May 2010 - Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society

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Fins & Tales
Serving Kitchener-Waterloo and the surrounding area since 1960
In This Issue: Volume 50, Issue 5
Adventures in DIY: The Bottle Trap - page 6
PlantED Tank: The Cover Up - page 14
Are Overflow Boxes Safe - Page 9
Next Meeting: Tuesday, May 4th at 7:30 pm
! ! ! Frank Aguirre speaks about Synodontis cats
Official Publication of the Kitchener-Waterloo Aquarium Society
Visit us at http://www.kwas.ca

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In This Issue...
Name That Fish
CAOAC Convention Details
DIY Bottle Trap
PlantED: The Cover Up
From The Prez’s Desk
Page 4
From The Editors’ Desk
Page 4
Local Store Directory
Page 5
2010 Jar Show Results
Did it really take 20+
guesses for our
membership to figure
out “Goldfish” for
April’s Name That
Fish Yes it did, but
only because Ed’s been
challenging us for
months with very rare
fish. No one suspected
he’d bring feeders as a
joke :) Well it was
APRIL after all.
Page 10
The 2010 CAOAC
convention will be held
at Sheridan College this
coming May. Phil has
assembled a lot of
details into a handy
reference on page 9.
We hope to see another
large contingent of
KWAS members this
year. See you there!
Jayne breaks out her
engineering skills and
treats us to a seminar on
catching fish without
tearing apart a tank.
Just be sure not to
watch the fish or they’ll
tease you mercilessly.
Page 6
Ed discusses ground
cover for your planted
tank and Zenin presents
photos from the new
planted display tank at
Big Al’s Aquarium
Services in Kitchener.
Page 14
Page 5
Are Overflow Boxes Safe
Page 9
Exchange Editor’s Report
Page 11
KWAS Meeting Minutes
Page 14
Ed Talks Ponds
Page 17
Fry Tank
Page 20
Page 19
Upcoming Fishy Events
On the front cover
• May 1 - Cambridge Auction
This Boesemani Rainbow fish was photographed by Brad Smith.
• May 4 - KWAS General Meeting
• May 11 - KWAS Business Meeting
• May 21-23 - CAOAC Annual Convention
• June 1 - KWAS Pizza and Raffle Night
• June 8 - KWAS Business Meeting
• June 26 - Sarnia Guest Speaker ‘ Gary Lange’
• June 28 - KWAS Summer Picnic
• September 7 - KWAS General Meeting
• September 14 - KWAS Business Meeting
• September 18 - Sarnia Show and Auction
• September 26 - London Show and Auction
• October 5 - KWAS General Meeting
• October 12 - KWAS Business Meeting
• October 24 - OKTOBERFISH Show and Auction
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.
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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 (pyrofish@rogers.com)
Librarian ! Terry Clements
Lunch Committee !***** Open *****
Programs ! Al Ridley (pyrofish@rogers.com)
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
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From the President’s Desk
Hello again everyone,
Hello All.
From The Editors’ Desk
As I write this months Presidents page I realize that I am a full 5
days behind our newsletter editors deadline. I hope this gets
published. Like many of you I am juggling a lot with both our
own club and CAOAC. With the warmer weather finally here,
it’s time to get outside and take care of the yard and get the
patio ready for the summer months. May is a busy time at our
own club as our annual elections will be held this meeting. If
you haven’t notified Mary Lynne that you are running for one
of the executive positions, please do so now. Members in good
standing have until the beginning of our May meeting to either
be nominated by another club member or nominate themselves
for one of the 4 executive positions.
Last months guest speaker Jerry Draper (Tropical Fishroom in
Brantford) really put on a great presentation on breeding
techniques. I learned some very interesting facts listening to his
presentation. Thanks Jerry, you are always welcome in
Kitchener. This month another friend of our club, Frank Aguirre
will visit us to present a talk on the Synodontis catfish species.
Frank’s talks are always filled with great information, photos
and of course his passion for all species shines when he talks.
I’m not sure what happened last month with the jar show but
with our 4 main competitors absent, Dave had a nice easy
night. No wonder he was able to concentrate so well and win
both the Name that fish species. Let’s not forgot how much fun
it is to show your fish and bring something in this month.
Loaches and killifish are up and of course AOV.
On Saturday May 1st our neighbour club CDAS holds their
spring auction. Sunday May 2nd, has London on deck with
their event. Of course May is convention month and I’m sure
looking forward to it. Our club is up for a number of awards
again this year. Let’s hope we can pull it off again. I think we’ve
got the stuff it takes! It looks like KWAS is going to have a great
contingent of members going to Oakville which is a mere 45
minute drive from Kitchener. If you haven’t purchased your
ticket or booked your room if you are staying over, please do it
now. Come support your club and enjoy a weekend full of great
guest speakers from all over North America. Details can be
found in this newsletter and on the CAOAC website
www.caoac.ca.
I tempted fate last month. I boasted that we managed to get the
issue done early. Bad idea. As I write this there are less than 48
hours to the general meeting and this issue is far from done.
April has been a write off for our family. Two trade shows for
Tanya, two business trips for Cam, plus all the regular work
and family commitments. Oh well, maybe in June
As a result of our INSANE April there is very little chance that
you’ll get a printed copy of this newsletter before June’s
meeting, but you’ll need something to tide you over for 2
months right Why not two issues at a time You can thank us
later.
Sadly, this is also a month where Rein has broken his streak for
TMA. Hopefully TMA #52 will return next month before we
take our summer break.
In contrast however we have two new contributors. Jayne
Glazier follows in Ryan Barton’s shoes with a continuation of
what I hope will become the regular “Adventures in DIY”
column every issue. I’ve already lined up a few more DIY
articles, so it seems likely we’ll get at least five in a row for this
feature and more if you write something too. Hint.
The second contributor is Melad from our forums. Inspired by
his epic threads I asked for a summary of the overflow boxes
discussion. It appears on page 9 for your reading pleasure.
Thanks Melad!
Lastly, Ed returns from a bit of a hiatus with a PlantED Tank
article about ground cover and bonus article about ponds.
