Buckeye c Bulletin November 2012 EXTRAVAGANZA 2012 IS HERE!

Look inside for a special Extravaganza Corydoras article by our own Cory-maniac, Steve Heinbaugh.

Our next meeting is November 2nd at 8pm

Buckeye Bulletin Staff Jonathan Dietrich Editor [email protected] There will be tons of Corydoras at the 2012 Extravaganza. Look inside Eric Sorensen to read Steve Heinbaugh’s article, C09:1 First US Spawn. Steve will be

Exchange Editor selling these RARE Cories at the Extravaganza. Get them while they [email protected] last. It won’t be long! The Ohio Associations Buckeye Bulletin is produced In this Issue of the Buckeye Bulletin… monthly by the Ohio Cichlid Monthly Features Association. All articles and photographs contained within this President’s Message Page 4 publication are being used with Editor’s Message Page 6 consent of the authors. Cichlid BAP Results Pages 8-11 If you have an article, photograph, Catfish BAP Results Page 12 or ad to submit for publication, please send it to BAP Points Schedule Page 13-14 [email protected]. Program Preview Page 19 When submitting articles for Yearly Preview Page 20 publication in this bulletin, please Bowl Show Results Pages 22-25 remember to include any photographs or art for the Charting Growth Page 16 article. The Ohio Cichlid Association This Month in OCA History Page 30 is not responsible for any fact Gears & Gadgets Page 31-33 checking or spelling correction in submitted material. Market Page 38-39 Articles will be edited for space and content. November Specials All information in this bulletin is for the sole use of The Ohio Cichlid RMS Aquaculture and the OCA Pages 26-29 Association and the personal use of By Kyle May its members. C091: First US Spawn Pages 35-36 Articles, photographs, illustrations, By Steve Heinbaugh and any other printed material may not be used in any way without the Extravaganza information Pages 39-52 written consent of The Ohio Cichlid Birth of Extravaganza – Lew Carbone Pages 48-49 Association. For membership info please contact Kyle May: [email protected]

OCA Mission The OCA is an organization dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of information relating to all aspects of the of and related aquatic life. Our purpose is to promote the interest, keeping, study, breeding, and the educational exhibition of Cichlids. Additionally, the exchange of ideas, meeting new people, and distribution of information concerning Cichlids is of primary interest. Ohio Cichlid Association Board Members 2012 President – Don Danko Vice-President – Dan Woodland Treasurer- Rhonda Sorenson Secretary – Steve Heinbaugh Bowl Show Chairman- Gary Mendez Cichlid BAP Chairman- Mark Chaloupka Catfish BAP Chairman- Dave Ayres Speaker Chairman – Lew Carbone Bulletin Editor – Jonathan Dietrich Beverages – You? Librarian – Hilary LaCerda Raffle- Marc DeWerth Membership Chairman – Kyle May Board Member At Large (Board Appt) – Marilyn Danko Board Member At Large (Board Appt) – Eric Sorenson Board Member At Large (Elected) – Andrew Subotnik Board Member At Large (Elected) – Mark Huntington President’s

Message A Word from Don Danko

Well, it is finally here, the month of the Ohio Cichlid Association Extravaganza! We have four world renowned speakers and so much more for your enjoyment. It’s not too late to sign up to see the excellent talks and to participate in all of our planned activities. Look inside this bulletin to find more information on this premier, annual event and check out www.ohiocichlid.com for more information.

I would like to encourage all members to show a fish so that we can provide a great educational opportunity for all those passing through. I would love to see a huge show this year featuring not often seen Cichlids and Catfish… The Extravaganza Show is a great opportunity to showcase and advertise our hobby and to try to get others involved. Thanks much for your support!

In October, Loach enthusiast, Jim Powers, visited to provide another great talk to our club. He covered all aspects of this intriguing group of , including species, feeding, maintenance, breeding, etc. He actually inspired me to go out and buy some Hillstream loaches the next day! Thanks, Jim, for a great presentation.

I wanted to provide a reminder that we are implementing the reduced number of bags allowed to be put in the Buck-A-Bag auction at monthly meetings (from 6 to 4). As we discussed at the October meeting, the reason is that the auction has become too big to allow us to finish the meeting by 11 pm, the time we must vacate the meeting premises. We appreciate your understanding and support for this change that will help us stay in good standing with the Church.

That’s all for now… See you at the Extravaganza, November 16-18, at the Strongsville Holiday Inn.

The OCA Board is looking for someone to handle the refreshments for the Extravaganza, including the Hospitality Suite. In addition, we would like the person to handle the monthly meetings for the balance of the year. Please contact me or another board member if you are interested.

Regards,

Don

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United We Stand. Happiness Has Fins

From the Editor’s Desk

Hello OCA friend!

It’s November! You know what that means. Extravaganza 2012! I’ve been counting down the days since the last one. There is simply no better weekend throughout the year for the hobbyist. The OCA Extravaganza far surpasses any Cichlid event during the year. For me, it’s like an early Christmas present. Now is the time to visit CoinStar to cash in all of your change for extra spending money. There will be the opportunity to stock up on all fish related items, plus all of the Cichlids and cats your hearts and fish rooms desire. Make the best out of the weekend and savor every moment. The vendor room will be flooding with sales and our swap meet on Saturday might just take up about every square inch of the Holiday Inn. If you thought the Extravaganza couldn’t get any bigger, you were wrong. This year will mark the largest number of show space given to sales. The quantity and quality of hobby goods and fish will be unbelievable if you don’t see it for yourself. Outside interest is at an all time high because they know the OCA and its members are worth it. Everyone wants a piece of the OCA market. We are so proud to have you all as members. Let’s continue to grow through November and into 2013. Remember, November is the time to renew your membership. Don’t forget to grab a friend and bring him/her to the event. Expand the hobby, especially with the kiddos. We need to spark interest early if we want the hobby to continue.

Send me a picture,

Jonathan “Jombie” Dietrich

I adopted two cats. They love Cichlids too.

Photo courtesy of Tim Craig

It’s here.

The Holiday Inn has never seen a show this big. You don’t want to miss out on all the action.

BAP Results

Nov. 2012

By Mark Chaloupka

Lew Carbone Paratheraps sp. “Coatzalcoalcos” 15 Wayne Corman Pseudotropheus demasoni 15 Bryan Davis 10 Altolamprologus compressiceps “red Lufubu” 10 Haplochromis sp. “ruby green albino” Harpagochromis sp. “golden duck” 10 Telmatochromis sp. “temporalis shell” 15 Chris Jaskolka Aulonocara sp. “Lwanda red top” 15 Labidochromis caeruleus James Shakour 15 hecqui 25 Protomelas taeniolatus Tyler Toncler 10 Metriaclima greshakei 10

CURRENT B.A.P. STANDINGS (10/5/12) 200 POINT LEVEL BREEDER 2012 TOTAL James Shakour 145 225 MASTER BREEDER 1000 POINT LEVEL Paul Collander - 205 100 POINT LEVEL Lew Carbone 90 2510 Don Danko 30 2285 Marc & Dawn DeWerth - 195 Dan Woodland - 2050 Ken & Karen Grimmett - 190 Bill Loudermilk - 1160 Ozeal Hunter - 190 Linda Wallrath - 1130 Chuck Carroll - 185 Rich & Maggie Schoeffel - 1065 Dave Esner 85 185 Andrew Subotnik - 180 900 POINT LEVEL David Ayers 25 145 Greg Seith - 145 Mark Chaloupka 40 990 Frank Mueller - 140 Dennis Tomazin - 965 Bill & Janice Bilski 20 135 Tom Swiderski - 905 Tom & Carolyn Evers 25 130 Steve Heinbaugh 15 125 800 POINT LEVEL Ken Walker - 125

Joe Ring - 120 John Tesar 55 865 Aaron Stevens - 115 Dustin Brummitt - 840 Jason Mylnar 25 110 Bryan Davis 155 820 Davis Toth 55 105

