Buckeye Bulletin - Cichlid Room Companion

Buckeye
Bulletin
February 2012
Male Fossorochromis rostratus
rd
Our next meeting is February 3 at 8pm
Buckeye Bulletin Staff
Jonathan Dietrich
Editor
[email protected]
Eric Sorensen
Exchange Editor
[email protected]
The Ohio Cichlid Associations
Buckeye Bulletin is produced
monthly by the Ohio Cichlid
Association. All articles and
photographs contained within this
publication are being used with
consent of the authors.
If you have an article, photograph,
or ad to submit for publication,
please send it to
[email protected].
When submitting articles for
publication in this bulletin, please
remember to include any
photographs or art for the
article. The Ohio Cichlid Association
is not responsible for any fact
checking or spelling correction in
submitted material.
Articles will be edited for space and
content.
All information in this bulletin is for
the sole use of The Ohio Cichlid
Association and the personal use of
its members.
Articles, photographs, illustrations,
and any other printed material may
not be used in any way without the
written consent of The Ohio Cichlid
Association.
For membership info please
contact Andrew Subotnik:
[email protected]
Cover Photo was taken by David Dietrich. It’s a photo of a Male
Fossorochromis rostratus from Jombie’s tank. Jombie acquired these fish
from Dan Woodland. He currently keeps a male, female, and tons of fry!
In this Issue of the Buckeye Bulletin…
Monthly Features
President’s Message
Editor’s Message
Bowl Show Results
Cichlid BAP Results
Catfish BAP Results
Program Preview
Member of the Month
This Month in OCA History
Gears & Gadgets
Fish Room Tours
Fish Market
OCA Library Update
Fish Tails – Species Profile
Page 3
Page 5
Page7-8
Page 10-11
Page 14
Page 19
Page 21
Page 25
Page 26
Page 27-31
Page 38
Page 42
Page 54
You can
now click
the page
number to
jump to
the page!
February Specials
LFS Spotlight – Aquatica
Raising N. Multifasciatus
ABCs of Bushynose Plecos
Breeding Thorichthys socolofi
Greater Cleveland Aquarium
Page 34-37
Page 16-17
Page 22-23
Page 39-40
Page 43-52
(We will continue with “The Stuff That Water’s Made Of” in the March issue.)
President’s
Message
A Word from Don Danko
First off, our Winter Auction will be held on Saturday, February 11, at the Strongsville Holiday Inn.
Registration begins at 10 am and closes at 12 Noon. Items checked in after noon will be “black dotted,”
which means they’ll be auctioned off after the normal colored dots are sold. For note, the auction starts
promptly at 11 am.
I do have a couple of asks for those of you attending the Winter Auction. One, please consider
volunteering to run bags so that we can keep up the pace of the auction. Two, please be respectful of
others and please clean up around your area before you leave. We have a very nice location at the
Holiday Inn and we don’t want to jeopardize our status with the hotel. Thanks much for your
understanding.
For our Monthly Meeting on February 3rd, Stephan Tanner will be presenting a talk on Catfish. Stephan
always does a great job and has something new to tell us about, so don’t miss this talk! We’ll also have
our normal activities of Bowl Show, Large Raffle, BAP and Buck-A-Bag Auctions, Membership Raffle,
Catfish and Cichlid BAP Awards, and lots of socialization. Bring a friend and introduce them to the OCA –
the best deal on the planet for your membership fee!
Looking back to January, I gave a talk on the new Danko fish room and covered some of the time and
energy saving things we incorporated in the room. I also showed picturess of many of the fish we are
keeping. Thanks to those that gave positive feedback and feedback on opportunities to improve. I’ll plan
to add some pictures of the room to give a better idea of what he room looks like and will also add more
pictures to the opening slides so that they are not just word slides.
See you at the Monthly Meeting on February 3rd and at the Winter Auction on the 11th!
Regards,
Don
One of the reasons that The Ohio Cichlid Association is such a great fish club is due
in large part to the excellence of our supporters.
Whenever you need anything for your fish room or aquarium,
please shop with our advertisers first.
Support those who support The Ohio Cichlid Association.
Make sure that you let them know that you saw their ad in the Buckeye Bulletin.
Happiness
Has Fins
A Word from the Editor
Hello OCA friend!
I would like to first introduce myself to those of you who may not know me. My name is Jonathan Dietrich, a
member of the Ohio Cichlid Association for about three years now. You may have heard the name Jombie around the
club. Jombie is my nickname and I’ll probably use it occasionally in the Bulletin as my pseudonym. I am a relatively new
fish keeper, cycling my first tank in 2004. Wait, first tank? I definitely did not cycle that one! Oops! It was a two gallon
with an Angel and a Bala shark. Over the course of the last few years, I have done a ton of research, upgraded my tanks
(many times), and found passion in fish keeping. I joined the OCA to further this passion, and I have only had positive
experiences. I have a Bachelor of Arts in English from Baldwin-Wallace College and teach at the high school level in a
suburb of Cleveland.
I believe we can all agree that Kyle May has done a remarkable job transforming the Buckeye Bulletin into the
gorgeous online resource that it is. We have a bulletin that proudly displays our dedication and commitment to the
hobby. Our members can miss a meeting or two and still feel actively involved with the club. I believe that is our goal
for the future of our bulletin. And I stress the pronoun our. We need to do everything in our power to make this
publication be a representation of our club, our members, and our fish. We want people down the block, within Ohio,
across the States, and even overseas to join our club to witness the passion we have for our shared hobby. There are
many ways to get actively involved with our club. Over the past few years membership has multiplied because we offer
so much. Even though many members do not attend monthly meetings regularly, maybe just stopping in for the
Extravaganza, everyone can be actively involved with our bulletin. I will beg and plead with you for content every
month, but the most important action to me is just having members read our publication. I want all of our members
enjoying the content and keeping up-to-date with the happenings in our club. Please, help members get connected.
I’d like to continue the legacy of this bulletin by putting my best effort into providing you with the best
information, the best pictures, and the best OCA news. Some new installments that you will see in 2012 are member
fish room tours, LFS (local fish store) spotlights, species profiles, and more. Kyle May has agreed to continue his
monthly “Gears and Gadgets” piece. Lew Carbone will still be providing us with our OCA History. Cichlid and Catfish
BAP will never be forgotten thanks to Mark Chaloupka and Dave Ayres. Jonathan Strazinsky will be picking up Member
of the Month, a monthly spotlight on an outstanding OCA member. Hilary Lacerda will keep us posted on new books
and videos entering the OCA library. Finally, Gary Mendez will supply our monthly Bowl Show results. Wow! This year is
going to be exciting!
Please, please, please don’t hesitate to send me anything. I proofread papers for a living, and I enjoy it. I just
need content. Bulletin readers want to read articles by other members. We are all sources of knowledge, but it’s
useless if not shared.
Thank you to Don Danko and the Ohio Cichlid Association Board for this opportunity. I hope to meet your
expectations each month. If not, let me know, and we can all blame Kyle.
Send me a picture,
Jonathan “Jombie” Dietrich
OCA
Winter
Auction
February 11, 2012
Auction Begins: 10am
Registration: 9am to 11am
The OCA Winter Auction is a giant auction of
cichlids, catfish, plants, and drygoods.
Holiday Inn – Strongsville
Phone: 440-238-8800
15471 Royalton Road
Strongsville, Ohio 44136
Bowl Show
•
Gary Mendez
Congratulations to Dave Esner for being the first bowl show winner in 2012!
Coming up next…
February Classes
• A. Victorian Basin
Cichlids
• B. Angelfish
• C. Synodontis &
Mochokids
March Classes
• A. Pseudotropheus,
Cynotilapia &
Melanochromis
• B. South American
under 6" excluding
Angels, Discus &
Apistos
• C. Catfish - Excluding
Callichthids,
Loracariids &
Mochokids
January's
Winners
A. Tanganyikan Shell
Dwellers
B. Central
Americans under 6"
C. Loracariids (pleco
types) over 6"
• 1st:
• Lamprologus
ocellatus"black"
• 2nd:
• Lamprologus
ocellatus"blue"
• 3rd:
• Lamprologus
ocellatus"gold"
• 1st:
•• 2nd:
•• 3rd:
•-
• 1st:
•• 2nd:
•• 3rd:
•-
Prizes!
Best of Show: $20 Cash
Quarter Champ: $35 Pet Shop
certificate
2012 Champ: TBA
Standings
1 DaveEsner
2rd
3rd
4th
5th
st
February Quarter 2012
27
27
27
Point System
1st place
10
nd
2 place
7
rd
3 place
5
Non-placing entries
1
Best of Show*
5
*Only awarded if two or more
entries
2012
Support the Bowl Show
Any questions please contact:
Monthly Winners Earn $20
Gary Mendez
[email protected]
BAP Results
February 2012
By Mark Chaloupka
George Anagnostopoulos
Geophagus steindachneri
Neolamprologus cylindricus
Dave Ayres
Pundamilia nyererei
Lew Carbone
Haplochromis entebbe
Tilapia mariae
Tom & Carolyn Evers
Cryptoheros nanoluteus
Ken Galaska
Metriaclima greshakei
James Shakour
Aulonocara jacobfreibergi
“eureka red”
Aulonocara stuartgranti
Congratulations!
