and Jonathan).
Peoples Choice was Zenin’s Congo tetra
September’s class is Livebearers and AOV
Question and Answer
Hosted by TMA – Mr. Rein Breitmaier
Auction
Ed sold a selection of fish and plants
Meeting was adjourned at 9:52 pm.
Minutes of the June 2010
Business Meeting
The meeting was called to order at 7:30pm
at the home of Zenin Skomorowski.
Executive present: Phil Maznyk, Brad
McClanahan Ryan Barton and Al Ridley.
BOD present: Terry Clements, Katie
McClanahan, Zenin Skomorowski, Ed
Koerner, Cam Turner, and Victor Dinh.
Motion to accept the May Business meeting
minutes as published made by Ryan,
seconded by Ed… V&C
Motion to accept the June General meeting
minutes as emailed and amended made by
Zenin, seconded by Ryan. V&C
Future Business meetings – Ryan will host
one – dates to be firmed up.
Treasurer’s report read by Brad and
accepted on a motion made by Ed,
seconded by Ryan. V&C
Signing authorities still need to be updated.
Oktoberfish 2008 financials are now
complete. Tardy payment collected.
Correspondence
Steve Gregson of the LAS asked KWAS to
sponsor a class in their show. KWAS policy
is that we do not sponsor classes at other
clubs shows as we are simply trading
dollars.
Received an email from a lawyers office
asking if we can help them sell a 300 gallon
aquarium. Phil advised them to post an ad
on our forum. They found us due to the
article in The Record.
Committee Reports
Newsletter (Cam)
Presented “The Tannin Pages” (a play on
words on The Yellow Pages) to promote
local businesses.
12

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
Stores that support us will get bigger,
bolder print with logo or descriptions.
Suggested that we are wasting the inside
colour covers with index, maps, etc.
Suggestion to remove the map but keep the
text was accepted.
Deadline is August 15 th for September issue.
FAAS Newsletter Awards should be settled
very soon.
Webmaster (Phil)
Please bear with the forum upgrade, it will
take some time to get everything loaded
back into the program. We have received
very positive feedback so far.
Program (Victor Dinh)
September – Tianna (Tye) on Aquascaping
$200.00 budget for 10 ten gallon aquariums
motioned by Cam, seconded by Zenin. 9 in
favour – 1 abstainer.
will include substrate and a bulb of the
correct spectrum.
looking for member donations of plants,
substrate, driftwood/rock, etc.
Future meeting – Victor on Lighting, Klaus
on the CARES program, BAP and HAP with
a Q&A panel, Rich and Torsten on Starting a
Salt Water Aquarium.
Exchanges (Zenin)
Pittsburg sent a copy of our last newsletter
to all their exchange partners and we have
received a request from the Michiana
Aquarium Society to exchange with them.
They have been added to our exchange list.
CAOAC (Phil)
CAOAC Newsletter Award – Cam to work
with Ann from Sarnia to draft some criteria
for this award.
KWAS placed second, one point behind
Sarnia.
Judging was done by Ray Lucas this year. In
previous years it was judged by a College
keeping it independent and unbiased.
The Convention was a great success for
CAOAC and for KWAS.
Membership (Mary Lynne)
Chair absent – nothing to report
Auction (open)
Participation is inconsistent.
HST will be an issue in the fall
Ryan will try auctioneering
Library (Terry)
The new autographed book, The Amazon:
Below Water, by Oliver Lucanus obtained at
the CAOAC Convention is now available.
Contact the author for a list of his DVDs.
Zenin made CDs of the 2010 CAOAC
Convention photographs and also of the
Newsletter submissions to FAAS.
Decided not to have a waiting list for
books/DVDs.
Raffle (Katie)
Nothing to report
HAP (Ed)
Ed and Ryan discussing using the forum
and photographs as proof for first
inspections. Second inspection would still
require a personal visit. (the same to be
implemented in BAP). They will draft
something up for presentation to the
Executive before the November business
meeting.
BAP (Ryan)
Revised BAP rules handed out.
Need to update the standings on our
website.
Discussed ideas on how to make it easier to
find the forms and standings. A link from
our forum was suggested.
Name That Fish (Ed)
Ed asked Brad for a review of the budget
vs. what he has spent year to date.
Show Jar (Dave Boehm)
Chair absent
Add text of rules to the Show Jar section of
our webpage.
Further ideas will be tabled until Dave
Boehm is in attendance.
Lunch Counter (Dave Bradley)
Absent
Will be able to continue in September.
