2012-Summer-Fish-Finatic

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Summer 2012


Summer 2012

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

PRESIDENT’S LETTER

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ow, summer is already here! For most of us that offers an chance to relax from otherwise busy schedules.

Summer also brings about the best weather for BBQs and other outdoor activities. Although TWAS will not be meeting at Earl Haig until September, we are hoping to plan at least one event over the summer for finatics to get together. Please check our website, facebook, and your email inbox for more details when plans are confirmed.

Silent Cycling for Planted Tanks

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Amazon Swords

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Labidochromis caeruleus

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5 Of the Creepiest Fish

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Upcoming Events

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TWAS Executive

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About the TWAS

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Accompanying the changing seasons we’ve also made some adjustments which include our club logo, membership card, and soon our website. Enjoy your summer, and take pictures of aquarium projects you undertake to share with the club. Best Regards,

Along with the new club logo our updated membership card also displays the valid membership year. Pick yours up at the next club event.

Jaret Voce jaret@torontoaquarium.org

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SILENT CYCLING IN A PLANTED AQUARIUM Author: Dusko Bojic

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AquariumPoetry.blogspot.ca

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pure ammonia is added manually to begin feeding the bacterial colony. This is a necessary method in non-planted setups.

very new aquarium setup must go through a cycling period. What does that mean? It is a process that builds up a beneficial bacterial colony in the filter media and the gravel. This bacteria converts harmful ammonia and nitrite into nitrates, and until a large enough number of nitrifying bacteria is reached in a new tank, the ammonia and nitrite levels will spike to toxic, even deadly levels for most fish. The process takes up to 30-60 days to complete (depending on the water temperature and other factors). In part due to lack of information, in part due to the anxiety of looking at an empty tank for 1-2 months, even today many people simply go ahead and add a whole bunch of fish to newly setup tanks anyway, many of which end up dying during, or not long after, the cycling period.

DAY ONE But I read a lot of forum stories around the net were aquarists seem to be very confused with the fishless cycling method. I don't blame them. I was once confused with the same thing also. Some frequent questions are: "Where can I find ammonia?", "How many spoons of flake food should I put in?", "There is already a big flake mess all over my tank!", "My nitrite

However, to the responsible fishkeeper, subjecting fish to this situation is not an acceptable practice. There are traditional methods calledfishless cycling where fish food, a small piece of prawn, and/or

Summer 2012

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PROFILE: SWORD PLANTS AquaticCommunity.com

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ne of the most commonly available aquatic plants are Amazon swords; Echinodoras species. My aim in this post is to help you have success with the Genus. The blanket needs of the majority of sword plants are a highly enriched substrate, bright lighting, regular fertilization, 72-82 degrees, moderately soft to moderately hard water, and a pH between 6.8 and 7.5. What all swords need, in the substrate and in the water (via fertilization) is chelated iron. If you sword's leaves start to yellow, iron is what it lacks. People who fail with the plant usually do so by forgetting The most commonly available sword plant is also that fact. among the largest of the genus- E. bleheri. Happily You really don't need to buy a substrate made espe- situated, this giant can and does reach over two feet cially for planted tanks. Laterite, a iron-rich clay col- tall with a more than two feet leaf spread, and can lected on the banks of rivers in the tropics, is availa- rapidly produce well over 100 leaves. Any plant in E. ble boxed in granular form. An inch wide layer under bleheri's sphere will suffer, as the species has a wide two inches of fine (between course sand and regular and vigorous root system. gravel) will be all your swords need. If you wish to use a planted tank substrate (Eco-complete, Florite) Despite those caveats, E. bleheri in health is a gorgeous plant, with deep green leaves, the shade deif you put a layer of laterite you'll add the needed pending on the light going on or through. It is also long-term 'kick' to it. quite long-lived, as I've had them in my tanks for Why is this important? Other than the dwarf species, more than 10 years. sword plants are nutrient hogs. They MUST have available chelated iron and trace elements available If the size of E. bleheri is too much for your tank, seek out E. parviflorus, which is sometimes called in the substrate and the water. the Black Amazon Sword. E. parviflorus is less than You don't need four or more watts per gallon of light half the size of E. bleheri and just as beautiful. A trio to successfully keep Amazon swords. As long as its or quartet of these is in perfect scale for a 55 gallon, bright and full spectrum, two watts will make your and it can be a eye-catching centerpiece in a smaller swords happy. container. It is also an adaptable and hardy plant that adds a bit of exotica to your tank. The common Brighter lighting and Co2 injection will cause your name is a misnomer, as E. parviflorus isn't black; it's swords to explode with growth. Those species that a slightly lighter green than E. bleheri. reproduce via runners will quickly carpet your tank, no matter the size, and the larger species will shoot out literally hundreds of leaves and commonly flower (Continued on page 12) in the tank with daughter plants between blooms. 5