700 POINT LEVELT BREEDER LEVEL

600 POINT LEVEL Mark Huntington 15 95

Jeff Natterer - 690 Dan Ogrizek 10 95 Charlie & Cathy Suk - 615 Jonathan Dietrich 15 85 Jeff Yadlovsky 20 610 Bob Evers 80 80 Josh Cunningham 75 75 500 POINT LEVEL Rick Wood - 75 Bob Tillman - 70 Bill Schwartz - 595 John Kahl 15 50 Hilary & Antonio Lacerda 15 585 Dolores Bacisin - 45 Gary Mendez 60 560 Alex Gorges - 45 Ron Georgeone - 510 Denis Rozmus 40 40 Ethan Wiley - 40 400 POINT LEVEL Christopher Sooy - 35 Tom Tansey - 35 Rick Hallis - 495 Jason Gorges - 30 Ken Galaska 40 485 Paul Hutnyak - 30 Phil Hypes 30 435 John Kaminski - 25 Bob Bina - 405 Fred Roberts - 25 Jonathan Strazinsky 45 405 Chris Jaskolka 20 20 Bob Blazek 35 400 Andy Lacerda - 20 Bill Sensor - 20 Wayne Corman 10 10 300 POINT LEVEL Ron Drungil - 10

Mike Trader - 10 George Anagnostopoulos 75 375

Tyler Toncler 30 350

Kyle May 10 340

David Hale - 335 The points list for the Breeders Award Program has been updated Tim Craig 100 330 to include only current members. If you are a current member Gary Zalewski - 325 and your name has been omitted, please see the B.A.P. Chairman Eric & Rhonda Sorensen 20 310 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.

MANY congratulations to Jonathan Strazinsky (400 pt.) and Dave Toth (100 pt.) for reaching milestones in cichlid breeding. Keep it up! Welcome to the Breeders award program: Wayne Corman And Chris Jaskolka

We look forward to many spawns! Catfish BAP Results Nov. 2012

By Dave Ayres

Breeder Species Points Steve Heinbaugh Centromochlus perugiae 25 TOTALS (thru 10/5/12)

NAME 2012 TOTAL

Dan Ogrizek 20 205 Steve Heinbaugh 140 195 Don & Marilyn Danko 10 165 Dave Ayres 10 155 Phil Ayres 60 120 Rick Hallis 15 115 Dan Woodland - 100 Dustin Brummitt - 80 Linda Wallrath - 75 Eric & Rhonda Sorensen 10 65 Charlie & Cathy Suk - 65 Bob Bina - 60 Bryan Davis 10 60 Phil Hypes - 60 Tom & Carolyn Evers - 50 Jeff Natterer - 50 Dennis Tomazin - 50 Ken Galaska 45 45 Tyler Toncler - 45 John Kaminski - 40 Hilary & Antonio Lacerda - 40 Kyle May - 40 Bob Blazek 10 30 John Kahl 10 30 George Anagnostopoulos - 20 Lew Carbone - 20 Gary Mendez 10 20 John Tesar 10 20 David Toth 10 20 Chuck Caroll - 10 Mark Chaloupka - 10 Bob Evers 10 10 Jeff Gorbach - 10 Karen & Ken Grimmett - 10 David Hale - 10 Paul Hutnyak - 10 Denis Rozmus 10 10 James Shakour - 10 Kris Sooy - 10 Jonathan Strazinsky - 10 Bob & Jennifer Tillman - 10 Ethan Wiley - 10

Fifteen Point Fish 15 Amphilophus robertsoni Wondering how many “Cich.” Facetum Amphilophus rostratum points your fish earn Amphilophus citrinellum Amphilophus tuyrense for the Breeders Amphilophus labiatum Amphilophus zaliosum Award Program? Well, Amphilophus longimanus Apistogrammoides sp. Amphilophus Archocentrus here’s the Ohio Cichlid macracanthus spinosissimus Association’s point Apistogramma sp. Astronatus sp. schedule for New and Cleithacara maronii Batrachops sp. Old World Cichlids. Heros appendiculatus Caquetaia sp. Happy Breeding! Heros severum Crenicara sp. Hypselecara temporalis Geophagus crassilabrus Point Schedule for Mesonauta festivum Geophagus surinamensis Microgeophagus var. New World Cichlids altispinossa Gymnogeophagus

Microgeophagus ramerezi gymnogenys Ten Point Fish: Nandopsis atromaculatum Gymnogeophagus Aequidens sp. (The Blue 10 Nandopsis bartoni labiatum and Green Acaras) Nandopsis freidrichsthalli Gymnogeophagus Archocentrus centrarchus Nandopsis loiselli lacustrus Archocentrus Nandopsis managuense Herichthys bocourti nigrofasciatum Nandopsis motaguense Herichthys labridens Archocentrus Nandopsis salvini Herichthys minkleyi octofasciatum Nandopsis trimaculatum Herichthys pearsi Archocentrus sajica Nandopsis uropthalmus Nandopsis beani Archocentrus Theraps argentea Nandopsis dovii septemfasciatum Theraps bifasciatum Nandopsis festae Archocentrus spilurum Theraps breidorhi Nandopsis grammodes Bujurquina sp. Theraps guttalatum Nandopsis haitiensis Cichlasoma sp. (The Black Theraps hartwegi Nandopsis islantum Acaras) Theraps heterospilus Nandopsis ornatum Geophagus brasiliensis Theraps intermedium Nandopsis pantostictum var. Theraps nicaraguense Nandopsis steindachneri Geophagus pellegrini Theraps panamense Nandopsis tetracanthus Geophagus steindachneri Theraps regani Nandopsis umbriferum Guinacara sp. Theraps synspilus Paraneetroplus bulleri Gymnogeophagus balzanii Theraps zonatum Petenia splendida Gymnogeophagus Thorichthys affinus Satanoperca leucosticta meridionalis Thorichthys aureum Satanoperca pappaterra Gymnogeophagus Thorichthys ellioti Symphysodon sp. rhabdotus Thorichthys helleri Taeniacara candidi Herichthys carpintas Thorichthys pasionis Teleocichla sp. Herichthys cyanoguttatum Thorichthys socolofi Theraps coeruleus Herotilapia multispinossa Theraps fenestratum Krobia sp. Twenty Point Fish 20 Theraps gibbiceps Laetacara sp. (curviceps, Amphilophus alfari Theraps godmani dorsigerus) Amphilophus altifrons Theraps irregulare Nannacara sp. Amphilophus calobrense Theraps maculicauda Neetroplus nematopus Amphilophus diquis Theraps melanurum Pterophyllum scalare Amphilophus lyonsi Therapsmicropthalmus Thorichthys meeki Amphilophus rhytisma Theraps nebuliferum

