Modern Aquarium October 2010

October 2010volume XVIInumber 8

ON THE COVEROur cover photo subject this month is a male Paratheraps synspilus. For more information on this large, colorfrul, and personable cichlid, see “Going the Distance,” on page 15. Photo by Marsha Radebaugh

GREATER CITY AQUARIUM SOCIETY

Board MeMBers

President Dan RadebaughVice-President Mark SobermanTreasurer Jules BirnbaumCorresponding Secretary Warren Feuer Recording Secretary Edward Vukich

MeMBers at Large

Claudia Dickinson Pete D’OrioArtie Friedman Al GrusellBen Haus Emma HausLeonard Ramroop

CoMMittee Chairs

A.C.A. Delegate Claudia DickinsonBowl Show Leonard RamroopBreeder Award Warren Feuer Mark SobermanEarly Arrivals Al GrusellF.A.A.S. Delegate Alexander A. PriestMembers/Programs Claudia DickinsonN.E.C. Delegate Claudia DickinsonTechnology Coordinator Warren Feuer

MODERN AQUARIUM

Editor in Chief Dan RadebaughCopy Editors Sharon Barnett Susan Priest Alexander A. PriestExchange Editors Stephen Sica Donna Sosna SicaAdvertising Mgr. Mark Soberman

In This Issue

From the Editor 2

G.C.A.S. 2010 Program Schedule 3

President’s Message 4

G.C.A.S. Sponsors and Advertisers 6

Breeding a Little Mistake 9by Jules Birnbaum

Wet Leaves 11by Susan.Priest

Last Month’s Bowl Show Winners 13Photos by Alexander A. Priest

Going the Distance 15with Paratheraps Synspilus

by Dan Radebaugh

Member Classifieds 19

G.C.A.S. Happenings 20

The Undergravel Reporter 21Prognostications

Fin Fun (Puzzle Page) 22International Roots

Series III Vol. XVII, No. 8 October, 2010

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)2 October 2010

From theEditor by Dan Radebaugh

It’s officially Autumn, and many of our sister societies are holding their Fall shows and auctions. As you look through the pages

of this month’s Modern Aquarium you’ll see several notices, some from nearby, and some from a good distance away. Some are an easy day trip, while some might be an excuse to take an extended week-end excursion. You’ll also see a notice for the annual All Aquarium Catfish Convention. This is a real temptation for me. I’ve always had a soft spot for catfish―maybe this will be the year when I finally get to this convention.

Catfish also play a featured role in this issue of Modern Aquarium, as Jules Birnbaum gives us an account of his experience, albeit accidental, with keeping and breeding Aspidoras albater, a small, Corydoras-type catfish from the Amazon basin in Brazil.

In her “Wet Leaves” column, Sue Priest reviews an intriguing book called Freshwater Aquarium Models, by John Tullock. Al Priest follows with photos of our winners from last month’s Bowl Show competition. Al, by the way, is currently running first in this very tight race with Mario Bengcion; it’s still too close to call.

Our speaker this evening, Rusty Wessel, will be discussing cichlids and livebearers of the Panuco Valley in Mexico. I have no idea where the Panuco Valley is, and I look forward to learning about it, so to at least honor the broader locale I’ve included a brief account of my experiences with Paratheraps synspilus, a North/Central American cichlid hailing from southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize.

The Undergravel Reporter challenges us with some daring fishkeeping prognostications, although he disavows accountability for them on the grounds of mortal limitations. One of his predictions prompts me to wonder whether, by the year 2100, there will be a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Robots. It seems

almost inevitable, doesn’t it? Let’s see; by 2100 I’ll be umm, well, I guess I’ll have to take the same pass as Undie.

A Call for Articles!

Modern Aquarium is produced by and for the members of Greater City Aquarium Society. Our members are our authors, and with ten issues per year, we always, always need more articles. I know several of you are keeping and/or breeding fish that I would like to know more about, and I’m certain other members would be interested as well. Share your experience with us. Write about it! If you’re a little insecure about the state of your writing technique, don’t worry—that’s why there are editors.

If you have an article, photo, or drawing that you’d like to submit for inclusion in Modern Aquarium, it’s easy to do! You can fax it to me at (877) 299-0522, email it to [email protected], or just hand it to me at a meeting. However you get it to me, I’ll be delighted to receive it!

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) October 2010 3

GCASPrograms

2010-11

It is our great fortune to have another admirable cast of speakers who have so graciously accepted our invitation to join us throughout the coming season, bringing us their extensive knowledge and experiences. You certainly won’t wish to miss a moment of our prominent

guests, not to mention the friends, fish, warmth, and camaraderie that accompanies each meeting. I know I can barely wait to see you here! Enjoy!

Claudia

September Ed VukichCichlid Breeding Tails

October Rusty WesselMexico - The Panuco Valley:

Livebearers and Cichlids of the Region

November Joseph FerdenziMy Fishroom: Adventures in Fishkeeping

December Holiday Party!

