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President’s Message – September 2011

The new season kick-off meeting of September featuring Joe Caparetta was a great success. Joe’s topic for the evening was “Unique Corals You Can Keep.”  We had “technical difficulties” with the PowerPoint presentation, so Joe had to “wing” it and just talk about keeping marine corals, fish and the proper maintenance to sustain these livestock. The Q & A went on long after Joe went off camera. Everyone enjoyed this very different type of presentation.

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October brings our Fall Giant auction featuring marine fish and corals, freshwater plants, fish and invertebrates. As always, we will have many bags of your favorite species. Great bargains will be available, so make sure you come to the greatest auction in New York on October 14th. Our unique sales tables will be open for shirts, hats, books, magazines and other aquarium equipment and supplies. We will also have a giant raffle for our members and guests.

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I hope to see everyone at our October 14th event. As always, there is free parking and free refreshments.

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Please visit our new website where you can read the Bulletin and enjoy a full color Aquatica. So far, feedback has been very favorable.  We put a lot of effort and hard work into this new web site and we want your reaction as to how you like it. Please get back to me on this. The interactive forums and sponsor sections are truly enjoyable. Provided you have given us your email address, you will be getting notifications of club events via email.

I am asking for your help and support. If you want to see different speakers or try different things, please let me know. The elected officials of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society are here to serve YOU! Please let us know what you want and why. It would be helpful to everyone. It is important that you visit and patronize our sponsors. It goes full circle: by helping them, they are also helping you as hobbyists and everyone is helping the Brooklyn Aquarium Society, so help us, help you!

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On a more personal note – Any member who desires to attend a Board meeting, held at the Education Center of the New York Aquarium on the 1st Friday of the month, please notify me at (718) 238-1792 by the Tuesday previous to the meeting.

Joe Graffagnino
President

Vendor Expo, Fish Show & Giant Auction hosted by NJAS, October 21-23

Come spend the weekend with New Jersey’s largest Tropical Fish Club. The event includes a Vendor Expo on Friday and Saturday, as well as a fish show Saturday also, and a giant tropical fish, plant and dry good auction on Sunday. There will be multiple vendors Friday & Saturday, silent auctions, food and drinks available all three days.

Visit www.njas.net for more info.

Friday, Saturday & Sunday
October 21 – 23, 2011
Quality Inn 10 Polito Avenue, Lyndhurst, NJ  07071

Like Blue Zoo Radio? You’ll love Blue Zoo TV!

Following a successful award winning season of Blue Zoo TV presented by HIKARI, where an ADDY Award for 2010 was presented to the show for “offering a great promotional tool and entertainment value to the web”. Blue Zoo TV is back for the 2011 season.

The first show, “Cleaning a Pond” visits master breeder and in-home fish room aquarist, Charley Grimes. “Cleaning a Pond” reflects over 4600 emails to Blue Zoo asking to illustrate the subject. The show covers the cleaning at a “high rate of speed”. to add some entertainment value to a sometimes mundane job.

To view the new show on Blue Zoo TV presented by HIKARI, go to http://www.bluezootv.com/ and click “Cleaning the Pond”.

New episodes will be released every week to ten days for the remainder of the season.

Blue Zoo TV would also like to thank Hikari,  Kordon, Tunze and OnederSave for their continued support as well as our listeners, viewers and fans.

Blue Zoo TV viewing is available on www.bluezootv.com, www.bluezooradio.com, ITunes, Youtube, Facebook, www.sportstalknetwork.com and Twitter

Thank You!

Frank Reece
Host
Twitter: @bluezooradio

President’s Message – June 2011

Dear Aquarist,

Happy Summer! At our last meeting before our summer break, we had our election of officers. Most of the people in their current positions stayed the same, with a couple of exceptions. Adam Engerow had to leave his post as Corresponding Secretary for personal reasons due to college demands and Lita Goldberg went from Board member to the Sgt. At Arms position. We wish Adam great success with his academic endeavors and Lita much praise in accepting her new position.