Other than that, I guess I should get back to actually
completing this issue eh I hope to see/meet many of you at the
CAOAC convention this year. It’ll be my first and I’m looking
forward to it.
See you at the meeting/convention,
Cam Turner & Tanya Morose
Newsletter Editors, KWAS
See you at the meeting!
Phil Maznyk
Interim President (former VP), KWAS
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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
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 four
months of competition this is where we stand:
! Seniors:! Points
! Zenin Skomorowski!18
! Alan Smiley!12
! Tony Gibbons!4
! Al Ridley!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: !
Dwarf Cichlids / Rainbow fish
Rift Lake Cichlids
Characins
Catfish
Loaches & Killifish
Also a BIG thank you to the following manufacturers for
donating goods to our 2009 Oktoberfish Auction:
Rolf C Hagen, Danner Manufacturing, Brown Trout Publishing,
Martin Mills Inc., Doctors Foster and Smith, Plecocaves.com,
Casco Inc, Tetra & SeaChem (Star Aquarium Products).
June: !
September: !
October: !
November: !
Cyprinids
Livebearers
Large American Cichlids
Anabantids & Plants
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.
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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Adventures in DIY: The Bottle Trap
Submitted by Jayne Glazier, KWAS (jandj.glazier@sympatico.ca). Photos provided by the author.
It has always been my private conviction that any man who
pits his intelligence against a fish and loses has it coming.
~John Steinbeck
I found this great quote on a fishing related website and it put
me in mind of the challenge of trying to catch aquarium fish in
heavily furnished tanks. Everyone from LFS staff to private
hobbyists and breeders have had the battle of trying to catch
fish that really don't want to be caught. And losing.
So you want to catch some fish. And your tank looks like this:
Why do we set a fish trap If you have ever seen a minnow
trap or lobster pot it is based on that design. It relies on the
advanced technological knowledge of thousands of years of
human intelligence that fish can't find their way out of narrow
openings when the opening is inverted into a container.
Nobody told the fish that theory but surprisingly it does work
8/10 times. It all comes down to a battle of wits.
The Bottle Trap. The benefits to this method are plentiful. We
can go away from the tank and allow the fish's natural hunger/
greed/curiosity to catch it/them for us. It allows absolutely
less stress for the fishkeeper, more time to spend on aquabid or
talking to our fishhead friends and is almost certainly less
taxing for the fish. On top of that you don't have to move the
bubbling diver or treasure chest figurines.
So how do we go about making an inexpensive and effective
fish trap First: gauge the size of the fish involved. Is it small
Is it large Fish girth guesstimation is the first skill needed.
Can that fish(es) swim through the hole in the lid of a water
bottle Pop bottle Bread Box How many are you looking at
catching at once Do you want to catch 3 guppies but not your
full sized plecos If you need anything larger than a harpoon to
catch the fish then this may not work for you.
You could tear down the whole tank. It has only taken you 3
months to grow it in and that fish that needs relocating is in
dire straits....or you are in dire straits because you want the fish
gone
You could try to catch it with a net, or even two nets. That
really does work for mid zone fishes that usually don't spend
too much time on the bottom or hiding in the weeds and if you
don't have a lot of branchy driftwood....basically it works for
fish that school in lightly decorated/planted tanks.
If neither or these options appeal to you or work the first time,
then the other option is to set the trap.
For argument's sake and because they are little brats to catch,
let's say we are trying to catch some rather canny full grown
corydoras. These fish know all the hidey holes and can squeeze
under rocks, plants etc. They are also pretty greedy.
First step in the plan: Don't feed your fish that day or find
something extra yummy to bait the trap with.
We can use a water bottle trap to catch one or a few fish at a
time or a large container with the same sized opening for more.
Materials:
• One empty 500 or 750 ml water bottle.
• Pair scissors
• Tape (hockey shin pad tape works great, is waterproof and
transparent. Duct tape works too but is not see through so
useless)
Method:
1. Carefully poke a hole into the bottle with the scissors right
at the shoulder (where the bottle just starts to narrow
towards the top, then insert the scissors and carefully and
semi evenly cut all around the bottle to meet at the start
point. You now have a topless bottle (a flimsy cup) and a
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funnel.
7. Carefully submerge the trap into the tank making sure the
air bubbles are expelled through the end hole.
2. Flip the top of the bottle over and invert the opening into
the bottom.
3. Apply a short piece of tape to one side of the new lid to act
as a hinge.
8. Go away. DO NOT STAY AND WATCH YOUR FISH...
THEY WILL TAUNT YOU BY SWIMMING CLOSE TO,
INTO AND BACK OUT OF YOUR TRAP IF THEY KNOW
YOU ARE WATCHING... Go read your latest copy of Fins
and Tales, post a fish joke in the Forum Humour Section
etc...
9. Come back and lift out your full fish trap. Over a bucket or
container, carefully peel back the longer piece of tape and
flip open the trap (water will be dripping out the bottom
where the hole is so don't be overly long about it)
4. Cut a longer piece of tape to fasten the other side of the lid
closed so it won't open.
5. Puncture a hole at the flat end of the bottle trap trying to
make sure there aren't any sharp edges sticking into the
trap.
6. Bait the trap.
10. Pour out the fish into the container. Sort out the ones that
you didn't want to catch this time. (This always happens)
Re-bait and reuse as needed.
Additional notes: To catch mid zone fish, thread a piece of
fishing line or thread through the bottle and bottom hole and
use it to suspend the trap in the mid water area. I use sticky
tack to hold the trap line in place on the outside of the glass but
tape will work too.
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You can use several of these on multiple tanks at the same
time, just setting, catching and emptying them all in rotation.
Please never leave a trap set overnight. The fish do get
stressed in their confined area and can panic themselves to
death. Corys certainly have stress issues if they can't surface to
gulp air occasionally. After a few episodes in the same day, you
should take a break for a while. They can learn how to get out
or avoid the trap altogether. The good news is that they don't
remember long term and it can be used successfully again and
again. Remember to sterilize your trap between uses and
tanks or use a dedicated trap for each tank. You can make a
new trap each time if you desire but we are all about reducing,
reusing and recycling here at KWAS!
The fish will taunt you if you watch. Go write something for Fins and Tales.
