President’s Message
This is a difficult President’s Message to write. Our events for March, April and May have been canceled, along with every other club in the world. The Coronavirus has impacted economies worldwide, hundreds of thousands of people have died and it isn’t over yet.
The officers and board members of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society decided that for everyone’s safety and to minimize possibility of contracting the Corona Virus (COVID-19), our May 8th event, The GIANT SPRING AUCTION is canceled.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused and hope you stay healthy throughout the rest of the flu season.
Stay Home – Flatten The Curve!
Hoping to see you all soon.
With passing of our Editor, John Todaro (R.I.P John – read here) The Aquatica and The Bulletin are being archived and replaced by our new publication AquaticNews.
We are excited to announce that the position of BAS Editor was filled and our new editor, Virginia (Ginny) Cahill will be working on our beautiful new publication – AquaticNews.
Please note: Archived copies of our previous publications: The Aquatica & The Bulletin can be found here and here.
The officers and board members of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society decided that for everyone’s safety and to minimize possibility of contracting the Corona Virus (COVID-19), our April 10th event titled “Successful Strategies for Reef Keeping by Bob Stark is canceled. Bob owns and operates ESV Aquarium Products and has been long standing supporter of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society (Thank you Bob). His company makes outstanding products for saltwater and reef aquariums. To show your support in these hard times, please visit his website and review his offerings.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused and hope you stay healthy throughout the rest of the flu season.
Stay Home – Flatten The Curve!
Hoping to see you all soon.
The officers and board members of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society decided that for everyone’s safety and to minimize possibility of contracting the Corona Virus, our March 13th event should be canceled.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused and hope you stay healthy throughout the rest of the flu season.
We’ll see you at the next meeting.
Dear Aquarist,
One of the coldest months of the year turned out to be warm and sunny when Joe Yaiullo, Curator of the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead, Long Island arrived. His presentation entitled “Sometimes It’s The Little Things” was fascinating. This event was a wake-up call for marine and freshwater hobbyists alike because it spoke about setting up the steps to prevent catastrophe, planning ahead so disaster doesn’t strike and having redundancy parts and equipment in the event something fails. It was an enlightening and educational adventure from one of our oldest and dearest friends. Joe was kind enough to donate cuttings from the corals in his 20,000 gallon aquarium. The audience was very interested and asked many questions.
Dear Aquarist,
For our first general meeting of the year we thought we would warm things up with one of our favorite speakers, Luis Morales. Luis gave a very informative presentation on “Fish Photography”. It was a great lecture for beginners and advanced hobbyists that wanted to take great photos of their favorite fish, plants or corals. Luis had given similar presentation years ago but updated it with information on the newer technology in the world of photography.
Win a 170 gallon (total water volume) system complete with Tank, Refugium / Sump, Lighting, Pumps, Fish, Corals, Rock, Substrate, Pods and Phyto for a YEAR, Macroalgaes, Chemicals and Cleaners, and Salt!
No Tricks, No Scavenger Hunts… Simply visit pages and sponsors and say “Happy Holidays” “Merry Christmas” or whatever you would like to thank them for helping us to setup this incredible giveaway!
New Videos, Blog Posts, Sponsors Pages and more every Monday until 2020!
As a bonus, You will RANDOMLY be given gifts of REAL PRODUCTS for free, from us here at Algaebarn, As a Thank you for an incredible 2019! Two Runners up will get Ecopods and phyto subscriptions for a YEAR!
Dear Aquarist,
Our November event was a cold and windy one. Our guest speaker warmed us up though with a great presentation and he came with a few boxes of raffle prizes, which made everyone happy. Lou Ekus, CEO of Tropic Marin came down from Massachusetts and his topic for the evening was, “Reef Chemistry Made Easy.” Lou takes the guess work out of chemicals in our reef aquariums and simplifies the entire environment. It was a great talk from a wonderful person.
November was our semi-annual 50/50 on livestock. We had many bags of high quality freshwater fish, marine fish, both fresh and marine plants and invertebrates, along with hard to get live corals. Many attendees went away with great bargains. We had aquariums, lighting, pumps, filters, aquatic supplies and fish/plant and coral foods. Everything you need to keep and maintain your aquatic creatures with the best of everything to keep them happy and healthy.
It is with deep sorrow that we must report the passing of our Editor John Todaro. For BAS, moving forward will be difficult. As you are aware John created the Bulletin and the Aquatica – he was truly a special person.
