In this issue:

3 Presidents Message Greg Steeves

4 FOTAS CARES Greg Steeves

5 Those Amazing Multies! Gerald Griffin 7 FOTAS History Volume 6 Issue 1 Charles Jones The FOTAS Tales is a quarterly publication of the Federation of 9 Oryzias woworae – the Texas Little Rice Fish with a Aquarium Societies a non-profit organization. The views and opinions contained within are not necessarily those of the editors and/or the of- Unique Method of ficers Reproduction. and members of the Federation of Texas Aquarium Societies. Greg Steeves FOTAS Fish Tales Editor: 11 Burdekin Gerald Griffin [email protected] on the verge of disappearing Fish Tales Submission Guidelines from Running River! Peter J Unmack and Articles: Michael P Hammer Please submit all articles in electronic form. We can accept most popular software formats and fonts. Email to [email protected]. Photos and 15 An Interview with graphics are encouraged with your articles! Please remember to include the photo/graphic credits. Graphics and photo files may be submitted in Aquarium Tank Manufac- any format, however uncompressed TIFF, JPEG or vector format is pre- turing. ferred, at the highest resolution/file size possible. If you need help with Clay Trachtman graphics files or your file is too large to email, please contact me for alter- native submission info. 19 When is it not Anubias Art Submission: hastifola? Graphics and photo files may be submitted in any format. However, un- Dr. Keith Arnold compressed TIFF, JPEG or vector formats are preferred. Please submit the highest resolution possible. 20 Attack of the Clones! The Marbled Crayfish. Next deadline…… April 15th 2016 Gerald Griffin COPYRIGHT NOTICE All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, On the Cover: stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, distributed, sold or publicly Pundamilia pundamilia displayed in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo- Hippo Point - Photo by copying, recording, or otherwise, except for fair use, without the explicit Greg Steeves permission of the Federation of Texas Aquarium Societies, San Antonio, Texas. Design and Layout Gerald Griffin Fish Tales | 2 Federation of Texas Aquarium Societies Presidents Message

appy New Year to everyone! have had a long involvement with not yet announced, I’m sure there HI hope you had a wonderful the CARES program and couldn’t will be a theme (the 80’s motif 2015 and will have an even bet- be happier to bring it to FOTAS. the last time HCCC hosted was a ter 2016. I am extremely proud to We already have participation that blast!). I am looking forward to be involved with such a dynamic I’m very proud of but with the repeating my “Best in Show” award. group as the Federation of Texas plethora of fish keepers in the FO- Aquarium Societies. I want to TAS family, I know there are a lot I am extremely proud of our orga- thank everyone for their support more to register. nization. This is the 64th year of through last year and hope that FOTAS and at a time when some everybody is as excited as I am The 2016 annual FOTAS conven- say that interest in the aquatic hob- when it comes to where FOTAS is tion will take place in Schertz by is dwindling, our membership headed. I want to thank the execu- Texas, October 21st-23rd. While has soared. We’ve become stronger tive committee, Kyle Osterholt, Lisa it is still being planned, my home and more active with each passing Hufstetler, and Ralph Deboard for club, the Hill Country Cichlid Club year. I feel the evolution of FOTAS their involvement with our organi- will ensure that everyone in atten- to remain relevant in a changing zations direction. Also, all the club dance enjoys themselves. There are hobby is essential. I’m satisfied that representatives have such a huge already four great speakers booked, we heading in the right direction role in FOTAS, thank you as well. the return of the game show and and can’t wait to see what 2016 has Another big thank you to Dr. Keith funny money auction will take in store for out historic organiza- Arnold who continues to not only place at the banquet, and, although tion. guide our organization but still has Greg (reluctantly) control of the purse strings. There is no way I could FOTAS 2009 in Houston Texas! even begin to imagine how tough some of the new programs would have been to get off the ground without the involvement of Gerald Griffin. I have no idea where this man gets his energy from but I’m very glad he has it and allows us to harness it.

With the implication of the HAP and BAP programs, all FOTAS club members are eligible to be recog- nized for their propagation efforts. Our magazine, Fish Tales is fantas- tic and getting better and better. I encourage everyone to keep writ- ing. For me personally, I am most excited about FOTAS CARES. I Fish Tales | 3 FOTAS CARES! First Quarter Report

