ACLC Tank Tales January 2019

January 2019 Volume 48, Issue 1

Inside: Blue Spring State Park

By Joel Antkowiak

| r |iTuhm e AC q ulau r ibu m f Lcaa nc er C y , tI n The official Publication of The Aqua oCf l uLbaon s atset r Coou nutn yc, . I n c .

Table of Contents

Tank Tales ON THE COVER:

President’s Message

3

Big Spring State Park

7-8

Michael Buchma

Joel Antkowiak

Horticultural Award Program Report Michael Buchma

Zebra Pleco Photo by Karen Haas PUBLISHED BY: Aquarium Club of Lancaster County, Inc. 590 Centerville Road #318 Lancaster, PA 17601 editor@aclcpa.org WEB : www.aclcpa.org FACEBOOK GROUP: www.facebook.com/Aquarium-Club-ofLancaster-County-165146629317/

9

C.A.R.E.S. Report

11-12

Breeders’ Award Program Report

13-15

Clair Klinedinst

Gary Haas

Writers’and Artists Award Program Report Gary Haas

17

It’s Your Club, Your Tank Tales!

EDITOR: Gary Haas

Tank Tales™ is the official publication of the Aquarium Club of Lancaster County, Inc. (ACLC). Ten issues of Tank Tales are published annually. Anyone using original material from any issue of Tank Tales must return two (2) copies of the publication in which the article is published to our exchange editor at exchange@aclcpa.org. The views expressed in any material appearing in Tank Tales are those of the authors, and do not necessarily express those of the ACLC.

Deadline for February Tank Tales is February 7th!

The Aquarium Club of Lancaster County is a Federally Registered 501c3 Non-profit public charity and a Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Non-profit Corporation under the provisions of the Non-profit Corporation Law of 1988. “ACLC”, “Tank Tales”, Piscatorial Pearls” and the fishdrawn buggy logo are all Trademarks of the Aquarium Club of Lancaster County, Inc.

Tank Tales™ | January 2019

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President’s Message ACLC:

If you missed last month’s meeting, you missed a good one.

It was our traditional December Open Mic meeting.

The participation from our members was phenomenal. If you missed it, hopefully you can make it this year. There will surely be a meeting full of good ones again!

Michael Buchma

In case you missed it on Facebook, we have some exciting news for you. The ACLC has been asked to co-host a freshwater fish swap (Fish, plants, & inverts) with That Fish Place - That Pet Place. This event is meant to be just like the frag swaps they hold with the coral societies in the fall and winter. The date for the swap is 25 May 2019. We are inviting aquarists to setup a table with livestock (Fish, plants, & inverts) for the event. Dry goods at the swap will not be allowed. Any aquatic organisms you bring to the swap must be legal in the state of Pennsylvania. Professional vendors are not allowed. The ACLC and That Fish Place will not be charging for tables. We are not officially taking registrations yet. We just want to see what the interest is like right now from the aquatic community.

Please let us know at the meeting if you are interested. More information on the event will be coming shortly. You may also email president@aclcpa.org.

On January 19th at 1:00, we will meet at Bird-in-Hand Fire Company to welcome our speaker of the month, Andrew Blumhagen. His presentation will be: Why Bristlenose Plecos have Bristles..

| 3 | The Aquarium Club of Lancaster County, Inc.

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2019 Meeting Schedule January 19: Andrew Blumhagen Why Bristlenose Plecos Have Bristles February 9: Joseph Chiapetta Geophagus ***March 16: Bob Bock*** Joint Meeting with the Keystone Killy Group Killifish of the United States April 20: TBD May 18: Larry Jinks Topic TBD June 15: TBD

THE PUBLIC IS WELCOME Meetings are held at the Hand-in-Hand Fire Station 300 Enterprise Drive, Bird-In-Hand, PA For more information about the Aquarium Club of Lancaster County, or directions to a meeting, please visit our website at http://www.aclcpa.org or contact Joel Antkowiak - mrkillie@comcast.net