Our June event had Carol Ross of our sister club – Bucks County – in from Pennsylvania to provide a presentation on “Collecting Fish In Peru.” Carol’s presentation brought out the vast beauty in the untouched areas of South America , but also highlighted the lack of modern conveniences and that life is, at times, just bare necessities. It was an in-depth look at how people and businesses exist in that part of the world.

The next time we shall meet will be at our birthday party at the NY Aquarium on July 8 starting at 7:00 PM. Please remember that this party is by invitation only. When your reservation invitation card has been received you and your party’s names will be listed at the entrance to the party. If you need to change a name for an attendee, you must contact me immediately so I can change the name on the list. If the attendee’s name is not on the list at the entrance to the Aquarium, they will not be allowed to enter!

If you cannot make the party, then we will get together again at our September 9th event featuring Joe Caparette.  His topic for the evening will be “Unique Corals You Can Keep.”  As always, there is free parking and free refreshments.

Please visit our new website where you can read the Bulletin and enjoy a full color Aquatica. So far the results have been very favorable and we put a lot of effort and hard work into this new web site and we want your feedback as to how you like it. Please get back to me on this. The interactive forums and sponsor sections are truly enjoyable. Also you will be getting notifications of club events via email.

I am asking for your help and support. If you want to see different speakers or try different things, please let me know. The elected officials of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society are here to serve YOU! Please let us know what you want and why. It would be helpful to everyone. It is important that you visit and patronize our sponsors. It goes full circle, by helping them, they are also helping you as hobbyists and everyone is helping the Brooklyn Aquarium Society, so help us, help you!

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For more info please call our BAS Hotline at (718) 837-4455 

On a more personal note – Any member who desires to attend a Board meeting, which are held at the Education Center of the New York Aquarium on the 1st Friday of the month, please notify me at (718) 238-1792 by the Tuesday previous to the meeting.

Joe Graffagnino
President

BAS Event – “Collecting in Peru” by Carol Ross, June 10, 2011

This BAS meeting was hosted at the New York Aquarium on June 10, 2011

Title: “Collecting Fish In Peru” by Carol Ross

Event Flyer: Download / View Here

Event Photos

 [nggallery id=5]

Event Donors

Individuals

Bill Amely, Steve Chen, Brian Dunn, Joe Graffagnino, Pauline Griffin, Kay Martin, Scott Peters, Dan Puleo, Dan Smith

Local Stores

Absolutely Fish, Clifton, NJ, Brooklyn Zoo & Aquarium, Brooklyn, NY, Mark’s Discus, Brooklyn, NY, Pacific Aquarium, New York, NY, Pet Qua, New York, NY, Pet Shanty, Scotch Plains, NJ, Royal Aqua World, Brooklyn, NY

Write to City Hall today to urge them to protect Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium funding.

Dear Member/Visitor:

On May 5, 2011, City Hall released a proposed budget slashing funding for the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium by more than 50 percent. If passed, this could force layoffs, program cuts and hurt local merchants and small businesses in New York.

Each year, while four million guests and students at Wildlife Conservation Society parks learn about the wonders of wildlife, they pump more than $316 million into the City’s economy, creating jobs for New Yorkers, supporting small businesses and generating tax dollars for our city.

Lawmakers face an incredible number of competing demands during budget season. That’s why we need to let them know that New Yorkers care deeply about our zoo and aquarium and that we’re paying close attention to their next move.

Cultural organizations like these are essential to the economic lifeblood of New York City. We know that cities and states across the country are trimming budgets and reining in spending, but cutting funding for organizations that create jobs and generate hundreds of millions of dollars is simply not the answer.

Tell City Hall to save funding for cultural organizations like the Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium today!

Thank you for standing with us.