James Shakour
for reaching the 100 point level
10
15
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
CURRENT B.A.P. STANDINGS (1/6/12)
BREEDER
2012
TOTAL
MASTER BREEDER 1000 POINT LEVEL
Lew Carbone
Don Danko
Dan Woodland
Linda Wallrath
Rich & Maggie Schoeffel
20
-
2440
2255
2050
1130
1065
900 POINT LEVEL
Dennis Tomazin
Mark Chaloupka
Tom Swiderski
-
965
950
905
800 POINT LEVEL
Dustin Brummitt
John Tesar
700 POINT LEVEL
840
810
600 POINT LEVEL
Jeff Natterer
Bryan Davis
Charlie & Cathy Suk
-
-
690
665
615
595
590
570
510
500
400 POINT LEVEL
Rick Hallis
Ken Galaska
Bob Bina
Phil Hypes
10
-
495
455
405
405
300 POINT LEVEL
Bob Blazek
Jonathan Strazinsky
David Hale
Kyle May
George Anagnostopoulos
Gary Zalewski
Tyler Toncler
25
-
Eric & Rhonda Sorensen
Tim Craig
-
290
230
100 POINT LEVEL
Marc & Dawn DeWerth
Ken & Karen Grimmett
Ozeal Hunter
Chuck Carroll
Andrew Subotnik
Greg Seith
Frank Mueller
David Ayers
Ken Walker
Joe Ring
Bill & Janice Bilski
Tom & Carolyn Evers
Aaron Stevens
Steve Heinbaugh
Dave Enser
James Shakour
10
10
20
195
190
190
185
180
145
140
130
125
120
115
115
115
110
100
100
BREEDER LEVEL
500 POINT LEVEL
Bill Schwartz
Jeff Yadlovsky
Hilary & Antonio Lacerda
Ron Georgeone
Gary Mendez
200 POINT LEVEL
365
360
335
330
325
325
320
Jason Mlynar
Dan Ogrizek
Mark Huntington
Rick Wood
Jonathan Dietrich
Bob Tillman
Davis Toth
Dolores Bacisin
Alex Gorges
Ethan Wiley
John Kahl
Christopher Sooy
Tom Tansey
Jason Gorges
Paul Hutnyak
John Kaminski
Fred Roberts
Andy Lacerda
Bill Sensor
Ron Drungil
Mike Trader
-
85
85
80
75
70
70
50
45
45
40
35
35
35
30
30
25
25
20
20
10
10
The points list for the Breeders Award Program has
been updated to include only current members. If you
are a current member and your name has been omitted,
please see the B.A.P. Chairman at the social meeting so
we can correct any errors.
Please remember: You may only turn in a species or
strain of fish for B.A.P. points one time. If you need a
list of what you have been credited with, see the BAP
chairman at the social meeting.
Catfish BAP
Results
February 2012
Breeder
Species
Points
By Dave Ayres
Dave Ayres
Corydoras aneus “long fin”
10
Ken Galaska
Ancistrus sp. “albino bushynose”
10
Steve Heinbaugh
Tatia intermedia
25
Gary Mendez
Ancistrus sp. “green dragon”
10
Welcome to the
program:
Ken Galaska
TOTALS (thru 1/6/12)
NAME
Dan Ogrizek
Dave Ayres
Don & Marilyn Danko
Rick Hallis
Dan Woodland
Dustin Brummitt
Steve Heinbaugh
Linda Wallrath
Charlie & Cathy Suk
Phil Ayres
Bob Bina
Phil Hypes
Eric & Rhonda Sorensen
Bryan Davis
Tom & Carolyn Evers
Jeff Natterer
Dennis Tomazin
Tyler Toncler
John Kaminski
Hilary & Antonio Lacerda
Kyle May
George Anagnostopoulos
Bob Blazek
Lew Carbone
John Kahl
Gary Mendez
Chuck Caroll
Mark Chaloupka
Ken Galaska
Jeff Gorbach
Karen & Ken Grimmett
David Hale
Paul Hutnyak
James Shakour
Kris Sooy
Jonathan Strazinsky
John Tesar
Bob & Jennifer Tillman
David Toth
Ethan Wiley
2012
10
25
10
10
-
TOTAL
185
155
155
100
100
80
80
75
65
60
60
60
55
50
50
50
50
45
40
40
40
20
20
20
20
20
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
Wondering how many
points your fish earn
for the Breeders
Award Program? Well,
here’s the Ohio Cichlid
Association’s point
schedule for New and
Old World Cichlids.
Happy Breeding!
Point Schedule for
New World Cichlids
10
Ten Point Fish:
Aequidens sp. (The Blue
and Green Acaras)
Archocentrus centrarchus
Archocentrus
nigrofasciatum
Archocentrus
octofasciatum
Archocentrus sajica
Archocentrus
septemfasciatum
Archocentrus spilurum
Bujurquina sp.
Cichlasoma sp. (The Black
Acaras)
Geophagus brasiliensis
var.
Geophagus pellegrini
Geophagus steindachneri
Guinacara sp.
Gymnogeophagus balzanii
Gymnogeophagus
meridionalis
Gymnogeophagus
rhabdotus
Herichthys carpintas
Herichthys cyanoguttatum
Herotilapia multispinossa
Krobia sp.
Laetacara sp. (curviceps,
dorsigerus)
Nannacara sp.
Neetroplus nematopus
Pterophyllum scalare
Thorichthys meeki
Fifteen Point Fish
15
“Cich.” Facetum
Amphilophus citrinellum
Amphilophus labiatum
Amphilophus longimanus
Amphilophus
macracanthus
Apistogramma sp.
Cleithacara maronii
Heros appendiculatus
Heros severum
Hypselecara temporalis
Mesonauta festivum
Microgeophagus
altispinossa
Microgeophagus ramerezi
Nandopsis atromaculatum
Nandopsis bartoni
Nandopsis freidrichsthalli
Nandopsis loiselli
Nandopsis managuense
Nandopsis motaguense
Nandopsis salvini
Nandopsis trimaculatum
Nandopsis uropthalmus
Theraps argentea
Theraps bifasciatum
Theraps breidorhi
Theraps guttalatum
Theraps hartwegi
Theraps heterospilus
Theraps intermedium
Theraps nicaraguense
Theraps panamense
Theraps regani
Theraps synspilus
Theraps zonatum
Thorichthys affinus
Thorichthys aureum
Thorichthys ellioti
Thorichthys helleri
Thorichthys pasionis
Thorichthys socolofi
20
Twenty Point Fish
Amphilophus alfari
Amphilophus altifrons
Amphilophus calobrense
Amphilophus diquis
Amphilophus lyonsi
Amphilophus rhytisma
Amphilophus robertsoni
Amphilophus rostratum
Amphilophus tuyrense
Amphilophus zaliosum
Apistogrammoides sp.
Archocentrus
spinosissimus
Astronatus sp.
Batrachops sp.
Caquetaia sp.
Crenicara sp.
Geophagus crassilabrus
Geophagus surinamensis
var.
Gymnogeophagus
gymnogenys
Gymnogeophagus
labiatum
Gymnogeophagus
lacustrus
Herichthys bocourti
Herichthys labridens
Herichthys minkleyi
Herichthys pearsi
Nandopsis beani
Nandopsis dovii
Nandopsis festae
Nandopsis grammodes
Nandopsis haitiensis
Nandopsis islantum
Nandopsis ornatum
Nandopsis pantostictum
Nandopsis steindachneri
Nandopsis tetracanthus
Nandopsis umbriferum
Paraneetroplus bulleri
Petenia splendida
Satanoperca leucosticta
Satanoperca pappaterra
Symphysodon sp.
Taeniacara candidi
Teleocichla sp.
Theraps coeruleus
Theraps fenestratum
Theraps gibbiceps
Theraps godmani
Theraps irregulare
Theraps maculicauda
Theraps melanurum
Therapsmicropthalmus
Theraps nebuliferum
Theraps omonti
Theraps seiboldi
Thorichthys callolepis
Tomocichla tuba
Uaru amphiacanthoides
25
Twenty Five Point Fish
Acarichthys heckelii
Acaronia sp.
Biotecus sp.
Biotodoma sp.
Chaetobranchopsis sp.
Chaetobranchus sp.
Hoplarchus psittacum
Pterophyllum altum
Pterophyllum dumerelli
Retroculus sp.
Satanoperca acuticeps
Satanoperca daemon
Satanoperca Lilith
Point Schedule for Old
World Cichlids
10
Ten Point Fish
Aristochromis **
Astatoreaochromis
Chalinochromis **
Chilotilapia
Cleithrochromis
Corematodus
Cynotilapia
Genyochromis
Gephyrochromis *
Haplochromis (victorian)
Haplochromis **
Hemichromis bimaculatus
Hemichromis thomasi
Hemihaplochromis *
Iodotropheus sprengerae
Labidochromis *
Labeotropheus **
Lamprologus brichardi
Lamprologus margarae
Lamprologus ornatipinnis
Lamprologus meeli
Lamprologus tetracanthus
Lethrinops
Lichnochromis
Melanochromis *
Pelvicachromis *
Pseudocrenilabrus
philander
Petrotilapia
Pseudotropheus
Telmatochromis Thysia *
Tilapia *
Trematocranus
15
Fifteen Point Fish
Asprotilapia
Aristochromis macrochir
Aulonocara maylandi
Aulonocara ussiyi
Aulonocranus
Callochromis
Cardiopharynx
Chalinochromis *
Chromidotilapia *
Cyprichromis
Diplotoxidon
Docimodus
Eretmodus
Grammatotria
Julidochromis *
Haplochromis ahli
Haplochromis bethicola
Haplochromis borleyi
Haplochromis horei
Haplochromis kiwingi
Haplochromis linni
Haplochromis macrostoma
Haplochromis pfefferi
Etroplus maculatus
Hemichromis elongatus
Hemichromis fasciatus
Nanochromis *
Labeotropheus marmalade
cat
Labeotropheus
trewavasae orange x
orange
Lamprologus (lake species)
Lamprologus furcifer
Limnochromis
Limnotilapia
Orthochromis
Rhamphochromis
Spathodus
Steatocranus *
Tanganicodus
Tylochromis
Xenotilapia
Twenty Point Fish
Cunningtonia
Lobochilotes
20
Cyphotilapia *
Ectodus
Etroplus suratensis
Hemibates stenosoma
Lamprologus calvus
Lamprologus
compressiceps
Lamprologus fasciatus
Lamprologus ornatipinnis
Lamprologus sexfasciatus
(gold)
Lamprologus
tretocephalus
Lastredea
Lamprologus (all riverine)
Limnochromis auritus
Petrochromis **
Serranochromis
Simochromis
Trematocara
Tropheus brichardi
Tropheus duboisi
Tropheus moori
Tropheus polli
Twenty Five Point Fish
Boulengerochromis
Cyathopharynx furcifer
Lamprologus sexfascitus
(blue)
Haplotaxodon microlepus
Haplotaxodon tricoti
Ophthalmochromis
Perissodus
Petrochromis trewavasae
Reganochromis
Triglachromis otostigma
NOTE: FOR ALL OLD
WORLD CICHLIDS
* = ALL ** = NOT ALL
25
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Raising and Breeding
Neolamprologus multifasciatus
By James Shakour
When I think of these Tanganyikans, I think of the shirt my mother put on me when I was two years
old. “Don’t let my size fool you.” These are the first “shellies” I have ever kept and bred and I must say they
are quickly becoming my favorite Cichlid.