t’s official! The Federation bothering the CARES participant. the Cameroonian Crater Lake fish of Texas Aquarium Societ- For the time being, I will keep the yet but his Pundamilia pundamilia ies CARES program is in full master list to myself, the FOTAS have already produced fry. Great Iswing. Personally, I couldn’t be CARES committee, and the CARES work Jim and keep those CARES’ happier and more proud that our program coordinators. I will list rolling! organization has become part of CARES news each quarter (Fish this great program. For a complete Tales publication) with new partici- As a reminder, the FOTAS CARES overview of the CARES program, pants and member milestones. program is available to any member visit www.carespreservation.com. of any FOTAS club. Please check The FOTAS CARES program is Starting off the New Year, we have the priority listing for species you coordinated by me however; we 57 recorded colonies recorded may already be working with. All adhere to the international program in FOTAS CARES. That’s a huge participants so far have been from as set forth on this website. effort put forth with regards to the Hill Country Cichlid Club. species survival! The most recent Come on FOTAS clubs…let’s get I’m sure we will have some tweak- participant and colony entrant is those fish enrolled. ing to do as our CARES program Andrea Halbirt who registered evolves but we have a firm template Haplochromis sp. “ruby”, a threat- Entering FOTAS CARES is easy. based on the best of other organiza- ened species from the Kyoga Lakes Email me at FOTASCARES@gmail. tion’s CARES programs. I am still in Uganda. Andrea received her com along with the following infor- considering how to handle the por- fish from Jay and Carol Geller mation: tion of recording how long a person who generously offered up sev- - Species being entered has had their colony of CARES fish. eral groups of CARES fish, free of - Source of the fish It would be easiest to start everyone charge, to area hobbyists. - Actively breeding (yes or no) evenly as we began our program - Approximate date you acquired but this doesn’t take into effect the Marc Schnell blitzed us with reg- your fish length of time a person may have istering nine colonies of Lake - Email address been working with their fish before Victoria and Lake Malawi CARES - The club you are affiliated with. FOTAS CARES began. I’ll figure fish. With Marc’s breeding prowess, this out and hopefully have direc- these threaten fishes chance at fu- Feel free to contact me with any tion on this by next report. The ture survival just got better! Marc questions. See you next report. other glitch I am working on is is already producing fry from many whether or not to post everyone’s of his CARES colonies. involvement. So far, the partici- pants I’ve discussed this with have Our Cajun lumberjack, Jim Valen- Greg Steeves no trouble letting everyone know zeula has entered three colonies, a - the CARES species they are work- Lake Victoria species and his two ing with. I can see problems in the Barombi mbo fish, Pungu maclar- future for people trolling such a list eni and Myaka myaka. No fry from Fish Tales | 4 Those Amazing Multies!

BAP Report BAP Gerald Griffin

hen it comes to the Cichlids I am familiar with are small package! In the wild they Aquarium Hobby peo- very sensitive to rapid temperature live in the empty Neothauma snail ple tend to have “Favor- changes in their Aquariums. Given shells. The males establish their Wites” when it comes to fish. It could that as they are rift valley cichlids territories around clusters of these be your first species you spawned, they should be kept in alkaline shells and try to entice females to something that caught your eye, water with moderate hardness. My inhabit these shells. The females something that is very rare or a current water is around 200 ppm will live in the shells and reproduce species whose antics continue to hardness with a pH of 7.6. This and raise their fry in these shells. entertain you. For me the Shellie suits their needs quite nicely as I In captivity the males will set up a Neolamprologus multifasciatus fits am constantly finding females with territory and they will dig pits that the last bill. They will always be broods in the tank. I have found will include several shells and the one of my favorite fish and I will al- that the most naturalistic approach females will then inhabit the shells ways keep a colony of them as I find with this species works best so their of the males they find most desir- them such a fascinating species. I tank is set up with pool filter sand able. obtained my first colony from Kyle with escargot shells along with Osterholt who had been breeding some java moss and Anubias nana. In my experience the females once them for a while and when I finally they have a brood of babies that kept them I was hooked on them. Multies are a small species with are free swimming will herd their One can watch for hours as they males growing to a maximum of babies to the java moss for feeding modify and redecorate their tank. around 2 inches. Females typically and foraging. I have also witnessed This in itself varies as I have had will grow to 1 inch. Although a them taking flake fish food and colonies that after they set up their diminutive species they will quite grinding it up and spitting it in tank it was left that way for almost a fiercely defend their territories. front of the babies. The largest year before they changed things up. Their defensiveness was noted in brood I have seen was just over the National Geographic video a dozen fry but the majority are As a Tanganyikan Cichlid their care Lake Tanganyika – Jewel of the Rift, smaller, however I have witnessed is relatively undemanding however where a male is biting on the tail of females working more than one one note here. They as well as the a small crocodile in defense of his brood so its not uncommon to see a majority of the Tanganyikan territory. All that attitude in such a group of fry surrounded by quarter Fish Tales | 5 inch fry with the mother as they herd them to feeding sites. They will also take baby brine shrimp as they will shred them to pieces to devour them.

My current setup for my Multies is a 55 gallon tank with a colony of Julidochromis dickfieldi. This gives an interesting dynamic as I have a Julie that visits the Multies and a Multie that lives in with the Julies. I have found that although they can live in a 10 gallon tank I prefer A Multie Female on Guard larger tanks as it allows for more natural behaviors to be observed. One of my favorite setups is a 30 gallon flat that allows for four square feet of area for them to set up territories. The smallest tank I recommend is a 20 long. As they are a bottom dwelling species the tank does not have to be very tall so the 20 Long is a perfect size for a group of 8.