Sincerely,

Janet Torres
Director of Government Affairs and Community Affairs
Wildlife Conservation Society

BAS Event – “Spring Giant Auction”, May 13, 2011

This BAS meeting was hosted at the New York Aquarium on May 13, 2011

Title: “Spring Giant Auction”

Event Flyer: Download / View Here

Event Photos

[nggallery id=4] 

Event Donors

Individuals

Denis Alestra, Bill Amely, Vinny Babushka, Bill Brissette, Nick Caputo, Walter Chow, Joe Graffagnino, Pauline Griffin, Stuart Hershkowitz, Marty Karfinkle, Gene Kogan, David Manuel, Kay Martin, Orel Munoz, Steve Matassa, Scott Peters, Alex Rivera, Mike Roman, Dan Smith, Ken Walsh, Michael Weiner

Local Stores

Absolutely Fish, Aquatic Empire, Brooklyn Zoo & Aquarium, Mark’s Discus, Pacific Aquarium, Pet Shanty, Royal Aqua World,

Manufacturers

Mars, Aquarium Technology, Ocean Nutrition, Perfecto, Marine Enterprises Int’l, Doctors Foster & Smith, Pet Solutions, That Pet Place / That Fish Place, Air Water & Ice, Seachem, CaribSea, Little Fishies, Modular Hose, Pet solution, E.G. Danner, Ginger Products, Kordons, Tropical Science, Marc Weiss, Wardleys/ Hartz, Zoo Med, Aquatic Gardners, Cichlid News Magazines, United Pets, Premium Aquatics, Central Aquatics, Emperor Aquatics, Ecological Labs, Petland Discount, Champion Lighting, Omega, Penn Plax, Eheim, Kens Fish Food 

President’s Message – May 2011

Dear Aquarist,

May brought in more than just flowers; it brought in hordes of aquaria aficionados! What a great turnout for our Giant Auction, and rightfully so! We had almost 250 items up on the block – from aquariums, lighting, filters, CO2 tanks, protein skimmers, R/O units and the livestock! There were bags of rare and hard to find items such as Centopoma ansorgi, multiple types of synodontis catfish (some even I didn’t know about), dual snout elephant fish, mudskippers, dragon fish, mouth brooding severums, scores of African and American [North, South & Central] cichlids, marine fish, hard and soft corals and countless bags of various plants. This was undoubtedly the greatest auction of aquatic products that I have seen in the past 10 -15 years. If you missed it, well, shame on you!

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Our final event of the season will bring Carol Ross in from Pennsylvania. Carol’s topic for the evening will be “Collecting Fish In Peru.” Our great cory catfish expert Ian Fuller must have seen Carol’s presentation, because he is going on a collecting trip to Peru this summer – that speaks volumes. Doors open at 7:30 PM on June 10, so be there!

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June is also elections for Officers and Board members. Without these selfless and dedicated people, you would not have a Brooklyn Aquarium Society. There will be several empty slots this year as some of our long time members will be moving. – please get actively involved in YOUR club. We need your help if we are to survive for another hundred years.  As always, there is free parking and free refreshments.

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Please visit our new website where you can read the Bulletin and enjoy a full color Aquatica. So far, the results have been very favorable. We put a lot of effort and hard work into this new web site and we want your feedback as to how you like it. Please get back to me on this. The interactive forums and sponsor sections are truly enjoyable. Also, you will be getting notifications of club events via email.

.

 Our Birthday Party is set for Friday, July 8, starting at 7:00 PM at the NY Aquarium. We will have Bar B Q style food, a sea lion show, pretzel, popcorn and ice cream carts, dancing under the stars, a complete new and vastly remodeled aquarium to ourselves and don’t forget the fireworks – after all we do have something to celebrate. Due to security reasons, this party is by INVITE ONLY! If you do not submit the invitation, then you will not be on the list and  if you’re not on the list YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED IN!

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By now, your invitation should have been mailed back to us; there will be no tickets to this event – your names will be checked at the NY Aquarium entrance door, if you responded and mailed the RSVP ticket with your check or money order.