Good hunting! - Jayne
Are Overflow
Boxes Safe
Submitted By Melad, KWAS Forum Member
(http://kwas.ca/forum/member.phpu=4166)
Are overflow boxes safe That was a question that was
boggling my mind ever since I planned on getting one. Before I
get into whether or not they’re safe, let me tell you what
overflow boxes are. Several different types of overflows are
available.
The most simple is the U tube type. Most have a box that hang
inside the main tank with the U tubes connecting to a box
hanging on the outside of the tank. If the tank water level
drops, it falls beneath the edge of the box in the tank, which
stops the water level from dropping any more. The box hanging
on the outside of the tank is either split into two compartments
(one side holds some water then as it fills the water cascades
over into the other half which is fitted with a bulkhead to the
sump), or in some cases there is a pipe sticking up from the
bottom of the box where there is a bulkhead fitting. If the pump
stops (electrical failure), the water level in the box only drops as
low as either the pipe sticking out of the bulkhead or the level
of the divider. In either case when the pump kicks back on the
level of the water raises enough to start flowing again. The edge
of the divider or the pipe sticking out of the bulkhead in the
outside box is higher than the bottom of the box inside of the
aquarium to prevent siphon break.
The other option works with the use of an aqua lifter pump
(able to lift small amounts of water as well as suck up air).
Instead of tubes, most of these use a closed boxed chamber to
carry water over the edge of the tank. These lose siphon easily
but use the lifter pump to pull air out of the chamber and start
siphoning that way.
The overflow boxes that are built to maintain a siphon in a
power outage are very reliable. The dangerous part with a
power outage is actually the siphoning of the return line of the
pump, which is corrected by having a check valve, or a hole
drilled on the return pipe above the water level in the tank.
KWAS:
Celebrating 50 years
The max GPH of an overflow box depends on 3 things; the size
of the bulkhead going from the outer box to the sump, the size
of the siphon tube, and the slots on the box inside of the
aquarium. The maximum GPH is determined on the minimum
GPH of the previous 3 things.
Bottom line Yes, an overflow box is safe, as is a DIY (do it
yourself) overflow box if you know what your doing.
- Melad
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FREE PARKING
HOSPITALITY
SUITE
2010 CAOAC Convention
May 21-23, 2010
Sheridan College Oakville, Ontario
Your Convention Committee
Dave Boehm / Bob Wright / Ann Stevens / Noel Wright / Ken Boorman / Terry Little
GUEST SPEAKERS
David Boruchowitz
Spencer Jack
Ad Konings
Ray ‘Kingfish’ Lucas
Oliver Lucanus
Lee Newman
SPECIAL
ROOM
RATES
Ticket price includes the following at no extra charge
Lunch meal Saturday
Catered banquet dinner Saturday night
SPECIAL
DRAWS
Breakfast meal Sunday morning
CAOAC Executive meeting, Annual Elections & Awards Presentations
Bring your fish, reptiles, amphibians, plants, crafts & photos to show
Large Auction Sunday afternoon
All for only $75 per person!
Purchase your tickets online.
Bring the family! Lots to see and do in the area!
Visit www.caoac.ca for all the convention details
BOOK EARLY TO GET OUR
SPECIAL CAOAC RATE
WIRELESS
INTERNET
9

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Name That Fish
Hosted By Ed Koerner, KWAS (edkoerner@sympatico.ca).
For our April meeting we had 3 bags of fish to guess since we
only had one for February (one bag ended up forgotten and left
behind at home) and I was determined not to bring stumpers
this time. The first fish was one that everyone has heard of
before - Carassius auratus auratus or the common goldfish. The
group did have an interesting time finding the right questions
and whittling down the possibilities and I began getting
nervous as to whether this bag would end up on the auction
table again but Dave Boehm came through with the correct
answer. I am told that they will find a home in his rain barrel
and will be put on mosquito detail for the season.
will eat almost anything that they can get into them. They will
eat flake, pellets, worms and pretty much any frozen foods
offered. Care should be taken when handling these fish as many
a net has been ruined when their rather sharp and serrated fins
get caught up in the mesh.
It was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is one of
the most commonly kept aquarium fish. A relatively small
member of the carp family (which also includes the koi carp
and the crucian carp), the goldfish is a domesticated version of
a dark-gray/olive/brown carp (Carassius auratus) native to east
Asia.
The last bag was donated by Cam Turner and contained a nice
treat of four young black Altolamprologus calvus. These are rather
nice fish and they aren’t seen very often. Unfortunately, they
were guessed quicker than even our goldfish by Alex Campbell,
as these fish had actually been on his mind for a new tank he
had set up. Let that be a lesson to our members to stick up their
hands and help participate in NTF – you never know what you
might be taking home – and the quicker you guess the fish, the
sooner I’ll be finished talking.
Goldfish may grow to a maximum length of 23 inches and a
maximum weight of 10 pounds (4 kg) although this is rare;
most individual goldfish grow to under half this size. In
optimal conditions, goldfish may live more than 40 years;
however, most household goldfish generally live six to eight
years.
The next bag of fish was again guessed by Dave Boehm and he
also took home two Pimelodella pictus, commonly called a
spotted pictus or angelicus catfish.
These are native to South America, from the rivers and
waterways of Brazil, Peru and Columbia. They will grow to
about 10 inches and are an active, peaceful tank resident,
although as with most catfish they do have large mouths and
Calvus are African cichlids from Lake Tanganyika growing to 6
inches with a lifespan of 12 years. They are considered a
peaceful cichlid but are quite predatory and should not be kept
with smaller fish. They should be given a high protein diet and
prefer live foods, but will eat flake and frozen foods. - Ed
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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.
Crayfish can be an interesting part of the aquarium hobby.
Udo Rohmann wrote about Cambarellus patzsuarensis in the
February 2010 issue of Hi-Fin from the Peel Regional
Aquarium Club. This dwarf freshwater crayfish comes from
Lago de Patzcuaro in Mexico. The water there is 15 to 25C
with a ph of 7.5 to 8.5, very easy to recreate in the home
aquarium. There are several colour forms, the brightest being
orange. Read in this article about the other tank parameters
and what to feed these crustaceans. Also in this issue, Udo
wrote about various types of filtration; mechanical, biological,
chemical and replacement. Most modern filters use more than
one method.