Theraps omonti Pseudocrenilabrus Xenotilapia Theraps seiboldi philander Thorichthys callolepis Petrotilapia Twenty Point Fish Tomocichla tuba Pseudotropheus Cunningtonia Uaru amphiacanthoides Telmatochromis Thysia * Lobochilotes 20 * Cyphotilapia * 25 Twenty Five Point Fish Trematocranus Ectodus Acarichthys heckelii 15 Etroplus suratensis Acaronia sp. Fifteen Point Fish Hemibates stenosoma Biotecus sp. Asprotilapia Lamprologus calvus Biotodoma sp. Aristochromis macrochir Lamprologus Chaetobranchopsis sp. Aulonocara maylandi compressiceps Chaetobranchus sp. Aulonocara ussiyi Lamprologus fasciatus Hoplarchus psittacum Aulonocranus Lamprologus ornatipinnis Pterophyllum altum Callochromis Lamprologus sexfasciatus Pterophyllum dumerelli Cardiopharynx (gold) Retroculus sp. Chalinochromis * Lamprologus Satanoperca acuticeps Chromidotilapia * tretocephalus Satanoperca daemon Cyprichromis Lastredea Satanoperca Lilith Diplotoxidon Lamprologus (all riverine) Docimodus Limnochromis auritus Point Schedule for Old Eretmodus Petrochromis ** World Cichlids Grammatotria Serranochromis Julidochromis * Simochromis Ten Point Fish 10 Haplochromis ahli Trematocara Aristochromis ** Haplochromis bethicola Tropheus brichardi Astatoreaochromis Haplochromis borleyi Tropheus duboisi Chalinochromis ** Haplochromis horei Tropheus moori Chilotilapia Haplochromis kiwingi Tropheus polli Cleithrochromis Haplochromis linni 25 Corematodus Haplochromis macrostoma Twenty Five Point Fish Cynotilapia Haplochromis pfefferi Boulengerochromis Genyochromis Etroplus maculatus Cyathopharynx furcifer Gephyrochromis * Hemichromis elongatus Lamprologus sexfascitus Haplochromis (victorian) Hemichromis fasciatus (blue) Haplochromis ** Nanochromis * Haplotaxodon microlepus Hemichromis bimaculatus Labeotropheus marmalade Haplotaxodon tricoti Hemichromis thomasi cat Ophthalmochromis Hemihaplochromis * Labeotropheus Perissodus Iodotropheus sprengerae trewavasae orange x Petrochromis trewavasae Labidochromis * orange Reganochromis Labeotropheus ** Lamprologus (lake species) Triglachromis otostigma Lamprologus brichardi Lamprologus furcifer Lamprologus margarae Limnochromis NOTE: FOR ALL OLD Lamprologus ornatipinnis Limnotilapia WORLD CICHLIDS Lamprologus meeli Orthochromis * = ALL ** = NOT ALL

Lamprologus tetracanthus Rhamphochromis Spathodus Lethrinops Lichnochromis Steatocranus * Melanochromis * Tanganicodus Pelvicachromis * Tylochromis

Aqueon offers a full line of premium products designed and formulated by hobbyists to benefit the health and well being of aquatic life. www.aqueonproducts.com

These are ten Herichthys bartoni living in New World an OCA member’s fishroom. They are housed in a 125 gallon species-only aquarium. They were acquired from Jonathan Strazinski at the March 2012 Growth Chart meeting at what seemed like pushing ½” in total length. Let’s see these fish grow over the months.

Herichthys bartoni This is the third update. They are getting bulkier and preparing for their first spawn. One male is more ready than the rest.

nd Next Social Meeting – November 2 , 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 Extravaganza 2012

Members Only

EXTRAVAGANZA 2012 Deal

Your $15 membership contribution for 2013 is due in November. This year we’ve got a special offer for OCA members. *If you register for Extravaganza 2012, you get a free membership for one year. Register for as low as $33 and get a free membership!

Do the math. You are going to pay $15 in dues anyway. For $18 more you are attending Extravaganza 2012, seeing all the speakers, going to the pizza party, enjoying the Hospitality Suite, saving $10 on a swap meet table, getting a goodie bag, getting the discount on your room, and more for only 18 bucks! Why wouldn’t you jump on this?

Don’t miss out! Register right now! Members only registration form is on the next page.

The small print: Thi s offer is only good for Ohio Cichlid Association members who are members in good standing as of 9/24/2012. Offer is not transferrable and is only good for the member whose name appears in The Ohio Cichlid Association Membership Directory as of 9/24/2012. Offer is good on a pre-registration basis only and is not good for walk-ins the weekend of the event. It is the members’ responsibility to take an interest in the club by reading the bulletins and discussion board so that you’ll know about cool offers like this. No other discounts can be used with this offer. Offer does not add a 2nd year of membership to members registering using the premium package. If you have registered prior to this offer, contact [email protected] and once your registration has been verified, you will receive your free membership (unless you’ve purchased a premium registration). Offer expires 11/10/2012.

Program

Preview By Lew Carbone

Instead of a speaker this month, the OCA will be hosting a semi-annual Swap Meeting. The original purpose of these two events (the other is held in April) was to introduce the membership to the merits of the swap meet concept. While the success of the original purpose is debatable, these events have become popular in their own rite.

While the nominal attraction of the monthly club meeting is the guest speaker, we also suspect that the chance to visit your friends that are also fellow hobbyists, but whom you seldom see any other time, may be just as important. This is born out by the success of past Swap Meetings. The participants obviously enjoyed the extra socializing time, freed up by not having a speaker.

That doesn’t mean that the Swap Meetings are completely unstructured, however. There will still be the Bowl Show, the BAP and Buck-a-Bag Auction, and the Raffle. This is all held together by the hosting expertise of our president.

If you’ve never attended a Swap Meeting before, here’s what to expect: When you walk in, you will not see the usual rows of chairs facing a screen. Instead, tables will be set up around the room. (Plenty of chairs will still be available.) On these tables, members will have bags of fish, plants, dry goods and equipment on display and for sale. Anything that is legal to sell (and unregulated) in the state of Ohio is OK. Attendees can stroll around, look at the offerings and ask questions. Being able to talk to the sellers is a great feature of swap meets in general, because you can find out the needs and history of any fish you’re thinking of buying.

Tables are free to members. If you don’t need a whole table, it’s a good idea to share a table with someone else. That way you can walk around checking on the offerings of other sellers while your table-mate watches your stuff, and vice-versa.

In recent years, I’ve heard some swap meet attendees complain that there’s not enough live fish being offered beside all the dry goods. That means there’s a market there, waiting to be tapped, so bag up a few and bring them along. You might bring home a few bucks, or come home with some different fish!

If a non-member would like to sell, tables are $15. This, not coincidentally, is the cost of membership, so anyone who joins on the spot can get a table. Admission as a buyer is free and open to anyone.

I hope to see you there! Ohio Cichlid Association 2012/2013 Program Schedule 2012 May 3 Ken Walker * November 2 Breeding Pre-Extravaganza Loracariids + Swap Meet June 7 December 7 Ed Burress Christmas Party Pike Cichlids

2013 Aug 2 Dan Woodland * January 4 (topic TBA) Troy Veltrop

Barombi Mbo species Sept 6 flock + Dr. Ron Oldfield

Case Western Reserve University February 1

Stephanie White Oct 4 Greater Cleveland Eric Bodrock Aquarium Catfish

March 1 Nov 1 John Krepper Pre-Extravaganza Swap Meeting “Tanganyikan Cichlids in the Aquarium” Dec 6

Christmas Party April 5 Details TBA Spring Swap Meet

* Date tentative + Topic tentative

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.

• Bowl Show

Gary Mendez

Congratulations to the Dave Kasl for winning Best of Show!

Coming up next…

November Classes December Classes

• A. Female cichlids • A. Tanganyikan (limit 3) "Lamps" - exclude • B. Telmatochromis, shell dwellers Chalinochromis • B Julidochromis • C. Loaches & botias • C. Open malawi (limit 3)

October Winners

A. Malawi "Haps" B. Apistos C. Fish Photography

• No entries • No entries • 1st: • Red fin Caudopunctatus (BOS) • 2nd: • Calvus head shot • 3rd: • Electric blue peacock

Prizes!

Best of Show: $20 Cash Quarter Champ: $35 Pet Shop certificate

2012 Champ: TBA

Standings Oct. Quarter 2012 Point System

1stDaveEsner 0 0 173 1st place 10 2rdLacerdas 0 0 47 2nd place 7 3rdDave Kasl 30 30 42 3rd place 5

4thKen Grimmett 0 0 21 Non-placing entries 1 5thChris Jaskolka 0 0 15 Best of Show* 5

*Only awarded if two or more entries Support the 2012 Bowl Show

Wanted: Congratulations Dave Kasl on your beautiful fish photographs!