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LABIDOCHROMIS CAERULEUS Author: Mary Elieson

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Cichlid-Forum.com

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nderstandably, L. caeruleus is one of the more popular Cichlids in the hobby, always being in demand. This is due to its bright yellow coloring and its more docile temperment. This latter attribute makes this African Cichlid a compatable tank mate for virtually hundreds of other Cichlids. Dear to the hearts of many cichlidophiles, this mbuna gets housed with peacocks, featherfins, lamprologus, and of course other mbuna. Its omnivorous diet also makes it a versatile addition to just about any setup. L. caeruleus was first identified in 1956 by G. Fryer. He described this fish as normally being white, with a black stripe through the dorsal fin, which would The "Electric Yellow" morph is just one of almost a become a pale blue cast in breeding males (probably dozen different morphologies seen in this species through out the lake. These other morphs go either the morph from Nkhata Bay, Malawi). Believe it or not, this species was named caeruleus (meaning unnoticed, ignored, or forgotten by most hobbyists "blue" in Latin) for this very reason. It wasn't until because of the omnipresent availability of the "Electric Yellow". This color variant, while more rare around 1980 that this xanthic color variant was discovered by Stuart Grant and his divers. Grant et. al in the lake, enjoys a distribution in the hobby that supposedly discovered a small colony of "Electric would easily out number the wild population by probably several hundred-fold. In fact, the "Electric Yellows" at Lion's Cove, Malawi. Yellow" that is so popular today was only recently Stuart Grant only collected a few specimens, but rediscovered (about 15 years ago). The discovery and subsequent public offering of this mbuna constitutes fused to mass-collect and export them because of the population's small numbers, fearing that they would a very colorful tale. be pushed into extinction. Then two Swedish collectors paying a visit to Stuart Grant noticed these beautiful, bright yellow mbuna in his tanks and requested that he collect and export some for them. The story is that when he declined, these two Swedes bribed some of his divers, who knew right where they were located. They then returned to Sweden with two yellow labs, unbeknownst to Grant. From what I have read, these two yellow labs were then given as a gift to Pierre Brichard, who was very impressed by them. This is where the story gets really interesting: Brichard then took them back to his fishing operation in Burundi, along Lake Tanganyika (Continued on page 11)

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all about building up “something” that can prevent deadly levels of ammonia and nitrites in the water...so why not plants? They don't just perform that function well, they look much better than an empty tank! They allow the addition of fish much sooner at little to no risk, and with time, there will always be a natural build-up of bacteria in the filter with or without our help. Preparing a new tank for silent cycling is very similar to following standard procedures for any tank intended to have live plants in it, with just a few extra precautions. Let's see what is necessary in order to guarantee a proper silent cycling of a new tank, and I will exemplify with my 180 L planted community tank during the description:

SILENT CYCLING Continued from page 4

is taking too long to spike, what's wrong? Should I add more ammonia?" "My ammonia spike is over, should I continue adding ammonia?", "When will I be able to put the fish in?", and so on.