Pet Store Liaison (Zenin and Al)
Al loaded up The Fish Bowl in Elmira with
flyers. Needs a holder.
Cam asked Zenin to do an article on The
Fish Bowl. Steve wants to contribute to
Name That Fish.
Thank you letters will be sent to those who
donated to our 50 th Year Meeting in June.
We will also recognize them in our
newsletter.
Old Business
Summer BBQ – June 27 th 1 to 7pm
Phil will coordinate with Dave Bradley on
the pop, water, ice, etc. Brad will get
burgers, sausage, hot dogs, condiments, etc.
Need a BBQ. Check with Bigfish for help
from a local business. Brad has one and
Cam has an old one if necessary.
Plan for 20 people
Make a post in the lounge directing people
to the members section for information.
New Business
Miecia’s plaques given to KWAS by her
husband – reuse some for awards and Al
will speak to the ARC to find out about
mounting some to the wall in our meeting
room.
Motion to close the meeting at 9:40pm was
made by Cam. Seconded by Brad. V&C
13

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
FAAS 2009: Wow! Wow! Wow!
Article by Tanya Morose (tanya@morose.ca), KWAS Newsletter co-Editor
The Federation of American Aquarium Societies (FAAS) is a service organization of and for aquarium societies of North, Central
and South America. Each year, FAAS holds a newsletter award competition which is open to aquarium societies in all the
Americas. There are 30 award categories. This year the FAAS judges had over 2700 pages of submissions to read through.
I knew that we have a great newsletter, but wow, we did really well! In some cases we swept an entire category! A hearty
congratulations to all the award winners; to be able to say that we have the best in all of North,
Central and South America is something to be truly proud of! A huge thank you to Zenin for taking the time to submit our
excellent publication for adjudication.
Best editor and publication more than six issues!
! First! Cam Turner and Tanya Morose (Eds.)! Fins and Tales
Best changing cover original art!
! First! Cam Turner and Tanya Morose (Eds.)! Fins and Tales
Best exchange article!
! Honorable mention! Zenin Skomorowski! Exchange Editor's Report February 2009
Best article of a species of fish!
! First! Phil Maznyk! In Search of EBJDs
Best article on plant maintenance, cultivation or reproduction
! First! Ed Koerner! The Backyard Aquarium
! Second! Ed Koerner! Cryptic Bio-Types
! Third! Ed Koerner! Floating Plants
Best how to or do-it-yourself article
! First! Ed Koerner! More Than A Hole in the Ground
! Second! Zenin Skomorowski! Moonlighting A Tank
Best article on health or nutrition
! Second! Phil Maznyk! Avoid Being A Nervous Fishkeeper
! Third! Terry Clements! Tank Cycling Tips: Good Bugs
Best traveling aquarist article
! First! Rein and Char Breitmaier! The Minimalist Aquarist in Israel: Parts 1, 2 & 3
Best continuing column by a single author or author(s)
! First! Zenin Skomorowski! Name That Fish
! Second! Ed Koerner! The PlantED Tank
! Third! Rein and Char Breitmaier! The Minimalist Aquarist
Best article all other categories
! Third! Bob Channen! 66 Years and Counting
14

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
FAAS awards continued...
Author of the year
! Second! Ed Koerner
Junior level 1: Best spawning article under 500 words
! First! Griffin Quigley! Breeding Livebearers
The complete list of FAAS Award winners, can be found at http://faas.info/2009_publication_awards_winners.html. If you
missed reading any of these articles last year, be sure to check out the binder of Fins and Tales back issues from the library at the
next meeting. And if you'd like to see your name on this list for 2010, get writing and send it to us by November!
2010 CAOAC Awards
Article by Tanya Morose (tanya@morose.ca) and Zenin Skomorowski, KWAS (zenin@golden.net)
The 2010 Canadian Association of Aquarium Clubs (CAOAC) convention was held May 21-23 at Sheridan College in Oakville.
KWAS was represented by a large contingent of members. If you weren’t able to go to this year’s convention, here’s a summary of
the 2010 CAOAC Award winners and the 2010 CAOAC Show Special Awards.
2010 CAOAC Award Winners
Champion of Champions 2009 ! Jonathan Samson ! KWAS
Junior Champion of Champions 2009 ! Jonathan Samson ! KWAS
Club Challenge 2009 ! ! Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society
Betta Award 2009 ! Catherine Salmon ! BAS/KWAS
Scientist of the Year Award !