I obtained seven N. multifasciatus that
were part of a breeding colony of about
twenty that were thriving in a 20 high.
The previous tank had a sand substrate,
shells, and a few pieces of smaller Texas
Holey rock. The tank that I had set up for
them was a 10 gallon (which is like the
penthouse for these guys) with peasized gravel as substrate, escargot shells
that I got from the grocery store, a box
filter, and water temperature of about
78° F.I spread the gravel and shells evenly throughout the tank. After about three or four days, the group had
moved the shells to opposite ends of the tank. They also started to move the gravel and mound it up in some
spots. I could not believe the amazing feats these fish were able to make at only one inch in size.
Throughout the next week, I did not see but one or two fish
hovering above the shells while the others stayed inside the shells. They
would poke their heads out occasionally. I was not sure if they were
hiding (stressed) or if they had bred. After sometime, the entire colony
would come out to eat together and then immediately return to the
safety of their shells.
One day I was observing the tank during feeding (New Life
Spectrum Grow) and I noticed a single fry poking its head out from
between shells. Then, suddenly there were two more, then three. In a
matter of seconds, there was fry everywhere! They were swimming but
stayed near their shell and mother’s protection. The fry were eating
little bits of the NLS. From that point on I would add a small amount of
de-encapsulated brine soaked in tank water for about ten minutes to
help it sink for daily feeding. To my surprise about five days later, there
were about a dozen fry in another part of the tank hanging out around a shell. Nine days later, another spawn
occurred! It is fascinating to look one tank and see fry in different stages of growth.
This brings me to the most difficult part of breeding N. multifasciatus, water changes. I usually use a
Python water change system, which I did not want to use in this tank because I was afraid of disrupting the
shells or worse, sucking up fry. I switched to a manual siphon with an intake with a smaller diameter. I gently
pushed the siphon down into the gravel, which emptied tank water into a five gallon bucket. After every water
change, which I did twice a week, I checked the bucket for escapees. I also used the Python to refill the tank. I
felt uncomfortable that this method might be too rough because after a test the current from the new water
definitely kicked up and disrupted the shells. As a solution, I filled the tank up with gallon jugs and I poured the
water into my hand to have let it trickle into the tank. This method has worked great as the shells and gravel
hardly move.
Getting the fry out of the tank did pose a problem too. They are extremely fast and usually retreat into
their shell within milliseconds. I found that once they are in the shell, I could just grab the shell out of the tank
and gently empty it into a bucket without
harm to the fish.
One habit that I find very fascinating
is how the group/colony will raise and
defend the fry. Although, I have read on
the internet of some instances where the
dominate male will attack the fry once they
reach a certain size/age. I have no
experienced this behavior yet.
I hope this article peaks your
interest in shellies and that you find it as a
useful reference.
Reader Reward: Which species
mentioned in this month’s bulletin gets
dark patches on its anal and dorsal fins
when mature? Send answers to
[email protected]. Correct answers
will be entered to win a special prize at
the March meeting. Good luck!
Next Social Meeting – February 3, 2012
Old Oak Church, 7575 Old Oak Blvd,
Middleburg Heights, Ohio
Meeting Starts at:
8pm
Directions:
From the North take I-71 South
Take exit 235 (Bagley Rd.).
Turn Right onto Bagley.
Turn left onto Old Oak Blvd.
Church is about ½ mile on left.
From the South take I-71 North
Take exit 234.
Turn Right onto Pearl Rd. (42)
Turn Left onto Fowles Rd.
Turn Right onto Old Oak Blvd.
Church is on the right 1/10 mile.
Old Oak Church
7575 Old Oak Blvd.
Middleburg Heights, Ohio
Program
Preview
By Lew Carbone
Picture Courtesy of Stephan Tanner
This month, we are fortunate to have Stephan Tanner as our featured speaker. Stephan is a catfish
specialist and spoke at the 2010 Extravaganza. The following is his autobiography from his website,
which I edited a little for this context.
I have been an active fish keeper since the mid 1980s. Back in Switzerland, where I was born, I
got my first tropical fish tank when I was 14 years old, and the “tank fever” has never left me. In
fact, my interest in biology and nature pushed me to earn a masters’ degree in Behavioral
Ecology and Molecular Biology (1995) and finally a Ph.D. in Human Molecular Genetics (1998).
During my undergraduate years in Switzerland, I worked at the Spiezer Zoo, a nice local fish
store with quality fish and great customer service.
In the spring of 1998 I moved to Columbus, Ohio, for a postdoctoral fellowship in cancer
research with Albert de la Chapelle, M.D., Ph.D., at The Ohio State University. After four years I
became a Research Scientist and since the fall of 2005, I have been Research Assistant Professor
in Human Cancer Genetics in the Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical
Genetics at OSU.
As for my fascination with fish, a pivotal moment was when I went to a meeting of the
International Society of Barbs, Tetras, Loaches and Catfishes, a German organization, in 1992. I
felt instantly comfortable among highly devoted specialists, and I decided to become a member.
In 1994, a new editor for the club’s quarterly publication, BSSW Report, was needed and I held
this position until the end of 2006. I regularly travel to Germany for fish related meetings and to
visit friends that I have made through that fabulous organization.
I have a small fishroom with some 61 tanks to properly house all the fish that I am interested in.
Breeding, which is the ultimate goal, produces lots of offspring that need a good home. Well,
selling a few fish is not an issue, but selling them by the hundreds would sooner or later bring
the IRS or the state treasurer to my door step. To avoid any legal issues, I decided to set up a
company, called Swiss Tropicals, that does proper business and pays taxes. In addition, I have
US Fish and Wildlife Service and USDA import licenses that permit me to bring fish and plants
along from my trips.
Stephan’s program will be entitled “Pleco Nutrition.” If you want to order something from his
website, he can bring it that night and save you shipping. http://www.swisstropicals.com/
Next month: Kevin Bauman, from the Columbus area, talks about Victorian Cichlids.
Ohio Cichlid Association
2012 Program Schedule
January 6
Don Danko
New Danko Fish Room
February 3
Stephan Tanner
Pleco Nutrition
March 2
Kevin Bauman
Africancichlids.net
Victorians
April 6
Swap Meet
May 4
Jeremy Basch
“Madre de Dios, Peru”
July
No Meeting
August 3
Dr. Jay Stauffer
Specimen organization project
September 7
Klaus Steinhaus
Geophagus
October 5
Jim Powers
Loaches
November 2
Pre-Extravaganza Swap Meet
June 1
Mike Hellweg
“Live Foods for Cichlids” December 7
Christmas Party
Member of
the Month
Member of the Month is a way for us as
members to get to know the people we
see at every social gathering a little bit
better. This month the obvious choice for
the O.C.A. to interview would be our new
Editor, Jombie!
Jonathan “Jombie” Dietrich, age 25
By Jonathan Strazinsky
O.C.A. Give us some back ground about yourself, your bio if you will. Where you grew up, where you live now, married
or single, kids, pets, blag blah blah…
Jombie I grew up in Brooklyn, Ohio. I graduated from Brooklyn High School in 2005. After high school, I attended
Baldwin-Wallace College, majoring in English and secondary education. In 2009, I received my degree from BWC. I
taught at Brooklyn High School for a year before transferring to North Royalton High School, where I currently teach. I
am presently single without children. I have a puppy named Molly.
O.C.A. How long have you been keeping fish?
Jombie I’ve been keeping fish since 2004. My first tank was a 2.5 gallon with an adult angel fish… duh.
O.C.A. How long have you been keeping cichlids?
Jombie Since 2004.
O.C.A. What was the first fish you’ve ever spawned?
Jombie The first fish that I spawned was Aequidens Pulcher, the Blue Acara.
O.C.A.
What species of fish/cichlids are you keeping now?
Jombie I am currently keeping Fossorochromis rostratus, Pundamilia nyererei,
Neolamprologus multifasciatus, Thorichthys socolofi, and Scleromystax barbatus.
O.C.A. Do you have a favorite? If so, what?
Jombie My favorite fish has been Aequidens diadema for quite some time. I miss my group.
O.C.A. How many tanks do you have set up?
Jombie I have five tanks right now because I still live at home. I have a125, 75, 40b, and two tens.
O.C.A. Tell us something about yourself non-fish related.
Jombie I sleep on the floor with three alarm clocks around my head. If I slept in a bed, I’d never wake up on time.
O.C.A. How long have you been a member of the O.C.A.?
Jombie I’ve been a member of the OCA for three years now.
O.C.A. Why did you decide to join the O.C.A. Board and take on the position of Editor?
Jombie Since joining the OCA a few years ago, I’ve always wanted to be more involved with the club. As the club
ages, newer members must step up for the sake of our survival. We can’t expect the same people to continually put in
all of the effort. I’m sure they would like to sit back and enjoy the club as just members one day. So, I figured since
years from now I’ll probably be president, now is a good time to start learning the ropes. Also, now that college has
been over for a few years and my career consumes most of my life, I’ve been struggling to find a creative outlet. I
enjoy editing and writing, so this seemed like the perfect fit. I’m pleased to have this opportunity.
O.C.A. Do you have any other hobbies besides keeping fish? If so, what are they?
Jombie I love to organize things.
O.C.A. What’s your favorite color?
Jombie Orange
O.C.A. Do you like nachos?