Any Questions Please Contact: Gary Mendez [email protected]

Bowl Show 2012 Schedule Meetings 2012 A B C Jan. 6 Tanganyikan Shell- Central Americans Loracariids (Pleco dwellers under 6” types) over 6”

Feb. 3 Victorian Basin Angelfish Synodontis and other Mochokids

Mar. 2 Pseudotropheus, South Americans Catfish—exclude Cynotilapia, under 6”-- exclude Callichthids, Melanochromis Angels, Discus, Loracariids, Apistos Mochokids (see other classes for explanations) Apr. 6 Peacocks Central Americans Freshwater Crusta- over 6” ceans

May. 4 Tanganyikan Mouth- South Americans Loracariids under 6” brooders--exclude over 6” Frontosa June. 1 Mbuna--exclude Discus, Uaru Open Catfish, limit 3 Pseudo, Cyno, per participant (all Melano Cats eligible) July No meeting

Aug. 3 Old World—exlude Open New World, Open Tanganyika, Rift Lakes and limit 3 limit 3 Victorian Basin Sept. 7 Frontosa Open Old World, ex- Corys and other clude Malawi, Tang. Callichthyids

Oct. 5 Malawi “Haps” Apistos Fish Photography Nov. 2 Female cichlids, limit Telmatochromis, Loaches and Botias 3 Chalinochromis

Dec. 7 Tanganyikan Julidochromis Open Malawi, limit 3 “Lamps”—exclude Shell-dwellers

RMS Aquaculture and the OCA. Partners since day one…… -Kyle May

We often take our families and friends for granted. We know that we can always count on their support and expect them to be there for us. Less often do we offer thanks and express our gratitude for this support. It’s in this spirit that I’d like to remind all of us of the role that RMS Aquaculture has played in the life of The Ohio Cichlid Association. Our club is around 20 yrs old and RMS Aquaculture has been there since the beginning. Originally started in a greenhouse amongst farm fields west Cleveland over 25 years ago, RMS has become the “go to” store for aquarists of every type. They’ve survived the economic roller coaster of the last few years as well as the big box store invasion that took out so many of the mom and pop stores in our area. Where others have failed, RMS continues to thrive and be a bright spot on the aquarists’ landscape. RMS Aquaculture is one of the biggest supporters of the Ohio Cichlid Association today. They’ve been an enduring part of our landscape since our humble club was born almost two decades past. For those of you who are new to the hobby, or new to the OCA, I’d like to introduce you to RMS Aquaculture, a store that many of us simply refer to as our local fish store.

The RMS Aquaculture Superstore is just of I-71 in Middleburg Hts, Ohio. To get there, take I-71 to the Bagley Rd Exit, then West on Bagley to Sheldon Rd. Turn right (North) onto Sheldon Rd and take it just under 1 mile to Engle Rd. Turn right onto Engle Rd by the Dairy Deli then right into RMS. Put this address into your GPS: RMS Aquaculture, 6629 Engle Rd, Middleburg Hts, Ohio 44130 Lost? Call RMS at: 216-433-1340

Here are RMS Aquaculture owners Steve Zarzeczny (left), and Mike D’A versa. They are very knowledgeable and can help you have success with whatever fish you enjoy. They’ve been at this for a very long time and have experience with all type of aquarium fish. You’ll often find them among the aisles of tanks admiring the latest species they’ve acquired. RMS Aquaculture is located just off Bagley road in Middleburg Hts, Ohio. This little suburb located on Cleveland’s southwest side boasts a gem of an aquarium store that is worth the drive from anywhere in the area. The store has over 16,000 sq ft of retail space dedicated to livestock and a large selection of hard goods to support aquarists of all types. As you enter RMS Aquaculture, take an immediate right and get a cup of the free coffee that they always have brewing. You’ll need it to keep you energized as you wander through the long aisles of fresh and saltwater fish. Whether you love- cichlids, tetras, angelfish, catfish, salt water , coral, cardinals or clownfish, you’ll find them all in the thousands of gallons of water bubbling at RMS. They also offer a very nice selection of plants which makes aquascaping a snap for aspiring aquatic gardeners.

After you’ve had your fill of browsing the enormous selection of live stock, wander into the other parts of the store and check out the vast selection of tanks, filters, and every type of gear that you’ll need to be successful in the hobby. RMS has tanks on display from 2 to 200 gallons. If you want to compare tank sizes or shop for your dream show tank, RMS has a ton of options for you; from high tech self-contained systems to skids of tanks for your fish room. They’ve also got an entire aisle of every color of gravel imaginable, plus special substrates for aquatic gardeners and salt water enthusiasts. Whatever you need to construct the perfect tank or ecosystem is all here under one roof. Rocks, driftwood, man-made coral, plastic plants are here in abundance so you are only limited by your imagination. Looking for a deal? You’ll find plenty at this local fish store. While writing this article I found a deal on a Marineland Emperor filter that was cheaper than buying online! Needless to say it’s waiting to be installed on one of my tanks as soon as I type the last word here. You’ll love the variety and value at RMS.

I like to compare each brand of filter side by side to see whose filter has the best specs for the tanks in my fish room. RMS not only has a variety of filters from different manufacturers, but offers a number of product options from each brand. Whether you are looking for a canister filter, back filter, or a simple sponge filter, you will find a ton of excellent choices here. Walk around a corner and you’ll likely bump into a wall of heaters from computer- controlled, high end units to the basic preset heaters that I use in my fry tanks.

I’ve spent countless days roaming the aisles of RMS and my fish room is the better for it. I’ve found deals on equipment, tanks, as well as food and medications here. Fish can’t wait days for a web site to deliver food or medications and that’s why local fish stores like RMS Aquaculture are not only great places to shop, but they can literally be a lifesaver. I don’t have the space to list all of the brands of food, filters or other merchandise here, but I will mention that RMS is well-stocked on brands from the major supporter of our own Extravaganza, United Pet Group. Marineland, Tetra, Instant Ocean, and Jungle are all on the shelves of RMS. Please support the brands as well as the local store that’s been a major supporter of our club since day one. Who knows? After a visit, RMS Aquaculture might become your favorite local fish store.

Photos by Dan Woodland and Kyle May.

This Month

In OCA History By Lew Carbone

1983: Issue 2 of the Buckeye Cichlid Lovers’ Bulletin features its first articles: “Helpful Hints on Breeding Angelfish” by Delores Felix and “A Fish Story” by William Bilski. This is still about 6 months before the founding of the OCA.

1993: At this month’s board meeting, a proposal was made to publish the BCLB only on odd-numbered months. Post cards announcing the social meetings and containing other info would be sent to members for the even-numbered months. The vote was unanimously in favor, but, being a constitutional matter, it would have to be approved by the membership at the December social meeting. See next month’s “This Month in OCA History” for the results.

1997: This, the third Extravaganza, coincided with Ray “King Fish” Lucas’ 50th birthday. The Show features about 250 entries! Ron Georgeone’s Geophagus altifrons won Best Cichlid of Show.

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Why would you even bother to do this yourself? After all, electricity is still relatively cheap and you don’t have that many tanks anyway...plus you can buy Led fixtures, so why upgrade your current lights?

I could come up with a dozen reasons why you shouldn’t bother upgrading your current aquarium lights. But spend a few minutes of your time to listen to my argument about why you should begin upgrading your equipment now. If you read this column regularly, you know that I’m always looking for ways to save you money. This is another one of those columns. If you take my advice or at least consider why you should invest more money in your , I think you’ll find it money well spent. Sure your current lights are working just fine, but trust me, they are costing you at least three times what LED lights cost to operate, and they cost you money over and over again as you replace bulb after bulb over the lifetime of the fixture. Of course LED lighting won’t give you the instant bang for your buck, but in the long run, you’ll find that changing to LED lights will save you plenty.