So if you are looking for something that is completely different, not too hard to keep or breed then this is the species for you. Their antics A Multi Female with fry can keep you amused for hours as they dart into and cautiously come out of their shells. With this they will always be in my top 10 list of A young Multi Male staking fish I will always keep. out his territory

Fish Tales | 6 FOTAS History

By Hazel Hall Edited by Charles Jones

he Federation of Texas The By-Laws were revised several satisfied with what they got and Aquarium Societies (FO- times (1967, 1970, 1973,1975, and weren’t inclined to put forth the TAS) originated in 1952 1981). The original Article No. 2 of effort to make it worth $10.00. Twith five clubs as charter members, the Charter headed “Purpose” was There were those who were willing including, once and only, an out of not changed until 1981 and it read: to try. One endeavor was to get the state club: The Oklahoma Aquar- “The purpose of this federation Texas Cichlid made the State Fish. ium Society. The Houston Aquar- shall be to further Aquarium Soci- The project was started in 1961 or ium Society is the only original eties, their formation and activities 1962, ending in 1989 with the State club remaining. Who were the four through mutual cooperation main- Fish title going to a little known fish Texas clubs? We know Houston tain an active list of the members native to the Guadalupe River (the was one, San Antonio (that would of each society and further shall Guadalupe Bass). be the long dissolved San Antonio provide for the exchange of publi- Aquarium Society as Alamo didn’t cations of the member societies.” Almost as popular as “What do we join until 1953) and, we believe, get for our $10.00?” was the state- Austin and Dallas. At that time dues were $10.00 (now ment, “All FOTAS is, is the conven- $12.00 ed.) per year per club. One tion held once a year.” In the intervening years FOTAS has of the revisions made to the Char- had as many as twelve clubs and ter was to make it possible for indi- Trying to answer both question and as few as four “member” clubs. At viduals to join FOTAS, their dues statement, the Officers and Board this writing, host clubs for the years being $3.00 (now $6.00 ed.) per Members started adding to the an- 1953 through 1963 are unknown year. The “Associate Member” could nual business meeting and the ban- or, perhaps, known but the cor- vote, but each vote would count as quet. The host club was responsible rect sequence is not known. More one half vote. for the compiling and delivery, to research and help is needed on this. each of the member clubs, copies of One thing is known – not one year Each year brought the question, the FOTAS membership directory. was skipped, from 1953 to the pres- “What do we get for our $10.00?” Small workshops were organized by ent. Some clubs obviously weren’t various club members at first. Fish Tales | 7 Later, starting to branch out, The booklet, FOTAS Show and and to do all such things as are nec- speakers who were well versed in Judging Regulations, was first ap- essary and incidental to the attain- the hobby headed the workshops proved in 1974, revised in 1979, ment of the above stated objectives and/or seminars plus the featured and again in 1981. Not only does and purposes. speaker were asked to participate. this cover fresh water fish, but also It came to pass that holding a long marines as well. Another area in which FOTAS has business meeting interfered with tried to help member clubs was in the speakers and workshops so an- In 1980 the Houston Aquarium the matter of good programs. Each other change was made. The exact Society hosted the convention and FOTAS member club was urged date is elusive, but most of the busi- it was special in that they honored to make and submit a program ness was attended to at “Quarterly” past members Raymond Head and which could be used by the other Board Meetings, leaving conven- Ernest May, two men who had member clubs. By 1976 FOTAS tion time free of business except for faithfully supported their own clubs was the proud owner of five such a short general meeting and elec- and FOTAS in any way they could programs. These did help. FOTAS tion of officers. for many years. It was made more also acquired slide programs, etc., special that their widows Jerry that member clubs can rent for a Some of the featured speakers, in Head and Ina May were able to at- very reasonable amount and these no particular order, were: Al Klee, tend and participate. helped. Roserio LaCorte, Andrew Roth, Walter V. Simon, Dr. Gene Lucas, Also in 1980, the FOTAS Altruism On October 1, 1976, the first Dr. Carl Hubbs, Helen Simkatus, Award was intitiated. Members of FOTAS newsletter materialized. Dr. Robert Rofen, Braz Walker, each club are to write a letter, to Tail Fin Review, Vol. 1, No. 1 made Ed Taylor, Dr. Peter Lewis, George be presented to the Board at the its appearance. It was designed Smit, Charlie Grimes, Steve Somer- annual meeting, stating who they to be a quarterly publication that meyer, Dr. Joan Norton, Dr. Robert nominated and why. Each year’s would publish both FOTAS news Goldstein, William Vorderwinkler, winner gets to keep the trophy for and news from member clubs who Dewey and Dolores Schehr, and a year. Hazel Hall was the first to would furnish the editor with in- many more. win. In the following years, not in formation to be published. Tail Fin correct chronological order, Hal Review is still very much alive with Still working to get FOTAS away Collins, Keith Arnold, Bob Chris- Keith Arnold as its editor. from the social image it was decid- tensen, Lou Harris, Clarence Hall, ed to start a Fish Judges Registry. Silva St. Germain, Ken Bennight, One FOTAS project still active: the Hal Collins spearheaded this ven- Ed Makowski, Suzy Fairlie and Braz Walker Endowment Fund. In ture. Another reaon for a “Judges others, (Dan Martin, Carolyn Estes, memory of Braz Walker, FOTAS Registry” was to fill a much needed Grape and Peggie Winkels-ed.) has been instrumental in establish- service. It was hard, and getting have been chosen. ing the Braz Walker Collection of almost impossible, to obtain ser- Aquarium Literature in the Special vices of qualified judges, so why not FOTAS was incorporated (Non- Collections of the Texas A&M Uni- train the local talent? Show Rules Profit Corporation Act) in 1981 versity Sterling C. Evans Library as were written, Judges Standards set, with Dick Barfield, Vice President, of March 1990. and potential judges studied and, and Barbara Arnold, Secretary, when ready, were approved. FOTAS signing. Article No. 2 is now Article NOTE: Please bear in mind the had filled a great need in the state No. 4 and states: The purpose, or above history was written from by making available and providing purposes, for which the corpora- sketchy references and memory qualified judges from within the tion is organized are: To further (perhaps sketchy also), so some state. Most shows in Texas are now aquarium societies, their forma- dates may be inaccurate. Anyone FOTAS sanctioned. Along with this tion and activities, to promote the with factual input is invited to come is the “Exhibitor of the year” award home aquarium hobby, to educate forward. –H.H. given to the member who has the keeping, maintaining, breeding, earned the most points each year. and conservation of all aquatic life, Fish Tales | 8 Oryzias woworae – the Little Rice Fish with a Unique Method of Reproduction