Jombie Yes
Albinos, Browns, and Calicos:
The ABC’s of Bushynose Plecos
By Dave Ayres
Back in the day (the mid-eighties to be exact), I was fortunate enough to have a pair of “Bristlenose”
catfish spawn in one of my aquariums. At that time it was considered a rather uncommon occurrence
reflected by the fact that breeder’s award programs back then recognized the “Bristlenose” pleco as a difficult
species to spawn. You will have no doubt noticed that I referred to the fish as a “Bristlenose” pleco; the name
“Bushynose” pleco is much more recent terminology and I think more descriptive of the fleshy tentacle-like
appendages that adorn the head of mature males. The few people who were breeding this catfish at the time
referred to them as either Ancistrus dolichopterus, A. triradiatus, or A. temminckii. I am not sure if any of those
names were correct. A. dolichopterus was certainly not correct as this fish has only just recently been
imported into the hobby. Back then the fish that I was breeding were a chocolate brown in color with lighter
spotting, probably correctly identified as A. cirrhosus and the eggs as I remember were orange/yellow in color.
Because these “Bushynose” plecos
were such efficient algae eaters they quickly
became very popular and demand far
exceeded supply. Professional breeders saw
an opportunity to cash in and began to crank
them out by the tens of thousands. One look
at the popular literature reveals that there
are many brownish-colored , spotted plecos
found all over South America. They range
Photo courtesy of Frank Mueller
from Argentina to Brazil and everywhere in
between. The problem of mass producing
fish for profit, particularly Ancistrus plecos,
is that they seemingly hybridize relatively easy and as a result the pure strains are soon lost. In captive
populations, as in the wild, albinism and other mutations do occur. The difference is that in captivity these
traits can be fostered and line-bred to produce “aquarium strains.” For the most part, in the wild, Mother
Nature takes care of the albinos and mutants by a process known as predation.
And so, if we fast forward twenty-five years from the
first paragraph of this article we find that the most popular
“Bushynose” plecos are what are best described as A. sp.
“albino”, A. sp. “brown” and A. sp. “calico.” Each is available
with either normal or long flowing fins. They are aquarium
strains, the result of selective breeding for the aquarium trade.
These fish have no pedigree, will never be scientifically
described , do not exist in the wild, but, guess what? Fishkeepers love them!
Photo courtesy of Frank Mueller
These fish are very, very easy to breed, so much so that it’s far easier to produce a good looking calico
plecos than it is to produce a quality guppy!
They require no special husbandry. My
setup consists of a fifteen gallon tank,
temperature set at 76* F with a gravel
substrate and a sponge filter. The prospective
parents will need hiding places. I use pieces of
broken clay flower pots from my cichlid tanks.
Pieces just large enough for them to get
underneath. For the breeding cave use a
tubular pleco cave, the kind with one end
pinched closed, and you’ll be in business! The
use of driftwood for these species is a personal
choice, not a necessity. I don’t use it. As for
dietary needs, use a good quality mixed flake,
just make sure that it sinks and alternate with
Photo courtesy of Gary Mendez
string beans. Look for them in the canned
veggie aisle of your favorite supermarket and
be sure to buy the ones marked unsalted on the
label. One thing that I have observed is that these fish, especially the fry, consume a lot of food. They seem to
be constantly grazing so be sure to keep them well supplied with food. Also, along with this, keep the water
changed often. This will ensure optimum growth.
Now, as you may have gathered, I am no
big fan of hybridization or line-bred catfish, but I
will grudgingly concede that I find some such fish
to be pleasing to the eye – unnatural, but pleasing.
So my hope as Chair of the Ohio Cichlid
Association’s Breeders Award Program is that by
breeding these aquarium strains of plecos you will
become enthused enough to want to try your
hand at some of the L-numbered plecos that are in
the hobby today. There are plenty of nice looking
ones to choose from that haven’t as yet been bred
in captivity. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the next
trailblazer!
Photo courtesy of Don Danko
Photo courtesy of Don Danko
This Month
In OCA History
By Lew Carbone
1984: In Issue 5 of the Buckeye Cichlid Lovers’ Bulletin, Neadean
Gumto and Editor Louise Stachowiak publish a questionnaire.
Members are asked for their opinions of the bulletin and in what
direction they’d like the 6 month-old group to go. This is but one in a
series of events that lead to the founding of the OCA.
1991: In observance of Valentine’s Day, the bulletin cover includes a
drawing portraying Cichlid true love. True, that is, until the male
encounters his next ripe female!
2000: At the social meeting, held
in the auditorium of the Tri-City
Senior Center in Middleburgh Hts.,
Canadians Glenn Marshall and Tom
Herman present “Out of Malawi.”
It is an elaborate multimedia
program about their trip to Stuart
Grant’s lodge and collecting station
on Lake Malawi. My most vivid
memory of the presentation was
the energetic and rhythmically
intricate African pop music that
accompanied the footage of
scenery in the area.
All Hail the Mighty Emperor!
Of all the products I’ve used in my 30+ yrs of keeping
fish there are very few that have earned my loyalty
and praise like the Emperor 400. In my opinion, there
is no better overall filter than this nearly bullet-proof
product made by our favorite folks at Marineland
(United Pet Group). This month I’ll take a look at the
Emperor so that maybe you’ll understand why it rates
so highly in my book.
I’ve used about every filter known to man since I started keeping cichlids in 1980. As a young aquarist I had a voracious
appetite for anything I could read about filters, filter systems, and water quality. Since the internet didn’t exist until the mid
90’s, most of the reading I did was the monthly Aquarium magazines which I bought at my Local Fish Store each month and
then devoured every word. In all these years I’ve learned a lot about what makes a filter good and what makes a filter bad.
Efficiency, filter capacity, water flow, and cost are all variables when it comes to choosing the filter that’s right for you and your
fish. In short, I’ve used about every type and brand of filter so I have a broad range of experience with which to compare the
Emperor with many of its competitors.
The Emperor is a back filter that at its top working range filters about 400 gallons of water per hour. Be careful when
comparing filtering rates of any filter. Understandably a manufacturer is going to give you their filters best case scenario when
quoting the amount of water a filter will cycle per hour. All filters lose their volume per hour rates as the filter media becomes
clogged with debris. The Emperor is no different as it is also bound by the laws of physics and it
too will slow down as the filter clogs. But what makes it different than other filters is the size of
the surface area provided by the Emperor. It carries two filter cartridges that provide 40 sq inches
of filter space each. This means that it can handle the higher bio loads of bigger fish and crowded
aquaria. Another great thing is the additional filter carrier that allows you to add a higher amount
of carbon or bio media. All in all this means that this unit runs for a longer period of time before
clogging necessitating cleaning the cartridges. The more frugal folks among us know that you can
rinse these cartridges out for months before they need to be replaced, but the 4 pack of filter
cartridges shown at the right retails for less than $20 and if you buy a generic replacement
filter cartridge, you can shave some more bucks off of that figure. Initially you will find that the
Emperor is a cinch to get up and running and you will be surprised at how much water it moves.
When priming it can feel like your are trying to fill a bottomless pit, but that’s because the filter
has a larger tank to accept the large filter cartridges. Let’s look as some of the other features.
Many aquarists will preach that you must have three types of filtration for a successful aquarium: Biological,
Chemical, and Mechanical. The Magnum covers all three because its cartridge removes waste mechanically by trapping it in
the fibrous filter pad which also has carbon for chemical filtration. Each Emperor comes with two independently fed biowheels so we’ve now got a bacteria colony too. For my money, I’ve found that water turnover is key, as is water movement
at the surface of the tank. Emperors are good at this not only due to the high rate of flow bit also because the surface level
discharge agitates the water surface. This great technology is available for every aquarist because the Emperor line has a
couple of models to help you get the job done:
Emperor 280: Filters 280 Gals per hour and is rated for
tanks up to 50 Gallons. I’d have no issue with this being the
main and maybe only filter on a 55 gallon tank. As the only
filter on a 55 gallon tank, the entire volume of water is
turned over 5 times per hour or once every 12 minutes.
Understand that a 55 gallon tank only has about 45-50
gallons of actual water in it, so the turnover rate is probably
much more like 6 times per hour or once every 10 minutes.
Emperor 400: Filters 400 Gallons per hour and is rated for
tanks up to 90 gallons. I use these as the only filter on my 75
gallon tanks and have no filtration issues at all, and I keep
large fish. I use two of these on a 125 gallon tank only
because it provides more even circulation within my tank if
I have two of these teamed up. With two Emperor 400’s on
a 125 gallon tank, the entire volume of water the tank turns
over 6.4 times per hour or once every 9.3 minutes at peak
water flow. Like the 75 gallon tank, the 125 gallon tank only
has about 110 gallons in it so the entire volume of water the
tank turns over every 8 ½ minutes or once every 7 minutes
at peak water flow. For those of us keeping large, messy fish
in often crowded aquaria, this can be a blessing!
Emperor
400
Emperor
280
All in all Emperors have a lot going for them and I favor them partially because they are perfect for those who
favor bigger fish, but also because of their ease of use. Unlike canisters which always seem to be a pain to maintain, the
cartridges in the Emperor simply rinse clean in just a minute or two. While it’s engineered for the E series cartridges,
many creative aquarists know that it will also work just fine with a variety of filter media engineered by the home
aquarist. My favorite feature is the gentle, but high capacity water flow. Emperors will gently stir the largest of aquaria
keeping the entire volume of water circulating without the dead spots and pinpoint discharge streams common to
canisters and power heads. Another feature of the Emperor is that it uses two separate spray bars to run the bio wheels.
This allows the highest amount of water to hit the wheels to feed the bacteria growing there while aerating that same
bacteria bed to allow it to grow to its fullest potential. Emperor uses a dual pump system to simultaneously run the spray
bars and run water through the filter media. The best part is that this magnificent filter does all of this work while using
only 12 measly watts of power. So for less than the amount of power used by two 75 watt light bulbs, I’ve got 925 gallons
of aquariums being turned over more than 3 times per hour in my basement. As someone who’s always trying to save a
buck I’d say that is a deal. I’ve spent too much money over the years on ineffective filtration and it’s a very cool thing to
To me when you find something that works this well.