January Winter Break

February Winter Break

March La Monte BrownNative Fishes

Articles submitted for consideration in Modern Aquarium (ISSN 2150-0940) must be received no later than the 10th day of the month prior to the month of publication. Please fax to (877) 299-0522, or email to [email protected]. Copyright 2010 by the Greater City Aquarium Society Inc., a not-for-profit New York State corporation. All rights reserved. Not-for-profit aquarium societies are hereby granted permission to reproduce articles and illustrations from this publication, unless the article indicates that the copyrights have been retained by the author, and provided reprints indicate source and two copies of the publication are sent to the Exchange Editor of this magazine. Any other reproduction or commercial use of the material in this publication is prohibited without express written prior permission.The Greater City Aquarium Society meets every month, except January and February. Members receive notice of meetings in the mail. For more information, contact: Dan Radebaugh (718) 458-8437. Find out more, or leave us a message, at our Internet Home Page at: http://www.greatercity.org or http://www.greatercity.com


President’sMessage

by Dan Radebaugh

Last week Marsha and I ran into Joe Graffagnino, GCAS member and President of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society. We

were all guests at a dinner held at the New York Aquarium in celebration of the first anniversary of the Aquarium’s “Sea Change” initiative, which I wrote about in this column last November. The “Sea Change” aims to significantly upgrade the Aquarium, both in terms of its physical plant and exhibits, and in terms of its place in the Coney Island community. The affair was well attended by local politicians, business leaders, and educators, and the mood was very upbeat and “can-do.”

While the centerpiece of the new plan is a large new shark exhibit, which will take some time to fund and construct, the Aquarium did unveil several new exhibits, including both fresh and saltwater habitats. Though small in scale, these exhibits bode well for the future, featuring fish and other animals from Western Pacific reef systems, as well as from a couple of the large African lakes, and even included a few Amazonian settings. It’s all very encouraging, and I commend the Aquarium and the Wildlife Conservation Society for their initiative.

On the Greater City home front, the end of the year is approaching, and we have some matters of importance to handle. Our friend and colleague Warren Feuer has announced his intention to step down as Corresponding Secretary at the end of this year, and Artie Friedman, who has been busy working on Wednesday evenings for over a year now, has suggested that his seat on our Board of Governors be taken over by someone who will be better able to attend meetings on a regular basis.

While in days of yore Corresponding Secretaries were responsible for all manner of letter writing, in these days of telephone, email, and social networking, the primary responsibility of the Corresponding Secretary is to correspond in whatever manner he/she deems necessary with sponsors and potential sponsors.

The Corresponding Secretary is in effect the face of GCAS to the manufacturers and other businesses who help support us (that’s where most of our terrific raffle prizes come from, among other things). For this position then, we need someone who likes to talk to people and is a good communicator, and who enjoys interacting with people, both other hobbyists and folks on the commercial side of the hobby.

The at-large members attend our Board meetings, and help us discuss and decide matters affecting our Society. The Board of Governors meets monthly, sometimes just before our general meeting on the first Wednesday of the month, and sometimes at one of our homes the week before the general meeting.

Nomination sheets will be available at tonight’s meeting. If you’d like to become more active in the Society, and you feel you would be comfortable and effective as either Corresponding Secretary or as a member-at-large of our Board, please―don’t wait to be asked! Fill in your name and contact information on one of the nomination sheets and turn it in to me either this evening or before our next meeting in November. You can fax it to me (877-299-0522) or email me a note indicating your interest (send to [email protected]).

At our November meeting the full membership will be told who the nominees are, and the vote will be taken by secret ballot at our December Holiday Party. Good luck to all nominees!

Dan


GCASThanks You!

our generous sponsors and advertisersThe Greater City Aquarium Society extends our heartfelt thanks to the following manufacturers for their generous donations. Thanks also to our advertisers, whose contributions to our success as a Society are deeply appreciated. Please patronize our supporters.

Aquarium PharmaceuticalsAquarium Technology Inc Ecological Laboratories HBH Pet ProductsKoller-CraftKordon, LLCMarinelandMicrobe LiftOcean Nutrition AmericaOmega SeaRed Sea

Rena Rolf C. Hagen San Francisco Bay BrandSeachemZoo Med Laboratories Inc.Cameo Pet Shop Coral AquariumNassau DiscusWorld Class AquariumZoo Rama Aquarium



The G.C.A.S.

Proudly extends a most Warm Welcometo

Our Guest SpeakerRUSTY WESSEL

Speaking onMexico - The Panuco Valley:

Livebearers and Cichlids of the Region



Breeding a Little Mistakeby Jules Birnbaum

A year ago, I was the winning bidder on Aquabid for 6 of what were supposed to be Scleromystax kronei catfish, from the

fishroom of one of the top cory catfish breeders in the country. Instead of just the six, he sent me 12 juveniles, for which I thanked him sincerely.