Ad Konings
Newsletter Award ! ! Sarnia Aquarium Society
Web Award ! ! Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society
Junior Hobbyist of the Year Award ! Griffin Quigley! CDAS/KWAS
Hobbyist of the Year Award ! Zenin Skomorowski ! KWAS
CAOAC 2010 Show Special Awards
Zenin Skomorowski ! KWAS ! Best of Show
Anthony McAslin ! CDAS ! Best Egglayer
Jonathan Samson ! KWAS ! Best Livebearer
Zenin Skomorowski ! KWAS ! Best Cichlid
Jeff Samson ! KWAS ! Best Scavenger
Barb Ireland ! BAS ! Senior High Aggregate
Jonathan Samson ! KWAS ! Junior High Aggregate
15

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
Jayne’s Pond Journal: June - July
Article by Jayne Glazier, KWAS (phocusgroupie@aim.com). Photos provided by the author.
“It isn't actually a budget anymore but a
shopping list with an infinite ceiling.”
Later May - after last issue
I managed to acquire an object that will make a great waterfall
basin and a small bonsai sized Japanese maple (housewarming
gift) for the landscaping.
May 24 weekend
Ow. Rock hauling from fence lines is hard work. We have
brought in about 350 pounds this trip. Mostly limestone but
some nice granite as well. It isn't as much rock as it sounds like.
I have another 400-500 pounds set aside for future trips. Not a
lot of flat shelf rock so far that is non-limestone. I need to see if I
can split some bigger chunks.
Random Thoughts
25 different authors, 25 different articles on the ONLY way to
build a pond.
The internet can be a bad thing when you get over-saturated to
the point of catatonia with research and opinions. Everybody
does agree on a few points:
1. Pond volume should be turned over 1.5 times an hour or
more.
2. Waterfalls help with aeration.
3. Filtration is good it is just the type that they debate over.
Hiding all of this stuff in the landscaping is going to be the
challenge.
June 30 - Move accomplished
couldn't even supervise on site. At the last opportunity of the
last morning they finally managed to obtain an extension pole
net and within minutes my stressed, overworked minions had
caught the last one.
The Tub: Trials and tribulations
One hour into setting up the Rena XP I realized that it wasn't
going to work even for a short term. Yes, they should not take
that long to set up, even without a manual they are pretty idiot
proof to install. There are just too many little bits of stuff in a
planted koi tub floating around.
After losing pressure twice in 10 minutes and removing chunks
of hornwort from the impeller I tried a prefilter sponge which
didn't work long either. So finally we decided that 24 hours
would be the limit of it's trial and we would purchase a smaller
pump and filter to use in the tub and then use it for back up for
the big one. What the heck... It's only money.
I purchased a Powerflo 1200 pond canister filter and a Max Flo
600 pump. Within 5 hours the tub was crystal clear.
I had managed to set up the hatchery/holding tank in the new
yard a few days ahead of bringing in the pond fish from the old
place. I arranged to borrow a larger canister filter from Phil to
help to keep the water circulating and a bit cleaner. This filter
is not for outdoor use regularly so don't try this at home kids! I
justified the trial by thinking that I couldn't just buy a smaller
pond filter as that would be a waste of money as we needed a
larger one for the bigger pond and the pump I wanted would
have blown the water back to the new house. We brought over
all the potted plants from the old pond to help stabilize the biofiltration
and to make it easier to catch the fish.
That night I broke my ankle.
The koi took 3 days to catch. It was an exercise in patience for
me as I was sidelined from Day One of the fish move and
Crystal Clear Water
Early the next morning I went out to find that the water had
drained out of the tub overnight and the koi and fantails were
flopping in 1 inch of water. We had left the XP3 attached
overnight and because any time I spent upright without my
ankle on the couch garnered me stern grumpy words I had
asked for it to be dismantled the day before. It wasn't.
Somehow a hose was dislodged and dropped to the ground
while the other hose stayed in the pond...the result for all you
budding engineers out there was a perfect siphon effect.
Emergency tub refill, a in depth overhaul of the brand new
pump which of course is not supposed to run dry and a check
of the pond filter which had a UV lamp (which again was not
16

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
supposed to work dry) ... all good. Phew. Fish are perturbed
but unhurt.
Major heat wave. Yummy - smells like fish soup! I can't believe
they are so happy in the newly renamed 'hot tub'. Thank
goodness it isn't black. The drawback to the tub is that there is
no natural food source. I ordered some more koi pellets. They
are going to be spoiled!