Speaking of money, how much is this going to cost you to get one
of these in your fish room? The Emperor 280 is going to set you back
about $40 bucks and the 400 will cost you about $50. Both of these are
prices from the internet so you’ll have to add shipping. Local fish stores
vary, but generally get between $70 and $80 bucks each in stores for the
Emperor 400. Look for sales and rebates. Currently there is a $10 rebate
on the 400, so you may be able to get a deal on this filter without using
your computer. Whichever way you go, you will be happy with this
filter. Almost half of the 2,000 gallons of water in my basement goes
through an Emperor filter several times per hour and I have yet to have a
Emperors
failure of any kind and it’s that rugged and reliable durability that makes
Bio-Wheel
the money well spent.
Fish Room Tours
The Sorensen’s Basement
February 16, 2012
Hobbyists love to see other hobbyist’s fish rooms. It’s just a fact. We spend so much time constructing,
stocking, and maintaining our rooms, so showing them off brings mutual satisfaction for both parties. When
we look at others’ rooms, we are learning new ideas, methods, strategies, technologies, tips, and much more.
As a club, it is our goal to share information with other hobbyists; therefore, it is essential to see how others
do it.
Throughout the year, the OCA Bulletin will take its readers to member fish rooms across Ohio. To kick
start this new monthly addition, we will begin in the basement of fourteen-year members, Eric and Rhonda
Sorensen.
The Perfect Fit
The Sorensen’s fish room was constructed in 2009 when they
moved into their new home in Cleveland, Ohio. When buying a new
house, Eric and Rhonda were searching for two important aspects: a
large kitchen and direct access from outside to basement. After
searching, they found the perfect house. Buying a new house gave
the Sorensen’s a clean slate of which to build their dream fish room.
Their enormous basement provided ample area for a fish room that
would please them long into the future. Their initial plans for the fish
room were simple, room to work and enough tanks for ten species at
any given time. These two criteria would set the stage for
construction, a task of precise planning and astute execution.
Before the fish could enter the basement, the Sorensens
knew the house’s electricity needed to be overhauled. They
contracted with OCA member Bob Tillman to upgrade the electrical.
After work was complete, the basement was equipped with one
hundred new outlets. It was enough power to run start their plans,
and room to expand. This idea of possible expansion continues as a
theme throughout the construction of the room. With one hundred
brand new outlets, Eric and Rhonda were able to plan the locations
and amount of tanks that would begin their dream fish room.
The Sorensens initially were planning on having a fish room
with a majority of 125s and 40 breeders. This changed after
Aquarium Adventures in Brooklyn went out of business. Eric and
Rhonda love auctions, so they ended up discovering a fantastic deal
of the tanks from the old store. These
tanks were stackable, held 75 gallons of
water, came with installed lights, and had
dividers. Sounds great, but nothing is ever
too good to be true. The great deal was
complicated with moving, cleaning, and
customizing the tanks. The stands would
not be suitable for the basement, so Eric
built his own custom stands for the tanks
out of wood.
After buying a few too many of the
75 gallon tanks, Eric and Rhonda created a
reasonable floor plan, one that would
definitely give room to work. They decided
to use a linear pump to provide air to all
tanks. They had to upgrade their previous
pump because it just wasn’t cutting it for all of the tanks. The old one still remains in storage for possible
expansion. They used drop lines for outlets in the PVC air path. Most tanks would be equipped with box
filters, but some were coupled with hang on back filters for extra filtration. Eric admits that the room is not
too high tech, but the possibility is present. He installed
three drains at various spots in the fish room. This makes
for easier water changes. Most of the tanks are drilled, so
the possibility of creating an automatic water changing
system is not too far off. They decided to heat each tank
individually with high quality heaters. To keep moisture
out of the room, they use fans in the ceiling.
The Fish Room Today
After all is said and done, the Sorensens have a
fish room that pleases them. It is provides them with the
opportunity to keep many species in a comfortable,
enjoyable atmosphere. Today, the room houses over 35
species of fish in roughly 1,000 gallons of water. Their
tanks are stocked with high quality, healthy fish. Most
tanks are species-only habitats. Eric states that he enjoys
watching a species mature through all stages of
development. In their fish room, this is just the case.
There are fry, juveniles, adults, breeders, and some really
old ones too!
Here is their current stock list, give or take.
Altolamprologus black calvus
“Congo”
Amphilophus festae
Amphilophus flaveolus
Ancistrus sp. Bushynose
Ancistrus sp. Calico
Ancistrus sp. Pucappa Gold
Astatotilapia sp. "tomato"
Astronotus Ocellatus
Aulonocara "German Red"
Aulonocara Sp. OB Peacock
Aulonocara Sulfer Head
Corydoras Aeneus
Corydoras Sterbei
Julidochromis marlieri
Labidochromis caeruleus ”Blue”
Laetacara
Malupterus Electricus
Nandopsis haitiensis
Neolamprologus brevis
Neolamprologus brichardi
Neolamprologus buescheri
Neolamprologus helianthus
Paratilapia pollen
Placidochromis phenochilus
“Tanzania”
Pseudotropheus demasoni**
Rocio octofasciata
Steatocranus casuarius
Steatocranus tinanti
Synodontis petricola
Tramitichromis sp. "Intermedius"
Tropheus “Chimba Red”
Tropheus Duboise
Tropheus Keiser II
** denotes Eric’s favorite fish
Currently, Eric is upgrading his florescent bulbs to T5 bulbs with LED capabilities. Eric’s plan is to
eventually utilize the final corner of the basement for more tanks, although Rhonda is uncertain about these
plans. For now, they do have the mutual plans to begin a marine tank.
Tips from the Tour
1. The Sorensens have an awesome storage closet in their
fish room. They keep it stocked with all of their fish
related items, most of which came from OCA raffles. The
room is chilly, so it makes a great place to store food and
dry goods.
2. Eric uses grease pencils for writing directly on tanks. He
keeps a system for filing information: White, species;
red, spawning; black, last owner. The pencil marks erase
easily and cleanly.
3. Eric and Rhonda have a rack of twelve 10 gallon tanks.
These tanks serve the purpose of housing new fish. They
make it a point to keep all newly acquired fish in these
tanks for at least a month. They can observe the fish
easily in the smaller space. If there is something wrong
with a particular fish or entire group, treatment can be
given. If the fish checks out after a month, they are off to
paradise!
4. In the laundry room, Eric and Rhonda have a fry
factory, a rack of 5 gallon tanks that house all of their
fry. The fry are kept separate from the other fish in a
brightly lit room with its own air supply. This makes for
easy observation and a place for specific feeding
routines.
5. The Sorensens have two comfortable rolling chairs in
the basement. The chairs can maneuver around the
room and provide a relaxing way to view the fish.
6. Eric feeds earthworms to many of his large New World
Cichlids. The females are usually hiding from the big
males, so Eric uses an arm extender to place the
earthworm close to the female. This ensures the
female is fed properly. It also keeps Eric dry!
7. The final tip we can take from the Sorensens is
something Rhonda just loves; she calls it the fish food
cleanup team: her pups! Don’t worry about dropping
food; they will find it!
The Sorensens contribute most of their success to the Ohio Cichlid Association. Over the past fourteen
years, the OCA has provided them with the knowledge, relationships, and the continued motivation to keep
their hobby thriving.
If you are ever in the neighborhood, take a moment to stop by the Sorensen’s fish room.
You won’t be disappointed.
Thanks for inviting us!
If you want your fish room spotlighted in an upcoming issue, please contact Jombie
[email protected]
v
Ohio Cichlid Association
Extravaganza 2012
th
th
th
November 16 , 17 , and 18 , 2012
Cleveland, Ohio
Extravaganza 2012 plans are in full swing!
It’s never too early to save the date.
Don’t miss all the action in 2012 –
It’s shaping up to the best one yet!
More information to come!
LFS Spotlight – Aquatica
“The Most Unique Aquarium Store in Ohio”
The Local Fish Store, or L.F.S. for short, is rare in today’s culture of “Big Box” stores. Over recent times,
these stores have gained major control of the market, sending the Ma and Pop stores into hiding. In Ohio, we
should feel lucky there are still a few aquatic stores out there that offer something different, something the
chains can’t create, something I’d like to call the experience. Yes, similar floor plans make us feel comfortable
and advertisements in the Sunday Plain Dealer make it easier to shop from home, but creating the experience
takes a leap outside of the norm. Fish hobbyists thrive on the feeling of walking into a store created for them.
Entering the L.F.S., hobbyists hear its familiar pulse, air pumping through plastic veins. The temperature is
familiar, 78-80 degrees. The hobbyist is greeted by a fellow hobbyist with the same passion. Every week the
L.F.S. creates an adventure with new, unexpected species. The experience is never the same; it keeps the
hobbyist eager to return for that new addition to an empty tank or a new tip on feeding. The L.F.S. keeps the
hobby pure and offers something special.
Throughout the 2012 year, the OCA Bulletin will be spotlighting our local fish stores. The first Spotlight
will be focused on Aquatica, Ohio’s newest L.F.S. Make sure you have your car keys ready and begin to set
your GPS. Let’s explore AQUATICA…
Many would pass this building without ever realizing it is an enormous fish store.
In fact, I’ve heard that exact story a few times now. Many people are disappointed they didn’t
discover this gem earlier. Once discovered though, the average person to the most extreme
hobbyist finds many reasons to visit as much as possible.
Aquatica is located at 6653 Grafton Road in Valley City, Ohio. For OCA Extravaganza
enthusiasts, this is conveniently located roughly fifteen minutes from the Holiday Inn
Strongsville. As hobbyists pull into the parking lot, they are greeted in the distance by two
massive, playful dogs in Aquatica’s fenced-in “backyard.” As the hobbyist enters the middle
man door, his senses go haywire, unable to focus on just one stimulus. Without taking two
steps into the building, the hobbyist sees a 400 gallon tank with Arowana, a huge cylinder with
six pie-charted aquascapes, numerous perfectly maintained saltwater tanks, and more
store than the eye can see without a ladder. The hobbyists can feel the experience
within seconds.