After a year I noticed they seemed to be very small for S. kronei, and asked our cory expert, Mark Soberman, to take a look. After a careful e x a m i n a t i o n he stated these were not S. kronei, but were a nice little cory called Aspidoras albater.

The breeder was very embarrassed, apologized for the mistake, and offered a refund, which I refused. How could I ask for a refund when I had received 12 lovely fish? He then stated he would send me the S. kronei at no charge when his latest spawn grew out. I’ve found most of the well known breeders to be very reliable people, and this man was no exception.

Aspidoras albater comes from the lower Amazon in Brazil. It is part of the Corydoras group, in the family Callichthyidae. The genus name Aspidoras, translated from the Latin, means “shield skin”. This refers to their covering of bony plates. Albater translates to “white and black” coloring, though this fish is really tan with black markings. Aspidoras are small, peaceful fish that constantly work at the bottom of the tank. You have heard the expression, “bottom feeder,” and that they are.

Since I had 12 juveniles, I let them pair off. If you are going to try to breed this fish, success will come more easily by purchasing a group of six or more, and letting them pair off on their

own. There can be some attrition when dealing with juvenile fish. Hopefully you will end up with a few of each sex.

There are many positives about this fish. First, their size, which when fully grown is about 1.4 inches. How about setting up a five or ten

gallon tank with a few small killies and a group of these little catfish? Second, their active nature makes them interesting to watch. Mine are constantly moving all over the bottom of the tank. Third, Aspidoras is an excellent community fish

that does a great job of cleaning up excess food. (Contrary to common belief, catfish do not eat waste, and will die of hunger if they don’t have access to food.) Fourth, their breeding habits are very interesting.

Their tank should have a pH of 6.2 to 7.2, which is neutral to slightly acid. Although I used a 20 gallon tank, a 10 will work. Corys usually do better in cooler temperatures of 70 to 77 degrees.

The female will lay eggs (which are fairly large) on the glass, sometimes above the water line. If you decide to remove them to a hatchery it is rather easy. They will also lay eggs deep inside a sponge filter tube. I still don’t know how they get into and out of the tube, but then the fish is small. (As a matter of fact, I lost one of the females that way. She somehow got into the sponge filter tube, but couldn’t get back out, and perished.) Fifth, I’m told they usually will not eat the eggs or the fry, which is a big plus if your space is limited. However, if the parents get hungry or frightened I would not altogether trust them. I presently have six surviving adults


and about 20 one-month old fry in their own 20 gallon tank.

A. albater has one large additional positive, in that if you go away on vacation, they should survive on a few wafers or pellets dropped in the tank on your way out (but don’t overfeed them). Bottom feeders in general seem to survive longer than most without being fed.

One well known local breeder told me he removed all his fish from a heavily planted tank so that a pest that was killing his fish would not have a host on which to feast. Two months later he was again getting ready to introduce some fish, when to his amazement, he saw a loach which he had originally missed come out from a heavily planted area of the tank.

The filtration of choice for many catfish breeders is a well aged sponge filter. Some breeders like to squeeze out the sponge filter in the hatching container so that the fry can easily get at some microscopic food. If you only have a hang-on filter you can still use it, since the fry usually stay at the bottom. A piece of nylon stocking covering the intake will work as a safety device. A box filter can also be modified to act as a sponge filter. Since catfish like to dig in the substrate for food I like to use a thin layer of number 1 gravel on the tank floor.

If you prefer a planted tank, Java fern, Java moss, and dwarf Anubias will all work. These catfish do not seem to be interested in live plants other than to seek protection or shade. It might be well to keep the lighting at a low level, since these fish seem to be less shy in this kind of lighting. This of course is just my preference.

I do a 25% water change each week with aged tap water. The water level does not have to be very high, since you are dealing with bottom dwellers. Water surface area is more important than depth in the breeding setup.

Snails could be kept in the tank, but since there will be catfish eggs attached to the glass it might be safer to try to move the snails to another tank. If you don’t have another tank available for the snails, any container with a little fish food will do.

Now you are ready to be that magical breeder. The final magic includes feeding the parents plenty of live or frozen foods such as black worms, daphnia, blood worms, etc. Once you believe them to be properly conditioned, you might want to do a final water change with somewhat cooler water, as this could induce the parents to deposit eggs.

Like magic (I’m a genius―NOT!), one day the eggs appear. You will now spot a cluster of about 15 eggs. You have a choice to leave them in the tank or, if it’s a community tank, to get hold of a plastic eye dropper such as might be used for measuring medication, and use it to remove the eggs. These can be placed in a small, maybe one gallon container, perhaps such as is used for leftover food. For this fry tank I constructed a mini sponge filter using sponges designed for women’s hair curlers and some hard tubing. I give credit to Joe Ferdenzi for this idea.