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I am asking for your help and support. If you want to see different speakers or try different things, please let me know. The elected officials of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society are here to serve YOU! Please let us know what you want and why. It would be helpful to everyone. It is important that you visit and patronize our sponsors. It goes full circle, by helping them, they are also helping you as hobbyists and everyone is helping the Brooklyn Aquarium Society, so help us, help you!

For more info please call our BAS Hotline at (718) 837-4455 

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On a more personal note – Any member who desires to attend a Board meeting, which are held at the Education Center of the New York Aquarium on the 1st Friday of the month, please notify me at (718) 238-1792 by the Tuesday previous to the meeting.

Joe Graffagnino
President

How long will my fish live?

How long will my fish live?

 

This a question often asked in the postbag of Practical Fishkeeping magazine. Having seen lots of aged fish on my travels, I wanted to find out the length of time some our aquarium veterans are surviving, and my findings are amazing!

Unfortunately, although some fish die every year through disease, or mistakes, the ones that are being cared for properly are going on to reach a truly ripe old age, and that doesn’t always seem to be related to species size.

Species selection
I think that as well as researching fish size and water requirements, we should also consider the length of time for which they will live. Life is short when you are an avid fishkeeper, as there are so many species to keep and so little time to keep them.

To find out how long a broad selection of aquarium species are living I posted a blog asking readers, to share their experiences.

What I found
My investigations led me to discover that many community species of fish are capable of outliving a cat or a dog, so making themselves a long-term commitment for the fishkeeper.

Take the Clown loach for example. I found ages up to 24 years reported, and, considering that in that time they can and will reach 30cm/12” in length and are a social species requiring the company of their own kind, the number of enthusiasts who can truly offer them what they need, compared with the number of people who purchase them, is very low indeed.

Twenty five years is a large chunk of anyone’s life and who can predict what they will be doing and where they will be living for the next quarter of a century?

It seems it’s not always the small species that have the shortest life spans.

Most tetras, rasboras and small barbs can hit five years old, as you might expect, but my investigations showed that some were swimming through to seven, eight and even 10 ten years of age. An Emperor tetra was listed at nine years old and a Neon tetra at 10!

I’ve listed two fish in the table at the end of this feature with big questions marks around them — a nine-year-old guppy and a 12-year-old White Cloud Mountain minnow. If those two cases are true then these small ‘‘short lived’’ fish species are outliving species like rainbowfish and some cichlids, both of which are normally noted for their longevity. The average life span for a guppy, apart from that one, was a much more average 18 months.

Golden oldies
Whether this is good or a bad I have yet to decide, but some families, genus and species stood out as being long lived. I’ve already mentioned the 24-year-old Clown loach, but even smaller loach species seem particularly aged. A 15-year- old Dwarf chain loach has been recorded along with a 17-year-old Kuhli loach.

Then there are the catfish. I would go so far as to say that some catfish are known for being long lived, Synodontis in particular, and a Synodontis schall, a large syno, is listed at 38 years old. But even smaller synos are hitting the 20 years of age mark and beyond. I found a S.nigrita at 19, a S. flavitaeniatus at 20 and the small, true upside down catfish, S. nigriventris, at 21 years of age.

Other small catfish species continued to surprise me, with Corydoras really opening my eyes. The list includes a Bronze corydoras at 11 years old, no surprise there perhaps, but what about a Corydoras zygatus at 21?

Lots of ‘common plecs’ and ‘gibbiceps’ plecs were registering at the 27, 28 year mark, so that is another good reason why you should think long and hard about introducing one as a solution to controlling a short-term algae problem.

Marines were featuring too, even common community species. Mr A B Hussey said: “I have been a fishkeeper for 35 years. Started keeping marines in 1992 and have a Regal tang, pair of Clowns and a Humbug, which were my among my first fish purchased.” Well done Mr Hussey, I say.

Extra care
The fact that some specimens are living so long must be a combination of genetics and extra care taken by the fishkeeper. No fish will last very long in poor water conditions, if fed a diet that is poor in nutrients, or if kept in a stressful situation. You, the fishkeeper, are responsible for all three of the above and should always put the welfare of the fish first.