I had the chance to take a tour through the store with owner, Steve. Here’s
what he says Aquatica has to offer:
“We are a manufacturer and distributor of aquarium and supplies. We
import and breed the highest quality fish you can find. We have an acrylic
fabrication and cabinetry workshop on location. We house over 20,000 gallons
under 7,200 square feet of building. We have thousands of freshwater and
saltwater fish and corals.”
As a local fish store enthusiast, I look for three qualities in a LFS that all play
a huge role in creating the experience: quality and variety of fish, availability of dry
goods, and service. Let’s explore each.
The Fish
Aquatica does not exaggerate when it claims to sell fish of the highest
quality. The fish one sees when browsing through the tanks are almost
unbelievable. They have phenomenal colors, long fins, and are in peak physical
condition. What I like even more than the quality is the variety of fish within its
stock. The tanks at Aquatica are dominated by African Cichlids, but the stock has a
mixture of all different species from the Old World. The most stunning Cichlids
have to be Aquatica’s assortment of show-quality Peacocks. These Peacocks have
insane color and could easily win best-of-class in a bowl show. When looking
through the different Old World species, I was struck by the sheer numbers of fish.
Aquatica has remarkably clean tanks packed with juvenile species. The colors are
amazing when the Cichlids are dispersed throughout the tank. And even pretty
cool when packed in a corner for a pretend feeding! Some of the juvenile tanks
even have a parent within the tank to show off the potential of the fish. Many
times customers will be turned off by a juvenile fish because of its dull coloration.
Little does the customer know (without researching) that the fish has the potential
to be a beauty. Aquatica has thousands of Old World Cichlids, small to large,
common to rare.
I enjoyed the variety of New World Cichlids too. Although definitely not as
prominent as the Old Worlds, there were some fish that caught my eye. There were
high-quality Oscars and a few pairs of adult Paratalapia Polinni. Angel enthusiast will
love the stock, beautiful adults to young black angels.
Another aspect about the stock I enjoyed was the selection of tropical fish and
catfish. Among these wonderful Cichlids were quality community fish that would
make nice additions to a hobbyist’s tank. They stock Roseline sharks, tetras, danios,
barbs, guppies, and more. There are many quality catfish housed within Aquatica.
They stock plecos, Synodontis catfishes, and Corydoras species, both in great
numbers and quite reasonably priced.
Since Aquatica fabricates custom tanks, there are many displays throughout
the store that exhibit the fish on sale. A few tanks really caught my eye. There’s an
African setup with Frontosa and tons of Synodontis, a few huge African Community
tanks with stunning adult males on a black background, the 400 gallon Arowana and
large New World Cichlid tank, and many more. From very small to enormous,
Aquatica has an idea how its customers can display their fish. If their ideas don’t spark
your interest, they can create anything your mind can imagine.
Dry Goods
Aquatica is a one-stop shop for everything a hobbyist needs to set up and
maintain aquariums. Now, of course, availability does not create the experience
because most stores offer the typical items. Aquatica goes beyond this though, by
stocking everything and anything, and stocking enough to fill every crevice of the
store. There are tubs of reef salt, tanks, and more that are actually stacked to the
ceiling! Aquatica uses all of its 7,200 square feet. It carries the highest quality foods,
maintenance equipment including replacement parts, a stunning lighting department,
and everything else a hobbyist could want. They custom cut sponges and filter foam
too.
Since Aquatica has onsite acrylic fabrication, there’s really no limit to what the
store can offer. Hobbyists constructing or updating fish rooms might want to talk to
Steve about custom tanks for their rooms. If a hobbyist is looking for a show piece to
display in the living room, talk to Steve about a custom stand and canopy to
accompany the new tank.
Service
I received superior service during my few visits to Aquatica. The owner is really passionate about the
services he supplies his customers. He claims his purpose for creating Aquatica was to revive the fish keeping
hobby through knowledge and support. Providing his customers with everything they need, Steve goes above
and beyond his initial purpose. Steve’s dream has materialized into what I call the LFS experience.
I truly recommend that everyone in the OCA visits Aquatica sometime during 2012. If you travel to
Cleveland once a year for our Extravaganza, plan ahead for a short trip to this breathtaking store. If you live in
the area, take an afternoon to visit, but don’t plan on it being short; there is too much to see. We are lucky to
still have local fish stores in our area, and they need all the support we can give them. If not, the experience of it
all will end. So, take your kids, nieces, grandkids, and neighbors to Aquatica. Get them involved and keep our
hobby alive.
Thank you Aquatica!
These Cichlids are begging for you to come to Aquatic…or food. One or the other.
OCA
Fish Market
James Shakour is looking for…
Tramitichromis sp. "Intermedius" - Juvies or proven pair/trio/group
Albino red empress - Juvies or proven pair/trio/group
Blue Ahli - Juvies or proven pair/trio/group
Red peacock - Juvies or proven pair/trio/group
Black peacock - Juvies or proven pair/trio/group
Aulonocara sp. OB - 3+ inch females
Long fin albino bushy nosed plecos - Proven pair/trio/group
Calico plecos - Juvies or proven pair/trio/group
Please contact James at [email protected]
Lew Carbone
419-681-1628 [email protected]
Will deliver to Feb meeting or Auction.
Parachromis friedrichsthalii “LaCeiba Yellow Head”
juveniles 1.5” $4 ea
Photos available
Astatotilapia “Tomato” from a breeding group 2-2.5”
Trio $30, 2M3F $45, 3M5F $65
Photo to right, more photos available.
‘Haplochromis’ “Entebbe”
New to this area.
juveniles 1+” $3 ea
Tilapia mariae
Breeding pair 4-5” $25
juveniles1.25” $2 ea
Members get free ads! Buy/Sell/Trade
Send your information to [email protected]
My Personal Experience Breeding
Thorichthys socolofi
By Steve Heinbaugh
As I have progressed into the Cichlid hobby, my preference in fish has evolved. Like many others, the
colorful, active fishes from Lake Malawi originally sparked my interest and hooked me into the hobby. Soon
enough, I learned about the diverse fish from Lake Tanganyika who like the same water conditions as their
cousins from Lake Malawi.
More recently, I have really become interested in the Cichlids from Central America and Mexico. The
behaviors are unique and I love the drastic color changes when they are guarding a spawn.
In March of 2009, I had a chance to attend the North East
Council of Aquarium Society’s annual convention in Connecticut.
Rusty Wessel was speaking on the genus Thorichthys, and that
was a “can’t miss” talk for me. His talk was very informative, and
he touched on each of the ten species, plus one undescribed
species, the popular “Gold Mixteco.” During this speech, he
mentioned a species that seems to be overlooked by many in the
hobby, Thorichthys socolofi. This species seemed attractive
enough, and I always enjoy something that is on the obscure side,
so I was intrigued by this specific species.
Photo courtesy of author
Thorichthys socolofi is the smallest of the Thorichthys
genus, originating from two rivers in Southern Mexico, Rio Bascan
and Rio Misol-Ha. They do not get as much color as the popular “Firemouth” Cichlid (Thorichthys meeki), but
they do get some nice spangling throughout their bodies. As they mature, T. Socolofi will get dark patches on
the back of the dorsal and anal fins. They have a L-shaped, dark marking on their bodies. I have not noticed
them being overly aggressive, but they will chase others away, especially during spawning. This chasing rarely
results in any damage being done or even contact for that matter.
I was lucky enough to obtain a young group of eight F1 fish at the 2009 Ohio Cichlid Association
Extravaganza. When I got them home, I put them in a 75 gallon tank that had pool filter sand for substrate, a
few live Bolbitis plants, and a few rocks. The majority of the tank was open, but there were hiding places
between and behind the rocks. Soon after, I added clay flower pots for protection. The fish were alone in the
tank and thriving; however, they were quite shy at first. All eight fish seemed to be getting along quite well
and by the time the fish were approximately one year old, spawning had started. For certain, I had two pairs,
and during spawning they claimed their own territory. Each time they spawned, they returned to the same
site; however, they did not hold territory when not spawning. One pair laid eggs in a flower pot lying on its
side on the left side of the tank, and the other pair laid its eggs somewhere behind a large rock in the back
right corner of the tank.
Spawns for me were very small, no more than fifty eggs. I have read other spawning reports claiming
up to one hundred eggs. Perhaps my females were not old enough to produce these numbers. In fact, my first
few spawns were twenty-five or less. During spawning, my pairs claimed territory up to one foot away from
the spawning site. Both male and female got a striking look to them, solid grey bodies with vertical black
stripes. They kept this marking while the fry were still with them as well. The female spent most of the time
guarding the eggs, while the males did the majority of the territory protection.
Hatch rates seemed very high with this species, and the fry started to wiggle after three days. When
breeding, the female constructed pits and transfer the fry between these pits periodically. Four or five days
later the fry became free swimming. At this point, when I wanted to save the fry, I siphoned them into a 5.5
gallon tank. If they were left in the main tank, the numbers dropped day to day, until all were gone within a
week. I never saw any of the other adults showing interest in the fry; however, they were likely picking a few
off when I was not looking.
Photo courtesy of author
After removing the fry, raising them was not
problematic as long as I was paying attention to water
conditions and feed them enough. A few times I admit to
being a little too lazy and because of this, I lost entire
spawns. The fry were fed decapsulated brine shrimp eggs
for the first few weeks. I tried to feed them three times a
day, and change half the water two or three times a
week. I replaced the water with water from the main
tank, and this seemed to work well for me. Once the fry
were large enough, I fed them growth pellets and started
using tap water for the water changes.
The adults were fairly undemanding as far as
feeding and water changes, although color and breeding
started to fade when it got a little too long between water changes. In the wild, T. socolofi pick in leaf litter
and in substrate for their food; they consume a lot of vegetable matter. Mine readily ate pellets; however,
they were not too excited about floating food. Sinking pellets seem to be their favorite. They occasionally get
frozen mysis, but I keep that to a minimum because these fish can get bloat if they eat too much protein.
Six months after I got these fish, I added a group of Xiphophorus montezumae (Montezuma swordtails)
from the Rio Tamasopo. This seemed to make the Thorichthys a bit more outgoing, but spawning activity
stopped with the swords in the tank. The swordtails were in the same tank for most of a year, but were
removed due to the lack of spawning from both species. After removing the swordtails, the Thorichthys
resumed spawning within a few weeks.