The most common light fixture in the hobby today is the strip light. This type of light is very durable and I’ve got several that date back to the dinosaur age. One of these strip lights failed on me, so instead of tinkering around with the ballast and bulb, I decided to upgrade. Why bother? Here’s why:

While writing an article on saving energy in fish rooms, I bought a power consumption meter (shown at right), and tested a couple lights to see how much power they consumed. It stands to reason that a 15 watt fluorescent fixture would use around 15 watts right? Wrong. A typical 24” strip light that fits a 20 high aquarium has a 15 watt bulb that uses 30 watts. A 4’ strip light like you have on your 55 or 75 gallon aquarium has a 40 watt bulb inside. This fixture consumes 70 watts. That’s almost double the wattage written on the bulb inside. I’d always thought that the wattage on the bulb was the wattage that the fixture consumed. I understand that the ballast or electronic ballasts consume energy too, but when I see that a fixture can use about double what I thought, I’m seeing money wasted. My fish room has around 35 tanks in it and this makes it even more important to save every nickel I can by being smart and energy efficient. I’m going to show you how I upgraded this strip light to reduce its power consumption to only seven watts. That effectively reduces its energy consumption by 75% to 90%. Eventually I’ll have most of my room changed over to LED lighting and I will begin to see the savings in the electric bill. LED’s have a much longer life span that fluorescent bulbs too, so no more cash spent each year on replacement tubes.

Changing a fluorescent fixture over to LED.

I started with a broken strip light whose housing

was in good condition. I purchased a 24” LED strip light at the local home center store.

I discarded the bulb and removed the rest of the guts of the fixture which meant undoing about four little screws. I cut off the electrical cord inside and outside. Leave the plastic fitting that holds the cord as it goes through the side of the fixture as the plastic wall is too thin and it will break. Then I thoroughly washed the entire housing.

I siliconed two scraps of wood to the inside of the housing for three reasons. First there were some mounts for the old light inside and the wood raised the mount for my light above the old mounts. Second, the wood is perfect to mount the new light and lastly, these mounts get the LED lights closer to the glass maximizing light penetration. While the glue was drying, I tried to fit the new electrical cord through the opening where the switch was on the old light. As it was too small to accept the new cord, took my drill and gently made the hole larger until the cord could pass through.

I put weights on the blocks so the silicone would adhere nicely to the fixture. I waited about 24 hours before installing the light fixtures to the blocks. Take care if you use this mounting method and pre-drill any holes in the small, delicate blocks of wood. I also used small washers when I mounted the lights so I would have a good amount of contact so the screws won’t slip out. The silicone I used was some excess window and door caulk I had lying around and you could use any number of adhesives as long as they are made for areas of high humidity.

This is the completed fixture. The switch for the LED light bar is on the fixture so I didn’t include any access for a switch in the housing. My lights are hooked into a central timing system; I have no need for a switch anyway. You could paint the inside of the housing to reflect light but I think the LED’s are directional enough to make this step unnecessary. With me it’s always about money. The cost to replace this fixture is about $30. To upgrade to a commercially made LED aquarium strip light costs $99. This upgrade cost $55 which is basically the cost of the LED fixture. To put this in perspective, it’s about $25 more than a direct replacement and about $45 less than a commercially made unit. While the commercially made LED unit does emit more light, its extra expense and slightly higher wattage put me off. Because I keep only freshwater fish, I have no need for a fixture that has high light output. I’m not trying to grow corals or algae. The lights on my aquarium serve only two purposes. I need to see if the fish are healthy and second I want to see their colors for my enjoyment. Many of our fish live several meters below the water’s surface so they don’t necessarily enjoy the blazing lights to which we subject them daily. I find that LED lights provide a nice color balance and that the colors of the fish look great. LED’s are a more directional source of light and while the Fresnel lenses try to soften and scatter the light, you will still get some areas that have shadows. Fluorescent tubes provide flat featureless light unlike the LED fixtures which provide shadows and hiding places which can be a bonus for stressed fish. I think that LED’s will be a good alternative to those of us who seek energy savings while maintaining a good degree of performance in their aquarium lighting. Saving money is always a good thing and finding a way to bring an old fixture back to life for a fraction of what a new LED fixture would cost is a great thing. In the end your wallet and preference will dictate your lighting scheme, but don’t be afraid to look into upgrading some of your old broken strip light to LED’s. Let’s save some money and save the earth!

Home of quality Tropical fish food And supplies

www.kensfish.com 508-823-4043

“Quality and freshness are most important to

Subscribe at: cichlidnews.com us here at Kens Fish.”

Our advertisers can help make you a successful aquarist. Make sure to support the advertisers that support The Ohio Cichlid Association.

Let them know that you saw their ad in the Buckeye Bulletin.

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330-571-6501 www.clvcreations.net

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FF iirrsstt UU..SS.. SSppaawwnn By Steve Heinbaugh (OCA Board)