Born and raised in New York City, John
Todaro served in the U.S. Army in Fort Rucker,
Alabama. John published a children’s book –
Phillip the Flower Eating Phoenix. He was an
art director for the McCann, Erikson and Ted
Bates advertisement agencies. A man of creative
pursuits, his hobbies included photography,
pottery, watercolors, woodworking and tropical
fish.
John’s passion and love for the Brooklyn
Aquarium Society (BAS), of which he was a club
member for greater than 50 years, combined his
creative genius and his leadership abilities. John
was the Corresponding Secretary, Exchange Editor
and Editor of two of the Societies publications
The Bulletin and The Aquatica (The Brooklyn
Aquarium Society was the only club in the
United States to publish two aquatic magazines
thanks to John). John became President of the
Brooklyn Aquarium Society in 2001 through 2003.
As President, John created the club’s Education
Program which brought aquariums to public
and private schools throughout New York City
and allowed our talented members to provide
presentations to schools, community centers and
senior citizen facilities. As President Emeritus, he
created the Centennial Journal of the Brooklyn
Aquarium Society and the 100th Birthday party at
the New York Aquarium in 2011.
In 2004 John and his son Andrew moved to
Vermont. John passed peacefully in his home on
Thursday, October 17, 2019. He was 81 years old.
John is succeeded by his three children (Christie
Potter and Andrew and Anna Todaro) and his two
grandchildren (Riley and Ella Potter).
RIP John – you will be deeply missed.
We would like to welcome you to join us at the
Annual BAS Holiday Party – December 13, 2019
at the Legends Bar & Grill
2128 Flatbush Avenue (off Quentin Road)
$20 for members, friends and family, $10 for children 13 and under
see our October Bulletin for more details.
RSVP required to attend.
Driftwood Can Cause Weird Fish Problems
by Joe Graffagnino
Did you ever have fish problems that didn’t fall into the routine of fish sickness that was easily diagnosed? For quite a while I had strange symptoms in one large aquarium that I could not guess the cause of what was happening to my fish. Eventually, it was diagnosed correctly, but the loss of fish and the work involved to correct the problems will make me, and hopefully, you, take common sense and prudent actions prior to adding anything to an established aquarium. Let me tell my “tale of woe” from the beginning and learn from my laziness and not using common sense.
February 21, 2004 – updated December 15, 2015
J/Roe Gourmet Fish Food
By Joe Graffagnino
This receipt was borrowed from other receipts and advice from reputable Aquarists, hobbyists and retailers. It has, what we believe to be, the best for coloration, growth, and leaves no protein/oil residue on surface of water. We are feeding the fish 2 X’s per week.
3 – 4 oz. jars of creamed spinach (Gerber #2)
3 – 4 oz. jars of peas (Beechnut #1)
3 – 4 oz. jars of green beans (Beechnut #1)
3 – 4 oz. jars of sweet potatoes (Beechnut #1)
3 – 4 oz. jars of carrots (Beechnut #1)
1 – 4 oz. jars of peaches (Beechnut #1)
6 oz. of freeze-dried Krill (crushed) or more if needed to have a firm consistency
1/2 lb. scallops (raw)
1/2 lb. Scrod fish (raw)
1/2 lb. shrimp (boil 2 minutes & shelled)
Grate the scallops, Scrod & shrimp in osterizer with 1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons of Tetra Bits
2 teaspoons of Paprika powder
1 1/2 tablespoons of Spirulina powder
2 tablespoons of wheat germ
12 oz. Romaine lettuce
1 head of garlic
1/2 teaspoon of grated Anise seeds
2 tablespoons Brewers Yeast powder
6 tablespoons of single grain oatmeal Baby cereal by Gerber
3 hard boiled egg yolks (grated)
2 cups of large food pellets(color enhancer) by Green Thumb Aquatics (grated) [can substitute with High Pro dog food]
* Mix together until a thick paste develops; if too moist add more freeze dried Krill.
Fill quart size (7” X 8”) plastic zip lock bags until 1/8” thick, for ease of breaking off, throughout the bag and freeze. Date the bags.
Should make 13 bags of food, make no more than can be used in a few months.
Ingredients and Cost
Spirulina powder from Algae Feast Spirillina, Earthrise company, 424 Payran St., Petalama, CA. 94952 (707) 778-9078, fax (707) 778-9028.
A 1 pound jar costs $20.
Freeze-dried Krill is a color enhancer and coagulator. Its ingredients are 60% protein, 19% fiber, 6% moisture and 200 IU Vitamin E (soybean).
Krill is the bonding agent, if using krill you don’t need gelatin.
Paprika is a color enhancer, it has 2% Vitamin A.