I dropped fish health expert, Dr Peter Burgess, a line to ask if he knew of any age-related illnesses in fish and anything to look out for.

It seems that old fish are at greater risk of certain diseases and are also less able to withstand unsuitable water conditions or bullying. Spinal deformities can occur in old fish just as they do in humans. And fungus and eye infections increase in older specimens due to less efficient immune systems. Cell mutation is more likely in old fish, resulting in melanomas, as will organ failure, particularly kidney failure.

A tall story?
Koi are well known for being long-lived. However, there is one age reference about which I am more than a little sceptical. If it is true and can be scientifically proven then great, but even if it cannot be validated it still makes a great story.

It involves a Japanese Koi carp called Hanako that reportedly lived 226 years. Hanako was owned by Dr, Komei Koshihara and lived in a pond in Gifu, Japan, with five other geriatric Koi. In 1966, Dr. Koshihara made a radio broadcast about his favourite fish and the following is taken from the English transcript, which I found on www.vcnet.com

“This Hanako is still in perfect condition and swimming about majestically in a quiet ravine descending Mount Ontake in a short distance. She weighs 7.5 kilograms and is 70 centimetres in length. She and I are dearest friends. When I call her saying “Hanako! Hanako!” from the brink of the pond, she unhesitatingly comes swimming to my feet. If I lightly pat her on the head, she looks quite delighted.

“Sometimes I go so far as to take her out of the water and embrace her. At one time a person watching asked me whether I was performing a trick with the carp. Although a fish, she seems to feel that she is dearly loved and it appears that there is some communication of feeling between us. At present my greatest pleasure is to go to my native place two or three times a month and keep company with Hanako.

“I am often asked how it is that I can tell the age of a fish. As a tree trunk has its annual rings, so a fish has its annual rings on its scales, and we only have to count them to know the age of a fish. As a matter of course, we ourselves cannot do it. It requires the aid of a specialist and the use of a light microscope.

“Now, what was it that made me think of ascertaining the carp’s age? My grandmother on maternal side, who left this world at the advanced age of 93 some eight years ago, is said to have been told by her mother-in-law: “When I was married into this family, my mother in-law said to me, ‘that carp has been handed down to us from olden times; you must take good care of it’.

“When I was told this story, I became very curious to know how long the carp had lived. I found out Hanako’s age by the beforementioned method, but you may easily imagine how greatly I was grieved when I was forced to take a scale off her beautiful body. I caught her in a net very cautiously and repeatedly said: ‘Excuse me!’

“I took off two scales from different parts of her body by using a strong tweezers. The scales were examined by Professor Masayoshi Hiro, D.Sc., Laboratory of Domestic Science, Nagoya Women’s College.

“It took two months for him to acquire a satisfactory result. Using the light microscope, he photographed every part of the scales. It seems he took a great deal of trouble. When it was certain beyond doubt that the carp was 215 years old, the two of us exchanged a look of delightful surprise.

Then I had the professor examine the remaining five carp in the same pond, three white and two black ones. The examination took one year, and it was found out that three were respectively 168, 153 and 149 years old, and the remaining two were both 139 years old.

“Those results led us to be convinced that not only are the carp rare ones but they are a very precious existence from the scientific point of view as well. We must consider, then, in what surroundings and under what conditions these long-lived carp are placed. The pond is located far deep among the mountains of Mino Province. The locality is called Oppara, Higashi-Shirakawa Village, Kamo County, and is about the same distance from Gero Hot Springs on the Takayama Line as from Nakatsugawa City on the Central Line, both lines belonging to the National Railways.

“Nearby there are rustic hot springs called Oppara-onsen. Facing south toward the Pacific on the top of Mount Ontake, you will look down upon the locality at the foot of the mountain. Through the locality runs the Shirakawa, a tributary of the River Hida, which again is the upper reaches of the River Kiso.