We then went away for a few days and returned to find the
whole unit not working. Pump fine, filter fine, breaker not
tripped but the receptacle was blown. A quick trip to the
electrical store and a GFCI install later we were back up and
running. It is starting to be crucial that the pond is dug quickly.
Thank goodness the tub had plants and shade.
Price becomes important
So my adventure in price comparison had yielded some great
results. I found a great deal on the pump and filter package
that I wanted at the same place that had a good price on liners
at a place I could pick up rather than have it shipped. Saved
some money that way.
Big Al's in Kitchener had Hagen Laguna products in stock even
though the regular Big Al's website does not advertise that they
carry that brand. Perfect. Especially since a digger rental is now
added to the budget -- which isn't actually a budget anymore
but a shopping list with an infinite ceiling.
I am going to break down the budget for human consumption:
1. Liner - The liner I want for the size of pond I have drafted
will be about 30 x 20 feet and is the largest single expense.
It’ll cost around $515.
2. Pump - I will purchase an oversized pump so that I may
add extra filtration options to the pond as I see fit. I want
something with great efficiency and a good warranty. I have
decided on the Laguna Maxflo 4200 - $375.
3. Filtration - After using the smaller canister filter on the tub
I decided to purchase the larger unit for the main pond and
then use a waterfall filter for the subsidiary filtration. Add
another $405 for a Laguna Pressure Flo 3200.
and they are part of the 'natural' landscape of our world. I
originally set a budget of $350 for rocks.
Author’s Note: July 11 - Well that got blown out of the water
hahaha. The rocks were expensive. 2900 pounds of rocks which
included a skid of granite and a half skid of odd sized limestone for
the underlayer of the waterfall. Add several bags of river rock and
stone and the total cost was over $600 at Grand River Stone in
Fergus. Very nice rocks mind you (and I turned down some
petrified log stumps which were priced at over $1000 each). The
limestone that was going in under the waterfall is now forefront
as a retaining wall. July 19 - back to the rock store for another
4100 pounds of rock and $800 more spent. Total: $1400+.
7. I am including sprayfoam in the budget. I purchased 3
large cans of the pond purposed black foam as well as
several cans of regular builders spray foam. In total I think
about $80. I may be optimistic in this number (depending
on how much rock work I need to fill the gaps thereof).
8. With the broken ankle and the limited number of hours my
dedicated pond crew have to help it was decided to rent a
mini digger to dig the actual hole and move the dirt for the
build. Yikes! The digger rental is going to around $400 for
the weekend. Personally I think the guys just want to play
with the digger and this gives them the justification. Like
Tonka trucks but bigger. Edit Note: The Bobcat excavator was
only needed for 24 hours which saved me almost half the cost.
9. Electrical - wiring, hard casing, junction boxes, elbows etc
$60.
Frustration: July 9
The people who purchased our old house decided after 5 days
of residence that they were pulling out the old pond. We had
offered to do it multiple times during the sale of the house.
Now they offered to sell me back my pump, liner and rocks.
Um NO. Just on principle. Too bad though, those were some
nice rocks. I feel badly for the evicted frogs... sorry guys!
4. Hoses and fixtures - For everything I am budgeting about
$150.
5. The design was altered and we needed some mini ties for
the rear retaining wall. 19 mini ties at $6 a piece
6. Rocks - the majority of the waterfall rocks cannot be
limestone. Our water is too hard here and the addition of
limestone to the watercourse would make this a pool of
liquid cement. Of course limestone is less expensive so the
alternatives will cost me more money. I am NOT a fan of
picking up rocks from public areas, parks, sides of roads
etc. You never know what they have had sprayed on them
The Original Plan
17

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
The Dig
As we started to measure out the pond outline, we noticed that
the grade of the yard was about 14 inches higher at the back
corner requiring a berm at the front of the pond to help keep the
water level even all around. We also found out that the
subdivison drainage runs right through our yard to the grade
between our house and our neighbours on the corner.
Day 1
The excavator arrived and the dig started. It moved faster than
we thought. We had been warned that all our neighbours had
encountered serious clay but we didn't run into it until the 4
foot mark. The nice topsoil from the hole is also being
repurposed as we decided to build 3 raised garden beds while
we are waiting for the pond to fill.