Brewers Yeast Powder (1 lb.4 oz. container). 60 calories, 1% fat, 3% sodium, 6 grams sugar carbohydrate, 6 grams protein, 35% Riboflavin, 30%Niacin, 30% Vitamin B-6, 15% Folate, 6% Biotin,15% Pantothenic acid, 20% phosphorus and 140% Thiamin.
Tetra Bits (2.65 oz.) is a color enhancer. 46% protein, 5% fat, 2% fiber and 6% moisture.
Single Grain Oatmeal cereal for baby (Gerger). 60 calories, 1 gram fat, 50 mg. potassium, 10 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 2 gram (10%)protein, 2% vitamin A, 25% vitamin C, 15% calcium, 60% iron, 15% vitamin E, 45% thiamin, 45% riboflavin, 25% niacin,15% phosporus, 8% zinc.
Green Beans #1 (4 oz. jar) (Beechnut). 35 calories, 3 grams sugar, 2 grams fiber, 7 grams total carbohydrates, 10 mg. sodium, 180 mg. potassium, 1 gram (6%) protein, 35% vitamin A, 6% calcium, 6% iron.
Peas #1 (4 oz. jar) (Beechnut). 60 calories, 4 grams sugar, 3 grams fiber, 10 grams total carbohydrates, 10 mg. sodium, 130 mg. potassium, 4 gram (15%) protein, 30% vitamin A, 8% vitamin C, 2% calcium, 4% iron.
Peaches #1 (4 oz. jar) (Beechnut). 60 calories, 10 grams sugar, 2 grams fiber, 14 grams total carbohydrates, 10 mg. sodium, 200 mg. potassium, 40% vitamin A, 45% vitamin C.
Sweet Potatoes #1 (4 oz. jar) (Beechnut). 80 calories, 9 grams sugar, 1 grams fiber, 17 grams carbohydrates, 10 mg. sodium, 260 mg. potassium, 2% protein, 380% vitamin A, 2% calcium, 2% iron.
Carrots #1 (4 oz. jar) (Beechnut). 40 calories, 5 grams sugar, 2 grams fiber, 8 grams carbohydrates, 30 mg. sodium, 160 mg. potassium, 2% protein, 440% vitamin A, 2% calcium.
Spinach creamed #2 (4 oz. jar) (Gerber). 50 calories, 3 grams sugar, 1 gram fat, 2 grams fiber, 8 grams carbohydrates, 40 mg. sodium, 210 mg. potassium, 3 grams (16%) protein, 210% vitamin A, 2 % vitamin C, 15% calcium, 40% iron, 10% zinc .
$ COST $
$13.02 Krill (.87 oz. container) & Tetra Bits
$ 1.77 Gerber spinach
$10.99 Brewers Yeast
$17.94 Oatmeal, paprika, anise & remainder of baby foods
$ .33 for 3 eggs
$ 6.50 fresh fish, shrimp & scallops and freezer bags (20 bags quart size)
$28.45 freeze-dried krill (1 lb.4oz.)
$20.00 spirulina powder
———
$99.00
Dear Aquarist,
September starts us up again. For the start of our fiscal year we had Tullio Dell Aquila. His topic for the evening was “The Facts of Light”. Anything and everything you ever wanted to know about aquarium lighting he is an expert in. He is known as the “Godfather of LED lighting.” He certainly taught me several things I never knew about how to use lighting to its best advantage on aquarium fish, on plants and on corals. Tullio gave a wonderful presentation.
Our next event will be our Giant Fall Auction on October 11. No speaker, just freshwater fish, plants, marine fish, and coral. We also have aquariums, filters, stands, lights and much more. We will have several hundred items available for your pleasure, including rare and hard to find aquatic treasures. So come on over for a fantastic evening. As always there will be FREE parking and FREE refreshments.
Please mark on your calendar that on November 8 we will have Lou Ekus, owner of Tropic Marin, as our guest speaker. His topic for the evening will be, “Reef Chemistry Made Easy.” So plan on giving him a warm BAS welcome.
New BAS shirts arrived and they were selling like hotcakes! Many of you noticed that the BAS officers and Board members wore the regular BAS shirt with the word TEAM on the back. We did this to identify our members that work and help organize our events. We also have new BAS hats in a light blue color. Everyone enjoyed the aquatic supplies, clothing and book table and our auction items.
Anyone wishing to donate any healthy livestock (fish, plants or live corals) or dry goods can bring them to any general meeting. Donations are always welcome and appreciated – it’s what keeps our club healthy!