Those of you who know me surely have come to know that I am one of those catfish nuts, and I really have a soft spot for both Corydoras type catfish and unique species of just about any fish. When I had the chance to get a species of Corydoras that is not usually available, I jumped on the chance to get them. Many of you are aware of the L number system for the pleco-type catfish. If you are not familiar with this, or have seen it and are not quite sure, here is a quick and simple breakdown. So many new species were being imported so quickly, scientists could not classify and describe them quick enough, and many of them remain undescribed. The German magazine DATZ started assigning these L numbers to have a way of keeping some order in the hobby with all these new, unnamed fish. The same has been happening recently with Corydoras as well, so in the mid- 1990s, Hans Georg Evers, who was working for DATZ at the time, applied the same idea, giving all new Corydoras imports a C number. My journey with C091 started in February of 2012. I had saved up some money from fish sales to purchase a special group of fish. I had considered a few other groups, but I wanted something different, and something I would not be competing to sell with a lot of local breeders. Not that I don't want the competition, I just don't want to be stepping on anyone's toes trying to sell the same fish. There are plenty of species, and I wanted to bring in something new. I began searching the usual places, mostly AquaBid. I have gotten fish from a few sellers on there before, but at the time, there was nothing that really blew me away. I read PlanetCatfish's for sale forum, but the US is not very active, and while there were some nice fish offered, I could think of 3 or 4 local breeders off the top of my head. I also checked on Ian Fuller's site, corydorasworld.com. There is where I found Frank Falcone's post offering some very impressive Corydoras for sale, so I decided to send him a message. Frank and I emailed back and forth frequently, discussing different species. He told me that he was doing an order from Peru, and told me the C091 were available. This was a species I had seen pictures of previously, and were on my “target list”. I told him this is what I wanted, and he ordered them directly from Peru for me. After a few weeks and a delayed shipment or two, Frank received his shipment from Peru, and emailed me to say my C091 had arrived, looked like the correct species and were settling in well. He kept them for a few weeks to make sure they were healthy and would start eating, which they did very quickly. We agreed on a shipping date, and I got their tank ready. I finally received my 6 corys in early April. As can happen with fish shipments, there were 2 DOA out of the 6. Thankfully, they were bagged individually, keeping the loss to a minimum. Frank was good to replace them, as he had ordered a few extra to cover any loss (and to have a group of his own I think). He sent me another 2, along with a group of Corydoras concolor I kept bugging him about. Another one of the replacements was DOA, and I opted for the refund on that one, having a group of 5 settled in nicely into their new home in my basement, far far away from the Peruvian Amazon they had been swimming in no more than a month before! When they arrived at my house, they went into a 20 gallon long aquarium. The tank is filtered with the “Hamburg Mat Filter” style air driven foam against the side of the aquarium. I use pool filter sand in most of my cory tanks, as they love to dig in the sand looking for food. I put a few dried oak leaves, probably 6 or 7 and a good sized piece of Mopani wood in the tank. Originally there was only Java Moss for live plants, but since I have added some Cryptocoryne wendtii and Corkscrew val to the tank. The only other decoration is a floating spawning mop. There is a good amount of cover in the tank, but a few good sized patches of open sand for them as well. All was well for a while, but I did lose one of the adults. I was a little sad, but it looked like I had 2 males and 2 females left, and the females were looking quite plump. They were all eating quite well, but losing the one had me concerned that my plump females might not have been swelling with eggs like I hoped they were, but perhaps they had some sort of infection. I started doing a few extra water changes, hoping whatever the reason, the extra water changes would help them out. Turns out I was correct in assuming they were filled with eggs, because a week later there were 150 eggs all over the tank! I am not sure if both females were involved, but there were eggs everywhere! They didn't seem to have much preference where they laid them, as eggs were on the glass, in the plants, in the mop and on the wood. I have a few of those hang on, air driven breeder traps in my fish room, and I put one on the tank and separated out as many eggs as I could. One quick tip with these style traps – I put sand from the main tank in them. I think this helps keep bad bacteria from forming on the bottom of the container and also houses microorganisms that the fry feed off of. Also, I put a small piece of Java Fern in the trap with them. Just about all the eggs were fertile; I can only remember 2 or 3 develop fungus, which I removed when I saw them. After 4 days, hatching began and it looked like it was a 100% hatch rate. The fry consumed their yolk sacks in 5 days or so, and I began feeding them decapsulated brine eggs for the first few weeks. They seemed to eat this well, and losses were minimal. After 2 weeks, the fry were getting quite mobile and I could see them out and about in the breeding trap. At this point, something surprised me; I saw a few fry in the main tank! I frantically tried to get them out, as adult corys usually are quite predatory to fry. I wasn't sure if they had escaped the breeder trap or if I had missed some eggs, but I thought I had to get as many of them as I could. Each day I would see some fry in the tank, and was sure they were escaping the trap. After a few days of this, I stopped trying to rescue fry. I was happy for what I had in the trap, and put in a piece of sponge in the outflow to try to keep them from escaping to what I thought would be certain consumption. A week or so later, I was feeding late at night after the lights were off. I had a flash light and I saw another fry in the main tank. I wanted to see it more closely, so I lifted out the mopani wood, and there had to be 25 or 30 fry! I don't know if C091 don't hunt down their fry, or if I had enough cover for the fry to hide, but these were surviving and growing in the main tank with the adults. The more I looked at them, not only were they surviving, but actually thriving better than the ones that were separated since hatching. I stopped feeding the decapsulated brine and started feeding the same foods as the main tank was getting, and after another week, I just put all the fry in the main tank, where they continued to grow and thrive. I feed all of my corys a good variety of meaty foods. My main food I give is the earthworm sticks from Ken's fish. They sit right on the bottom of the tank, and become soft rather quickly, allowing adults and fry to eat off them. They are not like a pellet that will stay hard and need to be chewed before they can be swallowed. Another food that is quickly becoming a staple for me is the Repashy Meat Pie. I mix up a portion of this and keep it in the refrigerator and feed it a few times a week. Also, I have been mixing in the Viroformo chips from Sera. These break down like the earthworm sticks and seem to be great at getting the adults into spawning condition. The last food that gets mixed in occasionally is live black worms. I purchased a half pound of these a few years ago and went crazy feeding them. One group of fish (not corys) didn't seem to eat them, and a colony has become established in that tank. In a dish from a small flower pot, I scoop out some substrate that is loaded with worms and set it in a tank with adults I want to breed. I am not sure if this has been part of the trigger or not, but has not seemed to hurt. I have kept the C091 in straight tap water. My pH is usually slightly below 7 out of the tap, but I don't have a test kit to be able to report what the tank conditions are like. I really should, but its just something I have not done. I think a lot of the time people spend too much time and energy chasing “perfect conditions” which ends up stressing the fish out. I have found that watching my fish, I can tell if something goes wrong, and an extra water change or two seems to clear up most issues. The tank is heated to 78 degrees and all my corys get water that is slightly cooler to refill the tank after a water change. This seems to be the trigger for a lot of species of catfish. Corydoras sp. C091 has been my favorite cory to keep so far, and I never expected to spawn them so quickly. I am a firm believer that if you love a certain type of fish, occasionally you should do yourself a favor and invest in a truly special species from that group. I have done that to get this group, and the opportunity to get them has rewarded me with a great experience to be the first to document these spawning in the USA, and quite probably the first to spawn them in the country period.

Our Jim Smith Memorial Funds 3rd quarter raffle includes some items that are sure to take your water quality up a notch or two.

This package includes 2- Tetra EX-70 Back filters, 1-Marineland Emperor 280, 2- Tetra HT 10 Heaters, 2-Tetra HT 30 Heaters, 1-Tetra HT55 Heater, 1- Whisper 100 air pump, 2-Cans Tetra Cichlid Flakes, 3-Bags of Tetra Color Cichlid Food. Cash Value is over $200. Tickets can be purchased at any club meeting. Tickets are $1 ea/6-$5. We will sell less than 240 tickets for this raffle and then we'll draw the winner, so get your tickets asap. You don't have to be a member of the club to support the Jim Smith Raffle.

Thanks to Ohio Cichlid Associations Extravaganza Main Sponsor United Pet Group for donating all of the items in our quarterly Jim Smith Fund Raffle. United Pet Group has the brands that most of us have been using in our fish rooms for many years including Tetra, Marineland, Perfecto, and Jungle, just to name a few. Find out more about United Pet Group at: http://www.unitedpetgroup.com/

For more information about the Jim Smith Memorial Fund, visit The Ohio Cichlid Associations web site: www.ohiocichlid.com OCA

Fish Market

CHECK THIS OUT! LEW CARBONE IS SELLING HIGH QUALITY CICHLIDS! 419-681-1628 [email protected]

 Paratheraps “Coatzacoalcos” 1.25” $3 ea, 6/$15 o This undescribed blue vieja-type is an undescribed species, and is similar to P. zotanatum.  Marble Convicts 1.25” $3 ea, 6/$15  Paralabidochromis chromogynos breeders 2.5-3.5” o Trio $50. 2 trios available.  Astatotilapia “Tomato” Male 2.5” $20 ea; juveniles 1.25” o $4 ea, contact about young adults  ‘Haplochromis’ “Entebbe” 1” 7/$30  Pseudocrenilabrus victoriae (formerly P. multicolor victoriae) breeders 1.5-2” Trio $30, 2M4F $50  Protomelas “Steveni Taiwan” (aka “Taiwan Reef”) breeders 2.5-3 Trio $35, 2M4F $60  Alcolapia alcolicus breeding group 2M3F $75

Some photos available upon request. LOOK AT THIS! L333 Plecos 1”+ Have both white stripe and yellow stripe. Can deliver to Extravaganza. $20 each $18 each for 5 fish $15 each for 10 fish Email me at [email protected] if interested.

Tyler

DON’T MISS OUT! L134 Leopard Frog Pleco 1”-2” Peckoltia compta $40 each 6/$200

Phil Hypes Text or call (330) 224-3796 [email protected]

Don’t miss all of the wonderful deals at the 2012 Extravaganza! Check the bulletin board for room sales. Walk through the hotel hallways for special deals. Support our vendors in the Vendor Room. Swap Meet is on Saturday. Day-long auction is on Sunday.

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THE OHIO CICHLID ASSOCIATION PRESENTS

EXTRAVAGANZA 2012 TH TH Cichlids - Catfish NOVEMBER 16 -18 2012

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE

The The Ohio Cichlid Associations Extravaganza is a one of a kind celebration of everything cichlid and it happens the third weekend of every November in Cleveland, Oh. Extravaganza is not only legendary for its world-class speakers, but it’s also re- known for being the best three day party for everyone who loves cichlids and catfish. You’ll meet aquarists from all over the world who love keeping cichlids and catfish as much as you do, plus you’ll get to shop the largest pet store in the world as we turn the Holiday Inn Strongsville Ohio into a four story mega pet store. Imagine room after room of cichlids, catfish, food, filters, plants and more. Add in a monster Saturday afternoon swap meet, the Saturday night pizza party, plus the massive fish auction on Sunday and you’ve got one action packed weekend! The Ohio Cichlid Associations Extravaganza is also the best bang for your buck as hotel rooms are under $70. We’ll have manufacturers on hand to answer your product questions as well has many vendors selling all of the supplies you need for your fish. We’d love to see you there!