An interesting but shy fish is the Striped Raphael catfish. It is
sometimes known as the talking catfish. It will make a
croaking sound when in the net. Tom Heisler wrote about his
experiences with this beautiful catfish in the March 2010 issue
of Some Things Fishy from the Tropical Fish club of Erie
County.
The March/April 2010 issue of Fincinnati from the Greater
Cincinnati Aquarium Society has several spawning reports.
Check out Albino Eureka Reds and Altolamprologus
compressiceps “Gold Face”, both by Jerry Riegel. Have you
ever wanted to ship fish across the country John Pasnau
wrote “How to Pack and Ship Fish with Breathable Bags”.
There is a complete set of supporting photos documenting the
procedure – well done !
Roger L. Sieloff has had success keeping and breeding the
Clown Killifish Pseudepiplayts annulatus. A breeding trio of
these very small 3 cm fish can be kept in as little as a 2.5 gallon
tank. Read more about the setup and their breeding
behaviour in the April 2010 issue of Fancy Fins from the Circle
City Aquarium Club. Also in this issue, Mike Matthews wrote
about “Keeping and Breeding Crystal Red Shrimp” and
Charley Grimes wrote about Characodon audax, a Goodeid
livebearer.
Do you need help keeping Micro-worm and White-worm
cultures Do you even feed your fish live foods All the
instructions you need for maintaining cultures of either
worms are in the April 2010 issue of The Scat from the St.
Catharines and Area Aquarium Society. In another
instructional article, Dave Unruh wrote about “How to Strip
Eggs from a Cichlid and Make Your Own Egg Hatcher”. Tom
Hillier wrote about Ameca splendens, the Butterfly Goodied.
They will eat many types of algae. Keeping and breeding
them in the hobby is important because they are endangered in
the wild due to habitat loss.
The Greater City Aquarium Society of New York has produced
another hefty issue of Modern Aquarium for April 2010. If you
are looking to give a beautiful and informative book to a fish
keeping hobbyist, look for Encyclopedia of Aquarium & Pond
Fish by David Alderton. In her book review column Wet
Leaves, Susan Priest compliments this book on it’s beautiful
photography and the information contained on its 400 pages.
Stephen Sica wrote about “My Favorite Aquarium”. It is an
eight gallon Oceanic Bio-Cube, containing a filter, sump and
submersible water pump. The hood contains two compact
fluorescent bulbs and a couple of blue LED night lights, a very
nice option. Read more about what aquascaping and fish that
Stephen keeps in his Bio-Cube. We all have probably heard
about hybrid fish and especially those of African cichlids.
Tommy Chang wrote about his experiences and research done
on this sensitive topic in “The Pseudotropheus polit Project or
What I Learned about African Cichlids and Hybrids”. When I
was much younger, I was always tempted by the
advertisements in comic books for “Sea Monkeys”. Today, we
know that they are just a variant on the brine shrimp that many
fish keepers raise to feed their fish. Another kit available today
is “Dinosaur Shrimp” or “Triassic Triops”. Read why these
creatures are way more interesting in “A Very Unusual
Creature” by “The Undergravel Reporter”.
There are two BAP reports of interest to read in the April 2010
issue of Aqua Antics from the Sarnia Aquarium Society. First up
is Peter Melady describing his experiences with Cryptoheros
Cutteri. This cichlid from Honduras, is relatively small but
hardy and changes its colours when spawning. Second is
Wayne Cole with Telmatochromis temporalis. This cichlid from
Lake Tanganyika is also a relatively small fish but can be quite
aggressive to tank mates.
Surf’s up!
Here are this month’s web sites to explore:
Canadian Association of Aquarium Clubs – CAOAC
Convention coming up in May in Oakville, Ontario, Canada:
www.caoac.ca/convention.html
The Menagerie Pet Shop in Toronto, Ontario, Canada:
www.menageriepetshop.com new arrivals -
www.menageriepetshop.com/fish/new-arrivals.html
11

Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the April 2010
General Meeting
Acting President/Vice President Phil
Maznyk called the meeting to order at
7:34 pm with 42 people present. Guests
were welcomed and asked to sign our
guest book with Mary Lynne and get a
complimentary copy of our newsletter.
Announcements
Reminder of the upcoming CAOAC
Convention. Postcards are available at the
front or at the membership desk.
Elections
• Cam Turner made a motion to open the
nominations for KWAS Executive
positions for 2010/2011.
• Brad Smith nominated Phil Maznyk for
President. No other nominations came
from the floor.
• Nominations can be sent to Mary Lynne
and must be received before the start of
the Business meeting April 13 th at 7:30
pm.
Constitution
Phil asked for a motion to accept the
Constitution and By-Law changes as
printed in the newsletter. Rein Breitmaier
motioned to accept the changes
recommended by the Executive. Brad
Smith seconded the motion. 26 members
voted in favour of the changes, none
voted against and none abstained. The
changes are now in effect and the
documents will be updated.
HAP
• Ed Koerner received certificates
BAP
• Ed Koerner and Al Ridley received
certificates
Name That Fish
• Carassius aratus (goldfish) won by
Dave Boehm
M A Y 2 0 1 0
• Pimelodus pictus won by Dave Boehm
• Altolamprologus calvus (donated by
Cam Turner) won by Alex Campbell
Program
• Jerry Draper spoke to the group on
Breeding Techniques.
Show Jar
• There were no entries in this months
contest
• Dave announced that he had swept the
show with his two Name That Fish
winnings
• Next month is Killifish, Loaches and
AOV
Auction
• Ed sold a selection of fish and plants
Library Draw
• Cam Turner won the library draw
Raffle
• Rein Breitmaier won a gift certificate to
Living Aquarium in Cambridge.
• Alex Campbell won a gift certificate to
The Tropical Fishroom in Brantford.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:21 pm.
Minutes of the April 2010
Business Meeting
The meeting was called to order at 7:30
pm at the McClanahan home.
Executive present: Phil Maznyk, Brad
McClanahan and Al Ridley.