With planted aquariums, if a few measures are taken, there is no need for fishless cycling. With the method described here you can forget about adding ammonia, flake food, raw prawns, etc. There is a better and quicker way to start your planted aquarium, Step 1 - Substrate and filter power-up Place the tank in a secure position where it won’t be such that ammonia and nitrite remain completely hit by direct sunlight. Direct sunlight will trigger an "silent", because they don't spike at all! algae bloom and, believe me, this is the last thing you Silent Cycling want. Add a first layer of fertile substrate if you Since the plants consume ammonia and nitrate as choose to do so, then rinse some gravel well and nitrogen source, there is no preliminary need to place it over the fertile layer. Try to build up 7-12 cm build up nitrifying bacteria as long as there are of gravel like a bank, thicker in the back, of course. enough plants growing well from the start. Cycling is (Continued on page 10)

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5 OF THE CREEPIEST FISH Author: Kelly Downey

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HubPages.com

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s if sharks weren't enough to embed fear in the hearts of swimmers all over the world, there is an entire host of creepy creatures that somehow managed to make it into the 'fish' category. Each and every one featured has definitely earned its spot on this list of the top ten creepiest fish in the world! To view the complete article Top 10 Creepiest Fish in The World visit kellydowney.hubpages.com

The Blobfish: Aside from having a face only a mother could love, the blobfish has no muscles.

The Snakehead Fish: After inhabiting a pond or lake, they eat every living creature in it, without discrimination.

The Viperfish: Not only do the fangs not fit in its mouth, but they curve all the way back to the fish's eyes!

The Angler Fish: Named for their characteristic mode of hunting prey, wherein a fleshy growth from the fish's head is used as a lure.

The Stonefish: Believed to be the deadliest fish in the world, it is definitely the most venomous.

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SILENT CYCLING Continued from page 8

CO2 injection is a must have and there are many ways to introduce it. The DIY CO2 yeast reactor, pressurised CO2 system (could be expensive) and CO2 tablets with a plastic reactor-diffuser (ask your local pet-shop).

Fill up with water and treat with the dechlorinator (chlorine, chloramine and heavy metal remover). It is going to be dirty for a day or two, but the filter circulation will eventually clean it. Plug in the power filter and heater. Let it run for 24 hours, taking this time to make sure everything is working correctly and to set the temperature at the right level, for example, most tropical fishes and plants do well at about 24-26°C.

DAY 21

Lighting should initially be low to medium, between 0.3-0.5 Watts per liter for fluorescent tubes. Strong lighting (over 0.8 W/L) requires the use of pressurized CO2, otherwise an algae break-out is very likely. To achieve full efficiency of your fluorescent tubes, reflectors should be placed over the lights (tip: I used Among the best ones I can recommend from person- kitchen tin-foil as a reflector). Without good reflectors, the amount of light that actually enters the waal experience are: ter can be as low as half of the total light generated  Ceratopteris thalictroides by the tubes.  Hygrophila polysperma Step 2 - Adding Plants & Ensure Growth On the second day, or whenever you're confident, everything is OK, plants should be added. Over 50% of the gravel surface has to be planted with fastgrowing stem plants.

Bacopa australis Egeria densa.

So that’s it, we have fast growing plants; iron rich gravel fertilizer, CO2 injection and proper lighting. But there are certainly others. For more information After all this is done, it's time to sit back and observe about these and other plants, browse the Garden sec- the plant growth for a few days. We need to be sure, tion of Aqua-hobby site. When planting, make sure before adding any fish, that the plants are thriving to remove all the old leaves and some of the old look- and growing well, which means they are being capaing roots. Don't worry, you won't harm them and it ble of uptaking any ammonia from the water. During will encourage growth. this period, it is highly recommendable that you test the water occasionally and make sure the ammonia Plant the stems about 2-3 cm apart from each other, and nitrite levels are really kept at zero. Otherwise so all of them have enough light, which is essential you will put our fish at risk and make the algae hapfor good plant growth, without which the silent cycle py. won't work. Step 3 - Introducing the first algae eaters. After the plants are added, if you chose not to use About two weeks after the tank has been planted and fertile substrates, you need to at least stick one iron if they are showing good progress, you can start addrich gravel fertilizer tablet or granule (ask your peting fish - and algae eaters should go first. For my 180 shop) into the gravel beside each plant. The gravel liter tank I added 2 Siamese algae eaters and 3 Otos. fertilizer gives the plant a head start while the algae Before adding the fish, I suggest doing about 20% can’t use it since they do not have roots. Liquid ferti(Continued on page 14) lizer is not a good option in the beginning. 