Some breeders use a few drops of methylene blue in the hatching container to prevent fungus from attacking the eggs. Once the eggs hatch you should do water changes to get rid of this chemical, which is harmful to the nitrifying bacteria in the sponge filter, as well as to any live plants.

The fry will hatch in a few days, and can be fed dry starter fry food, micro worms, etc., and after a week they will be able to fatten up on baby brine shrimp. You can easily make your own brine shrimp hatchery from a large plastic soda bottle. Harry Faustmann is our local expert to see about live food.

After a few months you can submit the proper form for the Breeder’s Award Program, and make a little fish food money for yourself selling these little cuties at our auctions, as well as a generating a few bucks for the Society.

I hope this article has interested you enough to try these little fish or other corys. They will give you many hours of relaxation and enjoyment away from the real world, which as we all know, can be tension producing.

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) October 2010 1118 October 2010 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

Freshwater AquariumModels

By John TullockWiley Publishing, 2007

a Series On Books For The Hobbyistby SUSAN PRIEST

Many books on the subject of fishkeepingdevote a modicum number of pages to thetopic of aquascaping. Having hung

around the aquarium hobby for a number of yearsnow, I have observed that many fishkeepers don’treally care WHAT their tankslook like. A lot of them are bare-bones breeding tanks, and someof them house anti-social typeswho have killed off theirtankmates. Besides, mostaquariums are in the basementwhere nobody else will see themanyway. However, if you wantto show your tanks toother people, or youenjoy looking a tattractive tanks yourself,I might just havesomething here for you.

Step-by-step andfish-by-fish, as it isdescribed on the backcover, is an accurateassessment of the text inthis book. It is brokendown into three sections.The first two, AquariumBasics and AquariumMechanics, get youstarted. These aref o l l o w e d b y 8 7“Freshwater AquariumModel Designs.” Theseare sub-divided into sixgeographic areas, aswell as several “PurelyArtistic Designs.”

Breaking the categories down a bit further, I’lluse some of the models from South America asexamples. This section describes models for theRoom Temperature Amazon Tank, the Tale of TwoTetras Tank, and the Flying Fish Tank, to name buta few. (Remember, there are 87 different modelsaltogether.) The section with artistic designs has amodel called The Big Easy Tank, “For the personwho wants a few large colorful fish that are easy tocare for.”

Our author is a proponent of what he calls a“roomy” tank. I will use an example to explain

what he means by this. In the aquarium modelcalled White Cloud Mountain, he recommendseither 13 Tanichthys albonubes (white cloudmountain minnows), or one pair of Macropodusopercularis (paradise fish) to a 20 gallon tank.

“Throughout this book, water hardnesspreferences for fish and plant species will be givenin parts per million of calcium carbonate (ppmCaCO3) because many utility companies use thisunit of measure.” Mr. Tullock then explains howto convert this to dGH or KH (German degrees ofhardness.) He considers very soft water to be <75ppm CaCO3, moderately hard 160-220 ppmCaCO3, and very hard water >360 ppm CaCO3.

(With these numbers asguidelines, you can fill in theintermediate levels yourself.)You might want to write thisformula onto an index cardand post it somewhere in yourfishroom!

He has an idea that Ireally like a lot, and I haven’t

c o m e a c r o s s i telsewhere. Try makingyour own aquariumbackgrounds by takinga few photos with yourdigital camera ofwhatever strikes yourfancy. It could be arock formation, ahedge, a brick wall;whatever! Then put itinto you computer andplay with it. Stretch it,“morph” it, evenchange the color. (Mymind conjures up aphoto shoot at TheBronx Zoo.) You mayhave to take either apaper copy or a digitalcopy to a print shop toget a final version inthe correct size to fit

your tank. He further offers tips on how best tomount it.

I am going to give you an abbreviatedexample of one of the models. It is called ShallowPool in Southern India. The “ingredients” includeneutral water at 75E F, Java fern, Java moss andred mangrove plants, driftwood, mangrove rootsand waterworn rocks, dark background andsubstrate, a hang-on filter, and one fluorescenttube, with 0.5% seawater (12 0z. in therecommended 20 gallon tank). For livestock hehas choosen 2-3 pairs of Aplocheilus blockii,(peaceful green panchax).

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY)12 October 2010Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) October 2010 19

Here is a partial quote of his text: “Tidalcreeks and brackish pools connect the mangrove-lined shore to freshwater streams. Position amounted Java fern right of center and toward theback. On either side place additional small piecesof driftwood. Mangrove roots should be placedwith the curved portion toward the left. Thisestablishes the right side of the tank as the shore ofthe creek.”