Speakers Scheduled to Appear

Ad Konings Hans-Georg Evers Jay Stauffer Michi Tobler

Thanks to United Pet Group for being the Corporate Sponsor of Extravaganza 2012

SHOW INFO: www.ohiocichlid.com

HOTEL INFORMATION – BOOK YOUR ROOM NOW. WE WILL SELL OUT THE HOTEL.

CALL THE HOLIDAY INN DIRECTLY AT: 440-238-8800 ext 283 ASK FOR THE OHIO CICHLID ASSOCIATION ROOM RATE.

2012 Ohio Cichlid Association Extravaganza Registration Form

Name: ______

Address: ______

City: ______State: ______Zip: ______

Email: ______

Premium Convention Special: One Extravaganza registration, one event tee and 1yr OCA membership $50.00 X Number = $______Please indicate shirt size below.

Registration only (no shirt-free membership): Qty___ X $33.00 = $______Extravaganza 2012 Event Tee Shirts: Qty___ X $17.00 = $______

Indicate size by circling: S M L XL 2XL 3XL 4XL 5XL

Show Entries: Qty___ X $ 2.50 = $______Bulletin Board Ads: Qty___ X $10.00 = $______You must be a paid registrant to buy ad space. $10 entitles you to one letter sized page.

Hydro Sponge Filter: Qty____ X $5.00 = _____ Fi lters can be picked up after 2pm on Extravaganza Sunday. Filter purchase not required for show entry. You must register for the convention to purchase Hydro Sponge Filters.

Ten Gallon Tanks: Qty___ X $11.00 = $______

Will you be attending the OCA Pizza Party / Award presentation? Yes No Please circle. All food and drinks at the Pizza Party and in the Hospitality Suite are free with Extravaganza registration. Limit of 2 children per registered adult for pizza party and in hospitality suite

If you are bringing children, please let us know how many? ______

TOTAL Registration Fees (add all from above) = $ ______

Mail Registration Electronic Registration Mail Registration and Check to: Email Registration to: Ohio Cichlid Association [email protected] c/o Rhonda Sorensen Send Total via Pay Pal to: 4179 W. 59th [email protected] Cleveland, Ohio 44144

You can register at the monthly meetings too! Deadline is November 10th. Register today. You cannot get this deal at the show, you must pre-register. Official Extravaganza 2012 Schedule

Friday, November 15 2:00 PM Registration, Show Room (including Manufacturer/Vendor area open. 6:00 PM Hans-Georg Evers: “Corymania: Stories from a Tropical Living Room”* 8:00 PM Dr. Jay Stauffer: “Behavior: an Important Tool for Describing Cichlids”* 10:00 PM Hans-Georg Evers: “Loracariid Biotopes in the Amazon”* 10:00 PM Registration Closes, Hospitality Room Opens* 11:00 PM Show Room closes

Saturday, November 16 8:00 AM Morning Mixer* 9:00 AM Show Room Opens 9:00 AM Dr. Michael Tobler: “Central America: Habitats, Cichlids and other Fishes”* 10:00 AM Registration Opens 11:00 AM Ad Konings: “News and Views from ”* 12:30-3:00 PM Swap Meet (Main Room) 1:00-2:30 PM Speaker Meet and Greet (Main Room) 2:00 PM Registration Closes 4:00 PM Show Room Closes for Judging 6:00 PM Pizza Party* 7:00 PM Awards, followed by Manufacturers Dry Goods Auction 10:00 PM Show Room, Hospitality Room Open* 11:00 PM Show Room Closes

Sunday, November 17 8:00 AM Morning Mixer* 9:00 AM Auction Registration Opens 10:00 AM Auction Begins, Show Room Opens for Tear-Down 12:00 PM Auction Registration Closes

*Registered attendees only. All other activities are open to the public. Meet the 2012 Extravaganza Speakers!

The OCA Board, especially Lew Carbone, booked an insane lineup this year. Speakers from around the world will be traveling to Cleveland to give you more information than your cichlid brains can handle. Be prepared to be amazed, astonished, and overwhelmed. If this is your first extravaganza, don’t forget your notepad. AAdd KKoonniinnggss “A long-time friend of the OCA”

Ad Konings, born and raised in the , started keeping cichlids at age 14. While he wanted to be an ichthyologist, he felt his economic future would be more secure if he studied medical biology. As a young adult, he did human DNA research in and .

In 1980, Ad worked part time for Dirk Verduijn, the top tropical fish importer in the Netherlands. The wealth of rare African cichlids available to him at this time greatly increased his fascination with these , especially after taking a trip with Verduijn to Malawi to visit Stuart Grant’s collecting and exporting operation. He has traveled there many times since.

He moved to in 1986, and around this time, began working with veteran ichthyologist Ethlwyn Trewavas. As his knowledge grew, he began writing books about cichlids. In 1991, he started his own publishing company, Cichlid Press. He got married in 1996 and the couple moved to sunny El Paso, Texas, taking Cichlid Press with them. The publishing company grew rapidly, and he now publishes books by other fish experts, besides his own. In addition, he writes and publishes books about his second passion, cacti.

Today, Ad continues to travel several times a year to study and photograph cichlids and their habitats, and remains active in cichlid research, often working with Dr. Jay Stauffer of Penn State. He shares his knowledge not only by writing books and articles, but also by maintaining a busy speaking schedule. He has over 20 talks about cichlids he can give, along with 13 about cacti. He has appeared at events in at least 24 countries.

Ad Konings is a long-time friend of the OCA. He was the main attraction of the first Extravaganza, in 1995, and therefore had a big part in the early success of this yearly event. He has spoken at all but one or two Extravaganzas since then.

Ad’s talk this year is entitled “News and Views from Lake Tanganyika”. Check it out at 11:00 am on Saturday! DDrr.. JJaayy SSttaauuffffeerr “Distinguished Professor of at Pennsylvania State University”

Dr. Jay Stauffer holds the title of Distinguished Professor of Ichthyology at Pennsylvania State University. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree at Cornell and his PhD at Virginia Tech. Over the years he has held field, lab and classroom positions at Ichthyological Associates (Lancaster, PA), Cornell, Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland. He started at Penn State as Associate Professor in 1984 and earned his current title in 2006.

His academic interests include endangered fish species, freshwater fish behavior, the impact of non-native fish species in local ecologies, and the systematics (to over- simplify, the study of how species are related to each other) of freshwater fishes. He has had a special interest in the fishes of Lake Malawi for over 25 years. You can either thank him (if you are interested in the true relationships between cichlid species) or blame him (if you are annoyed by species’ name changes) for the following: He, along with other researchers such as Ad Konings, has played a big part in the splitting and re- organizing of Lake Malawi cichlid genera. An example would be when, in the 1990s, Metrioclima and Tropheops were split off of Pseudotropheus.

Dr. Stauffer spoke at the first Extravaganza, in 1995. This is his 6th Extravaganza appearance.

The title of this year’s presentation is “Behavior: An Important Tool for Describing Lake Malawi Cichlids”. He will also give us a report on his project to organize, label and catalogue a large collection of preserved fish from Lake Malawi, that is held at Penn State. The completion of this project was made possible by the donation that the OCA made from the Jim Smith Fund at last year’s Extravaganza.

Check it out at 8:00 pm on Friday! DDrr.. MMiicchhaaeell TToobblleerr “Professor at Oklahoma State”

A native of Switzerland, Michael Tobler made rapid progress in the academic world. His undergraduate degree, from the Swiss Institute of Technology, Zurich, was awarded in 2004. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Zurich’s Institute of in 2008. He then came to the United States to do two years of postdoctoral research at Texas A&M. Since 2010, he has held the title of Assistant Professor in the Zoology Department at the other OSU, Oklahoma State University.