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L. CAERULEUS Continued from page 7

(of all places!) and bred some 20,000 fish, all related to that pair. Quite amazing. And he did this in less than six years time. Then, in 1986 he made them available to the public, selling them for a hefty price from what I hear. Brichard ended up making a good dollar off that pair, while Stuart Grant on Lake Malawi, who found the fish in the first place, was left holding the bag. The story of the yellow lab doesn't end here, my friends. When Brichard put his yellow labs on the market in 1986, he called them "Labidochromis tanganicae", which caused immense confusion among

they were no better in quality than other good yellow labs that we have seen! There are plenty of bad strains out there - some with lots of black on the body and face. There is a morph with a whitish belly that is not as attractive. Don't be mislead into thinking that is a man-made strain. This is a naturally occurring morph that comes from Lion's Cove, along side the yellow lab we all know.

I mention this because I have heard a lot of people bag on yellow labs and breeders, suggesting that they have been over-bred. True, there are many breeders out there that are not patient or careful and put up for sale anything that hatches. BUT, a fish can be bred for hundreds of generations and still retain is beauty and fitness, as demonstrated by Pierre Brichard. In fact, some of the most spectacular fish you will ever see - you know, the ones that win all the hobbyists. Was this a Tanganyishows - have been line bred. The best looking progekan Labidocrhomis species, or had Brichard collect- ny from each generation are pulled out and then ed this "new" Labidochromis from Malawi and bred to each other. Sometimes, the best genes aren't raised it in his ponds on Lake Tanganyika? Eventual- those that come from the lake (F0), but from a carely the issue was settled, but it did cause quite a com- fully maintained line. This isn't unethical, in my motion. And to think, that most yellow labs in the opinion. These people are simply selecting the more hobby all descended from that single, illicit pair. desirable traits and retaining them. If you find this reprehensible, next time you see a black-barred yelStuart did capture 22 fish later on but had a bit of a low lab next to a clean one, ask yourself which you'd spill and only a few were left. These were given to rather own, or purchase for that matter. Gary Kratchovil in San Antonio, TX. You'll see him Before concluding, let me say a few words about this offer F1 stock from time to time. A couple of years ago, a friend of a friend bought some F1 yellow labs fish's behavior in both the wild as well as captivity. L. (Continued on page 13) that had been pond-raised in Africa. Surprisingly, 11

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SWORD PLANTS Continued from page 5

The grass-like bottom plant in many show aquariums is commonly E. tenellus; the dwarf chain sword that reaches a tad over three inches in height. Commonly grown emersed in greenhouses, E. tenellus sheds the arial oval-shaped leaves and grows grasslike submerged ones when planted in your tank. When happy, E. tenellus sends out runners from its base bearing daughter plants on the nodes. After they start to grow roots and leaves, press the runners in the gravel (no more than an eighth of an inch). You can remove and replant the daughter plants once they have four or five leaves if the runner goes in an unsuitable direction. E. tenellus can and will totally carpet your tank, making it look very much like a lawn that needs a trim. In small tanks, like a 10 gallon, if the runners are pinched off as they form E. tenellus will form itself into a miniature sword plant. In bright light the tips of the leaves turn an attractive rusty color. Altogether, a thoroughly satisfying plant. A touch larger than E. tenellus is E. quadricostatus, which grows to six inches in great conditions, but usually stays around four. The leaves of E. quadricostatus are wider and more sword-like than E. tenellus, and a pretty light green. It sends out runners like the latter, and will carpet your tank if given good conditions. Ideal as a centerpiece in small tanks.