This is a very brief example of the kind ofdetail to be found throughout. So, what’s missingfrom this picture? You guessed it; the picture!There aren’t any photos of the finished product(s).Our author really wants us to succeed with thesemodel aquariums, but in order for us to want this forourselves as much as he wants it for us, we need tosee what success looks like.

I think that the most useful and easy to digestfeatures are the appendices, which can be foundright before the index at the rear of this 280 pagebook. There are several charts which cross-reference fish and plants by locality, temperaturepreferences, pH and hardness ranges, and more. My

advice is to start at the right side of the chart, andwhen you have found, for example, several listingsfor fish which prefer our neutral NYC tap water,then move to the left of the chart to find the namesof the fish. You can then cross-reference thesewith fish which all prefer like temperatures, again,moving from the temperature listings on the rightto the names of the fish on the left, looking for fishwhich show up on both lists. I know what you’rethinking; this sounds a bit like work. Actually, it’sfun, and can be useful in any number offishkeeping situations.

In spite of the absence of photos of even afew of the completed model aquariums, I reallylike this book. It overflows with detailedexplanations and useful suggestions on every areaof fishkeeping. Our author’s love and mastery ofhis topic is evident on every page.

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) October 2010 1312 October 2010 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

2nd Place Winner: Bill Amely 3rd Place Winner: Mario Bengcion

1st Place Winner: Al Priest

Last Month’s Bowl Show Winners


DANBURY AREA AQUARIUM SOCIETY

Serving the Hudson Valley Area, Westchester, Fairfield, and Litchfield

Counties

25th AUCTION - Fall 2010!

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94 Gleneida Ave (Corner of Route 52 & Vink Drive)

Carmel, NY 10512

�� , 1 red dot/10 lots, 50/50 split, *60/40 for 6 or more lots, and preprinted

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*Acceptable lots will be determined by the auction committee

Vendors: TBA

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REGISTRATION.................................8:30 AM TO 11:15 AM

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Going the Distancewith

Paratheraps synspilusby Dan Radebaugh

I don’t remember why I decided I wanted a synspilum. I don’t think it was the name. It may have just been from seeing a picture and thinking, “Me

want!” As I recall, there was happenstance involved. I was perusing some of the forums I frequented at the time, looking for used tanks for sale locally. I found one, and when I contacted the seller, he asked me if I’d like a young synspilum for a few extra dollars. I said, “Sure!” He warned me that he had bought it to be a show fish, but it had run afoul of a red terror and been seriously beaten up, and he had some fear that it might not even survive, much less ever be suitable to show. He suggested we put off the exchange for about a week, so that he could be sure it would remain alive. Ever the agreeable customer, I concurred, and a week or so later he drove by with the 55-gallon tank & stand, and a plastic bag containing one young (maybe 2 inch) male synspilum without a single fin left on its body other than the dorsal. Even after the extra wait, I had serious doubts that it would survive.

Well, I found out pretty quickly that wounded or not, he was still a warrior, as he immediately attacked a young green terror I was keeping in his (intended) new tank. Locking lips with the green terror (at least twice his size), he seemed quite determined to “go the distance,” so I netted him out, and made room for him in a ten-gallon, where he stayed for several weeks, recovering his health and finnage. Since then, using some judgment with regard to his tankmates has been de rigueur.

Until recently, most of his life with me has been in solitary confinement, at least as far as other cichlids are concerned. He has twice defeated tank dividers and killed his neighbor (the first was the green terror, when I tried housing the two of them in a 75 with a divider; the second was a female synspilum whose company he mostly liked—maybe a little too much.

The third victim was another―younger―female. By this time I was doing better at constructing dividers, but she somehow allowed herself to be cornered on the wrong side of the fence. Her sister (both obtained from an online acquaintance in Tennessee) has been wiser. I’ve found with several of the Central American cichlids, that lacking sufficient space, the males, even at a young age, will harass the females quite literally to death. No single, vicious attack, just constant harrying. In a large enough tank, the female can avoid being cornered, but without enough room to run, the outcome is likely to be bad.

These two actually bonded when, as an experiment, I put them in the 210 gallon tank. Sure

enough, the additional space took away a lot of the conflict between the two, and she, seeing him assert himself with the other fish, was impressed (Oh! You’re so big and strong!). Even the 210 experiment had to be interrupted for awhile, as he and my datnoid just, well, clashed. The datnoid wanted to be the undisputed ruler of the tank, the synspilum disagreed, and they

just wouldn’t let it go. Neither could quite prevail, but one or the other would eventually tire and become vulnerable, so back to the 75 he (and she) went.

Some months later I had occasion to try this again, having moved some of my other tenants around. This is part of keeping cichlids; they sometimes just decide they don’t like so-and-so anymore, so changes have to be made. Sometimes adding a hideout will do the trick, but not always―or even often. This time there was no belligerance at all expressed on the part of either the synspilums or the datnoid (whew!), but now my pair of Herichthys carpintis was also living in this tank, and the two males occasionally decided that this town wasn’t big enough for the both of them. As with the datnoid, sometimes one would gain the upper hand, and sometimes the other, necessitating an

Male on left, female on right.


intervention. So, back to the 75 and the divider, where they again resided for a time.