After another year of keeping this species, I went through another spring and summer of no spawning
activity. I do not know if this species is a seasonal spawner or if other factors were influencing the spawning
activity. Perhaps temperatures in my fish room or my water change schedules were less conducive to
spawning during the summer. Both years, spawning returned in November, with one pair spawning and the
other pair following within a week.
All in all, I have really enjoyed keeping this species. They tolerate my care fairly well, and have given
me a bit of a challenge in raise the fry. They are not ever going to be a wow-factor fish or win any fish shows,
but they have a good character in a species-only community aquarium, which makes them fun to watch. If
you are looking for a unique fish and happen to come across some Thorichthys socolofi, please give them a try!
Photo courtesy of author
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OCA Library
Report
By Hilary Lacerda
The OCA library added some new books at
the 2011 Extravaganza courtesy of Mike
Schadle. He traded a few new books for our
much older ones and gave us a discount on
the expensive Tanganyika: Africa’s Inland
Sea by Angel M. Fitor. This book is filled with
beautiful pictures of Lake Tanganyika and
has a fish eye view of an Emperor Cichlid on
its cover.
Catfishes by Lee Finley
covers tank set up,
feeding, and breeding,
with pictures and
descriptions of more than
100 species of catfish!
Nanoaquarium by Jakob Geck and Ulrich Schleiwen is a
small Barrons paperback which describes how to set up
and take care of a nanotank (one that is 1-9 gallons) with
the right sized plants and invertebrates or small fish. I
know, it’s not a Cichlid book but I thought it would be fun!
The books and videos in the
library can be checked out
1-2 items at a time and
returned at the next meeting.
The Greater Cleveland Aquarium
A visit in January 2012 shortly after its opening
On 21 January 2012 the Greater Cleveland Aquarium opened its doors, and for the first time since the
City closed the old Cleveland Aquarium in the mid 80s, the people of North East Ohio had a public
aquarium again. Naturally for any fish enthusiast this was an historic occasion, and my family just
barely managed to keep me away on the opening weekend by pointing out the to-be-expected
overcrowding. Accompanied by my Dad, I visited the Greater Cleveland Aquarium on Tuesday 24
January, just four days after the grand opening.
The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is located in the historic
FirstEnergy Powerhouse
Considering that we came in the middle of a regular weekday, I found the facility well visited but
certainly not overcrowded. However, I have heard through the grapevine that the lines on the first
weekend needed to be seen to be believed. We had bought our tickets online at
www.greaterclevelandaquarium.com, and walked right in. Buying tickets in advance might be a good
idea allowing you to jump the queue if you want to visit in the weekend, but probably won't be
necessary if you come during the week.
The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is located in the historic FirstEnergy Powerhouse, which is both, a
burden and an asset. A disadvantage are the space constraints that an historic building imposes. They
manifest themselves in a current ban on strollers, which makes the facility less than family friendly for
those with very small kids. This is said to be a temporary policy. Considering the number of visitors I
saw, I would expect it to be lifted shortly, at least during the week, but for now the policy is in place.
The historic building becomes a bonus when it comes to providing a grand setting for the aquarium, as
seen in the photo below that shows the entrance hall.
-1-
Entrance Hall of the historic FirstEnergy Powerhouse with entry to the
Greater Cleveland Aquarium
The building also provides many opportunities for integrating fish tanks into its unique features, and
makes for very attractive back-drops for the tanks. The designers of the Greater Cleveland Aquarium
have taken advantage of that to the fullest. The tanks look stunning in front of lots of exposed
brickwork, and the stands built from comparatively rough wood blend right in.
Some of the tanks housing fish that are native to North East Ohio
The first feature greeting the visitor is an extensive collection of fish that are native to North East Ohio.
Most tanks are long and narrow to simulate a river environment, but the flow of water through the
-2-
tanks appears fairly low. I have very limited experience keeping native Ohio fish species in captivity,
but I believe they require fast flowing, oxygen rich water, that is fairly cold even in summer. The fish
showed no signs of undue stress, but I wonder if the flow through these tanks will be able to provide
sufficient aeration, especially in summer. The historic building with its thick brick walls should at least
help in keeping the temperatures down. At the time of my visit, some of the tanks looked a little
unfinished because wood that was presumably meant to sit on the bottom was still floating, but I guess
this will sort itself out in due course. Overall, I found the the native fish section fascinating and a great
asset to the Aquarium.
Native Ohio fish – those more interested in fishing than myself will have
no trouble identifying them
Some more native Ohio fish
-3-
Many of the tanks in the Greater Cleveland Aquarium have a circular footprint. This immediately
distinguishes them from the tanks most any fish enthusiast might have at home. It also allows viewing
from all sides, and by picking up the theme of the smoke stacks and the arched ceilings of the historic
powerhouse in which the aquarium is situated, circular tanks fit in well with the architecture. These
tanks encourage the continuous movement typically observed with swarm-forming fish. However, they
provide little to no cover for fish that occasionally like to hide. Also, staking out territories becomes
very difficult for fish like cichlids that are naturally territorial. Unfortunately in the Greater Cleveland
Aquarium, circular tanks are stocked with fish regardless of their natural behavior and associated
requirements. Last but not least, the curved acrylic distorts the view of the fish. Note how the fake tree
trunk in the above photo appears to be much thinner outside of the tank than inside the tank.
After the large and interesting native fish section, the visitor passes an educational display about
invasive species, which curiously is stocked with fancy goldfish. Next to it is a tank with an assortment
of common tropical aquarium fish, including for example various tetras, corydoras species, and Blue
Rams cichlids. The next room is shown in the photo below. Outside of the frame to the right is a large
display featuring alligators. The large tank in the foreground on the left contains an odd assortment of
fish ranging from various rays to what could be a collection of fish-store-rescues – tank busting South
and Central American cichlids. I initially thought the tank had a New World theme, but I eventually
discovered some Asian inhabitants as well - a giant gourami (Osphronemus goramy) , and a red tail
shark (Epalzeorhynchos bicolor). In the background you can see three circular tanks, which
supposedly contain (from left to right), Amazon river, Lake Malawi, and Lake Tanganyika biotopes.
Room with various warm freshwater setups
I am not much of a New World enthusiast myself, so I only gave the Amazon setup a quick glance. To
me it appeared pretty decent with a group of angelfish as centerpiece, but also some mesonauta, plecos,
and so on. The Lake Malawi setup looked like somebody's grow-out tank with lots of juvenile fish,
consisting of an assortment of mbuna, haps and peacocks, thrown together without giving it much
thought. When those fish grow up, I would expect the tank to become a kind of Woodstock meets
World War 3 – free love between all at the same time as unlimited warfare.
-4-
As a huge Tanganyika fan, my pet peeve in the whole Aquarium is the Tanganyika tank that is a perfect
example of how not to do it. As previously pointed out, a circular tank does not lend itself to provide
suitable conditions for territorial fish, which most Tanganyikans are. Also, the fake tree trunk provided
as decoration is completely wrong for the Tanganyikan habitat that's dominated by rocks. According to
the labels on the tank, the main inhabitants were supposed to be Paracyprichromis nigripinnis,
Cyprichromis leptosoma 'Utinta' and Tropheus duboisi, which would have been a pretty good stocking
list for the tank, and might have actually benefited from the circular shape. However, in reality the
centerpiece of the tank was a colony of adult Frontosa – presumably of the Burundi variety.
Admittedly, they were big and awesome looking. I'd say the biggest Frontosa I have seen so far, but
then the curved glass of the tank makes the size of fish impossible to judge. Of the cyps and paracyps
there was no trace to be seen, other than that thef frontosa looked exceedingly well fed. I'd hazard a
guess that there was a causal relationship. The tropheus looked little frazzled, and were not as active as
I'd expect tropheus to be. As any experienced aquarist will be able to confirm, different temperaments
and different feeding requirements make frontosa and tropheus notoriously bad tank mates. Often the
hyperactive tropheus will stress out the docile frontosa, but here it seemed that the adult frontosa had
the upper hand over tropheus that might have been weakened already by digestive problems caused by
protein-rich food suitable and necessary for frontosa but not tropheus. In addition to the
aforementioned fish, the tank also contained various small juvenile lamprologine, including
altolamprologus and shelldwellers – all of them potential food for the huge frontosa. It would be unfair
to judge the entire Aquarium by the small Tanganyika display, but I cannot help but say that it would
have been better not to have a Tanganyika biotope than this one.
Lake Tanganyika display
The room contained three information posters, one about the Amazon River, one about Lake Malawi,
and one about the Mekong Delta. How these were supposed to match up with the displays remained
mysterious to me.
Another noteworthy detail might be that absolutely no life plants were used in any of the freshwater
setups of the Aquarium. Let's hope this is planned for the future, since they would make a worthwhile
addition.
-5-
Following this room was a hallway that showed yet again the designers' ingenious integration of the
Aquarium into the historic building. First came a circular skylight offering views up the outside of the
chimney of the powerhouse, highlighting it's impressive hight. With the visitors attention drawn
upward, there came a lobster tank integrated in the ceiling offering intriguing views of the crustaceans
from underneath.
Lobster tank in the ceiling
Some marine setups
-6-
The next room contained three circular tanks with marine fish (see photo above). Centerpiece of the
first tank was a very large number of lion-fish (Pterois sp.), and the second one housed some fairly
secretive octopuses.
The next hallway continued with various marine displays. I remember seeing seahorses, but since I
know little about marine fish, I couldn't list species here. The tanks were built into what looked like
old door niches – again an excellent use of the architectural features of the site. The tanks were as wide
as a door and also as high – an estimated five feet - but only maybe a foot deep into the wall. I hope
the operators know how anybody is ever going to do maintenance at the bottom of these tanks, because
I don't.
Conspicuous by their absence were life corals and other creatures typical for reef setups. I'd guess that
it would be hard to supply them with the necessary light in the very deep tanks of the aquarium, but I
am sure marine enthusiasts will find all those fish-only setups with Disney look-alike fake corals,
sponges, and so on a little lacking.