“A stream of limpid water never ceases to flow all the year round. It is this water that flows into the pond which Hanako lives and which was carefully constructed with stones in former days. Besides that, pure water trickled from the foot of the mountain streams close by into the pond, making the favourable conditions still more favourable. The pond cannot be called large, only being about five metres square.”

Hanako died in 1977 at the age of 226.

The world’s oldest animal

The current record holder for longevity is a 400-year-old clam found in waters off Iceland’s north coast. The species, Arctica islandica, can be aged by measuring the growth rings around its shell.

Longevity rules OK!

Below is a list of fish and their age as claimed by their owners.                                  

Three years
Three lined pencilfish, Nannostomus trifasciatus

Five years
Red eye tetra, Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae
Buenos Aires tetra, Hyphessobrycon anisitsi
Black phantom tetra, Hyphessobrycon megalopterus
Cherry barb, Puntius titteya
Swordtail, Xiphophorus hellerii
Sailfin molly, Poecilia velifera/latipinna
African red eye tetra, Arnoldichthys spilopterus

Six years
X ray tetra, Pristella maxillaris
Festive cichlid, Mesonauta festivus
Uaru, Uaru amphiacanthoides
Gold sucking loach, Gyrinocheilus aymonieri
Tiger barb, Puntius tetrazona
Cardinal tetra, Paracheirodon axelrodi
Harlequin, Trigonostigma heteromorpha
Angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare

Seven years
Golden barb, Puntius sachsi

Eight years  
Silver shark, Balantiocheilus melanopterus
Pearl gourami, Trichopterus leeri
Scissortail, Rasbora trilineana
Snakeskin gourami, Trichogaster pectoralis

Nine years
Angelicus catfish, Synodontis angelicus
Guppy, Poecilia reticulata ?
Giant danio, Devario aequipinnatus
Emperor tetra, Nematobrycon palmeri

10 years
Neon tetra, Paracheirodon innesi
Wild discus, Symphysodon spp.
Black widow, Gymnocorymbus ternetzi
Silver dollar, Metynnis argenteus
Armatus eel, Mystus armatus
Hoplo cat, Megalechis thoracata
Congo tetra, Micralestes interruptus
Blue dolphin cichlid, Cyrtocara moorii
Julie cichlid, Julidochromis marlieri
Boesemani rainbow, Melanotaenia boesemani

11 years
Clown plec, Panaque maccus
Bronze corydoras, Corydoras aeneus

12 years   
White Cloud, Tanichthys albonubes ?
Firemouth, Thorichthys meeki
Kissing gourami, Helostoma temminckii

13 years  
Red finned shark, Epalzeorhynchus frenatus
Jack Dempsey, Rocio octofasciata

14 years
Tank bred Discus, Symphysodon spp.

15 years
Clown barb, Puntius everetti
Regal tang, Paracanthurus hepatus
Humbug damsel, Dascyllus melanurus
L46, Hypancistrus zebra
Yellow tail blue damsel, Chrysiptera parasema
Pygmy chain loach, Yasuhikotakia sidthimunki

16 years
Striped dora, Platydoras costatus
Spotted dora, Agamyxis pectinifrons
Black ghost knifefish, Apteronotus albifrons

17 years
Kuhli loach, Pangio kuhlii

18 years
Corydoras, Corydoras metae

19 years
Red tailed black shark, Epalzeorhynchos bicolor

20 years
Frontosa, Cyphotilapia frontosa
Archerfish, Toxotes jaculatrix
Featherfin, Synodontis eupterus
Brochis, Brochis splendens
Rosy barb, Puntius conchonius

21 years 
Upside down catfish, Synodontis nigriventris

24 years
Clown loach, Chromobotia macracanthus

25 years
Bristlenose catfish, Ancistrus spp.