Article by Greg Steeves BAP Report BAP

everal years ago, friends Kyle back power filter with a sponge farms in the region is to release un- and Monica Osterholt gifted placed over the inlet. This turned wanted or substandard flowerhorns us a small group of fish I had out to be a very peaceful tank and (an artificially created hybrid fish Snever seen or heard of before, although the inhabitants were not proposed to bring good luck to all Daisy’s ricefish. Initially I had pic- from the same areas geographically, who keep it; a marketing ploy) into tured something akin to Gambusia no interspecies aggression was ever pristine waters where they quickly or some other small top feeder. observed. As time wore on, the become the alpha predator con- When they arrived, I was taken rainbowfish slowly died off but all suming the smaller, mostly endem- back by how much color these fish the other tank inhabitants pros- ic species. At present, O. woworae had and wondered why I had never pered. has not been access by the ICUN’s heard or seen these before. They red list or the CARES priority spe- looked more like threadfin rain- Oryzias woworae are from a stream cies listing. bows than the colorless mosquito named Mata air Fotuno on the fish I had imagined. I had a 20 island of Muna in Southeastern Su- We have made no special adapta- gallon high all set up and ready. It lawesi. Sulawesi Tenggara is a prov- tions to the aquarium décor for our was full of a small leafed Anubias ince in the country of Indonesia. colony of ricefish. The fish come barteri (nana petite type) attached Aquarist might be familiar with the from an area of high aquatic vegeta- to a small piece of driftwood. The region as a hot spot for many new tion with organic matter (leaf litter tank was already populated with six and beautiful shrimp species being mostly) covering the substrate con- Corydoras habrosus (Venezuelan introduced to the hobby. Several sisting primarily of fine sand. Fol- pygmy cory), Atyopsis moluccen- waterways in Sulawesi are in eco- lowing these natural observations, sis, (bamboo shrimp), and a dozen logical danger due to a number of a planted tank may actually lead to Iriatherina werneri (threadfin rain- factors all associated with human these fish showing their best colors. bows). The aquarium was filtered population and intervention. An The natural diet may be containing by a small Aquaclear hang on the extremely alarming practice of fish both micro matters along Fish Tales | 9 females with an area to deposit Biotope Tank for Ricefish their eggs. I have not done this but do plan on providing a thick horn- wort area to enhance the number of fry that survive and become part of the colony.

Currently there are 33 recognized species of Oryzias. Some are very recent description so I would ex- pect this number to increase. I am not familiar with any other species but have thoroughly enjoyed our experiences with O. woworae. If the other species are anything like the Daisy’s ricefish, the entire genus is bound to become very popular among aquarists. with algae. We have found that O. continues to hold the semi adhesive woworae readily accepts any food eggs near her anal fin. After several presented providing it is small days, the female deposits her eggs enough to ingest easily. among vegetation and begins the process once again. Hatching oc- At just over an inch is size; even a curs between one and three weeks small aquarium can house a good (presumably temperature oriented) number of ricefish. A hatchet after which time the free swimming shaped body is outlined with bril- fry are left to their own devices. liant read streaking. The male Spawning reports state that the fish have a blue sheen to their adult fish will predate on the new- flanks while females are more of born fry. An area of the aquarium an orange- coloration. In containing a fine leafed plant such our thickly planted aquarium, fry as hornwort should give the fry have just shown up and we have ample cover and also provide the not been witnessed to any breeding activity.

Reproduction is rather unique to this species. Reports I have read state that males will spar with each other however, I have not witnessed this myself. If could be possible that the larger the number of indi- viduals, any aggression is dispersed or diluted among the group. Fe- males will release between 10-20 eggs every day or two when in prime condition. Eggs are expelled from the female in a single clump. The male Oryzias woworae is a beautifully After the male releases milt and colored fish which is perfect for smaller tanks. fertilization occurs, the female Fish Tales | 10 ith golden to green to unusual looking fish found in Two gorges appear to promote bodies, bright red fins various parts of the broader Bur- natural patterns of rainbowfish and distinctive black dekin River system, but the latter distribution in Running River, Wzig-zag lines on their flanks, aquar- three names are specific to the resulting in three distinct zones ists have long recognized the Running River fish, and here we use (Figure 1). The Burdekin Rainbow- rainbowfish from Running River in the name Burdekin Rainbowfish as fish is largely limited to the middle the Burdekin catchment of north- that is the historical name used for reaches of the river. The lowermost ern Queensland as unique. The this fish. section of Running River is domi- population has also been somewhat nated by typical looking Eastern enigmatic due to uncertainty sur- In the next issue of Fishes of Sa- Rainbowfish, and there appears rounding its . The issue of hul there will be a comprehensive to be barriers in the downstream whether they represent an unde- article reviewing information on gorge section that prevents these scribed species, or an unusual co- the Burdekin Rainbowfish. In the from moving upstream. There is the lour variety of Eastern Rainbowfish meantime we recently (August occasional observation of Burdekin splendida remains 2015) sampled various Rainbowfish Rainbowfish lower down, but this unresolved. Names in common use populations across the Burdekin seems to be seasonal or episodic for this fish include Burdekin Rain- drainage and have come across (e.g. relating to large flow events), bowfish, Running River Rainbow- some unusual findings concerning as per our recent visit where only fish, Hidden Valley Rainbowfish or Running River, and by contrast- Eastern Rainbowfish were encoun- Zig Zag Rainbowfish (the latter is ing our data with previous knowl- tered. The upstream limit of Bur- also sometimes used for Glossolepis edge from ANGFA members, an dekin Rainbowfish aligns to anoth- dorityi too). The term Burdekin alarming pattern has emerged with er gorge just below the township of Rainbowfish can be equally applied strong conservation implications. Hidden Valley. No Rainbowfish are Fish Tales | 11 Map showing location of various locations mentioned in the text. Map data provided by the following sources: Google, CNES / Astrium, DigitalGlobe and Cnes/Spot Image.