E. uruguayensis is one of the very few swords that can be kept in cooler water, down to 64 degrees, though it grows better in the mid-70's to 80. Long, commonly slightly ruffled, tape-like leaves are an attractive translucent dark green. Properly kept, uruguayensis will produce many leaves, making it almost fountain-like in form. Uruguayensis reaches around a foot tall, but when really happy, can grow a few inches taller. It reproduces by side shoots from it's rhizome. Curiously, uruguayensis doesn't come from Uruguay; it comes from Brazil. For hard water, the large E. osirus may be for you. Commonly called the Red Amazon Sword, only the new leaves are an attractive reddish color; the adult, heavily-veined leaves are dark green and slightly ruffled. A relatively easy species to keep, a good source of iron, especially in bright light, will keep it healthy. Keep in mind though it's not as massive as E. blehri, E. osirus gets over 20 inches tall. It does better in hard water than soft. Other species include the large E. macrophyllus, with leaves a foot long and eight inches wide; E. major, the ruffled sword, a foot tall with slender leaves, and the wide, large-leaved Radicans Sword, E. cordifolius, which is a true giant. I hope this post encourages you to give swords a try. They are generally hardy, long-lived true aquatic plants that properly kept can be a showpiece in your tank.

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L. CAERULEUS Continued from page 11

caeruleus is an omnivore, feeding primarily upon insects, snails, and mollusks; however, in the aquarium, this fish can be fed a wide assortment of foods. I personally recommend a good Spirulina based flake food with occassional frozen food supplements, or alternatively, The European Shrimp Mix. These insectivores wander through their rocky biotope, never lingering at any particular spot, and it seems they are tolerated in the territories of most other species. L. caeruleus prefer dark caves, but they are always careful to inspect the ceiling for prey. Likewise, in the aquarium, rock work, and particularly honeycomb limestone (aka holey rock), is appreciated. Notice in the picture above how this female is hiding from the male, anxious to induce her to spawn with him. The hole is too small for him, but not for her! This provides her an opportunity to escape his aggressive entreaties when she is not interested or ready to spawn. And as already mentioned, L. caeruleus has a very wide distribution in the lake, with the yellow morph occuring between Charo and Lion’s Cove on the Malawi side of the lake, at a depth of 20 meters. Broods usually number between 15 and 20 fry, with incubation periods lasting typically 28 days. Males tend to have much more black on their pelvic and anal fins, and are usually 1/3 larger than females at adulthood.

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SILENT CYCLING Continued from page 10

partial water change (always use the dechlorinator). Don’t feed the algae eaters! Let them take care of the minor algae. You will probably experience some brown, hair, red and thread algae, which these fish will consume. Any mature algae should be removed manually, as these fish prefer to feed on young algae.

Step 5 - Fertilization & Maintenance Regime After about 4 weeks since the day you added the plants, it's time to start adding liquid fertilizer. It's better to use only half of the recommended dosage for the first few weeks. If your plants show no yellowness, there is no need for more fertilizer, and if they're showing deficiency symptoms, add the recommended measure. I use Tropica Master Grow and I dose 25 ml every week, since all my plants are fast growers. Slower growing plants need less nutrients. Typical Nitrate (NO3) levels for planted tanks should be around 10-20 ppm. Your fish population might already supply enough through excrements to reach this level, but with planted tanks you will often need to supplement. Nitrate can be added through KNO3 (Potassium nitrate) and NaNO3 (Sodium nitrate). The first one is better to use since it contains Potassium, which plants also consume in large quantities. Many aquarium gardeners also use a home-made solution known as PMDD (Poor Mans Dosing Drops) which you can learn about and even order from the internet.