27 years
Red tailed catfish, Phractocephalus hemioliopterus

28 years
Common plec, Liposarcus pardalis

30 years
Ornatipinnis, Polypterus ornatipinnis

31 years
Pacu, Colossoma macropomum

37 years
African lungfish, Protopterus annectens

43 years
Goldfish, Carassius auratus

73 years
Australian lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri

80 years (226 years)
Koi, Cyprinus carpio

Reprinted with permission from
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=3664

BAS 100th Birthday Party – by Invitation ONLY

The Brooklyn Aquarium Society’s 100th Birthday Party will be by invitation only. If you are not on the list you will be turned away. There will be no ticket sales on the day of the event (July 8, 2011 7:00PM to Midnight). Tickets are $50.00 each with a 10% discount for 5 tickets or more.
 
Anyone wishing to attend please email Joe Graffagnino at JoeGraffagnino@yahoo.com, with your name and mailing address so an invitation can be mailed to you. Response, with full payment, must be received by May 15th and the full names of all attendees must accompany the response.

Marineland Stealth and Stealth Pro Heaters Recalled!

United Pet Group (Marineland) has issued a voluntary recall of approximately 1.2 million Marineland aquarium heaters due to fire and laceration hazards.

UPG states in their document that a wiring problem can cause the heaters to overheat or break during normal use. Overheating could cause the heater to catch fire or shatter or cause the aquarium glass to break.

More on this can be found here…. http://www.marineland.com/update.aspx

President’s Message – April 2011

Dear Aquarist,

Leslie Harris was our April flower. Leslie hails from California and has worked and studied marine invertebrates for many years.  Her unique topic for the evening was titled “Life Styles of the Wet & Spineless.” Leslie’s slide presentation identified the beautiful, yet savage world of these sightless creatures. Many aquarists questioned the process of maintaining of these types of creatures in their home aquariums – the obvious answer is very carefully! Leslie’s topic and the way it was presented was both educational and entertaining.

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For the month of May, we will have our Spring Giant Auction. No speakers — just great bargains for freshwater fish and plants and marine fish and corals. Our sponsors and members take out all the stops to bring you the best in fish, plants and aqua-cultured corals. We will have rare and hard to find livestock and dry goods. You want aquariums, canopies, filters, lights, aquarium accessories? — then come on over. Put it on your calendar for a do-not-miss event – May 13, doors open at 7:30 PM at our regular meeting place – NY Aquarium Education Hall.  As always, there is free parking and free refreshments.

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Please visit our new website where you can read the Bulletin and enjoy a full color Aquatica. So far the results have been very favorable. We put a lot of effort and hard work into this new web site and we want your feedback as to how you like it. Please get back to me on this. The interactive forums and sponsor sections are truly enjoyable. Also, you will be getting notifications of club events via email.

.

I hope that you have enjoyed the Northeast Council Convention in Cromwell, CT. at the end of March. As you know, the NEC selected the Brooklyn Aquarium Society’s theme of “100 Years of Advancements In The Hobby.” We had our booth there and entertained the audience and convention members with antique aquariums, books and stories. We sold our latest T-shirt there featuring John Todaro’s winning design of the 1911-2011 logo. Being the oldest club in the United States is something that we are very proud of and it’s something that you should be proud of also.

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Our Birthday Party is set for Friday, July 8, starting at 7:00PM at the NY Aquarium. We will have Bar B Q style food, a sea lion show, pretzel, popcorn and ice cream carts, dancing under the stars, a complete new and vastly remodeled aquarium to ourselves and don’t forget the fireworks – after all, we do have something to celebrate! Invitations are literally in the mail, so please send in your acceptance no later than May 15. Due to security reasons, this party is by INVITE ONLY! If you do not submit the invitation, then you will not be on the list; if you’re not on the list, YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED IN!

.

I am asking for your help and support. If you want to see different speakers or try different things, please let me know. The elected officials of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society are here to serve YOU! Please let us know what you want and why. It would be helpful to everyone. It is important that you visit and patronize our sponsors. It goes full circle, by helping them, they are also helping you as hobbyists and everyone is helping the Brooklyn Aquarium Society, so help us, help you!