2018 Officers, Directors & Chairpersons Officers

Members-at-Large Chairpersons

ACLC Sponsor Advertisement ACLC Sponsor Advertisement

Phone: (717) 471-6244

Mike Mull

Email: mike@thereliableplumber.com Website: http://www.TheReliable Plumber.com Tank Tales™ | January 2019

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The Traveling Aquarist:

Blue Spring State Park

by Joel Antkowiak

Every time we take a trip to Florida, I try to mix in some not so expensive activities with the ultra expensive theme park visits. Our most recent visit in December 2018 was no different. One such activity was a visit to Florida’s Blue Spring State Park. This location was chosen as a surprise for Robin (my wife for those of you who don’t know) as a little Christmas present. Why did I think she would like a visit to a state park? Does she hike? No. Does she climb rocks? No. Does she Manatees just doing their thing...nothing! like to canoe or kayak? Heck no.

Does she appreciate wildlife? YES! It turns out that Blue Spring State Park has a hotspring that many manatees migrate to in the winter months. Manatees, although they give appearance of having a lot of blubber, only have a layer about one inch thick. As a result, their health suffers when the water temperatures drop below 68F. They seek out warmer waters to wait out the “cold” months of Florida’s winter. Stop laughing, Florida gets cold. In fact, when we left Pennsylvania it was 65F. When we got to Florida the temperature was down to 40F. The spring is located along the St. John’s River. In 1970, before the park was established by the Florida state legislature, there were 14 manatees tracked by researchers in the spring run. The park was founded in the early seventies as a conservation measure to help ensure the survival of the manatees. By 2005, over manatees were counted entering the spring run. In 2018, a record 485 manatees were observed at the spring. On the day we visited, there were 416 manatees in the spring.

Besides the manatees, also known as sea cows, there were several species of fish and turtles observed by us, including several Florida gars. We did not see any alligators L. | 7 | The Aquarium Club of Lancaster County, Inc.

There are several ways one can observe the wildlife in the park. You can hike along the spring run or along the 4.5 mile long Pine Island Trail. You can launch a canoe or a kayak, or take a guided boat tour. Our option? Well, I already told you that Robin doesn’t hike, canoe or kayak, and that I was making this cheap. So the last options was a walk along the boardwalk that was specially built to view the manatees in the spring run. There were several sets of stairs down to the boardwalk, but once there you can see the hundreds of manatees wading in the spring. They mostly look like gray torpedoes, just resting in place in the water, until they need air. Then they stick their big ole noses out of the water, blow out the old and suck in the new air. They then just go back under the surface and pretty much stay put.

Not much action, but a sight to see regardless.

If you ever get the chance to see these magnificent creatures in their natural setting, do not hesitate and jump on it!

It was a wonderful experience and, Manatee up for air! perhaps even a Christmas miracle!

Tank Tales™ | January 2019

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Horticultural Award Program Monthly Report-December2018 Species Propagated—December 2018 Danny Corman — 15 points Echinodorus bleheri Helanthium tenellum

5 points 10 points

* indicates that plant was donated to club auction (2x points) +indicates plant was donated & article submitted to Tank Tales # donation points only—plant was registered earlier

Propagator of the Year

Gardener of the Year

Wes Bahrt

10 Species

Wes Bahrt

190 points

Bressler Family

4 Species

Bressler Family

70 points

Joseph Yanik

3 Species

Paul Meola

30 points

Danny Corman

2 species

Joseph Yanik

20 points

Paul Meola

2 Species

Danny Corman

15 points

Gary Haas

1 Species

Gary Haas

10 points

Chris Edwards

1 Species

Chris Edwards

10 points

Scott Sommer

1 species

Scott Sommer

10 points

Stanley Semchenko

1 Species

Stanley Semchenko

5 points

Lifetime Achievement Awards 2 Star Gardener

Novice Gardener

Gary Haas

Clair Klinedinst

Bressler Family

Joel Antkowiak Karen Haas

3 Star Gardener Wes Bahrt

1 Star Gardener Alan Rollings Charles Vickery Gary Boyer Scott Sommer | 9 | The Aquarium Club of Lancaster County, Inc.

A word from some of our benefactors

Tank Tales™ | January 2019

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C.A.R.E.S. Registration ACLC CARES November Monthly Report Updated on January 7, 2019 A big THANK YOU to all those actively participating in the CARES preservation program!

