24:06 September

1JlJoCl9
""Clrd I~y
TOTAL TROPICAL
0
0
CDDCD 0 DO
Volume 24, #6
=
=
=
=
B
=
8
=
~
September 1995
PREMIUM FLAKE FOOD
TOTAL TROPICAL
Wardley Total Tropical is the ultI­
mate freshwater flake food. created
to provide an extraordinary diet that
considers not only your fishes
health of today, but their nutritionall
needs for tomorrow. Better meta­
bolic responses, faster attraction to
the food. brilliant color and im­
proved overall health and vitality
are only a few of the benefits of
feeding Total Tropical as your
everyday staple food, Total Tropi­
cal begins where all other staple
foods leave oH,
QUALITY PRODUCTS FOR THE AUSTRALIAN FISHKEEPER
AUSTRALIA'S PREMIER BRAND
U'etOftltlt et'elt//d 8oe/et'f lite
REGISTERED BY AUSTRALIA POST .• PP342780/0024
!
(j()~IIN(.
(J
Cichlid Scene
Editorial
Rowemin' 'Round
Minutes of Previous Meeting
One Person's Viewpoint
Tropheus duboisi, Little Spots
Species Synopsis: Astronotus ocellatus
Too Many Indians, and Not Enough Chiefs ..
Solution to August Brain Teaser ..
Jawlockings
Keyhole
..
..
All Rights Reserved
2
3
3
4
6-8
.. 10-11
., 12-15
.. 16-18
18
21
23
24
A
~
re=;
~
g
~
~
~
Life Members: Graham Rowe, Heinz Staude, Kevin Archibald, Kerth Patford, Danny Genovese.
Honorary Members: Max Davenport, Dr Angus Martin.
Committee Members:
President
Vice-President
Secretary
Editor
Treasurer
Social Secretary
Librarian
Show Secretary
Trading Table
Committee-at-Iarge
Facsimiles
I
John McCormick
5944 3502
Lynda Haymes
98882183
Graham Rowe
95607472
Daryl Hutchins
9872 3225
Steve Young
93796820
Helen Rowe
95607472
Scott Haymes
9888 2183
Travis Hingston
98856818
John Reeves
9803 4109
Maurice Breward
9752 2103
Kevin Archibald
9782 1258
Aussie Magnussen
95462974
Jann Reeves
98034109
9872 3225/ 9560 7028
Reprints © Copyright, Victorian Cichlid Society Incorporated 1995.
Anyone wishing to reprint material from any edition of 'The Cichlid Monthly' in their regular club
magazine (not other publications which are sold), may do so (unless the article itself carries a
copyright notice) provided due credit is given to the author and 'TCM' and one copy of the relevant
publication is forwarded to the author, care of the Secretary. Enquiries re the use of material in any
other publications may also be directed to:
THE SECRETARY
VICTORIAN CICHLlD SOCIETY INC
c/- 23 Mangana Drive, Mulgrave, Victoria, Australia 3170
THE NEXT MEETING will be held on the second Fridny III tllll month
(8 September 1995) at 8.00 pm sharp (the trading ll\illIJ :lIld library
open much earlier) at the Courtyard Room, Nunuwndillq Civic
Centre, Whitehorse Road, Mitcham. Supper will be lJullal<en of
after the meeting. Visitors are, of course, most welcom
MINI TALK:
MAIN TALK:
DOOR PRIZES:
Cichlid Heads
West African Riverines -­ Ernie Hicks
Courtesy of Energen Foods.
DRAW PRIZES:
1. $70 Voucher -- EvaJife Aquarium
2. Frozen Food -- courtesy of Aquavell.
:1. Chocolates
TABLE SHOW:
1<.1\. Sh(lw", COllllal American.
K.I '. ~ ;k,W ... I nl<o Malawi.
Alms: l'ho VCS ww; IOl'llllld by u!l;hlidophiloli ill M:unh 1H'/2 and thus became the first specialist
l'Iquol'i\!t [j'Ollp ill Ih!) Slillo of Vi()lollIl. Ittl 11111111 illlllll 0.10:
1. To promote Ilia kooplnU 01 dchlldu;
2. To gain and disseminale knowloduo of cichlido, Ihoi, hohito Hlld oll,iIJlllou tllIOlIUh th(~ use of
slides, films, books, lectures, practical dernonslratiolltl, locol and oVO'OO(lO lI1uyuzillOS, articles
by members and discussions with fellow mambals or OXpUI\:; ill thu liulrl;
3. To assist, in any way possible, the establishment and/or maintonanco of ClpplOvud lJublic
aquaria;
4. To be involved in the education of the general public with regard to the benefits uf li:;hkeeping
(particularly cichlids), and the potentially harmful effects of animal mismanagement;
5. To promote fellowship between members;
6. To further the conservation of species and their natural habitats;
7. To further the identification, distribution, breeding, maintenance and enjoyment of species in
the Family Cichlidae.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors, and are not necessarily
those of the Editor of TCM or the committee of the Victorian Cichlid Society Incorporated. Commu­
nication on subjects raised is encouraged.