BOD present: Ryan Barton, Terry
Clements, Katie McClanahan, Mary
Lynne Lucier, Zenin Skomorowski and
Ed Koerner
Motion to accept the March Business
meeting minutes as published made by
Ryan, seconded by Terry… V&C
Ryan suggested a change to the April
General Meeting minutes. Motion to
accept the April General meeting minutes
as emailed and amended made by Katie,
seconded by Brad. V&C
Future Business meetings – Dave Boehm
will host the May business meeting.
Zenin will host the June business
meeting.
Treasurers report read by Brad and
accepted on a motion made by Zenin,
seconded by Mary Lynne. V&C
Correspondence
• No correspondence
Committee Reports
Newsletter (Cam)
• Absent: nothing to report
Webmaster (Phil)
• OVAS (Ottawa Valley Aquarium
Society) asked us for advice in
controlling their forum. We have sent
them a letter outlining our Terms Of
Service and how we enforce them.
• Tim Bellhouse (Kingfisher) has joined
the moderator team
• Apisto-nut’s section has been hidden
due to inactivity.
Program (Al)
• May – Frank Aguirre on Synodontis
• June – KWAS Pizza Party/50 th year
celebrations
• September – Tianna (Tye) on
Aquascaping
• Future meeting – Klaus on the CARES
program
June Meeting Suggestions
• Cake with KWAS logo – Al to order
from Sobey’s
• Zenin to pick six photos from the past
year for publication
• Ask Zenin to create a slide show –
KWAS in review (how far back do we
have pictures)
12

• Mary Lynne to look into KWAS 50 year
pins. Tomkar and RH Imprint will be
approached to quote.
• Lifetime members
• A motion to allow Zenin to purchase a
55 gallon kit for a main prize in June
was made by Ed, seconded by Mary
Lynne. V&C
• A motion to allow Brad to purchase a
$100.00 gift certificate and three $50.00
gift certificates for prizes was made by
Mary Lynne, seconded by Ed. V&C
• Ed will contact Rhonda at Pepi’s Pizza
and order the same as last year for
delivery at 8 pm
• Mary Lynne will order balloons
• Al will remind the media contacts
• Executive and BOD are asked to be at
the meeting room at 7 pm sharp
Exchanges (Zenin)
• Al Ridley was reprinted in the
Hamilton publication
CAOAC (Phil)
• CAOAC Convention registration is
going well
• CAOAC shirts are available online
• Ed will pick up the $51.00 and the
$50.00 gift cards KWAS has committed
to for the Presidents Challenge for the
CAOAC Convention.
M A Y 2 0 1 0
Membership (Mary Lynne)
• Two new members plus an anonymous
donated membership for Tesca.
• Family Membership requirements may
need to be review for the next update.
• Phil will assist Mary Lynne with a
database review to see if it can be made
more user friendly.
Auction (open)
• No report
Library (Terry)
• No books were returned however
members acknowledged that they had
books out.
Raffle (Katie)
• Discussed ways to increase ticket sales.
Katie will work the room to sell more
tickets.
HAP (Ed)
• Ed advised the team of his
dissatisfaction of the way his points
and forms have been handled. The
Executive explained that incomplete
forms (inspection signatures) are the
responsibility of the member, not of the
Executive. The club is trying to bring
integrity back to the program by
enforcing the requirements of the
programs especially where CAOAC
awards requirements are met.
BAP (Ryan)
• Nothing to report
Name That Fish (Ed)
• Nothing to report
Show Jar (Dave Boehm)
• Absent: nothing to report
Lunch Counter (Dave Bradley)
• Absent
Pet Store Liaison (Zenin and Al)
• Al placed club flyers in Something’s
Fishy in Owen Sound.
• Talked about The Pet Pantry in Guelph
and Fishy Business in Georgetown.
Old Business
• We now have the CTV Oktoberfish clip.
Cam will post it to You Tube and link it
to our website when he has time.
New Business
• Upcoming elections of the Executive
will be held in May. Board of Directors
will be appointed in June. Please advise
an Executive if you are interested in
any position. We will post in the forum
to reach as many members as possible.
Constitution review
• Phil will update the Constitution and
By-Laws and repost to the website.
• Mary Lynne will email the document to
our membership list.
Motion to close the meeting was made by
Katie. Seconded by Mary Lynne. V&C at
10:01 pm.
Aquarium Kit to be given away to a KWAS Member at the June Meeting
Kit contains:
- 55 gallon glass aquarium 48 x 13 x 21
- Top Fin 60 Power Filter with 2 cartridges
- 2 canopies, each with one fluorescent tube
- 200 watt submersible heater
- 6" net, LCD thermometer, water treatment samples
Qualifications to win:
- You must use your 2010 KWAS membership card to enter
- Maximum of 2 membership cards per family
- You must be present when the draw is made
- You must be able to take the kit home that night (box is just over 4 feet long, will fit on the back seat of most automobiles)
13

M A Y 2 0 1 0
PlantED Tank: The Cover Up
Hosted By Ed Koerner, KWAS (edkoerner@sympatico.ca). Photos by Zenin Skomorowski.
Well, hello again all that have been wondering where I’ve been
and why I haven’t been writing. For those that didn’t miss me –
what can I say that hasn’t been said about me at one time or
another already I have been rather busy with more hours at
work and although I have had ideas running through my head
for articles, I have not been able to sit down and make myself
actually put them down for Cam to print. For some of you with
plant questions and queries you have been able to hunt me
down anyway and pick my brain but I have actually missed
putting in an article – and qualifying plants that are on my
HAP list of course. So, in the immortal words of Bugs Bunny…..
“On with the show.”
People have asked me a lot about choosing good ground cover
plants. It is easy to find various plants for the mid and back
ground for different light conditions. I can come up with a half
dozen plants quite quickly for low, medium or high light tanks
with no problem at all. But, then people want something low
and covering for the front of their tanks - now we run into some
trouble. For those of you that have low light plant set ups,
please bear with me but I will tell you right now that there are
only two plants that come to mind that will do well or survive
in your aquarium. Sorry, but that is all that I can give you at the
moment. I will list them at the end of this so that you will have
to work through the whole article to find out just what they are.