Tunnel shaped marine tank
Through a tunnel shaped marine tank the visitor entered a large hall containing the Touch Pool of the
Aquarium. During my visit two employees in wet suits were stationed in the tank to interact with
visitors, show them the tank inhabitants and let people pet suitable creatures if desired. That pool is
sure to be a highlight with the kids, but interesting for adults nevertheless.
In addition to the employees in wet suits, the whole aquarium was swarming with staff. The level of
service surpassed any expectation, but I wonder if it will be possible for the Aquarium to generate the
income that allows it to sustain these high standards in the long term.
-7-
Touch Pool
The crowning highlight of the Aquarium experience in Cleveland, to which the whole visit leads up, is
the large shark tank. Unfortunately during my visit the water was so cloudy that most viewing
windows only allowed a few feet sight into the tank, and nearly all of the inhabitants remained
invisible.
Shark tank
The photo below shows one viewing window were backlight from the SeaTube® tunnel (visible in the
background), allowed me to capture an image of some of the impressive sharks. The SeaTube® allows
visitors to virtually walk through the tank, being surrounded by sharks and other sea creatures, but
when I visited visibility was so poor that nothing but the fake ship wreck could be seen.
-8-
Shark tank with SeaTube®
In most other tanks of the Greater Cleveland Aquarium water clarity left a little to be desired, but the
issue could largely be ignored until I came to the shark tank. There even seemed to be a slimy layer on
the water surface as far as I could make out looking through the viewing windows below. Especially if
you are planning to visit with kids, I would recommend to wait until the cloudy water situation has
been resolved. Maybe give the aquarium a call and check. I am sure these are just teething troubles,
but most kids might feel severely deprived if they encountered the shark tank in this shape.
Another positive point was that parking was conveniently available in front of the door. However at an
extra cost of $3. At $21.95 for an adult ticket it would be nice to have that included in the price. As it
is, for just two adults you need to budget almost $50 for a visit. That's a lot of money for about 1.5
hours entertainment, and kids from 2-12 years are $15.95 per head extra.
What I liked best about the Greater Cleveland Aquarium:
●
●
●
●
Integration of Aquarium into the historic building,
Large section with native Ohio fish displays,
Great touch pool,
Impressive Shark tank with SeaTube® (once it's cleared up).
What could use further improvement:
● Aeration seems lacking in many tanks (might even be the problem in shark tank?)
● Half-heartedly done warm freshwater setups
● No plants and life corals.
According to their press pack, the organization behind the Greater Cleveland Aquarium is Jacobs
Entertainment, Inc. the owner/developer of the Nautica Entertainment Complex which includes the
-9-
FirstEnergy Powerhouse, the home of the aquarium. Jacobs Entertainment is a gaming and
entertainment development company. They have partnered with Marinescape NZ Limited, which is
based in Auckland, New Zealand, and boasts to be the world’s leading developer of walk-through
aquariums. The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is living proof that the partnership of these folks can put
on a good show, and also has the know-how to built some very impressive fish tanks.
In my opinion the determining factor for the long term success of the aquarium will be how well it is
accepted by the community. Unique to Cleveland and the surrounding area is a very large
concentration of organized fish enthusiasts. Cleveland itself boasts a very active saltwater club
(C-SEA), a general aquarium society (CAS) and two cichlid clubs (OCA and GLCS). These are as
many fish clubs as the whole of New York City has! In the closer area there are active fish cubs in
Akron, Medina and Youngstown. A little further away there are similar associations in Columbus,
Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and several across Michigan. I believe the know-how and experience in keeping
and breeding fish in tank environments accumulated in the greater Cleveland area might be
unparalleled in the world. Other organizations are already taking advantage of this, and I know that for
example the zoo in Pittsburgh has recently set up a stunning new Tanganyika tank with fish and the
help of a local breeder and fish club member. There is an enormous opportunity for the Greater
Cleveland Aquarium to tap into this resource, for example by approaching clubs to consider adopting a
tank. For a cichlid club like the OCA, it would be an easy task to fix up the badly lacking Tanganyika
display.
I greatly enjoyed my visit of the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, and consider it a must-see for any fish
enthusiast in the area. It is the first thing we can do to help the Aquarium become a success. Hopefully
it is not the only thing, and the Greater Cleveland Aquarium can truly become not only a public
aquarium, but an aquarium for the people.
© Frank Mueller, January 2012
- 10 -
OCA Raffle!
Don’t forget to buy
your tickets!
The OCA Board, especially Mark DeWerth, works tirelessly to put
together a fantastic raffle at each meeting. The raffle is exclusive
for members of the OCA, just another benefit of being a member.
This year, the raffle is larger than ever and contains items that’ll
make your jaw drop and set your salivary glands into overdrive.
Members are walking away with spectacular items, so don’t miss
out! Take advantage of this great opportunity.
See Mark DeWerth at the raffle table for any additional details.
Fish Tails
Species Profile
A Member’s Experience
Dan Woodland
A favorite Cichlid kept: Cyphotilapia frontosa
Reason why:
They exhibit very different characteristics than your standard Cichlids; they are not overly aggressive, yet show very
strong parental care. Additionally they are somewhat territorial harem spawners.
Appealing characteristics:
“Frontosa” come in several forms, 5, 6 and 7 bars. A few years ago C. frontosa were reclassified with 5 bars being all
the “blue” variety, 6 bars are now called Species North (formerly Burundi and probably due for a real name soon), and 7 bars
from Tanzania are the only Cyphotilapia left with the old genus name. As I mentioned above, they are not overly aggressive,
so keeping a colony of these is fairly simple as long as enough hiding places are provided. I used “tubes,” drain tile, or PVC
glued with silicone, which they seemed to like very much.
How you've successfully kept the fish (tank size/ food/ temp. /etc.):
I kept my first breeding group in a 75 gallon tank; I would keep them in at least a 6 foot tank now. The environment I
kept them in had crushed coral as the substrate with a set of three box filters powered by a blower. I kept the temperature
around 76 degrees F and fed them a steady diet of Tetra Cichlid Sticks with a smattering of other foods like frozen shrimp,
krill, and more to supplement their dietary needs. Feeding some meat is a must because Frontosa have been found with
other fish in their guts including N. leluiepi.
As I mentioned C. frontosa are not overly aggressive but they are a very large fish and will eat just about anything
that will fit in their mouths given the opportunity.
How you've successfully bred the fish:
Patience. These fish get big and they need to be a couple years old before they will breed regularly and successfully.
Their requirements are few as any other fish including good water, good food, and a properly sized aquarium.
How you acquired the fish:
My first breeding group of C. frontosa came from a local breeder/importer nearly 25 years ago!!
Where did the fish go / where did the fry go:
After over decades of successful breeding the dominant male, (I had 2 males and three females in my breeding
group) died of old age. I gifted the remaining adults to a friend which ended up breeding the remaining females for several
more years. All the fry were sold to local pet shops and helped me build my first real fish room.
Any additional information:
They are not overly strong breeders, being easily distracted during the breeding process.
They breed differently than most mouth brooders as the male will place his milt in a breeding spot where the female
will deposit the eggs. Then, while backing up, she quickly scoops the eggs up with her mouth. They do not perform the Tbreeding motions as most mouth brooders do.
C. frontosa will also allow other fish, namely Clown loaches (Chromobotia macracanthus), to act as cleaners. The odd
thing about this is the Clown Loaches are from Asia while the C. frontosa are from Africa!! Do C. frontosa have “cleaners” in
the lake? That would be an interesting thing to see in the wild!!
You guys were friends a
long time even before you
took this picture back in
ninth grade. Since then
you’ve shared football,
stuff about girls, how tough
your folks were and …..
…well everything.
So now that you’ve both
grown up a little, why don’t
invite your friend to join the
OCA?
A lot of new members tell us that they wish someone had told them
about The Ohio Cichlid Association sooner. This year has been one of
the best years to be a member of the OCA and with Extravaganza just
a couple months away; there’s never been a better time to join
The Ohio Cichlid Association!
Our yearly membership contribution is still only $15. It’s worth the fifteen
bucks to get the Buckeye Bulletin magazine delivered to your inbox
each month. When you add on our exclusive “members only” sales
area on the Cichlid Room Companion (the finest cichlid web site on
the net), plus the opportunity to be a part of the Extravaganza (the
hottest cichlid & catfish
convention there is), and
you have a membership
that’s worth way more
than $15.
Join now and we’ll even
throw in a free OCA T Shirt.
Share your passion,
Share your hobby,
Share the OCA.
Info: [email protected]
Aqueon offers a full line of premium aquarium products
designed and formulated by hobbyists to benefit the
health and well being of aquatic life.
www.aqueonproducts.com
Hold It
Right There
One Last Thing!
Remember your first Cichlid/Catfish spawn?
The Bullet staff is looking for people to submit short narrations describing that exciting event!
Whether it was last month or thirty-five years ago, the experience has definitely changed your
life… and your water bill.
Send your information to [email protected]
(Bonus points if you have a picture!)
I remember my first Cichlid spawn. I bought my first Cichlid
tank setup in 2004 from Aquatic Adventures in Brooklyn, Ohio.
It was a 20 gallon tank stocked with two Aquedens Pulcher
(Blue Acaras), two Pink Convicts, and three Jaguar Cichlids. I
know… what was I thinking? I quickly changed this mess after
joining an online forum and learning a thing or two. Since then
I have kept both species, but in much different environments.
Luckily enough, the two Blue Acaras were of opposite sex and
older than the rest of the fish in the tank. They quickly seized
power of the tank and decided to spawn on a large piece of
driftwood in the center of the tank. Obviously I had no
experience with fish breeding, so I don’t think I did much of
anything to induce the spawn. I haven’t raised Blue Acaras
since, but I’d say the species is easy BAP!
I remember witnessing the eggs mature through the various stages. I raised
a ton of fry in that tiny tank too. Looking through the photos, it looks like I
had a divider, which was smart. I never got a BAP certificate for that
species, but I do remember framing a nice photo of a juvenile. I was so
proud of that spawn. It hooked me into the hobby, and I haven’t looked
back since.
Jombie