considered native upstream of this already started. This is because the There are other populations of gorge. Some however, are thought two species are quite closely related Burdekin Rainbowfish in different to have been released into Birth- and it is highly unlikely they will be Burdekin tributaries, but they are day Creek in the upper Running able to co-occur and maintain sepa- poorly documented and remain River, but could not be found at the rate gene pools. Naturally co-oc- essentially unstudied genetically or release site when it was sampled curring are virtually morphologically. We are initiating earlier in 2015 (Keith Martin pers. always from very different Rain- some genetic work on them shortly comm.). In addition, typical M. bowfish lineages-species such as to try and sort out their taxonomic splendida have also been seen in the Splendida, Trifasciata, Nigrans status. In addition, it will be neces- Paluma Dam since 2004, but not and Maccullochi groups, which are sary to get some captive breeding downstream of the dam (Jason all quite unrelated to each other, going for Burdekin Rainbowfish Shaffer pers. comm.). Surprisingly however, different species within and to make people aware of what we just found large numbers of those groups never co-occur. Thus is occurring, as another example Eastern Rainbowfish in the upper it is paramount for anyone who has of the dangers of translocating fish Running River at Hidden Valley at Burdekin Rainbowfish to take good to areas where they don’t naturally the main road crossing. No rain- care of them. Earlier collections are occur irrespective if they are con- bowfish had ever been reported more likely to represent the origi- sidered an Australian native species at Hidden Valley at least up until nal fish than what is swimming in or not. The Burdekin Rainbowfish 2013. We also noticed a few East- the river today, so please contact is an attractive and interesting fish ern Rainbowfish extending further us if you have any known origin and it would be a shame to lose it downstream in the Burdekin Rain- Burdekin Rainbowfish. So far we completely. bowfish population (Figure 2). have determined that Bruce Han- sen and Keith Martin have breeding We have established a “crowd fund- Essentially, Running River Rain- colonies from a collection made in ing” webpage in an effort to raise bowfish is about to get genetically 2012, Peter Eggler has some from money ($3500+) for a genetic study. swamped out of existence by these 2010, and Peter Ford has some too. This will compare wild (1997 and newly arrived Eastern Rainbowfish Both ourselves and Peter Eggler 2015 samples) and captive fish from - the genetic dilution has probably also have fish collected in 2015. various sources, to devise the best Fish Tales | 12 Habitat shots of the Running River Photos by Michael Hammer.

Fish Tales | 13 mix of fish to setup a captive stock with and to be sure there is no genetic contamination in those broodstock. These stocks can Below: Adult male rainbowfishes from Running River sampled for genetic then be distributed to commercial and taxonomic evaluation; top – Burdekin form, middle reaches, and bot- breeders like Ausyfish, Aquagreen tom – standard Eastern Rainbowfish from lower section. and Guyra to try and ensure a Photo by Michael Hammer. larger population is established in captivity which can then be spread more widely to native fish enthusi- asts. Stay tuned to Fishes of Sahul and the ANGFA webpage or Face- book page for more updates. Please consider making a small donation, 100% of your donation goes to the project and donations are tax de- ductible. http://www.canberra.edu. au/about-uc/uc-foundation/what- can-i-support/research/running- river-rainbow-fish-fund or http:// bit.ly/1RZUMht