If you want to see different speakers and learn about different aquatic systems, fish, plants and marine life, please let me know. The elected officials of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society are here to serve YOU! So please let us know what you want and why, because 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.
On a more personal note – any member who wants to attend a Board meeting, which is held at Education Hall of the New York Aquarium on the 1st Friday of the month, September through June, please notify me at (347) 277-4793 by the Tuesday before the meeting.
Steven Matassa
President
Dear Aquarist,
June is the end of our fiscal year and we ended it with a bang. Cameron Provost of House of Fins, in Greenwich, CT. was our speaker and his topic was “Rare Marine Fishes in the Aquarium Hobby.” It was not only educational but entertaining as well. It appears that there are many marine fish that few of us ever see and for a multitude of reasons. It was a great talk. House of Fins was generous by donating marine and fresh water fish species. Thank you very much!
We had our election of officers and Board members last night and there were several changes and some positions remain open. We are still searching for a Treasurer, a Recording Secretary, a videographer and a few positions remain open on our Board. Please step up and help us out, without you helping us we can’t do many of the things our members want.
We wish all our members, along with friends and family a fun filled and relaxing summer. We will return again in September to educate and entertain our members in all areas of aquatic life.
Our next event will be on Friday, September 13 and Tullio DelAquela will be our speaker. His topic for the evening will be “The Facts of Light: a scientific approach to comparing light sources for aquarium use”. Our livestock auction of plants, fish and marine corals, along with aquatic equipment and supplies will immediately follow his educational presentation. Doors open at 7:30 PM. As always there is free parking and refreshments.
Please refrain from selling or purchasing any items from individuals on site at the aquarium, it is strictly prohibited.
We have new BAS shirts and BAS hats, hurry and get yours while supplies last.
Remember, we can always use help. If anyone wants to help out in any way, please let us know. See me personally or any officer or board member. If anyone has any topics they want to hear expert speakers on or any specific speaker, please tell us that also.
We would like to thank our members and our sponsors for their constant generous donations that keep us going. Anyone who has any aquatic items, supplies or equipment, and that would include healthy livestock of fish, corals or plants, we always welcome the donation.
For information on upcoming speakers or to leave a message for us please call our BAS Hotline at 718-837-4455. On a more personal note – any member who wants to attend a Board meeting, held at Education Hall, NY Aquarium, on the first Friday of the month, September through June, please notify me at 347-277-4793.
Thanks and see you next month!
Steven Matassa
President
Dear Aquarist,
May was our Giant Spring Auction month. No guest speaker just auction items for our members and guests. We had close to 200 items that included freshwater fish, marine fish, plants, aquariums, filters, gravel, protein skimmers, lighting fixtures, UV sterilizers and the list goes on.
Everyone had a great time and brought home many aquatic treasures to enjoy. We appreciate the items you donated to make our club one of the strongest in the United States. Thank you!
Our next event, on June 14 will be our last for this fiscal year, but we promise to end it with a big bang! Our guest speaker is Cameron Provost from House of Fins in Greenwich, CT. His topic for the evening will be “Rare Marine Fishes in the Aquarium Hobby”. So come on down on Friday, June 14, doors open at 7:30 PM. As always there is free parking and refreshments.
Please refrain from selling or purchasing any items from individuals on site at the aquarium, it is strictly prohibited.
Please note that our June event is also election time for our officers and Board members. If you or another member, in good standing for the past 6 months, want to run for a position, please let me know so I can put your name up for election. We are always looking for new blood to keep our Society going strong with new and innovative ideas. Please let me know if you are interested and for what position you would like to try out for.
We have new BAS shirts and BAS hats, hurry and get yours while supplies last.
Remember, we can always use help. If anyone wants to help out in any way, please let us know. See me personally or any officer or board member. If anyone has any topics they want to hear expert speakers on or any specific speaker, please tell us that also.
We would like to thank our members and our sponsors for their constant generous donations that keep us going. Anyone who has any aquatic items, supplies or equipment, and that would include healthy livestock of fish, corals or plants, we always welcome the donation.
For information on upcoming speakers or to leave a message for us please call our BAS Hotline at 718-837-4455 and visit our updated website at WWW.BROOKLYNAQUARIUMSOCIETY.ORG.