As a researcher, Dr. Tobler studies the evolution of fish, and focuses on Central American cichlids and livebearers. A special interest is how fish adapt to harsh environments, thereby developing new species that can make use of them.

Dr. Tobler has spoken at many hobbyist events, including an American Cichlid Assoociation convention. His talk this weekend is entitled “Central America: Habitats, Cichlids and Other Fishes”.

His talk this weekend is entitled “Central America: Habitats, Cichlids and Other Fishes”. Check it out at 9:00 am on Saturday! HHaannss GGeeoorrgg--EEvveerrss “Chief editor of Amazonas.”

Hans-Georg Evers, of Hamburg, Germany, has been an aquarist almost his entire life. Like many of us, his hobby progressed through several stages. He began with a community tank, progressed on to Tanganyikan cichlids, and then West Africans. After observing Corydoras aeneus spawning in a friend’s tank, he caught catfish fever. He still, however retains a strong interest in other freshwater fish. Among the hundreds of species that he’s spawned, over eighty have been Cory-types and over forty have been Loracariids.

Hans travels extensively to collect and study catfish. Besides German and English, he speaks Portuguese, which is, of course, a huge asset during his visits to the Brazilian Amazon and its tributaries. He has also collected in Peru, Venezuela and Indonesia, among other places.

Since 2005, he has been the chief editor of Amazonas, a German aquarium magazine that also publishes an English edition. He has contributed to many other important publications and has written or co-written several books. These include the “Mergus Catfish Atlas”, with his friend Ingo Seidel, and “Identification Guide to Corydoradinae” with Ian Fuller. (Both Ingo and Ian have spoken at several Extravaganzas, including last year.)

Hans also loves to share his knowledge by giving presentations for aquarium organizations and events. For example, he has appeared at several International Catfish Conventions. We are fortunate to have him speak at this year’s Extravaganza, during which he’ll give two talks, “Corymania: Stories from a Tropical Living Room” and “Loracariid Biotopes in the Amazon”.

Check them out at 6:00 and 10:00 pm on Friday!

Birth of the Extravaganza

By Lew Carbone

September, 1986: President Bill Schwartz announces that, despite the efforts of Don Danko and the rest of the committee, the Ohio Cichlid Association lost its bid for the 1987 American Cichlid Association convention. He mentions the possibility of a “Giant Cichlid Extravaganza” in mid-1987. (This never materialized.)

April, 1994: Eric Dietrich, the chairman of the committee to bring the 1995 ACA convention to Cleveland, announces that the OCA has again failed in its attempt to host the event. This is despite the fact that ACA statistics show that out of all the regions of the USA, the Midwest holds the largest concentration of ACA members, and therefore the probably the largest concentration of serious Cichlid hobbyists. Eric mentions that he hears talk of the possibility of a regional convention.

March 5, 1995: Over 200 people attend the social meeting held at the Tri-City Senior Center in Middleburgh Heights. The program, about new areas of exploration in Lake Malawi, is given by one of the top names in the Cichlid world, Ad Konings.

OCA “Emperor” Mike Neelon’s breathless account of the March, 1995, social meeting, in the April Buckeye Cichlid Lovers’ Bulletin, is a clue to the magnitude of the Konings event. Mike, after all, was not a newcomer to the organized aquarium hobby, having been a member of the venerable Cleveland Aquarium Society since at least the 1940s. This would not have been an easy man to impress, yet he obviously was impressed. The huge success of this event, coming when they could still feel the sting of the second ACA rejection, started the OCA board’s mental wheels turning.

Spinning, is more like it.

The notes from the March 11 OCA Board meeting, held just six days after the Konings event, contained this cryptic sentence:

We have a very special surprise brewing for the annual show and auction. All I can say it’s that it’s not this April.

This is a definite change of direction. Actually, the April auction wasn’t being postponed, just the show.

The OCA show chairman, since 1993, was a very young Marc Dewerth. Marc’s memories of the spring of ’95 are vivid. As show chair, he had some experience negotiating venue deals for the club, and because of his airline job, he had some knowledge of the travel industry. This, plus his boundless energy, positioned him to be a key player in the founding of the Extravaganza. (As you can see above, the name “Extravaganza” had been kicked around since at least 1986.)

Two of the OCA Board’s main goals in conceiving of this event were simplicity and affordability. Marc convinced the board that the event should be held on the weekend before Thanksgiving, the slowest weekend of the year for the travel industry. This would lower the cost of both the rental space in the hotel (for speakers, show, etc.) and the cost of airline fare for bringing in speakers, not to mention the cost of rooms for attendees. The decision to forego the traditional expensive awards banquet in favor of a free (to the attendees) pizza party, was a sticking point in negotiations with hotels, who like to use such banquets to increase revenue.

Marc finally found a receptive hearing from the management of the Holiday Inn in Strongsville. Not only were they open to the OCA’s vision of a lean, focused event, but they are located near the airport and are easily accessible from any of the Interstate highways that serve the Cleveland area. The Extravaganza had found a home!

A look at the May 1995 Buckeye Cichlid Lovers’ Bulletin shows just how fast things were moving at that time. A promo toward the end of that issue advertises the return of Ad Konings to the Senior Center on November 17th. However, an item in the “Important Dates to Remember” feature, obviously added later by editor Dan Woodland, is the first full announcement of the new event. The “OCA Northeast Ohio Cichlid Extravaganza” was to be held at the Strongsville Holliday Inn on November 17-19. Konings, Don Conkel and local discus expert Dave Mehallick would be giving presentations. The June BCLB published the first schedule for that weekend. The August issue included a description of the planned event and added Penn State ichthyology professor Dr. Jay Stauffer to the lineup.

Notice that the board didn’t call it “1st Annual” (which is a questionable verbal construction, anyway), or give any indication that this was to be any more than a one time thing. That would have shown confidence that just didn’t exist. With attendees paying a measly ten-dollar registration fee, financial success was anything but assured. A lot was riding on the income from the Sunday fish auction and the Saturday manufacturers’ dry goods auction, to be presided over by Ray “Kingfish” Lucas.

So how did it go?

Here’s the opening of Emperor Neelan’s message in the December 1995 BCLB:

“If we build it they will come”

I could not help but think of this refrain from the “Field of Dreams” as I watched our Extravaganza ’95 develop, and come they did, from Canada, the East Coast, the South and the West.

Early on Friday, it could be seen that our Extravaganza would be a success. By Sunday, it was a success beyond our wildest dreams. I think back to our board meeting, held earlier in the year, when we wondered if we could break even.

I guess at that point, it would have been silly to think that the Extravaganza would be anything other than an annual event. Book your rooms for the 2012 Extravaganza NOW! Holiday Inn Strongsville Rooms for under $70 per night!!! WOW! You must mention the OCA EXTRAVAGANZA when you make a reservation. www.histrongsville.com 440-238-8800 15471 Royalton Road Strongsville, Oh 44136 Don’t miss a minute! This is a Public Service Announcement.

At the 2012 Extravaganza, you will see fish of this quality. If you are not used to seeing fish like this, you may want to take precaution. Light-headedness, excitement, mild perspiration, and Goosebumps are all common symptoms when entering the show room at the 2012 Extravaganza. Please take several deep breathes, allow your vision to clear, and please… enjoy yourself. Thank you.

A Special thanks to Discus Hans for his continued support to the oca. Extravaganza 2012 The Bowl Show is a big attraction every year. The more fish we have, the bigger impression we make. We make an impression on outsiders and young ones, all potential members (friends). It is a representation of our club. When an outsider looks at our show, we are showing them the selection of fish we keep. You don’t have to enter a fish into the show to win. That’s a bonus. Enter your fish to show off the wide range of Cichlids and catfish we keep throughout our special club. We all have a fish worthy of entering into the show. It might be a stunning show-stopper. It might be a common fish with incredible finnage or attitude. It might be an ugly fish but super rare. Let’s center this year’s show on Diversity.

Wouldn’t it be awesome to display every species of Thorichthys?

See you there.