Standing Sub-Committees
Fund-raising: Amanda Genovese -­ 9527 2546.
Accommodation: Daryl Hutchins.
Handbook: Daryl Hutchins.
BAA: John Reeves.
Mailing: Daryl Hutchins.
Constitution: Daryl Hutchins.
Species Maintenance: John Reeves.
CLA YTON RSL's gaming room came off
second-best at the VCS Annual Dinner with
quite a few members managing to finance those extensions to the fish room.
One of our group even managed to rip-off the the local club's raffle. (Should we
have offered them tickets in ours? [Naaaah}.)
STOP PRESS: (literally) the date of the Annual Auction has been changed to
21 OCTOBER -- not the 28th as you may have heard elsewhere.
As I have had to rehash this magazine due to circumstances beyond belief,
your favorite bit (the editorial) will be truncated here -- pity, it was quite juicy.
~+d;:~
Rowemin·
·Round
WE HAVE a very brief trip this month as our pilot is exhausted after
trying to get to the Dream Lake last month. Our call this month is
Southern Colorado AS in response to the invitation in the June issue
of 'SCAS Journal'. Ryan Mackey comes up with two good reasons for
'Keeping and Spawning Cyphotilapia frontosa'. First, they might (sic)
be the stupidest fish in Tanganyika and second, they could reach 35.5
centimetres.
Todd Van Natta excites everyone with his experiences with a
beautiful but aggressive fish -- a true Buntbarsche. It is called
"Lepidiolamprologus nkambae". He tells us how to successfully keep
and spawn these Tanganyikan rock-dwellers. In 'Tropheus duboisi,
Little Spots', Todd also explains why OSI Spirulina Flakes are a bad
food for most Tropheus lovers -- they allow the fry to grow too quickly
and lose those beautiful juvenile patterns very rapidly. Ah well, at least
they spawn readily and there will shortly be some more little spots to
drool over.
MRIFL:
Superfish
July-August
Queensland CG
All Cichlids
June
Michigan CA
The only spot we didn't have time (or a cichlid justification) to visit
was ...
Juneau AS
Juneau Fish Tales
August
Until next trip ...
~~~
Minutes of the Previous General Meeting
Tllu ITlcoting oponod I'll 8.10 pm with the president in the chair. Ho wolOolIlIllll'lIl11 mombers and
vitlit, ,",, Mnrnuolll prooont indicated Ihat they had received their magEl?inOfl,
Apol,.,I,)" WtJIU rucuivud from: Kovin Archibald, Steve Young, Alliin 1IIlWldllti Allol,'V1os received
lill"l: 1"I0luI ,JilOf!UI, KolllI Plltf"rd, Amanda Genov0se and Aart Langollllll,
Millllhlp 011110 .Iullo nll10111l0 wtlrO nccoptod as read on a molion movud by Alllilllo Magnussen
,nu !1ucondo<lby I 1I11ylI lul(illill(i,
,JIIIIU
.July
Troo/Jul'ol"o I'loport:
Oponlno i)IlIIlIlCU
~~\I1.0?
1I1,70
InCullIu
11'7Ij.()()
11:11J.<)O
Exponditulo
021.211
~.KJ!'1,O(
Closing balance
91 .70
1l;l9.9~
Turm Doposit $'15,534.89
This report was presented by Aussie Magnussen, acting as treasurer in Stove's absence and was
received on a motion moved by Darren Howard and seconded by Daryl Hutchins.
New member, Daniel Moloney, was welcomed by the president and presented with his member­
ship badge.
Correspondence:
Whitehorse Council
Account
Ernie Hicks
Membership application
Mario Theuma
Membership application
Malvern Aquarium
Cheque for advertising
TFH Australia
Cheque for advertising
Roly McKay
Notice of no need for magazine
Stephen Pyecroft
Disease seminar offer
-- tabled
PAl
Cichlid list
This was received on a motion moved by Siew Hawkins and seconded by Daryl Hutchins. Members
were then reminded of upcoming events.
Table Show trophies for 1995 were presented by Travis Hingston:
Third
Maurice Breward
Second
Dave Thorn
First
Irene Alger
Novico
Irene Alger
Home Show trophies for 1995 were presentod by John Reeves in the absence of Steve Young:
Third
John McCormick
Second
Piotor Jaogor
First
Dave Thorn
Novice
Pioter Jaoger
Video of Heiko Bleher's slide talk on the 'Dream Lake' was then started. It was stopped about
halfway for a short break. After a hiccup or two the video was completed. Angfa was thanked for the
loan of the video and their conference was promoted again. Helen Rowe was thanked for the suc­
cessful collection of the video.