Marking the outline for the Digger Crew
We decided to modify the design slightly to bring the pond
farther forward into the yard and allow a drainage channel to
run across the back and down the side. The side allowance was
pre-planned anyway as a maintenance access for the waterfall
basin, filter and all the top course rocks. Because the pond is
being built farther into the yard we decided to make it narrower
so we didn't lose too much yard. Now my 20 x 30 foot liner is
too big. It also means the materiel allotted for the corner
retaining wall is too small. We decide to do a hidden mini tie
support wall as the least expensive option thus the already
purchased limestone can be repurposed as retaining wall for the
front berm. We knew right away that we had to buy more
rocks.
Teamwork!
Finally a break! The digging went so fast that we sent back the
excavator a whole day early and saved half the rental. The crew
was saddened by the loss of their toy.
Everyone helps
The filter and the water fall basin were placed tentatively in
their approximate locations. This was changed as I decided on
rocking day that the filter was just too close to the watercourse
and would require 90° fittings or bends in the hose.
Breaking Ground!
18

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
Day 2
The next day we installed the underlay and the liner. The 4 foot
wide underlay was found at Home Depot on clearance for .28¢
a LINEAR foot. Most underlays are sold by the square foot at
around the same price. A considerable saving. At this point my
so called budget needs any help it can get.
around the corners and shelves as I returned with the hose and
the fill began.
The approved procedure for filling is that as the water level
rises, you stretch the liner and fold the areas where there are
gathers in the liner.
It has to be done neatly and with as few folds as possible to
ensure that there are no areas for anaerobic bacteria to gather or
fish to get trapped. You can buy EPDM liner tape to actually
tape these folds down and cover them but the cost seemed
prohibitive to me so we didn't. The guys enjoyed using the
pond to cool off for the rest of the day.
Installed Underlay
The liner was stretched out on the lawn briefly to soften in the
sun before installing, we were going to try to fry and egg on it
but didn't want to leave it longer than a few minutes on the
grass. It was HOT! Solar energy, what a concept.
Pond or Pool?
It took 6 hours for the pond to fill to within a foot of the top.
We decided to leave it there to help the rock crew to manoeuvre
the following day. While it was filling we made the raised
gardens.
Day 3
It was cooler this day and we were tentative about working in
the cold water and the cold air. My intrepid sons and a (very)
dedicated friend decided that they could handle it. The water
was around 58°F.
Cooking Grass with Solar Energy
This size of liner weighs a lot. At the time of installation we had
exactly 2.5 people to help..(I was the half with the gimpy
encased ankle) so my husband and son decided to fold it up
into a square and drop it into the bottom of the pond and
unfold it in place. We dragged the liner over to the pond on
another piece of old scrap liner and then eased it in. Worked
great. They unfolded it and started the process of pleating
The waterfall shelves were cut into the rear wall of the raised
dirt berm and they laid the underlay and the liner so that it
overlapped on top of the pond liner doubling the liner to help
ensure no tears from the sharp rock. We then cut rock pads out
of scrap liner and doubled these up under the bottom two
courses of the rock shelving.
By noon the boys were frozen and the rocks were laid and ready
to be injected with the expanding foam to help keep the water
on top of the rock course. Note to anyone using this stuff...read
the label. Follow the directions, especially where it tells you to
wear gloves and not allow it to cure on your skin. Not doing
19

this resulted in our intrepid rockers losing of a few inches of
skin and some toe hair.
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
First layer of rock work
After the departure of our other crew member to work and a
quick trip to the hardware store for some more expanding foam,
the boys were ready for the next layer.
Five hours later the watercourse and the first section of front
retaining wall are complete. We removed the filter and used the
hole to plant one of the two foundation trees. The Japanese
maple was installed while they were trimming the excess foam
from the rock areas.
Starting to look like a classy pond!
We filled the pond within four inches of the top. There is
enough liner at the left end of the pond to install a 4-6 inch bog
(the excavating crew's idea of a bog was 12 inches deep) so we
can dig that out tomorrow after rock shopping.
Stay tuned for the last installment next month to see how it all
turns out. - Jayne
Where do fish keep
their money?
It saw the Queen Mary's bottom;; in the river bank
Why did the
lobster blush?
angelfish
anglerfish
aquatic
bony
cartilaginous
catfish
cod
cold-blooded
eel
eggs
fins
flounder
freshwater
fry
gills
goldfish
great white
shark
halibut
hammerhead
shark
lateral line
mackerel
manta ray
minnow
mudskipper
ocean
piranha
puffer fish
reef
river
salmon
saltwater
scales
school
shoal
tiger shark
trout
tuna
vertebrate
whale
shark
20

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
Living with Livebearers
A new regular column by Ed Koerner, KWAS (edkoerner@sympatico.ca).