For about the past year, the two had gone through all the motions of preparing to spawn, but have never quite consummated it. Finally, one day I came home and Marsha said, “We have synspilum eggs!” I don’t know what finally pushed them over the edge. I had done a water change the night before, and with the outside temperature in the 90s, their non-air-conditioned room probably got pretty warm. Whatever the key, there she was, on “his” side of the divider, hovering over an egg-covered piece of driftwood, with him supervising from near by. Alas, the eggs developed fungus, and were eaten.

As of this writing, the pair is back in the 210, taking turns acting interested, but never seeming to be in the mood at the same time. One new and surprising development―if she’s “in the mood” and he isn’t, she may turn the tables and impatiently chase him. Usually though, he’s still the aggressor.

So what is P. synspilus like to keep, and is this male’s psycho killer attitude normal? Well, a little background is in order.

The “red-headed cichlid,” the “fire-head,” and the “quetzal cichlid” are a few of the common names for this fish (though I personally have never heard them referred to as anything except synspilum). More formally, they are also known as Cichlasoma synspilum, exCichlasoma synspilum, Vieja synspila,

and, more currently, Paratheraps synspilus, as well as other designators1. Sometimes you’ll see a double “L,” used, as in Vieja synspillum. They’re native to southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. There are a few other members of the Vieja genus (from the same general part of the world) that look somewhat similar: V. bifasciatus, V. fenestratus, V. guttulatum, and V. maculicauda are a few examples, but to my eye none of these shows such brilliant, electric coloration.

These fish are true omnivores. While they will eat small fish if they happen upon them, their meaty tastes seem to be satisfied by insects, small crustaceans, and gastropods. Of all my current cichlids, these and the uarus seem most to enjoy fruits and vegetables. Beyond their staple diet of assorted pellets, as treats they welcome a variety of choices: live mealworms, freeze-dried krill, surplus snails, the occasional bug, as well as tomato or cucumber slices, orange sections, corn, peas, broccoli, etc. They will eagerly intercept algae wafers intended for your bottom feeders, so be sure a few get through to their intended consumers.

As to water, P. synspilus seems to be fairly flexible, with an advertised pH range of 6.4 to 8, and temperatures from the mid-70s to mid-80s2. Some of their native range includes brackish water1. The main concern with water is to be sure you have enough, as these fish do grow. Maximum size for males is between 14 and 17 inches, with females being somewhat smaller.

Good fences make good neighbors.


Behavior can vary substantially depending on tank size and tankmates. In smaller tanks (under a hundred gallons) they tend to be very shy and want hiding places, and will go to some lengths to provide one for themselves. Mine have dug hideouts under a piece of driftwood, where they’ve had to lie on their sides between the bottom of the tank and the driftwood, until I provided a more comfortable cave. Early on, once I had finally assembled a divider that the male couldn’t batter down, he was still somehow getting to the other side, and we couldn’t figure out how he was doing it, as he was careful to never make the crossing while we were watching. We finally tricked him into thinking we weren’t looking, and saw how he maneuvered his body through the opening that I thought was too small for him. Once moved into a 6-foot tank the shy behavior and desire for hideouts instantly went away.

So what about the psycho killer thing? Well, I have a theory. It’s based on a couple of observations, plus some admittedly weakly-founded speculation. At under three inches and badly beaten up, this male was nevertheless intensely colored and highly aggressive, whereas the two females I later purchased were, at a larger size, still very faintly colored, and it took them both several months to color up. The male’s original owner had purchased him specifically for show purposes. There are breeders, particularly in the Far East, who are reputed to use a lot of hormones to achieve quick growth and intense color. I speculate that this fish could have originated with such a breeder, and his hyperaggressiveness and early intense color were possibly some fishy equivalent of what in humans is sometimes called ’roid rage. As I say, it’s speculation. I don’t know enough about how the hormones used for color enhancement affect fish behavior, nor do I know where this fish originated. Still...

Since becoming an adult, this male has mellowed considerably. He is of course still no pushover, and the female still needs either a divider or a large tank in order to safely cohabit with him, but in a large community tank he’s now a fairly solid, if assertive, citizen, though if they do spawn in the large (community) tank, I’ll be very watchful about the well-being of the other residents.

I’d also speculate that some of his occasional harassment of the female is out of boredom. The other evening, a guest walked near one end of the fish tank, and the male immediately abandoned annoying the female to go see what this stranger was up to. Cichlids are, by reputation and my own observation, intelligent,

curious fish, and I often wonder if I shouldn’t do more to provide them with needed mental stimulation.