For the rest of you, I will say that most low cover plants require
at least medium light with high light being better and CO2
injection helping considerably to giving a look that might
approach that underwater lawn effect that many people are
looking for.
Now, there are many reasons for this. Many of the plants that
we use for cover plants are not naturally submersed or would
grow in shallow water. When we put them in our tanks they
may be in a 16-20 inch deep tank which is deeper than they
have evolved in to begin with and need some help. Also, light is
absorbed and diffracted as it travels deeper in water and by the
time it gets to the plants there is much less available that what
they need to be healthy and robust. Another reason that plants
don’t grow, or grow so much better when given CO2 is simply
that they are used to greater amounts of CO2 in natural settings.
If a plant grows in the air, there is much more CO2 available to
it in a gaseous environment than when submerged under water.
Also, there is much more CO2 available at an aquarium’s
surface where there are many gas exchanges going on
constantly, rather than 12 or 18 inches underwater. This is one of
the reasons that floating plants will do so much better in most
aquariums, along with getting much more light, of course.
Now that we have established the light requirements for
growing most cover plants let’s look at what other issues most
people will be frustrated by. I know that many people thinking
about planted tanks have looked at photos and shots of
manicured aquascapes that look like lawns – picturesque lush
green growth forming rolling carpets over the substrate. Well,
there are some secrets to these set ups. They are not generally
community tanks and often have been painstakingly crafted for
the final planted effect, with not a lot of consideration given to
keeping fish. Most of us want to keep fish and have a planted
tank. This is a bit more difficult.
Most small groundcovers have very shallow and fine root
systems. Hemianthus callitrichoides, or dwarf baby tears - HC as
most planties call it, is a favourite choice but has when
purchased will usually have roots that are only a quarter of an
inch long, if that and usually grown in a fibre that you should
remove before planting. If you also like to have plecos, loaches
or corys in your tank, you can spend as much money as you like
on HC and never see it get a foothold. Fish will dig, uproot, tear
apart, and generally have a little party in your greenery and
never think twice about it. These fish naturally scour the
substrate for food and knowing that you have spent your time
and patience trying your best to make these plants grow, they
will take even greater delight in watching each one float to the
top. If you think I am joking, simply look at the gleam in their
eyes while they are doing just that. The other obstacle to
growing new plants is the substrate itself. If it is too coarse there
will be nothing for the small and fine roots to get a hold in.
They may come loose even without the assistance of carousing
bottom dwellers. Some people do not care for sand substrate
but I find it one of the better ones for fine roots to take hold. I
know of some that have mixed sand or fluorite in with other
types of substrate such as Eco-Complete with good results.
River stone would be the other end of the spectrum and it is
completely out. Really, the finer the product the easier it will be
for finer roots to get a hold and start to growing. One trick that
sometimes works is to place a small piece of glass over the new
plant with a few stones as supports to allow some water flow
through the leaves. This will protect the plant from fish
disturbing it while it is developing some root structure.
This brings me to yet one more challenge to growing successful
ground covers – water flow. If you have too much current for
new plants, they can be uprooted and carried away and can’t
get a start. One the flip side of that, if there is not enough
current, you will have debris such as fish waste, left over food
and decaying plant matter get caught in the finer leaves and
choke off growth or suffocate the plant. This will lead to an
early death. Also, without water flow, you may get a build up of
various algaes develop and these will also choke off your plants
over time, as well as look unsightly. Even if you are using CO2
14

M A Y 2 0 1 0
in your tank, you will need a good circulation in the tank to
make sure your CO2 is reaching all your plants.
Now, if you are still with me and still hoping to grow some
ground covers in your planted tank, then I will list some that I
have tried and add a few options and suggestions.
tangle as a chain of several plants. Chain sword can quickly
become unruly if not kept trimmed and its invasiveness
controlled.
Eleocharis
Blyxa
This is a nice little grass-like plant that tends to need higher
light conditions. It grows into a tuft of short spikey leaves with
short roots and can be a problem to establish. Once it takes hold
though it develops quickly into groups of plants bunched
together at the center stem. These can be easily divided into
more plants and a nice grove can be had over time. Blyxa
japonica grows about 3 inches tall while Blyxa echinosperma
aubertii grows taller to about 6 inches and is the harder to grow
and more seldom seem of the two. These definitely do better
with CO2 available. They take some time to establish and are
not seen very often in the marketplace but are well worth
looking for.
Cryptocoryne parva
Eleocharis parvula Dwarf Hair Grass
This is the family of dwarf hair grasses. The leaves are very thin
and fine but very close together. The roots are quite fine and it is
difficult to establish in a coarse substrate. Good water flow is
needed for this plant as it tends to be a magnet for debris of all
kinds and can quickly become a suffocated mess. If not given
enough light it will yellow and soon fall apart littering the tank
with old pieces of leaves. It is slow to establish and slow to
spread. It is often easier to purchase several tubs of the plant,
break them up and create a small matt rather than waiting for
them to propagate themselves.
Glossostigma elatinoides
Cryptocoryne parva
Most crypts are considered low light plants but this specimen
tends to require more light than its cousins. Unfortunately, the
extra light also makes it susceptible to hair algae quite often. It
is a small 2 inch plant that grows slowly like most crypts but
makes for a nice foreground crypt variety. It stays green under
high light and will slowly form a cluster of plants from root
runners.
Echinodorus tenellus
This is the smallest of the sword family, its very thin blades
reaching about 2 inches in height and looking like grass. It is
called pygmy chain sword and once established will send out
straight runners of new shoots that can spread across the
bottom of the aquarium. It can do fine in medium light and will
establish a solid root structure fairly quickly and easily. It may
be easier to break apart new plants as they tend to uproot and
Glossostigma elatinoides
This can be a frustrating plant that leaves one scratching their
head. It can be difficult to establish and requires a medium high
level of light. I have had several failed attempts in growing this
plant while watching it simply wilt and rot away into a pile of
mulm. It has fine roots that can be challenging to take hold as
15

M A Y 2 0 1 0
well. But, once this plant has decided to make a go of it and
actually stick around to grow, it can quickly become an out of
control weed that will run anywhere that it can. It tends to grow
taller after established and will start looking very leggy. It can
be trimmed down short with scissors easily enough and this
will allow it to branch out more and send out new runners. It
will grow more solidly with CO2 and create a more dense and
substantial mat.