This month I am starting a small regular installment dealing
with livebearers. Almost all of us have kept them at one time or
another. After spending more time on them over the past year, I
thought it might be helpful having a short monthly chat for the
readers out there. Most people think of livebearers as easy to
keep and easy to breed fish that make good feeders for their big
fish (I have called endlers fancy feeder guppies on more than
one occasion) and do not bring any challenge to the hobby. I
will have to admit that many livebearers I would consider
beginner fish but hopefully over the course of these articles
there may be exceptions to that.
So, let’s start at the beginning rather quickly. My experience
with livebearers began when I was about 3.5 years old and
visiting my grandparents. As with most people, that first
introduction was with guppies, but I did not try keeping them,
feeding them or doing anything else with them except – one
afternoon I was bored and thought it would be interesting for
some reason to scoop some out with my hand and put them
into an empty ashtray – yes disgusting, I know – most people
have given up smoking these days.
Well, my grandmother came in and wasn’t impressed and I
received a bit of punishment and for the next year any time a
fish died or even swam erratically it was my fault. My next
foray into livebearers was a few years later when I got to keep
some in a one gallon shallow gold fish bowl. Yes, we did that
back then, and many people try to these days – it’s a good thing
that some of our LFS staff are a little better educated. So, I
slowly worked my way up to 5 and ten gallon tanks and in high
school kept guppies while receiving some tutelage from a very
knowledgeable retired dentist that knew what he was doing. I
was in awe of his fish room and the time he took in raising and
selecting, culling and feeding (mostly live brine shrimp) his
fish. I moved on to bigger fish and became rather bored with
most livebearers really, but every so often I would see one with
colours that was interesting and tempting.
I made a serious dive back into livebearers about a year ago
through the BAP program. Having rejoined KWAS after a long
hiatus (since the mid ‘80s) I got my competitive juices going
when I saw some people participating and collecting certificates
with the BAP program. I then looked at the CAOAC program
and they have several different categories of fish breeding such
as killies, Rift Lake cichlids, and of course livebearers and I
decided I would challenge myself to go after some livebearer
certificates. The first 20 or so fish weren’t too hard to find, but I
am realizing that the real challenge may be to find and keep the
various species that I thought would be easy BAP points. I have
found about 114 different ones listed on the CAOAC list and
I’m sure there are many more than those because there are some
surprising fish that fall into the livebearer class. How many of
you realize that sharks are considered livebearers? Or many
stingrays? So, with that in mind, hopefully many of you will
follow along here and eventually find something about
livebearers that you didn’t know.
With that introduction, let’s start this month’s livebearer profile
with what may be the most common fish in the hobby – or a
close second to goldfish at the very least – the guppy. Poecilia
reticulata was discovered in 1866 in Trinadad. It is native to
many Caribbean islands such as Netherlands Antilles, Trinidad
and Tobago, and Barbados as well as Brazil, Guyana and
Venezuela.
As anyone who has kept them knows they are very prolific with
a gestation period of about 28 days and up to 100 fry can be
dropped in a single brood. As with many livebearers, what
makes the female even more prolific is her ability to store sperm
sacks which can be used to produce up to 4 more spawns
without the presence of a male. Fry are completely self
sufficient at birth and will take crushed flake food or many
other small frozen foods such baby brine shrimp or daphnia.
Adults will eat a wide variety of foods but in nature will eat
insects and they have been introduced in many world locals to
help control mosquito populations. The fry will take 3 to 4
months to reach maturity but can start breeding well before
that.
Guppies are small fish that can be kept in a 10 gallon tank quite
easily. Males are 1-1.5 inches while females grow up to 2.5
inches. They prefer harder water and can withstand water with
higher levels of salt than sea water. They should be kept in
temperatures ranging between 74-80 F although they can be
kept at room temperatures, but a heater is certainly best for long
term health.
Guppies make good community tank mates and are generally
peaceful, although males may nip at fins of some fish. Males
will be aggressive with females and it is best to keep a ratio of 2
or 3 females for each male in a tank. Most people don’t follow
this rule as females tend to be dull in colour except for some tail
colouration or in half black varieties, while males are bred to
possess large colourful fantails in a myriad of combinations.
One fish that shouldn’t be kept with them is the male betta, as
he will often consider the large fin display of the male guppy as
a sign of aggression and competition and they may actively
seek to eliminate the threat. - Ed
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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
Name That Fish
Hosted By Ed Koerner, KWAS (edkoerner@sympatico.ca).