Draw Prize:
First
Evalife Voucher
Daniel Moloney
Second
Aquavell
Darren Howard
Third
Plant
Daron Proudlock
Graham Rowe apologised for misspelling Chalinochromis bifrenatus as Cha/inochromis brichardi
(re Irone Alger's first-bred certificate) in the August magazine. (Given the circumstances, an under­
standable error -- Ed.) Door prizes (courtesy of OSllmports) were won by: Daniel Moloney, Mr and
Mrs Reeves, Siew Hawkins, Stewart Ford, Daron Proudlock and Peter Moloney.
Wardley's Table Show results were then announced by Travis Hingston: KA (July) 1st -- Michael
CoUerill. KP (August) 1st -- Maurice Breward.
BAA: Irene Alger was presented with her certificate for being the first member to breed and daim
Hypse/ecara tempo ra/is and was congratulated for her aforementioned achievement regarding
Chalinochromis bifrenatus.
AOB: Dave Thorn apologised that his report on the Fish House Night at Evalife Aquarium had not
been completed in time for the August TCM but hoped that it would make the September issue.
The meeting adjourned for a quick supper at 10.45 pm.
®
Ll-iC niCXL
Gcnc~ALiOn
IN FISH FOOD HAS ARRIVEDI
Introducing Ocean Star International
innovative Cichlid and Spirulina
floating/sinking pellets -- as well as the
best flake foods available.
ASK AT YOUR FAVORITE RETAILER
1­
t\
-+­
~
M
~·(fi-
­
MALVERN A.(g(~­
AQUARIUMS & Pet Supplies
IMPORTERS OF TROPICALS AND GOLDFISH
TANKS MADE TO ORDER
FULL RANGE OF PET ACCESSORIES
EXTENSIVE RANGE OF "SETTACARE" PRODUCTS
OPEN 6 DAYS -- CLOSED WEDNESDAY
54-56 Glenferrie Road, Malvern
Phone: 9509 1141
Present your VCS Membership Card and receive a
10% discount.
From 'The Valley Stream', #24, JanlFeb '95 (title politically corrected -- Ed)
Step Two -- Scrap the BOO
One Personfs Viewpoint
The Board of Directors is usually little more than an overly large
committee, all of whom strive to gain benefits in their own particular area at
the expense of others. If you need a good example of what a committee
can accomplish, remember that a camel is nothing more than a horse
designed by a committee.
I. M. Wright
Step Three -- Find a leader
Democracy be damned! Get out and get yourself a power-hungry s.o.b.
and give him/her the exclusive right to approve or veto any ideas and
activities. He/she won't always be right, but things will get done -- now! The
actions and decisions of the leader must not be questioned until such time
as a tougher, more efficient person comes on the scene. To soften the idea
of a dictatorship-type government, give your leader a title such as
'Coordinator of Internal Affairs' or something equally innocuous.
IN RESPONSE to popular demand,
I am about to enlighten the masses
and present my MASTERPLAN
designed to save aquarium societies
from themselves! Why I bother is
beyond me, as I am not wholly
convinced that societies per se are
necessary. There do, however,
seem to be a number in existence,
so they must have something to
recommend them and therefore are
worthy of my humble methods and
hard work.
Step Four -- Revise the format of club magazines
Far too many of the magazines which clutter-up our antiquated postal
system serve absolutely no purpose at all. Those which consist of two
covers, the minutes of the
(committee) meeting, minutes of
A VARIETY
the previous general meeting,
committee reports, etc, do more
OF FOOD
harm than good. They encourage
Keeps Your Fish
people to become parasites. Why
attend a meeting when you can
Happy and Healthy
read all about it in next month's
magazine?
The death of a society may be
likened to the slow erosion of the
Amazon riverbanks. By the time that
most individuals realise what is
happening, it is usually much too late. The time to act is when the disease
is first noticed. I am not saying that my cure is painless, nor is it easy, as
much of it goes against what the average idiot is taught to believe is the
"American way of life".
""
Step One -- Get rid of the dead wood
In this great land of ours, we go to great lengths to ensure that everyone
has the same opportunity for advancement. (Sounds great, in theory
anyway!) The laws of the land deny societies the right to restrict
memberships on many points, and this is as it should be. Unfortunately,
there are always those whose greatest ambition is to ride to glory on the
coat-tails of someone else. These are the people societies do not need!
Trimming the membership list by a minimum of 50 per cent will do
nothing but benefit the society. Get rid of your underachievers and misfits
and save money, time and effort.
What societies must do is:
1. Do not print internal reports,
etc. Make your members come
to the meeting to find out what
is going on.
2. Quit mailing the magazines to
members. If they want them,
let them get off their butts and
pick them up at the general
meeting.