.

On a more personal note – Any member who desires to attend a Board meeting, which are held at the Education Center of the New York Aquarium on the 1st Friday of the month, please notify me at (718) 238-1792 by the Tuesday previous to the meeting.

.

Joe Graffagnino
President

 

This message might be outdated.  Check here for current message and archives.

BAS Event – “Life Styles of Wet and Spineless” – Leslie Harris, April 8, 2011

This BAS meeting was hosted at the New York Aquarium on April 8, 2011

Title: “Life Styles of Wet and Spineless”

Speaker/Author: Leslie Harris

Event Flyer: Download / View Here

Event Photos

[nggallery id=3]

Event Videos

 event video gallery will be insterted here.

  

Event Donors

Individuals

John Fox, Gene Kogan, P.S. 282, Kay Martin, Steve Matassa, Scott Peters, Mike Roman

Manufacturers / Stores

Brooklyn Zoo & Aquarium, Mark’s Discus, Pacific Aquarium, Pet Solutions.com, Royal Aqua World,

President’s Message – March 2011

Dear Aquarist,

March winds came and blew in Richard Ross from the California Steinhart Aquarium. Richard gave a very interesting talk on a rare subject with an elusive compulsive – octopuses!  I never knew how many varieties of octopus there are around the world. Rich also spoke on other interesting and unique creatures such as cuttlefish. His talk kept the audience on the edge of their seats. It was very entertaining. His talk brought in many members from other clubs as well, such as Greater City in Queens, and Nassau County Aquarium Society and several members of Manhattan Reefers. A great turnout for a great guy.

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Next month we will have Leslie Harris as our guest speaker. Leslie will also be coming from California and her topic is on marine aquariums entitled “Life Styles of the Wet & Spineless.”  Come on over and meet with Leslie and have an entertaining and educational time with us on April 8 at 7:30 PM.  As always, there is free parking and free refreshments.

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By the time you receive this Bulletin, the new website (www.basny.org) will be up and running. You will automatically be directed there if you “dial up” the old URL.  We have put a lot of effort and hard work into this endeavor. We want your feedback as to how you like it. Please get back to me on this.

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I guess nobody is missing the Bulletin and Aquatica being mailed to them. With over 300 members, only 7 people told me they wanted to continue receiving them in the mail. WOW — aren’t we in the computer age! Bernard, our Webmaster, will be running both sites for a few months until people are familiar with the new site. The interactive forums and sponsor sections are truly enjoyable. Also, you will be getting notifications of club events via email.

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I hope that many of you have gone to and enjoyed the Northeast Council Convention in Cromwell, CT at the end of March. As you know, the NEC has selected the Brooklyn Aquarium Society’s theme of “100 Years of Advancements In The Hobby.” We had our booth there and entertained the audience and convention members with antique aquariums, books and stories. We sold our latest T-shirt there with John Todaro’s winning design of the 1911 old logo with new logo and 2011 under that. Being the oldest club in the United States is something that we are very proud of and it’s something that you should be proud of also.

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What is our next venture, you ask? Well, that ‘s easy!  Our Birthday Party is set for July 8 starting at 7:00PM at the NY Aquarium. We will have a Bar B Q style food set-up, a sea lion show, pretzel, popcorn and ice cream carts, dancing under the stars, the complete new and vastly remodeled aquarium to ourselves and don’t forget the fireworks – after all we do have something to celebrate. Invitations are literally in the mail, so please send in your acceptance no later than May 15.

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I am asking for your help and support. If you want to see different speakers or try different things please let me know. The elected officials of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society are here to serve YOU! Please let us know what you want and why. It would be helpful to everyone. It is important that you visit and patronize our sponsors. It goes full circle, by helping them, they are also helping you as hobbyists and everyone is helping the Brooklyn Aquarium Society, so help us, help you!

Joe Graffagnino
President

 

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