NEW additions to the CARES program have to be done through CARES at https://caresforfish.org/?page_id=879..

Clair Klinedinst—ACLC CARES Coordinator CARES@ACLC.org

Joel Antkowiak

Rich Bressler

Tanichthys micagemmae Ameca splendens Tanichthys albonubes Pachypanchax sparksorum Xenotoca melanosoma Xenotaenia resolonae Neotoca bilineata Nothobranchius kilomberoensis

O O O O O O O O

Skiffia francesae

O

Amatitlania septemfasciatus Melanotaenia boesemani Melanotaenia eachamensis Amatitlania myrnae Bedotia geayi Xiphophorus malinche Zoogeneticus tequila

O O O O O O O

O O

6 6 5 3 1 3 1 1 1

O

1 3 3 2 2 O 2 2

Steve Arnott Tanichthys micagemmae

O

Gary Boyer Pundamilia pundamilia “Senga

O

O

5

Melanotaenia lacustris

O

Bedotia geayi

O

O

3

Zoogenetius tequila

O

O O

3

Glossolepsis incisus

O

O

3

Melanotaenia boesemani

O

5

2

Paul Bricknell Ataeniobius toweri

O

John & Natalie Xenotoca eiseni

O

Ameca splendens

O

O

1

Gary Haas Fundulopanchax sjoestedti

O

O

3

Puntius titteya

O

O

2

Melanotaenia boesemani

O

1

Nematolebia papiliferus (Inoa)

O

1

Nothobranchius kilomberoensis

O

3

| 11 | T h e A q u a r i u m C l u b o f L a n c a s t e r C o u n t y , I n c .

C.A.R.E.S. Registration Karen Haas/Alan Rollings Synodontis brichardi

O

2

Glossolepis incisus

O

2

Amatitlania nanolutea

O

Amatitlania myrnae

O

Ataeniobius toweri

O

Paralabidochromis sp. 'fire'

O

Rocio Spinosissima

O

Amatitlania septemfasciata

O

Amphilophus lyonsi

O

Pelvicachromis silviae

O

O

1

1

Daniel Poet Nothobranchius kilomberoensis

O

Paul Tangredi Melanotaenia lacustris

O

3

Clair Klinedinst Xiphophorus malinche

O

Tanichthys albonubes

O

2

Tanichthys micagemmae

O

2

Xiphophorus kallmani

O

1

Chapalichthys encaustus

O

Tank Tales™ | January 2019

O

1

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Breeder Award Program Monthly Report BAP News as of 31 December 2018 The 2018 BAP year concluded with two spawns reported by Danny Corman, the Madagascar Rainbowfish and Norman’s Lampeye. These are uncommon schooling fish, with tiny fry. Danny is skilled at raising these tiny fry for BAP points.

Danny’s December surprise was welcome, but did not alter the Breeder of the Year standings. The breeding team of Karen Haas and Alan Rollings have led the contest since early in the year, and by darn, they were still in the lead as the year came to a close. So congratulations to the two of them, as they take home honors based on both points (BoY) and number of spawns (BoY Most Species).

This year’s BoY Novice award goes to Wesley Bahrt. Wes joined the BAP community at the end of last year, and this year registered two more spawns, sufficient to clinch the Novice award. He also achieved the One-Star Breeder award during the year, rendering him ineligible for the Novice award in the coming year. So the Novice field is wide open for 2019, people!

In other news, the problem with the BAP database has been resolved, with no loss of data on your past BAP activity. If you would like a copy of your BAP record, send me email at BAP@aclcpa.org.

I hope to see lots of new participants next year, and lots of BAP fry in auctions from current participants. A belated Happy New Year to you all. ~Gary Haas, BAP Chair

Recent Species Bred Danny Corman

Bedotia geayi

Poropanchax normani

| 13 | T h e A q u a r i u m C l u b o f L a n c a s t e r C o u n t y , I n c .