3. Get on with the job of any pub­
lication -- disseminate informa­
tion and stimulate thought and
discussion. For openers, try
reprinting this column as a fea­
ture article (Done! -- Ed). If you
AQUAVELL
FROZEN FOOD
PACKAGED AND PRODUCED BY KIEBODY
PTY LTO AUSTRALIA
don't get any feedback on it, quit publishing, as no-one is reading your
magazine or, worse yet, couldn't care less about it.
4. Channel the money you will save by reducing paper and postage costs
into (the following).
step Five
M_
Revamp your monthly programs
Monthly society programs are, for the most part, a colossal bore as far
too many program directors cater to the beginners. Unless your
person-in-charge-of-entertaining-the-idiots (members) is astute enough to
realise this, the overall quality and collective knowledge of your society is
quietly slipping down the drain.
Force beginners to learn by thrusting them in over their heads! They will
either sink or swim. If they can't handle it, they wouldn't have contributed to
the society anyway. If they have the guts to hang-in and learn what is going
on, they will become valuable members of the organisation in a relatively
short period of time.
Societies can not exist for long without a few of us "old fogies" around.
After all, who provides most of your programs for you? Unless you give us
some incentive to continue as members, you are going to wind up with
beginners instructing beginners.
$pend some money on good programs and/or speakers. There are a
great number of people from other clubs, etc willing and honored to speak
at your meetings. Offer to pay their travel expenses and see what happens.
At least you won't be stuck with listening to the same talk year after year.
Blow some more of the long green on rented slide programs. Several
outfits have these available and most are well worth the nominal fee
charged.
There you have it. Five ways to improve your club and extend its
life-span. I don't imagine too many societies will implement my masterplan
in its entirety, but if it starts a few people thinking and helps save a single
society, I shall consider my efforts worthwhile.
I can only suggest, it is you, the public who must implement my ideas
and/or variations thereof. If you do, you will thrive; if you don't, you are
doomed to suffer a long, lingering death! The choice is yours!
FRESHWATER FISH SPECIALIST
"*
OPEN 6 DAYS
TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY and FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
10.30
10.30
9.00
10.00
6.00
9.00
6.00
6.00
3 OL8EN 8T, FRANK8TON
Phone 9783 2204
TRADE-INS OF LIVESTOCK WELCOME
PM
PM
PM
PM
From SeAS Journal, JuCt1995
!~~!r..~c~oisrt.ittleSoets
I
DON'T KNOW anyone who doesn't
like Tropheus. They are one of the most
active and colorful fish from Lake Tan­
ganyika. I love sitting in front of one of
our Tropheus tanks after a stressful day
and just watching. The tank is in con­
stant motion, an endless swirl of movement and col or.
Sandy and I have always liked Tropheus. We have owned several different kinds
and will probably own several more. To me they are definitely worth any difficulty
their care involves.
Tropheus duboisi are probably one of the most recognised of the genus, at least
as juveniles. I get lots of comments on the cute little fish with the spots. But after I
show people what the adults look like when they mature, most people lose interest.
Personally, I like the mature coloration better. I like the almost metallic blue on
the face of an adult male, and the way it glows as he pursues anything that may be
female around the tank. That is one thing about male Tropheus, they want to spawn
all the time with anything that will pay attention to them.
I house my duboisi colony in a 150-gallon (567-litre) tank with 10
Ophthalmotilapia ventralis "Bright Blues" and 12 Cyprichromis leptosoma "Blue
Frash", and I have seen the male Tropheus try to spawn with the female ventralis if
his females won't pay attention to him. This usually upsets the male ventralis and
starts a small war. This is one of my all-time favorite tanks -- non-stop action.
I'm a firm believer in keeping large groups of fish together if you want them to
spawn. 1 think that not only does this improve the chances of spawning taking place,
it also spreads aggression, and gives the boys a reason to chase the girls. I also
think that this is the reason a lot of spawning pairs do not spawn when separated
out. There is no need for the male to be aggressive in his spawning attempts if there
is no competition, no drive. On the other hand, if he is back in the community tank
with the rest of the colony, then there is the drive to be the best and the brightest,
the most dominant, and to spawn with all the females and pass-on his genes.
I have noticed that most fish I spawn. will spawn more frequently in a
"community" setting than as pairs in a tank all by their lonely selves. Even if it is
just a pair of fish in a tank full of different kinds of fish, I think they do better. Why?
Because the other fish create the need to caNe out and defend a territory, and then
to fill that territory with offspring. This gives the males a reason to be, and lets them
fulfill their roles as defender of the fort.
I got a little off the subject of Tropheus, but this holds especially true for them if
you try to separate them out, or just start with a pair, or even a small group (less
than six), you probably won't have much luck. Normally the males will chase each
other till there is only one left alive, then he will chase the females until they give up
and die. In my opinion, the way to spawn Tropheus, or even keep them
successfully, is to start with twice as many fish, at least a dozen. This gives the
males so many targets to chase that there is very little chance that a male will be
able to keep track of another particular male long enough to do it any serious
damage. They just kind of get lost in the crowd.