Hemianthus
light and often have better root structures so have a bit more
flexibility. Once established they will develop new plants
through runners. CO2 and fertilizers are not needed for these
plants to do well.
Monosolenium tenerum
Here are one of the plants that will do well under lower light
conditions. It is often referred to as Pellia but this is now
considered to be a mistaken identification. The plant is a
liverwort, in that it does not actually have leaves, but what look
like leaves are called thallus or green branches. This plant is
heavier than water and will sink to the bottom where it tries at
establish itself in nocks and crannies or between other plants
and form little tufts that resemble a large riccia. It can be grown
in a wide variety of condition, from cold to hot water, and
shade to sunlight.
Pogostemon helferi
16
Hemianthus callitrichoides Dwarf Baby Tears
This is a group of plants known as baby’s tears. Again, having
fine roots it can be difficult to establish in a community
aquarium as it can be beat up and uprooted quite easily.
Hemianthus callitrichoides or dwarf baby’s tears is a rather tiny
leaved plant that can used to create that manicured lawn effect.
It usually only grows about an inch from the surface and creates
a tight and lush cover of green. It needs a medium high level of
light and will do much better with CO2 injection. Once
established it will form a dense carpet that will blend into the
roots and stems of other plants until the larger plants look like
they are growing out of the green layer of substrate. The plant is
vulnerable to debris clogging it up so it should have some
current or ritual cleaning. Hemianthus micranthemoides is a larger
form of baby’s tears and tends to grow upward once
established. It should be kept trimmed as it will shade out
lower leaves and branches and this will kill off the bottom of
the plant. The stems tend to be brittle and will break up easily if
fish rummage around in it. When grown with CO2 the leaves
grow larger to the point that can be mistaken for Bacopa.
Lilaeopsis
This is a family of micro swords. They are rather similar to
chain swords at first glance but their leave structure from the
plant’s crown tends to grow straight up rather than a gentle
arched leave of the chain sword. The most common varieties are
L. brasiliensis and L. “Mauritius” which grow to about 3 inches.
There is a giant variety known as L. carolinesis that can grow to
more than 12 inches tall. Micro swords will grow in medium
This little plant is commonly known as downoi. It is a very
different kind of plant, difficult to establish as it usually is
found with small little roots and the leaves tend to break off
easily when trying to plant it. It has a look of a succulent garden
plant, with rings of curly leaves layered from the stem growing
2 to 3 inches tall. It propagates by growing clusters of plants
from the stem that can be broken up to form a larger grouping.
One downfall to this plant is that plecos and corys tend to
develop a taste for it once they find it. After that happens they
tend to either chew it down to the stem or uproot it and leave
bits of broken leaves floating around in the tank.
Utricularia graminifolia
Utricularia graminifolia
The is an interesting little ground cover plant that will need
high light and should have some CO2 to help get it established.
It has very fine roots and will be difficult to establish in a
community tank. It is a bladderwort and is actually a
carnivorous plant. It will catch very small crustaceans and
water life and digest the enzymes. Once established it will form
...Continued on Page 18: PlantED Tank
Official Publication of the Kitchener-Waterloo Aquarium Society (http://www.kwas.ca)

M A Y 2 0 1 0
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Article by Ed Koerner, KWAS (edkoerner@sympatico.ca). Photos provided by the Author.
enjoy the different look – anything was better than plain ugly
pavement that fills most of my back “yard”. I half filled it with
tap water and then let nature take its course over a rainy
weekend and let the rest fill by itself. I visited my folk’s pond
and added several bunches of hornwort to act as an oxygenator
and something for the fish to hide from each other and fry to
escape to. I also planted some water iris, water lilies and
cattails. In went several pieces of driftwood that I had tried to
water log the previous summer but still didn’t have any luck
sinking.
Well, it is the time of year that we start looking outside again
and wondering what we can do or what we can get away with.
Most of us like to spend more time outside when the weather
gets nicer and spend less time fussing over our tanks and fish
inside. Some people look for a way to bring some fish outside to
enjoy the weather as well. There are several ways of doing that
– some people will build a pond but for some that is too much
work or there isn’t time or space, or they would rather not
invest in that kind of project. Some people will simply throw
some fish into a rain barrel – this is usually done using some
goldfish to help keep down the mosquitoes. They will devour
larvae and grow quite nicely but tend to be rather bothersome
to keep over the winter if you really don’t want to allocate a
tank to them. Other fish will work as well. Guppies, platies and
several other live bearers will work.
Some people want to keep some fish they can see and a little tub
or barrel set on the porch or patio will work just fine. You want
to make sure that it doesn’t get too much direct sun that will
raise the temperature to slow cook your fish. You could have
some issues with cats and other animals that might discover
your fish and decide to go for some late night snacks. Keeping
some plants floating at the top will help with both problems a
little bit but not completely.