Step 4 - Increasing the population. About one week after the algae eaters have been added, you can start adding your other preferred species. This has to be done gradually like with any other type of cycling, and it's always recommendable to do a partial water change just before adding a new group of fish. In a typical medium sized tank (80-200 liters) you should add about 5 small fish at a time. I added more algae eaters, 5 Amano shrimp. Again, I did not feed them as they will feed on algae. Just because you don’t see the algae it doesn’t mean that The best fertilizing and maintenance regimes depend there isn't any. on many things, like how strong the lights are, if pressurized CO2 is added, how big the fish bioload is, After another week, you can add 5 more fishes, and so on until you're happy with the population. I added how big plant biomass is and how many of them are 2 golden angelfish, and on the following week 11 car- fast growing ones. To be sure how to manage your dinal tetras. Once you start adding non-algae eaters, own regime, the best way is to ask questions and exchange experiences with other hobbyists, for examstart feeding accordingly. ple on aquarium forums. As always, don't overstock your tank there is no need For my 180 liter low light aquarium, I dose 10 ml of for it! Instead of falling into the temptation of "having" a whole bunch of random fish that just exist each PMDD mix on weekly a basis + 25 ml of Tropica Master Grow for iron dosing. I also connected two in your tank, learn to appreciate the natural behavbottles of DIY yeast CO2 (one bottle per 90 liter) to iors of properly kept ones and the joy of "keeping" the filter outlet. I do 25% weekly water change. them throughout their natural lives of many years. overstocking and mixing incompatible species will In summary, I find silent cycling a very natural way only trigger diseases and disasters. Imagine yourself to start an aquarium, with a beautiful tank decoraliving in a small, dirty apartment with 20 more peotion resulting as an added bonus. In fact, if you have ple who don't even like you. With shoaling species, it doubts on how to aquascape your tank, take a look at is much nicer to have a bigger group of the same speother people's tanks in the Tank of the Month seccies than many small groups of different species. Let tion for ideas and inspiration. Remember, our hobby them have a good, long fish life in your tank! can and should be joyful, rather than frustrating. Happy fish/plant-keeping! Summer 2012

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ABOUT TWAS

UPCOMING EVENTS

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he Toronto Make sure you’re in the know on everything comWillowdale ing up by joining our email list. Visit our website, Aquarium SoTorontoAquarium.org for more information or folciety is a nonlow us at Facebook.com/TorontoAquarium profit organization which aims to advance and improve aquarium hobbyists, and to have a good time doing it.

TWAS EXECUTIVE

President: Vice-President: Treasurer: Secretary:

Jaret Voce Kai Hing Bob Saunders Liz Voce

Auctioneer: Correspondence: Membership: Newsletter Editor: Refreshments: Speaker Programme:

Gary Ko Liz Voce Mart Vompa Jaret Voce Mart Vompa Robert Wright

encourage finding and supporting good pet & fish stores. Members qualify for discounts at participating local pet & fish stores.

Don't miss a wonderful opportunity to meet Each member is encour- friendly, like-minded finatics who are more aged to come out and than willing to answer participate in all meetquestions and actively ings and activities; including auctions, draws, participate in the enhancement of our facontests, door prizes, vourite hobby, aquarium etc. keeping. All members receive a monthly newsletter, the Visitors are welcome to Fish Finatic, put out by join us for three meetour membership and to ings without obligation which all are welcome to to paying the membership fees. contribute. The Fish Finatic has articles writ- Mailing Address: ten by our members and TWAS others. It offers a listing c/o 2 Mallow Road of major auctions and Toronto, ON events happening in On- M3B 1G1 tario with all other C.A.O.A.C. clubs. At every monthly meeting there is a miniauction where good deals can be had and you can find homes for your babies should your breeding get out of hand. These auctions serve as a supplement to your purchasing options as we

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TorontoAquarium.org Facebook.com/TorontoAquarium

Summer 2012

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