Like many other pets, in the absence of interaction with their owners they will come up with their own diversions, and not all of those will be positive. On the more amusing side, one of the unusual games this fish has invented for himself involves a concrete block and swimming upside-down.

Referring to the concrete block in the picture on the opposite page, he’ll swim from left to right (from our view) just over the top of the block and next to the front glass. When he clears the block he’ll point his nose down, do a vertical U-turn and swim upside-down back past the block but at center level, clear it, and then return to normal orientation.

We haven’t been able to photograph this yet; when we approach the tank with the camera he loses interest in his game and pays attention to us. While a bit frustrating, this does point up the fact that our fish, in addition to providing us with interesting viewing, are themselves often quite interested in viewing us. Simply coming up to the tank, settling down and paying some real (but relaxed) attention to them is a great way to give them some stimulation, and at the same time give ourselves some insights into their behavior and welfare.

All in all, P. Synspilus is a very nice fish to keep if you have sufficient tank space. Personable, owner-responsive, easy to feed, and very colorful, P. Synspilus really stands out in a tank. It is a large fish, so keeping up with your water changes is important. Though a moderately tough customer with other fish, P. Synspilus is quite gentle with humans. A couple of my other fish require me to remain aware of where they are in relation to my hands and arms while I do tank maintenance; that has never been an issue with these fish.

Now if I can just get a successful spawn from them…

Photos by Marsha Radebaugh

1http://fishbase.org/Summary/SpeciesSummary.php?ID=12322

2http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/species.php?id=105

3http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/results.php?genus=217



Member Classifieds

EQUIPMENT:

1 Eheim 2217 Canister filter $1251 Emperor 400 Bio-Wheel HOB Power Filter $301 Coralife Turb Twist 18 watt with 3 extra (never used) UV bulbs $501 Coralife Superskimmer 125w/ pump $1002 Solarmax 36” HO double-T5Lighting System w/Moonlight $159 ea (new)All nearly new, in original boxes. Call (631) 563-1404------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Moving to Florida125 gallon tank fully equipped w/wood stand-30030 gallon tank fully equipped w/iron stand-50Contact Steve Dash: (516) 889-4876 noon till 8pm------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Filters:Eheim 2076 (for tanks up to 90 gallons) $200Marineland C-160 (tanks up to 30 gallons) $50Call Temes: 718-468-1569


GCAS Happenings October

Here are meeting times and locations of some aquarium societies in the Metropolitan New York area:

GREATER CITY AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: November 3, 2010Speaker: Joseph FerdenziTopic: My Fishroom: Adventures in FishkeepingMeets: First Wednesday of the month (except January &

February) at 7:30pm: Queens Botanical garden 134-20 dahlia ave (at Main st.) - Flushing, NY Contact: dan radebaugh (718) 458-8437E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.greatercity.org

BIG APPLE GUPPY CLUBMeets: Last tuesday each month (except Jan, Feb, July,

and august) at 7:30-10:00pm. alley Pond environmental Ctr.: 228-06 Northern Blvd. Contact: donald Curtin (718) 631-0538

BROOkLYN AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: october 8, 2010Speaker: None Event: Giant AuctionMeets the 2nd Friday of the month (except July and august)

at 7:30pm: NY aquarium - education hall, Brooklyn, NYCall: Bas events hotline: (718) 837-4455Website: http://www.brooklynaquariumsociety.org

LONG ISLAND AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: october 15, 2010Speaker: al dispigna Topic: LivebearersMeets: 3rd Fridays (except July and august) 8:00pm. greenhouse Meeting room, holtsville ecology Center,

Buckley road, holtsville, NY Email: Margaret Peterson - [email protected]: http://liasonline.org/

EAST COAST GUPPY ASSOCIATIONMeets: 2nd tuesday of each month at at 8:00 pm. alley Pond environmental Ctr.: 228-06 Northern Blvd. Contact: gene Baudier (631) 345-6399

NASSAU COUNTY AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: october 12, 2010Speaker: todd gardnerTopic: Breeding Marine Fish Meets: 2nd tuesday of the month (except July and august)

at 7:30 PM Molloy College - Kellenberg hall ~1000 hempstead ave -

rockville Centre, NYContact: Mike Foran (516) 798-6766Website: http://www.ncasweb.org

NORTH JERSEY AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: october 21, 2010Speaker: rick Borstein Topic: No buckets, no hoses. Automating Water Changes

in your Fish RoomMeets: 7:30 PM Lyndhurst elks Club, 251 Park avenue,

Lyndhurst, NJ 07071Contact: NJas hotline at (732) 332-1392e-mail: [email protected]: http://www.njas.net/

NORWALk AqUARIUM SOCIETYNext Meeting: october 21, 2010Speaker: tony terceira Topic: PhotographyMeets: 8:00 P.M. - 3rd thursday of each month at:

earthplace - the Nature discovery Center - Westport, CtContact: John Chapkovich (203) 734-7833Call our toll free number (866) 219-4NasE-mail: [email protected]: http://norwalkas.org/

Last Month’s Bowl show Winners:1 Al Priest Gold AnGel

2 WilliAm Amely mAle BettA

3 mArio BenGcion mAlAWi ZeBrA

UnofficiAl 2010 BoWl shoW totAls to dAte:Al Priest 21 mArio BenGcion 18 roBert hAmje 10 WilliAm Amely 3hArry fAUstmAnn 1 richArd WAiZmAn 1

A wArm welcome bAck to renewing gcAS memberS ron PAndolfi And leonArd rAmrooP!

Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S (NY) October 2010 21Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY) October 2010 17

In spite of popular demand to thecontrary, this humor and informationcolumn continues. As usual, it doesNOT necessarily represent theopinions of the Editor, or of theGreater City Aquarium Society.

Figure 1: Robot tank cleaner

Figure 2: Fish Vending Machine

PrognosticationsA series by “The Undergravel Reporter”

Greetings, my friends. We are all interested in thefuture, for that is where you and I are going tospend the rest of our lives.

The Amazing Criswell - Plan 9 From Outer Space

Does anyone remember Jerome King Criswell,A.K.A. “The Amazing Criswell,” aself-proclaimed psychic known for some

wildly inaccurate predictions? (Among otherthings, he predicted the world would end onWednesday, August 18, 1999.) Maybe youremember “Plan 9 from Outer Space,” a movie oftencited by critics as the worst film ever made (evenworse, if possible, than “The Attack of the KillerTomatoes”), in which Criswell made “predictions”at the beginning and end of the movie, and providedsome narration.

No? Oh well, I guess I’m showing my ageagain. Anyway, I intend to make some of my ownpredictions, so here goes:

I predict that by the year 2100, water changes willbe completely handled by robots without the needfor human intervention. These robots will alsoclean the fishroom floor and take out the garbage.

I predict that pet shops and aquarium stores will bereplaced with aquatic vending machines insupermarkets by the year 2100. And finally,

I predict that yours truly, the Undergravel Reporter,won’t be around in 2100 to answer for thesepredictions.

Photos:Figure 1http://listicles.thelmagazine.com/2009/05/14-tacky-fish-tanks/

Figure 2http://www.cutiegadget.com/gumball-machine-aquarium/


24 October 2010 Modern Aquarium - Greater City A.S. (NY)

Fin FunTrial and error will teach you the temperature, pH, and hardness preferences of the plants in youraquariums. But, have you ever wondered where in the world they got their roots? Test yourself as to howmany you can match up correctly using the “legend of nationalities” below. (We’ve done the first one foryou, as an example.)

AF - africa, AS - asia, NA - North america, SA - south america, WW - worldwide

Common name Scientific name Nationality

Amazon Swordplant Echinodorus amazonicus SA

Hornwort Ceratophyllum demersum

Banana Plant Nymphoides aquatica

Dwarf Anubias Anubias nana

Giant Bacopa Bacopa caroliniana

Dwarf Bacopa Bacopa monnieri

Duckweed Lemna minor

Java Moss Vesicularia dubyana

Water Fern Bolbitis heudelotii

Salvinia Salvinia auriculata

Red Cabomba Cabomba furcata

Answer to our last puzzle: Common name Scientific name

Blackworms--------------------- Lumbriculus variegatus

Brine shrimp--------------------- Artemia salina

Fruit flies--------------------- Drosophila melanogaster

Grindal worms--------------------- Enchytraeus buchholzi

Microworms--------------------- Panagrellus redivivus

Mosquito larvae--------------------- Culiseta longiareolata.

Tubifex worms--------------------- Tubifex tubifex

Vinegar eels--------------------- Turbatrix aceti

Water fleas--------------------- Daphnia pulex

Whiteworms--------------------- Enchytraeus albidus

New Date! New Location! The�Boston�Aquarium�Society�presents�our��

SUNDAY OCTOBER 31ST, 2010 Fishy fun and fellowship for all including a drawing for a complete aquarium set-up & refreshments.

Things to know... �� Item registration begins at 10:30 AM,

bidding starts at 12:00 PM. �� 60/40 split in favor of vendor. �� Maximum of 15 lots per person. �� Cash or checks only please �� Save time, get your Vendor Registration

Form online and fill it out beforeattending the event!

Location:Knights of Columbus Hall 11 Sanborn Street Reading, MA 01867

How do I get there ? By Car: See our website for a link todirections via Google Maps Public Transportation: Knights of Columbus Hall is located near the MBTA Commuter Rail.

Our event is an open house Everyone is welcome ! Free Admission

EQUIPMENT RARE FISH

www.bostonaquariumsociety.org

AQUATIC PLANTS

Documents

Modern Aquarium October 2010