Fish Tales | 14 An Interview With Aquarium Tank Manufacturing

By Clay Trachtman

quarium Tank Manufactur- interview. minutes for that idea to be under- ing (ATM) is one of the stood. country’s most successful Before the interview started, I had Abuilders of custom acrylic aquari- my own Tanked show experience as “It’s like that all of the time” Wayde ums. ATM takes on more than “The General”, Irwin Raymer, ran King said as he bewilderly shook 200 projects every year with tanks into Wayde’s office with a block of his head. ranging from 50 to one million clear acrylic that some vendor had gallons in size. The television show, dropped off at the store. The piece And with that, the interview began: Tanked, follows the co-owners of acrylic was in a reasonably nice of ATM, Wayde King and Bret cardboard box (unfortunately, I did Fish Tales (FT): Have you been Raymer as they build and install not have the voice recorder going keeping fish and aquariums your awe-inspiring aquariums for top yet, so I will have to paraphrase whole life? celebrities, luxury hotels and casi- from memory). nos, Fortune 500 businesses, private Wayde King (WK): My whole homes and millionaire homeown- The General then began to explain life. I started keeping freshwater ers across the country. Episodes of how ATM could sell these blocks when I was seven years old. I kept Tanked have featured Tracy Mor- of acrylic as souvenirs from the a lot of piranhas, wolves, pikes and gan, Betty White, Shaquille O’Neal, store (keep in mind that ATM has flowerhorns. Keep in mind that I Jeff Dunham, Howie Mandel and a ton of scrap acrylic). However, in am turning 50 years old, back then many others. the General’s description, he never people really didn’t record what fish mentioned that his idea was to use were legal to keep (they are illegal Recently, I had the chance to meet the scrap acrylic from the store and in New York now). the staff and crew of ATM in Las that the boxes would be similar to Vegas and Wayde King was kind this demo box, but would have the FT: What brought you to Las Ve- enough to grant me a brief ATM logo. It literally took 5 gas? Fish Tales | 15 Aquarium at Inspiring Body of Christ Church in Dallas Texas.

Wayde King with Guy Harvey at the Guy Harvey Outpost in the TradWinds Resort in Florida.

Fish Tales | 16 WK: Manufacturing. Back in New York, my parents were taking care Aquarium that was built out of of aquariums. I moved out here an old milk truck for a custom and was taking care of aquariums car shop in Las Vegas. as well. The acrylic manufacturer was called American Acrylic, also known as Ampro, went out of busi- ness, so I decided to get in to the manufacturing side of the busi- ness. My father in law, The General, backed us and that was the start of ATM.

FT: Whose idea was the show?

WK: That was Bret’s idea. He wanted to be on TV. He said if they can do it with Orange County manufacturing. We did one outside WK: It’s hard to say because I have Choppers, we can do it with aquari- of Dallas, Texas at Inspiring Body done little ones that I also like a lot. ums. He really wasn’t doing much of Christ Church (IBOC). That We have done over 10,000 world- of anything at that time, so I said aquarium took 2 and ½ years to wide. One of my favorites was the give it a shot, and it succeeded. build from the ground up. There one that we did at the TradeWinds was a lot that went into it, from the Resort in Florida, the Guy Harvey FT: What was the most difficult or water proofing, the filtration, the Outpost. We did a nice tank where complex aquarium that you have life-supports, the cranes, the fork- you can dive in and swim with the set up? lifts, the engineering, but it was an fish. To be in that tank and to actu- incredible experience. People don’t ally dive with Guy Harvey was an WK: A lot of people don’t realize release that it’s not boom, build it, incredible experience. that the most difficult part of the and wow, it’s done. It’s not like that. job varies by the set up. On some FT: You have a lot of celebrity jobs it is the engineering at the be- FT: Is that your favorite aquarium customers. Do any of them now ginning, other jobs it is the installa- as well? suffer from MTS or Multiple Tank tion, while other jobs it is the actual Syndrome?

WK: We do get some of that. We have done several tanks for Tracy Morgan among others.

FT: On some episodes of the show, there are some stock selections that really should not be done. For example, on one episode, aquari- ums were made out of a drum set. In one of the drums, there were five medium sized gold fish in a five gal- lon drum aquarium without a filter. Can you explain your position on that? Clay Trachman with Wayde King, CEO and Founder of ATM.

Fish Tales | 17 WK: Our main thing is that we build a tank, ship it across the country and then install it. The world only sees 44 minutes of that. You might see us take a fish out of a bucket for a few minutes and put it in a drum set. The world does not see the amount of time and produc- tion that both Animal Planet and ATM put into getting those shots. We do our best to make sure that the environment that we set up is the healthiest and safest for the fish. I think that overall, we have done a lot more to show the world how to take care of fish and aquariums. Mike Frueh with ATM. He was instrumental in setting up the interview. Check out the board in the back. John When we do something on the Wall plays for the Washington Wizards, Jimmy Butler for show like that, it stirs up a lot of the Chicago Bulls and everyone knows who Shaq is! interest. We will get thousands of emails and phone calls. We do our best to explain the situation and educate people when they have questions, generally through email. It’s funny, people think that because we are on TV, we are the world’s best fish doctors.

FT: What can you tell us about the upcoming season?

WK: We just finished season 5. In one of the upcoming episodes, we have Jeff Tremaine from Jack- ass and DJ Ashba from Guns N’ Roses judge 2 aquariums that Bret and I built in each of our homes (Christmas 2015 episode). We will also show more of the education side, things like pumps and filters. Of course, we will also have a lot of celebrities that request some crazy stuff…hopefully we can pull through!

New episodes of Tanked can be seen on Animal Planet on Fridays at 9 PM Central Time. Clay Trachman with Irwin “The General” Raymer. Fish Tales | 18 When is it not Anubias hastifola? By Dr. Keith Arnold

At the HCCC July 2013 auction I And while, I didn’t find a particular propagated by dividing the rhi- purchased a plant labelled as Anu- height for this species, but the com- zome. One reviewer stated …a bias hastifolia. I took my purchase ment that “…Gigantea grows faster majestic plant when comparing to home and planted it is a 29-gallon if you allow its leaves to grow above other Anubias …simply regal and community aquarium. The plant the water line” suggests to me of a gorgeous…” I would have to agree flourished and put out new leaves size taller than A. hastifolia. Like with this assessment. on a regular basis. It wasn’t long, most Anubias species, the plant however, that I realized that leaves does well in low light and can be Keith Arnold, Bryan, Texas were pushing against the glass top of the aquarium. I opened the top and before long those leaves grew 5-6 inches above the aquarium. Should I move the plant to my 55-gallon aquarium? Time to learn more about this species.