Steven Matassa
President
Dear Aquarist,
Ralph Chi of Pacific Aquarium and Pet. Ralph was our guest speaker for the evening and he surprised all of us with bags of aquatic goodies for every member in the audience. We had 115 people at the meeting and each person received a full bag of items from his store. Ralph’s topic for the evening was “The Thriving Aquarium Retail Still Lives”. He really knows his fish, plants and marine livestock. His store has everything. This generous person is having a huge sale and giveaways for BAS members only. You must bring your current membership card. The first 19 members for each day, that spend $50 each, will receive a Pacific Aquarium Easter egg. Inside the egg will be a note on what you have won – this could be a fish net, an aqua-scaping pincer, or a complete Fluval (or equivalent) setup that includes tank, filter, lighting, etc. This special weekend is on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28 and only for our members!
April is also our 50/50 month – many of our members brought in bags of livestock for our auction and they shall be rewarded next month with half of what their fish, plants or corals went for.
Next month we will not have a speaker – it is our GIANT SPRING AUCTION! There will be hundreds of items available – livestock, lights, aquariums, chemicals, filters and everything you can imagine, so be there or lose out on great bargains and hard to find fish. The Giant Auction is Friday, May 10, doors open at 7:30 PM. As always there is free parking and refreshments.
Please refrain from selling or purchasing any items from individuals on site at the aquarium, it is strictly prohibited.
We have new BAS shirts and BAS hats, hurry and get yours while supplies last.
Remember, we can always use the help. If anyone wants to help out in any way, please let us know. See me personally or any officer or board member. If anyone has any topics they want to hear expert speakers on or any specific speaker, please tell us that also.
We would like to thank our members and our sponsors for their constant generous donations that keep us going. Anyone who has any aquatic items, supplies or equipment, and that would include healthy livestock of fish, corals or plants, we always welcome the donation.
For information on upcoming speakers or to leave a message for us please call our BAS Hotline at 718-837-4455.
On a more personal note – any member who wants to attend a Board meeting, held at Education Hall, NY Aquarium, on the first Friday of the month, September through June, please notify me at 347-277-4793.
Thanks and see you next month!
Steven Matassa
President
Our last speaker, Ralph Chi, owner of Pacific Aquarium at 46 Delancey Street (near the Manhattan Bridge) really knows his fish, plants and marine livestock.
His store has everything. This generous person is having a huge sale and giveaways.
You must bring your active membership card.
This special weekend is on
Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28
and only for BAS members!
The first 19 members, for each day, who spend $50 each, will receive a Pacific Aquarium Easter egg. Inside the egg will be a note on what you have won – all prizes are exclusive giveaways of equipment, filters, lighting or a complete Fluval (or equivalent) setup that includes tank, filter, lighting, etc.
Can’t go wrong with great sale and we can’t thank Ralph Chi enough for extending such exclusive offer to our members.
You will not be disappointed
ATI is running a contest where one winner will receive up to 8 – T5 bulbs of their choice. Good Luck.
Dear Aquarist,
The cold weather did not keep our members from gathering to hear Richard Ross of the Steinhart Aquarium speak. Richard’s topic for the evening was “Coral Spawning and Secore”. This is Richard’s second talk at BAS and it was captivating.
Richard spoke on coral spawning, and the work they are doing at the Steinhart Aquarium.
Next month, our guest speaker will be Ralph Chi, owner of Pacific Aquarium and Pet. Ralph has a very nice store on Delancey Street, in lower Manhattan. He has a great staff of knowledgeable and caring professionals.
We will also have a 50/50 on donated livestock. When you bring in your donations please let us know if you are participating in the 50/50 or if it’s a straight donation. This is limited to livestock (fish, corals, plants) only with a 10 bag limit. There will be no reserve pricing on aquatic donations at our auctions.
Please refrain from selling or purchasing any items from individuals on site at the aquarium, it is strictly prohibited.
Doors open at 7:30, and of there is free parking and refreshments.
We have new BAS shirts and BAS hats, hurry and get yours while supplies last.
Remember, we can always use help. If anyone wants to help out in any way, please let us know. See me personally or any officer or board member. If anyone has any topics they want to hear expert speakers on, or any specific speaker, please tell us that also.
We would like to thank our members and our sponsors for their constant generous donations that keep us going. Anyone who has any aquatic items, supplies or equipment, and that would include healthy livestock of fish, corals or plants, we always welcome the donation.
BAS is looking to rent a street level garage for our BAS equipment and supplies. If you have one or know of one please let us know.
For information on upcoming speakers or to leave a message for us please call our BAS Hotline at 718-837-4455.
On a more personal note – any member who wants to attend a Board meeting, held at Education Hall, NY Aquarium, on the first Friday of the month, September through June, please notify me at 347-277-4793.
Thanks and see you next month!
Steven Matassa
President