Sandy and I do the duboisi like we do any of our other mouthbrooders. That is,
we let them hold in the tank with the rest of the community for about 10 days, then
we strip them. At this point we decide if the fry need to spend a few days in a
bubbler, or if they are large enough to go into a net brooder. We leave them in the
net until they are mobile enough that the other fry in one of our fry tanks won't
bother them. At this point we move them to a 38-litre fry tank until they are big
enough to move to a grow-out tank. it sounds like a lot of work, but it is worth the
effort. There is nothing quite as satisfying as being able to say: "We raised these
ourselves. "
As far as diet goes, we pretty much feed our Tropheus the same things we feed
our other cichlids. They get baby brineshrimp at least once a day for the adults, and
twice a day for the fry and juveniles. They also get flake twice a day for the adults
and the fry when they are big enough to eat it. We feed OSI brand flake and feed
more Spirulina than anything else.
Water conditions are simple. We use naturally dechlorinated tap water, aged for
about a week with lots of aeration. Then we add "Rift Lake Cichlid Salts" as a
buffer -- that's it. That is another thing that helps us to have the luck we do with fish
-- strict consistency. If the fish are constantly having to adjust to new conditions
(being stressed) they are not going to be healthy and spawn. So I don't think that
you can do a lot wrong with water as long as whatever you do, you do it the same
all the time. Now don't take that statement wrong -- if you constantly keep soft-water
fish in hard water, they are probably not going to be happy or spawn. But, as long
as you get the water conditions close and then keep them there the fish will adapt
and be happy.
So go ahead and take the Tropheus plunge. Just remember, green foods, like
Spirulina, and regular water changes. If you decide to feed more protein, stay with
baby brineshrimp. Frozen or adult seem to be deadly for them. Then be consistent.
Astronotus
ocellatus
A species synopsis by Norm Halliwell
Name:
Original
Description:
Common
Names:
Astronotus ocellatus -- Cuvier 1829.
''''/,
Cuvier 1829 in Spix & Agassiz, Selecta genera at species
Pisc Bras p 129, P 168 PI F, 1829.
.
Oscar, Velvet Cichlid or Marbled Cichlid.
SURE, there are rogues in any fish family, but generally speaking Oscars
are a fairly placid fish and tend to be bullied rather than being the
aggressors. Black Belts, Dovii and Managuensis easily overcome Oscars,
which is somewhat surprising taking the robust shape and size of Oscars
into consideration.
Oscars will tolerate a great variety of water conditions, providing that
extremes are avoided. I have seen Oscars in water with a pH of 3.8 and
their fins were as ragged as possible. But by bringing their water conditions
back to a more reasonable level they recovered quickly. Any extremes will
cause stress that sometimes will manifest itself into other problems such as
"hole in the head".
... ,
'~
.
4
.,'
~
},;­
-"
'"
According to Shafland & Pestrak (Env Bioi Fish 7[2]. pp 149-156) the
Oscar was recorded to reduce feeding at 17.1 QC, stop feeding at 14.5°C,
became listless at 13.6°C, then lost its equilibrium and finally died at
12.9°C. However, it has been recorded in Melbourne that Oscars have
accidentally been subjected to and survived a temperature as low as 9.2°C.
Oscars will eat just about anything offered to them, although there are
certain foods they relish more than others. For instance: beefheart, tubifex
and earthworms followed by pellets (sinking and floating), flake foods, live
fish, freeze-dried foods such as river shrimp, krill, tubifex, etc. They also
readily accept frozen foods such as: bloodworms, squid, mussel, prawns
and green peas.
Males will grow to 40 centimetres in aquariums that will
allow them to reach this size, whereas females usually do
not exceed 33-35 centimetres TL.
Maintenance: This species has been in the hobby for quite a long time
and it will be around a lot longer than most of us. They can
not be kept (as a general rule) with any small fish, as they
are merciless on them and devour anything that fits into
their mouths. However, with fish of their own size they will
generally get on well.
~
.(
I have had Oscars in hard alkaline water as well as soft acidic water and
they appear to do best in the latter, at a pH of around 6.5-6.8.
Distribution: Very widely distributed throughout South America, in the
northern central parts and particularly the whole length of
the Amazon River, its many tributaries and the Rio Negro in
Brazil. They are even found in the Florida Keys where they
are keenly pursued as a sport fish and erroneously labelled
as Peacock Bass.
Size:
_... .,
')
.)
Now let us focus on the dietary proceedings of Oscars as far too many
people are feeding them mainly on beefheart, rather than choosing a variety
in diet as listed above. It is my belief (not proven, nor will I attempt to prove
it) that exclusive feeding of beefheart may cause "hole in the head".