2018 Breeder of the Year Pts.

2018 Species Bred Team Haas/Rollings Bressler family Danny Corman Paul Bricknell Bob Kulesa Wesley Bahrt Joel Antkowiak Gary Haas Gary Boyer

14 species 11 species 6 species 5 species 2 species 2 species 2 species 1 species 1 species

Team Haas/Rollings Bressler family Danny Corman Paul Bricknell Bob Kulesa Joel Antkowiak Wesley Bahrt Gary Haas Gary Boyer

217 points 162 points 118 points 76 points 55 points 45 points 20 points 20 points 7 points

BAP Lifetime Achievement Awards Currently Active ACLC Members

F. Wayne Calender Breeder Bressler Family

2 Star Breeder

** 2044 pts

Gary Haas*

554 pts

Clair Klinedinst*

235 pts

J/N Dickel

178 pts

Grand Master Breeder Paul Bricknell

1 Star Breeder

** 2039 pts

David Stephon

1120 pts

Glenn Davies*

140 pts

Pedro Sanchez

1050 pts

Dave Frehafer

90 pts

Scott Shenk

70 pts

Wesley Bahrt

67 pts

Tony Kline

60 pts

Robin Antkowiak

57 pts

Kurt Johnston

56 pts

Expert Breeder Bob Kulesa*

867 pts

Advanced Breeder Joel Antkowiak*

1323 pts

Haas/Rollings*

1152 pts

Other Participants

Gary Boyer*

722 pts

Sam Jones

66 pts

Danny Corman*

636 pts

Charles Vickery

39 pts

The Moyers

37 pts

Lonny Langione

35 pts

Julie Lovell

26 pts

Ashley Antkowiak

21 pts

Mackenzie Dalton

14 pts

*Breeder has enough points for next higher class award but needs to complete one or more classes to achieve the award.

Tank Tales™ | January 2019

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Specialist Breeder Awards Currently Active ACLC Members

Class 1—Livebearers

Class 9—Rainbows & Blue-eyes Cl ass 11—Other Aquatic Animals

C lass 12—U.S. Native Species Class 2—Catfish

Class 3—Barbs & Minnows

Cl ass 14—All Other FW Fish Special Notes

Class 4—Characins

Class 5—Killifish

Class 6—Anabantoids Class 7—New World Cichlids ACLC Sponsor Advertisement

Class 8—Old World Cichlids

| 15 | T h e A q u a r i u m C l u b o f L a n c a s t e r C o u n t y , I n c .

Breeder Award Program Information

Tank Talesâ„¢ | January 2019

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Writer’s & Artist’s Award Program

My apologies for the untimely publication of WAAP standings. There was a gap in transition, and the new WAAP chair (me) took a while to figure out what his responsibilities were. It turns out, publishing this report is one of the regular functions that has been unfulfilled since the summer break. It won’t happen again.

Suffice it to say, the race for Mighty Fin (the annual award for contributions to the hobby through writing and artistic endeavors) went on behind the scenes, with the competitors unaware of their position in the competition. Nevertheless, Tank Tales benefited from the talents of its contributors on a regular basis, with two or more articles and a number of photos in each edition. The final tally was close, with Don Kinyon finishing ever so slightly ahead of runner-up Joel Antkowiak.

Congratulations from the WAAP chair. And from the TT editor, many thanks to all the year’s contributors.

2018 Mighty Fin Standings Through 31 December 2018

Don Kinyon

470

Joel Antkowiak

455

Karen Haas

205

Kurt Johnston

95

Alan Rollings

70

J. Stokes

30

Gary Haas

20

| 17 | T h e A q u a r i u m C l u b o f L a n c a s t e r C o u n t y , I n c .

Aquatic Life Education Fund

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ACLC Sponsor Advertisement

Tank Tales™ | January 2019

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About the ACLC™

DATE:

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AQUARIUM CLUB OF LANCASTER COUNTY – MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

| 19 | T h e A q u a r i u m C l u b o f L a n c a s t e r C o u n t y , I n c .