Then there are those of us that have run out of tank space and
want to use the extra season to breed something outside and
work on those BAP (Breeder’s Award Program) points. That’s
what I decided to do last summer. I found an ad for a cheap
plastic pond liner and decided to try keeping some fish
outdoors for the summer. I had a 150 gallon kidney shaped
insert for $50 and decided that I would try some livebearers out
back. It was about 60”x 36”x16” deep with a few ledges. It was
pretty easy – just find a place to put it where I could see it and
So, now to add some fish. I have been working on breeding
some different livebearers for my BAP points and decided to
throw in some red swordtails, lyretail black mollies, Ameca
splendens and some corys that I hadn’t spawned yet. Well, I lost
a pair of swords after the first night when they decided to jump
out and I found them lying together the next day about 4 feet
down slope form the pond tub. I added another pair to make a
trio and crossed my fingers. To make a long story short there
were no other fatalities for the summer. A friend gave me an old
fountain pump which I added for some water circulation and
aeration and pretty much let things be for the summer. I did
feed every so often but the fish did well on the many insects
that found their way into the pond. The plants did well and the
cattails and iris bloomed for me. The lilies found it a bit shallow
and didn’t do overly well but they did send out leaves that
covered the pond here and there. The hornwort took off like a
weed and I had to pull it out to allow room for the fish to find
swimming space. I also added a nice plant a bit later – a dwarf
papyrus, Cyperus papyrus peramentus. I grew this plant for my
HAP (Horticulturist Award Program) and it did quite well. It is
a nice bog plant that will grow in 0-6 inches of water and grows
to about 24”. It blooms a non-descript flower but did more than
double in size and I was able to split it up later in the season
and share it with another hobbyist that enjoys her pond. She
said she had room for it in the window over the winter as it is
not perennial, but can be kept in a cool damp pot with only a
little light. It was the other plants that made a positive
contribution in the pond though. As mentioned the hornwort
grew well and allowed places for the fry to hide. The fish also
used the cattail and irises to hide in. They were in about 4-6
inches of water and their tuberous roots gave space for water
flow and hiding places. I did add some aquarium plants into
the pond. I tried some Amazon swords, corkscrew val, a banana
plant, and a lotus. I did not have great success with most of
these. I did get growth, but I am thinking that we did not have
enough sun on a regular basis last summer. Maybe where I had
them they did not get enough daily sun, but other plants did
fine. I guess I will need to try again and find out.
17

M A Y 2 0 1 0
disappointing as they were the fish I was hoping the most to
have spawn. Oh well, there is always next time.
Overall I did not work very hard at having to maintain this set
up. I didn’t do water changes per se. When there was a heavy
rain the insert would fill up and excess water would overflow. I
did not feed the fish very often but did a few times a week with
veggie or earthworm flakes. I did have to pull out patches of
hair algae on a regular basis in the height of summer, but there
was not a lot of maintenance required. The driftwood still did
not completely sink but did add some shade and hiding places
for the fish. The fry were rather popular for their colour at
Oktoberfish and sold for $2 a piece in the auctions for 1.5 inch
fish so I was quite happy. Not everything went completely as
planned though for the summer. The insert is really designed to
be dug into the ground and be a proper little pond. Keeping it
as I was, I found that the plastic didn’t have enough support to
keep its shape and it did sag and lose water. I had to rummage
around in the garage and prop it up with various pieces of
wood and plastic flower pots but it made it through the year.
In the fall, I started netting out fish and brought them inside. I
drained the tub and found the corys at the bottom and cleaned
the insert up and put it away for the winter. I am planning on
trying some fish outside again this summer, but what I am not
sure yet. I just picked up a new rigid tub to play with. It is
6’x4’x2’ and holds 340 gallons of water. If anyone had any ideas
I’d like to hear them. I have thought about trying some Africans
or I have been reading up on Anableps anableps, a livebearer that
grows up to a foot long and has fry up to 2 inches long.
I did end up with fry being produced and surviving. I left the
pond running till after the first frost hit in early October and
brought the fish into my tanks. I did not heat the new fish right
away to acclimate them a bit over the first week as the outside
water temps had dropped. Putting them directly into a heated
tank would likely have killed many of them. The same thing
can be said of the hornwort I tried to keep. Much of it died off
when I brought it inside. Hornwort tends to drop leaves like a
January Christmas tree when you change it’s environment too
quickly. Be aware of that if you are buying hornwort at fall
auctions for many people bring it in from their ponds and it
may not survive or may carry unwanted hitchhikers along with
it – parasites and critters that you don’t want to have in your
tanks. Well, from the trio of swords I put in I pulled out well
over 150 fry from several batches. It was fun watching their
bright red colours in the pond and those that saw my pond
were impressed at the colour of the fish and the size that the
adults attained. I also ended up with several Amecas. They are
goodieds so do not produce very many fry but I ended up with
enough to qualify for BAP points. The adults ended up very
colourful for the species and I kicked myself for not entering
them into a few fall fish shows. I do not know why but the
mollies did not spawn in the tub, or if they did I never saw any
fry. I did not find any cory fry either. That was a bit
So, if you are looking outside and wondering what you can do
outside when the weather gets warmer you can still enjoy your
fish in the sun while sipping on a cold beverage of choice. There
are many choices that you can experiment with and I’m sure
that it would make for an interesting article to share for others
that want to try. - Ed
...Continued from Page 16: PlantED Tank
a thick and dense carpet of 2 inch thin leaves looking rather
grass-like.
Saggitaria subulata
As promised to those that want a low light ground cover, I
finish off with dwarf sag. This plant will look very similar to a
val with some subtle differences. It normally only grows to a 3
to 6 inch plant but if given high light and CO2, it can grow to
12 inches which will not make it a favourite for the front of the
aquarium. It has a good root structure and will establish itself
in most substrates quite easily. It will spread by runners and
will send new shoots in all kinds of places – rocks, wood, and
through other ground covers. It may be the most versatile plant
that you can use as a ground cover, but even though it will
form tight groups of plants, it is too large and coarse to give a
gentle sloping carpet of green effect in your tank. - PlantED
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FREE PARKING
HOSPITALITY
SUITE
2010 CAOAC Convention
May 21-23, 2010
Sheridan College Oakville, Ontario
Your Convention Committee
Dave Boehm / Bob Wright / Ann Stevens / Noel Wright / Ken Boorman / Terry Little
GUEST SPEAKERS
David Boruchowitz
Spencer Jack
Ad Konings
Ray ‘Kingfish’ Lucas
Oliver Lucanus
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Ticket price includes the following at no extra charge
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CAOAC Executive meeting, Annual Elections & Awards Presentations
Bring your fish, reptiles, amphibians, plants, crafts & photos to show
Large Auction Sunday afternoon
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Bring the family! Lots to see and do in the area!
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Come to our meetings. We love to have guests.
KWAS meets on the 1st Tuesday of each month from September until June at the Adult Rec. Centre at 185 King St. South in
Waterloo (corner of King and Allen). We meet on the second floor in the large multi-purpose room from 7:30 to 10 pm. Join Us!
Guests are welcome any time.
Bring your friends and show
them what our club is all
about!
Meeting
Parking
20