I have had people come to my shop and declare that their Oscars would
not eat anything other than live food -- this is rubbish. They gave me the fish
on "loan". It took three weeks for the Oscar to respond and eventually eat
flakes. It is alleged that Oscars have the highest level of intelligence of all
fish known. They have an uncanny ability to coerce their owners into doing
what they want them to do by refusing to eat anything else. The "loan"
Oscar refused to eat flakes, which had to be removed so as not to pollute
the water. However, after almost three weeks it finally took the flakes when
offered. It showed no noticeable loss of weight or condition. This proved my
coercion point, furthermore I make the statement that feeding any fish on a
single food is stupid. Oscars to not get beefheart in nature, so it stands to
reason that it should only be used as a supplementary food source.
"Variety is the spice of life" and should be applied to the diets of all fish.
Doing so will not result in the Oscar not eating and causing the owner
unnecessary anxiety. Reiterating on the "hole in the head" theory, in most
cases reported to me the owners were feeding the fish largely or
completely on beefheart. Hole in the head is caused by an internal parasitic
worm infestation in the gut region. Over a period of time, these worms
mUltiply, saturate and finally, via the blood vessels, appear as an
infestation in the soft tissue of the head region. Fish simply cannot
continually digest large quantities of flesh from warm-blooded animals.
Oscars are normally non-territorial, except when spawning, but this is the
case with most large cichlids. Having spawned this species successfully, I
can advise that they need a large flat rock to spawn on. Water temperature
should be increased to 29-31°C with a pH of around 6.5-6.7. Hardness
should be in the vicinity of 70 ppm.
The major problem faced by most people is getting a compatible
spawning pair, or even just a pair. I have seen quite a lot of supposed pairs
that turned out to be two females. They go through the same spawning
procedure -- one lays the eggs and the other makes similar "fertilisation"
runs in the manner of a male.
The most successful and scientific way of sexing is by means of venting.
The best way is to have a male and a female side by side, upside-down
and compare their differently shaped anal orifices.
•
There is no other sure way, though I also take into account the finnage
of fully grown fish. I believe that males have much longer anal and dorsal
fins which seem to overlap the caudal fin. Females appear, to me anyway,
to have a noticeable gap between the anal and caudal fins when fully erect.
Of course, when they are about to spawn it becomes obvious which is
the female as her ovipositor is larger, more elongated and blunt, whereas a
male's sperm tube is short, slightly bent and pointed.
The big problem with venting is that Oscars exude an enormous amount
of slime when held in this unnatural (and extremely unpopular with the
Oscars) position. There are no other short-cuts or (external) physical
differences to help in sexing Oscars.
Once a pair have been selected, either by the owner at random or by the
fish themselves in the tank; the water chemistry and temperature are
suitable, and the fish are in condition, a spawning pattern develops. This
consists of the fish circling one another with quirky movements and locking
jaws aggressively. This can go on for quite a long time as it is to prove to
each other that they are compatible. They also swim around with all fins
erect and slap each other. There is also the most brilliant color explosion at
this time with all colors being superbly highlighted.
Once they have laid a batch of eggs, you will not be able to put your
hands anywhere near them. Nor will any other fish get within about 30
centimetres of them without being severely beaten or chased away to a
distance that the parents believe to be sufficient.
At a temperature of 30°C the eggs will hatch in about 48 hours and
become free-swimming four or five days later. At this stage I feed them
newly hatched, washed (no salt added) baby brineshrimp. They will grow
rapidly and must be coaxed to eat finely grated dry foods, soon after which
they will begin to eat adult brineshrimp, daphnia, mosquito larvae and other
dry foods.
As they grow you will need to keep a close eye on them, as cannibalism
by the larger fry on the smaller ones occurs very early in their lives.
Separate the bigger ones -- but any real runts or deformed fry should be
culled as in nature they are the first to perish and the same should and
must apply in captivity.
Be prepared to give ample water changes otherwise stunting of their
growth may occur -- especially in a big spawning. Large Oscars can have
upwards of 2000 fry at a time, so a minimum 25 per cent water change per
week is essential.
All in all, Oscars probably do best in a "species tank" and are well worth
the patience that is sometimes required. Oscars, with their great
personalities are a worthwhile experience.
From 'Fish Tales', Greater Iowa AA, February 1995
Too Many Indians •••
and Not Enough Chiefs
Now, I am quite sure you have read the title of this article and
have already come to the conclusion that I just might have gotten
the saying backwards. After all, you were told for years it was "Too
many chiefs and not enough indians". You're quite sure that is the
correct saying because when you go to work every day there are 13
chiefs telling you how to do the job, right?
3. Now how about the famous Chief Geronimo. He is willing to attack
everything, especially the food, but seldom remembers to show up at
committee meetings.
4. How about Chief Little Turtle. He is slower than a snail, not smart
enough to get out of the rain and has more answers than "Jeopardy" -­
ail of them wrong.