Well, it’s been a nice hot summer and we are getting back
together to share our fishy extravagances, but does anyone
remember our Name That Fish entries from way back in June?
There were other distractions like pizza and cake so it may have
slipped some peoples’ minds. I even had to take a quick look
back at the meeting minutes just to confirm and make sure I
was writing up the proper fish, and I was the one that brought
them in, but as they say, “the memory is the second thing to
go”. Let’s recap and then come up with some ideas for future
NTF entries. For the June meeting we had three different bags
of fish to help celebrate our 50th.
Our first fish took a lengthy amount of time but our young
winner Sean Glazier took home a bag filled with an even dozen
Corydoras pygmaeus which brought a smile to his face and
should negate the need to pilfer fish from Ma’s tanks for a
while. This little cory grows to just over an inch long and is
mostly silver with one black stripe running through its body
length. It is a very peaceful community fish that does best in
groups of 6-10 where it will often swim in the middle part of the
tank as well as scouring the bottom for small bits of food like
most corys. Native to Brazil, they do best in soft water with a
pH of less than 7.5 and will eat most commercial and prepared
foods but live black worms are favourites. It is fairly easy to
spawn and this can be done in a ten gallon tank following the
usual methods for corys. Two females with several males, some
sand substrate and assorted plants and they should go into
spawning mode after a water change with replacement water
being 3 or 4 degrees cooler than the tank was originally,
normally 72-78 F, on the higher side if you are trying to spawn
them.
sterlet and was won by Rein Breitmaier, who put it into the
auction realizing that it would outgrow his tank well before it
stopped growing. These are a smaller species of the family only
growing to 3 feet and can live for 25 years. They are bottom
feeders living off of worms, crustaceans and insect larvae in the
wild. They should be fed natural meaty foods as they have
difficulty digesting vegetable proteins. They are peaceful
friendly fish and can be kept in ponds quite easily as it can
handle a variety of temperature ranges, but it should be
considered a cold water fish.
The third and final mystery fish before our summer break was
won by Barb Ireland. The guesses were rather quickly whittled
down to a type of pleco and not being sure which it might be
but perhaps hoping, Barb took a stab at Green Phantom pleco,
and ended up taking one home with her. The Hemiancistrus
subviridis is a beautiful show pleco, growing to just over 7
inches and is actually green with light spots on its head and
upper body. It hails from Venezuela and the Rio Orinoco so
should be kept and handled like most plecos with soft to
medium pH conditions and temperatures of 72-78 F. It is not so
much an algae eater but should be fed a more balanced diet
with some meats like shrimp or worms. They need wood in the
tank as they will rasp on it to add roughage for their diet and
digestive system but there should be rocks or stone work in the
tank as it is a cave spawner and enjoys a high water flow. It is a
good community fish and large tetras and silver dollars make
good tank mates.
Sean Glazier with a bag filled with an even dozen Corydoras pygmaeus
The second bag only had one fish in it but given some time to
grow out it should take up more space than most people have
room for. It was an Acipenser ruthenus or a European sturgeon or
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Barb Ireland with a Green Phantom pleco (Hemiancistrus subviridi)
See you in September with new fish and new challenges. - Ed

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
My First Tropheus
BAP Article By Ed Koerner, KWAS (edkoerner@sympatico.ca). Photos by the Zenin.
I have had African cichlids off and on over the years and I had
heard lots of talk about Tropheus the past few years. I had
heard about bloat and proper food and the level of tank
maintenance and all kinds of things that made them sound like
they were more bother than they were worth and not as
interesting as SA’s.
Well, a few months ago one of our club members – a self
professed Trophaholic, needed to sell a small colony and talked
to me about them. I had a tank empty at the time and decided
why not? I picked them up and brought them home in a bucket.
There were 6 or 7 adults looking dark and stressed and some
month old fry. I added them to the tank and waited to see what
all the hubbub over Tropheus was about. I wasn’t overly
impressed over the first week. They huddled back in the corner
behind some large rocks and the only way I could see them was
messing around with a stick.
I tried throwing in food, but they didn’t seem interested in that
either. They had been getting fed NLS and I had read the
ingredients and they didn’t look like a basic vegetarian diet,
which is what I classified Tropheus as. Well, taking the advice of
said Trophaholic, I picked up some NLS and came home to try
it. Well, they started eating and soon came out from the rocks
looking for more. First battle with Tropheus won.