Where does one learn about aquarium plants? Why the world wide web, of course! As I consulted several web sites, the two outstand- ing characteristics of Anubias hastifolia seemed to its height and “arrow-shaped” leaves. Well, my plant certainly had tall leaves that I could certainly describe as “arrow- shaped” (see photo). However, my resources described that plant as 12-20 inches in height and the accompanying photos displayed leaves that looked quite different from those on my plant. While the leaves of A. hastifolia certainly are “arrow-shaped”, the “base” of the leaf is rounded where it attaches to the stem, while the leaves of my plant have pointed lobes at the at- tachment to the stem.

Hmmm, so what is this plant in my aquarium? In a quick search of the web, I soon found the answer: Anu- The unknown Anubias bought at auction. bias gigantean. Bingo! The leaves are exactly like those of my plant. Fish Tales | 19 Attack of the Clones! The Marbled Crayfish BAP Report BAP by Gerald Griffin

hen it comes to the German for Marbled Crayfish. creature is that if they escaped Aquarium Hobby there Upon examination it was dem- into the wild they could create is literally something for onstrated that this crayfish was an “army” of crayfish that could Weveryone. However this could be a Parthenogenetic (able to produce theoretically out compete native boon or a curse depending on your offspring without reproducing). crayfish and drive them into extinc- point of view. We have specialists This was bizarre because science tion. Unfortunately populations in every field along with general- knew of no crayfish that could do of Marmorkrebs were found in ists and the novice. Sometimes we this feat. It would take scientists the wild. Since this is only a cap- find common ground, sometimes over 10 years to discover their par- tive born crayfish its introduction we squabble but in the end we do it ent species, at that time they were had to be Aquarist related which is for the creatures we love and they traced back to Procambarus fallax a bad stigma to our hobby. They bring us some entertainment. The f. virgininalis, the slough crayfish were first discovered in the wild in Marbled Crayfish is one of those of the South Eastern United States. Southwestern Germany in July of controversial creatures, maybe The parental species is not parthe- 2009. In November of 2012 they not as much as one of those GMO nogenetic so the search was on to were discovered in Sweden and in fishes but it comes with it’s own figure out what caused this anomaly July of 2014 they were found in the controversy. Why would an inof- in Marmorkrebs. After an exhaus- Ukraine. This prompted the Euro- fensive crayfish bring controversy? tive search Peer Martin announced pean Union to ban this “species” on To understand we have to go to the on the 7th of January 2013 that January 2nd 2016. In the United beginning of it’s discovery. In the Marmorkrebs are triploid which is States the state of Missouri banned late 1990s a crayfish was found that the mechanism that allows them to Marmorkrebs in March of 2011 and was spontaneously producing off- self clone. at the beginning of 2016 Tennessee spring. This new crayfish was given outlawed the Marmorkrebs. Is there the name Marmorkrebs which is The consequences for such a a reason to fear these creatures? Fish Tales | 20 The island of Madagascar is having a significant problem trying to cur- tail this species and there is a legiti- mate fear they could cause damage to an already fragile ecosystem that is currently have major problems so the fear is quite legitimate. As to the rest of world this “species” remains as a trade species. I often preach to peoples about the dangers of releasing captive into the wild. I know the people that do it think, “its only one, what harm could they cause” or “I just can’t kill it, in the wild it can live free”. A very young Marbled Crayfish less than I have heard this time and time one-half an inch long our foraging. again. Here is the issue, if we don’t police ourselves then we will force others to do it for us. I am against and you can see where there might they are opportunistic when it Governmental Control or Bans be a problem! comes to food and feeding oppor- on the Pet Trade. Every so many tunities. When they first hit the pet years groups like PETA and HSUS Now if you are wanting an interest- trade in the United States I was told try to push bans on the Pet Trade. ing to keep in a tank they are totally inoffensive crusta- The actions of naïve Hobbyists give then the Marbled Crayfish definite- ceans that do not harm other tank these groups the ammunition they ly fits that bill. They can keep one inhabitants and peacefully coexist need to try to push their agendas. entertained for hours and are not with fish. Nothing is further from Add to that the Marbled Crayfish that destructive of aquarium décor the truth! My first experience with is the most widely distributed “Pet unlike some of their crayfish cous- this was placing a bag of Pundamil- Crayfish” in the Aquarium Trade ins. However one must note they ia nyererei in a tank that contained are still crayfish and that means a dozen Marmorkrebs in a 55

Locations where the Marbled Cray- fish have been found in the wild from introductions from Aquarists.