OK, then let us look at the title once again and apply the words to your
local aquarium society. Now what do you think? Sounds like the title just
might be right, you say? Or do you still agree with the saying you heard for
all those years? Well I guess that depends on which side of the teepee you
stand on.
Well as the indian list goes on and on, so does the chief list. Now the
truly great chief breeds strength, integrity, pride and knowledge into a
society and sacrifices all to do so. He knows one day he must step down
for the upcoming indian.
Let's look at what an indian is supposed to do:
1. Some indians just want to join a society and sit back and read the
smoke signals. They don't want to become involved, especially in the
politics or any work-related activities. After all, they have paid their
wampum for the whole year and are entitled to reap the benefits without
any hassle. Well, what the indian fails to realise is his wampum does not
go very far. The dues hardly pay for the publications received for a year.
2. Then we have the wooden indian. You know, the one like we used to
see in front of the old cigar store. Well, this person's a true classic. He
does attend meetings once in a while but never has any input. You
would have to light a fire under his loin-cloth to hear him yell.
A society is comprised of many indians and only a few chiefs. The chiefs
job is not always easy and indians are not easy to find once the real work
begins. Directing the society, putting out publications, breeding enthusiasm
~
All Aquarium &Pet Supplies P/L
(Cichlidarium)
8 Ounoon Crt, Mulgrave, Vie 3170
(off Police Road)
3. Then there is the indian who is always on the warpath. He attends every
meeting just so he can throw his tomahawk into everyone's back and
complain to anyone who will listen.
We specialise in
CICHlIDS, NATIVES, KILlIFISH. MARINES
and all other rare species.
Well, the list goes on and on but I think you see what I am saying. The
truly great indian stands tall, attends meetings regularly, gets involved and
accepts the fact that one day he must become a chief.
EVERYTHING FOR THE AQUARIUM
Now let's look at the chiefs, or committee, of a society:
1. My favorite chief is known as Chief Sit And Bull, and that's exactly what
he does.
2. Then there is Chief Crazy Horse. Chief Crazy Horse doesn't know his
job from the back end of his horse but he is crazy enough to believe all
the indians do. What's worse, he is on an ego-trip.
Phone: (03) 546 1025
Business hours:
Mon-Sat 9 am-7 pm; Sunday 11 am-5 pm.
Wednesday Closed.
Victoria's First and Original Cichlid Centre
and conducting annual shows are efforts few indians realise until they
become chiefs. The sad part is that too many tribes are becoming extinct
for that reason. Indians must learn to participate in assuming leadership
roles so that societies continue to grow and exist.
No matter whether you're an indian or a chief, your presence is needed
and a loss is felt when you don't participate in your society's affairs.
S_CCESS can't be spelled correctly without "U". Become involved and try
to unburden the heavy workload by doing your share. Don't let your society
become known as Custards Last Stand. Let's all work together toward a
common goal of making the society the best we can.
~
mf
u
x
::;
W
WANTED
lL.
en
en
o
a:
TO BUY
!
~
ii:
Breeding pairs of
large American
CichUds,
Dwarfs, Chromides,
African CichUds.
.mer~~
Ring Manny VeUa
Solution to last month's Logic Problem
(056) 29 1012
~~ristmas
~re~eltt~
Aussie is giving something (not
a light) to Scott. It isn't a bag of
fish food (from Dave) or a filter
(for Aussie). Aussie is getting a
filter (not a heater) so he is not
giving anyone a pump -- thus
he is giving a heater and Scott
is giving a pump. Aussie's filter is not from Kathy, so it must be from Keith.
Kathy is giving a light to Keith. Dave's gift is for Kathy, Scott's is for Dave.
Thus:
Dave
Keith
Kathy
Scott
Aussie
Fish food for Kathy
Filter for Aussie
Light for Keith
Pump for Dave
Heater for Scott
(What do Helyna, Marie, Maurice, Lynda and Helen lhink about all this? -- Ed.)
I..(mi~
hJo'.i5 H,'h'
\11 G(~r mOony us
(!«:t11l()I()gy b
i\tld jl'fr$hnes~.
m.~lf:ul(l~~lurl·'G
.
Packaged In l'f)Ost altr.7tc1r·...e
~nvir(}')rrH~n~&Il'i IN~nljl'll:-iln:l
;ckings
"aWt!
BYI~AMROWEI··.·. .
SOME of our members may be missing because they are attending the
Water Wonderland Show on the 9th and 10th of September. If your spouse
is missing and you wish to find out whether or not they are attending, then
contact B ruce on 00 11 1 810 939 3633. If they are not there they may
have moved on to Youngstown Area Tropical Fish Society Show and
Auction on 16 and 17 September. Dave, on 00 11 1 216 754 2421 will
assist you.