They soon grew and started developing some bits of colour. Oh,
did I mention colour? Yes, I did. The adults by this time had
coloured up and I was amazed. They had bodies that were a
bright yellow orange with red heads and fins and purple lips –
they were really cool! Okay, another victory with the Tropheus.
These fish were worth having. Oh, and another thing – they
have great character and I started watching them dart back and
forth from one end of the tank to the other, chasing, playing,
bullying and doing the things Tropheus seem to like to do.
After a while in the tank, a male started doing his strutting and
flashing and looked like he was looking for a suitor. Did I say a
bit about colour earlier? Well, forget that- his whole face turned
purple with fins to go along with it. The back of his body was a
bright red and I started thinking these were some of the coolest
fish I’d ever had. Well, I didn’t do anything special or different
in the tank, just leaving the fish be – and over a few weeks,
leaving them rather neglected. There were other things that
were getting my attention and the water slowly evaporated out
of the tank, gunk started forming on the glass, the filter was
running at about a third of flow capacity – all bad things for
someone keeping fish and deadly for Africans.
Well, fear not there is a happy ending. I finally took some time
and cleaned the tank and filter and got things straightened out.
I had been feeding them properly through this – I’m not a mean
fish keeper, just a sloppy one. Besides the NLS, I had been
feeding them a homemade veggie concoction from another club
member along with spirulina flakes. After everyone was happy
again I noticed a female (I couldn’t tell it was a female and still
can’t tell which is which) with a mouth full of eggs. I was
surprised that I hadn’t any issues with these guys after a couple
weeks of neglect and now not only did they seem healthy but
we were expecting.
I was keeping the fry in a plastic container in the tank because I
was afraid to add them with the adults figuring they would be
eaten or at least severely beaten upon. Again, I listened to my
Troph Master and set them loose into the tank with the adults. I
was rather surprised that there were no issues. The adults
pretty much ignored the fry and the little ones took up a few of
their own nooks in the rock where they could attack falling bits
of food as it fell.
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S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 0
I waited for another week and a half and decided to strip the
female. I purchased a little fry trap to keep any young in if I was
lucky enough to keep any. Again, I had heard that Tropheus
spawns aren’t very large and not always successful so I wasn’t
setting the bar very high. I chased the little mother down and
after getting her in the net she spit the fry while moving her
over to the table where I had my container and tools waiting.
She didn’t spit all of the fry and some weren’t ready to meet the
world yet and tried swimming back in but I was able to finally
remove all of them. I counted – one, two three….. seventeen. I
was impressed. I had been told that ten would be a decent batch
and twently were a large spawn. I was rather satisfied with
myself – oh, and with the Trophs – another win.
Final inspection verified and qualified and all fish seem to be
happy. I have been thinking about whether I should just keep
these guys for a while and enjoy their antics and character. On
the other hand, there are several other Tropheus species that I
want to take a shot at now and I can always go back to these
colourful guys again later (did I mention that they have some
colour?). I had thought that Tropheus were hard to keep and
look after but so far I have found them to be quite easy. I would
definitely recommend them to anyone that has doubts about
trying them for the first time.
Here is a little background as to the conditions that they were in
and some of the more technical details. The fish were Tropheus
sp “red” and I brought them home at the end of March. They
found a home in a standard 100 gallon tank (72”x18”x18”) using
conditioned tap water at a temperature of 80 F. The substrate
was pool filter sand with one piece of driftwood and some large
rocks. The tank was somewhat planted when I started and I
really believed that I was going to be able to keep everything in
there but the Trophs eventually decided they liked the vals and
chewed them down to the roots. The crypts have managed to
survive though as have some of the dwarf sag. I fed regularly
with NLS Thera + 1 mm sinking pellets with some frozen
veggie mix and spirulina every other day or two. This was fed
to both adults and fry. Fourteen fry were counted on first and
second inspections and are now swimming along side their
parents and older brothers and sisters. Another happy story in
the world of fishdom. - Ed
Well, I kept the fry in the net suction cupped inside the main
tank and started feeding them. Here is a word of warning.
Tropheus are always hungry. They ate NLS pellets right away
along with frozen veggie mix and flakes. I waited a week before
calling for a BAP count and lost 3 little ones in that time. Zenin
came over and counted the fourteen that were left and they
have done quite well in the two months since. They are being
kept in the net until I get my final inspection just to make
verification easier and then they will be ready to be set loose
and released into the colony.
Celebrating 50 years
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