Fish Tales | 21 gallon tank. Within seconds of the Cichlids release one of the cray- fish had nabbed an almost 3 inch cichlid and was going to town on him. I managed to get to that fish in less than 10 seconds but it was already too late as the crayfish had mortally wounded that fish. They are also not that kind to each other. One day in my classroom I heard a group of students scream. I went to see what they were scream- ing at and it turned out that one of the Marmorkrebs was molting A quarter inch baby Marbled and another one had grabbed the Crayfish on the search for food. defenseless crayfish and was drag- ging it into its cave to devour it. I Despite the information one might they will forage in the open and managed to save it and placed it in find on various Marmorkrebs web- provide entertainment as they feed. isolation until the next day when sites they do cannibalize each other If disturbed they will quickly retreat its exoskeleton was hardened and quite well. If not the tank would be to their caves. I placed her back into the colony. totally overrun with them in very Over Spring Break this year the little time. Also in my experience When reproducing I have experi- other one molted and I found its when a female goes into reproduc- enced brooding females to make pieces in the tank so I can only as- tive mode, the other females follow burrows in the substrate if the sub- sume that its fortune was reversed suit quickly. strate allows it. I use several inches and one of the other ones got her. of Turface which allows them to Even with all the barbarism in their Water chemistry is not that critical make rudimentary burrows against tank it is still one of my students however they do better in moder- the side of the aquarium which favorite displays. ately hard water and poorly in soft allows me a peek at their progress. acidic water. If your water is too Marmorkrebs typically brood for When it comes to actually keeping soft crushed coral can be added 3 weeks however can as long as 6 Marmorkrebs they are not demand- to the substrate to bring the water weeks in lower temperatures. In ing on their care. As to food they hardness up. Temperature is not my experience they brood for 3 eat most every type of fish food one that critical as well. They do best weeks. So if you are looking for could offer. As with any organ- when the water is in the low 70s an undemanding pet that can give ism a varied diet is best and they F but can take both warmer and you hours of entertainment then a do need some foods with iodine to cooler water as well. Remember Marbled Crayfish might just be for help the molting process and seem that crayfish are territorial so will you. They are still relatively easy to do better with some plant mate- need a number of hiding spaces. I to obtain currently however that is rial as well. A general community provide what I call shrapnel which subject to change. On a personal flake would be a good staple diet is broken up terra cotta flower pots note I do not distribute this species with some additional plant items and tossing the shards in the tank. as I am fearful of their potential for like zucchini added in weekly. This provides variously spaced becoming an invasive species. I do Marmorkrebs can live for 3 years hiding spaces allowing the inhab- however give these to individuals I and start reproducing when condi- itants to pick a hiding space that feel I can trust. My only request is tions are good at about 5 months of suits their needs. I also provide that if you ever feel like you don’t age. When they first start out their clay caves which are sold at various want them any more return them broods are small, just in the dozens cichlid and pet supply websites. to me, never release them into the however as they get larger their wild! broods are in the 100s. When Marmorkrebs feel secure Fish Tales | 22 Fish Tales | 23 Fish Tales | 24 Holiday Inn Express 150 Aquarium Drive Jenks, OK 918-296-7300 Room Rates 99.00 plus tax Suits 109.00 plus tax 2 Room Suits 129.00 plus tax Full Package $175 (Includes Aquarium Admission, Funny Money Auction and All new Betta Games plus IBC Convention T-Shirt and Pres- ident’s Reception and all IBC Member Meetings) Meals only $130 Breakfast included with hotel room. Dinner Thursday, Friday and Saturday Included.

Banquet only $75 Workshops only $50 Hospitality only $25 Class Sponsorships $20/Class All Prices increase $10 after May 1st 2016 Payments can be sent to Kayla Griffin Paypal at [email protected] Checks can be mailed to Kayla Griffin 4849 S Darlington 7G Tulsa, OK 74135

Fish Tales | 25 IBC Convention 2016 Registration Form

Name: ______Address: ______City: ______State: ______Zip: ______E-Mail Address: ______Phone #: ______

Enclosed: $______For # ______Full Convention Package(s)

PACKAGE PRICING FULL PACKAGE $175.00 each MEALS ONLY $130.00 each BANQUET ONLY $ 75.00 each WORKSHOPS ONLY $ 50.00 each HOSPITALITY ROOM $ 25.00 each CLASS SPONSORSHIPS $20.00 PER CLASS LIST CLASSES SPONSORING: ______Tee Shirt Size: SM___MED___LG___XL___2X___3X___ Tee Shirt Color Black_____ Red_____ Blue_____ ADDITIONAL T-SHIRTS $15.00 EACH

PACKAGE PRICING WILL INCREASE $10 AFTER MAY 1, 2016.

Please make checks payable to Kayla Griffin. Paypal to [email protected] Checks Snail Mail Kayla Griffin 4849 S Darlington 7G Tulsa, OK 74135 Fish Tales | 26 Speaker Lineup

Ben Slocum Pat Hartman Mike Hellwig Matt Bielski

Jeremy Phillips Dr. John Lyons Rick Borstein Fish Tales | 28

TAKO BELLE REVUE SHOW AND AUCTION

The TAKO Belle Revue Show and Auction is scheduled for July 16th and 175th at the Thornwood Community Clubhouse, 15118 Turkey Creek Drive, Houston. Setup will begin at 6:00 AM on Saturday and the Killifish will be available for viewing to the public at 12:00 PM. Stephen Rabke will be the guest speaker at 2:30 PM talking about South American killies. On Sunday, the Auction will begin at 12:00 PM. Bidder Cards are free. However, advance registration is encouraged. Please email Art Leuterman with your name, address, cell and home phone number if you plan to bid at the auction. Art’s email address is [email protected].

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