A quiet time at the moment. Oh well, I'll just finish off with ENVY
CORNER -- all prices (as usual) are in US dollars, the currency of the
country in which they were advertised:
Altolamprologus calvus "Chaitika"
Cyprichromis leptosoma "Malasa Yellowtail"
Cyprichromis leptosoma "Blue Flash"
Lamprologus palmeri
Telmatochromis vittatus
Telmatochromis burgeoni
Chalinochromis popelini
Dream on ...
~
1.25"
1.25"
1"
1"
1"
1"
1"
3 for
3 for
6 for
6 for
4.00
5.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
2.50
FERNTREE GULLV
AQUARIUMS
Keyhlle
ESTABLISHED 23 YEARS
A Large range of Cichlids
Tropicals and
Coldwater Fish
Tanks made-up to
ANY SHAPE or SIZE.
Plants, Livefood, Rocks.
Any enquiries? Ring George --
OPEN
7DAVS
9758 2044
63 Station Street, Ferntree Gu Ily
"Keep your ear to the ground
and your eye to the Keyhole"
THINGS are just a little quiet this month. If you have seen
anything around the traps that rates a mention here please
let the Editor know by phone or fax as soon as possible.
•
Pseudotropheus mbweti has been observed.
•
Both Labidochromis flavigulus (exasperatus) and
Melanochromis joanjohnsonae are available again.
•
Cichlasoma amazonarum are also around (barely).
•
A new publication gives the Labidochromis sp "Lion's
Cove" (or Electric Yellow) the name Labidochromis
kakusa.
•
It appears that Astronotus crassipinis is available. It
appears that the best common name will be the Felix
CichJid.
•
Still more Apistogrammas are becoming available -­
Apistogramma bitaeniatia and A. nijsseni are both
available. This is good news as this importation of
nijsseni see us with females that have spots on both
sides of the body, as in the original description and all
the classic photos of this beauty.
served
copyright,
11.
certain tefi
and othc"
artistic}
secu r .
copyri
;;r!:~!J~~~;Ji~~!f~~~~~:~~~~~~~I~
legal definition cover~~~~fl1 or thE?
by law for a
f copies of,
matic, or
\-v J. 3. to
.', ad}.
ation of the word
ebrows not to find
am sure the actual
.e fines and penalties
::E~i!:;:~:~,:~~~~~~::'n~~~~~~a~;~:~~:':
or small, at risk of being sued. It IS Incredibl¥lialiJe to beheve, and bordering on criminal
to assert that no-one, especially a large corporation, is going to sue a small club.
Several members, including myself, aware of the potential of this practice, made
their feelings known to the committee in a proper and reasonable manner. For some
unfathomable reason the debate was hot and protracted and the whole thing turned into
a three-ring circus. Fortunately, some sort of sense prevailed in the end and the
committee eventually decreed that copyright breaches were not to happen.
This seems to have had the unfortunate effect of making people a little nervous
about the copyright symbol (©) appearing anywhere in the magazine.
Our new feature "Keyhole" is accompanied by a graphic of a telephone handpiece
dangling down the side of the article. At the bottom of this graphic the more eagle-eyed
among you may have spied a tiny © over the letter M. The letter M stands for Metro
Imagebase Inc -- the copyright owners. Metro designed and supplied this and many
other Postscript graphics like it complete with an unobtrusive trademark which I see no
reason to remove -- especially as they are supplied free with another company's
wordprocessor.
Images such as the tiger head in "Jawlockings" and the aeroplanes on "Rowemin'
'Round" come from the same source, though they are produced by different graphic
firms who do not see fit to include a trademark. These images are nevertheless
copyright. Having paid for the software I hav'e the right to use these images to my
heart's content but it is illegal to copy the computer files which produce these images
and sell them (or even give them away).
So don't panic if you should see a copyright symbol on something in this magazine
(while I am editing it) -- regardless of inferences in the retiring president's illusory parting
speech at the last AGM, I do not deliberately breach copyright.
The statement above is qualified with the word "deliberately" because I did do it in
ignorance with one image (several times, unfortunately) -- though ignorance is probably
not a legal defence should one be challenged officially -- nobody's perfect.
Just as a matter of interest I am offering a small prize to the first person who can
quietly tell me, at the next meeting, what that infringement was.
,,··············111
I
Application for membership I
I To: The Secretary
Ordinary
$31.00 I
Cichlid Society Inc
Family
$33.50 I
I Victorian
c/- 23 Mangana Drive
Junior
$16.00
I Mulgrave 3170
Pensioner
$16.00 I
I
I
$~:.OO
O/S (air extra)
I
I
I
II
Given Name/s:
Surname:
I
I
I
I
I
I
Date of Birth:
I
I
Address:
I
I
I
I
I
h
'; 0'> 16
I::
1 wish to join the VCS
and enclose a cheque herewith for the correct amount:
I
I
Postcode:
Telephone:
Date:
I
BH:
Signature:
I
Areas/s of interest:
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
11 0
D
D
11
_ • • • • • • • • • • • • • •11
Treasurer
Secretary
Public Officer