We have extended our 2nd Annual Photo Contest until October 19th.
If you haven’t yet, submit your photos ASAP.
All posts by undisclosed
Coral Food: Easy recipe & guide on how the pros do it every day!
From Christina Duncan at Reefs2Go.com (Our Sponsor)
Coral Food:
We know that corals eat in the wild and yet some forget that corals eating in captivity is the job of the caretakers. We must take responsibility for directly providing coral food daily. Target feeding or supplying a large amount of free swimming foods are your best options.
Target feeding coral food requires patience, dedication and preparation of the food source. You can buy premixed frozen foods or you can make your own by following the recipe at the bottom of the post. Typically it is best when targeting feeding to turn of the pumps so that the animals have the best possible chance of catching their dinner as it goes by, but it is critical to remember to turn the pumps back on within an hour. Unless proper, well functioning skimmers and clean up crews are in place, any leftover food will quickly breakdown into waste and cause excess algae growth.
Supplying a buffet of coral food will frustrate the perfectionist as this approach almost insures excess algae growth etc. It is an easier approach by simply adding phytoplankton, pods, rotifers etc to the system on a daily/weekly basis but the excess load can encourage excess algae growth. Once again – proper well performing skimmer and clean up crew do go a long way in nutrient export and will assist in keeping the algae growth to a minimum in most cases.
There are issues with both options as with anything. Remember – we are attempting to house a closed eco system within our living room, replicating nature will increase our success substantially.
Typically I examine the oral area of the coral. If it looks big, chances are strong it will eat BIG food particles. You can start with smaller food and work up!
LARGE MOUTHS: ie ANEMONES, OPEN BRAINS
APPROPRIATE CORAL FOOD SOURCE: THAWED SILVER SIDE FISH, KRILL, MYSIS SHRIMP
MEDIUM MOUTHS: ie: CHALICE, HAMMER, TORCH, FROG SPAWN, CANDY CANE, SUN CORALS, SHROOMS
APPROPRIATE CORAL FOOD SOURCE: MYSIS SHRIMP, BLENDED MIXTURE (RECIPE BELOW)
SMALL MOUTHS: ie: ZOANTHIDS, PALYTHOA
APPROPRIATE CORAL FOOD SOURCE: BLENDED MIXTURE (RECIPE BELOW), ZOPLANKTON
MICRO MOUTHS: ie: ACROS, GORGONIAN
APPROPRIATE CORAL FOOD SOURCE: PHYTOPLANKTON
BLENDED FOOD SOURCE:
In kitchen blender, add thawed mysis shrimp, krill, blood shrimp, cyclopeze, vitamins, HUFA. This mixture can be stored by freezing in slabs or kept in refrigerator in a airtight container turkey baste it on to them with the pumps OFF. I usually leave the pumps off for about 1-1.5 hours.
PHYTOPLANKTON/ZOOPLANKTON:
I like the ZoPlan and PhytoPlan by Two Little Fishies. Other people swear by DT’s Phytoplankton- Find a source for phytoplankton and your filter feeders will be forever grateful!
NYS Marine Education Association Conference – Registration Open
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
On Sat Oct. 25, NYSMEA, the New York State Marine Education Association will be
celebrating its 36th Annual Conference, “Coastal Treasures and Troubles”, at the Rachel Carson HS of Coastal Studies, and at the New York Aquarium, both facilities in Coney Island.
Keynote speakers, workshops, field trips, evening dinner party and presentation at the NY Aquarium.
Get Marinated and join us for this education adventure.
Teacher credit available, and a great opportunity for professional networking for career-readiness college students interested in marine science and environmental studies.
Thank you,
Dr. Merryl Kafka
NYSMEA Conference Committee
President’s Message – September 2014
Dear Aquarist,
Welcome back! After a long and beautiful summer, it is great to be talking fish again. All of us at BAS hope that everyone had a very enjoyable summer. We started our year with a marine guest speaker – Greg Sullivan. Greg’s topic for the evening was “Saltwater For The Squeamish.” Greg gave his presentation the old fashioned way – he spoke about his topic and took questions and answers from the audience to elaborate or give more detailed information to our members. It was a great talk as evidenced by the multitude of questions from our audience.
We have a couple of new projects going on at BAS. One is the 2014 Photo Contest. There are 19 categories and fantastic prizes from our sponsors. Each prize has a minimum of a $100.00 value. So come on and enter your photos because the contest ends on Sunday, Oct. 13. The winners will be announced at our Nov.14 event. Please read our Bulletin or go to our web site for all information regarding this contest.
The Photo Contest ends in Oct. and our new Forum Questions & Answers section starts in Oct. and runs through Dec. This contest will have 3 different time frames. Oct. through Dec., Jan. through March, and April through June. Let’s see who can ask and who can answer the most questions. Prizes are at the selection of the winners. We will have a winner for the most amount of questions and another winner for the most amount of answers. Please see our Bulletin or our web site for more information.
We had mentioned the possibility of bus trips to the Catfish Convention in Virginia for this October and another bus trip to Ohio for the 20th Anniversary Cichlid & Catfish Convention in Cleveland. However, due to high costs for registration, hotel rates and bus costs, we have had to cancel the bus trips. We will try to have more trips available in the near future.
Our upcoming event is our giant October auction! On Friday, October 10th, we will once again have an auction only meeting with no speaker. Anticipate a couple of hundred items of equipment and livestock in both freshwater and marine fish, plants and invertebrates. It will be an event you don’t want to miss.
As always, the meetings will be at the NY Aquarium Education Hall. Doors open at 7:30 PM. And, as always, there is Free Parking and Free Refreshments. There is a construction project going on in the usual lot on the right, so we had to park in the Aquarium lot to the left, go up the ramp to the Boardwalk and enter Education Hall directly from the Boardwalk for the September meeting. We anticipate this might be necessary for the next few months, so watch for signs at the entrance to the Aquarium.
Please visit our new website where you can read the Bulletin and enjoy a full color Aquatica. The interactive forums and sponsor sections are truly remarkable. 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!
For more info, please call our BAS Hotline at (718) 837-4455, or visit our modern website at WWW.BROOKLYNAQUARIUMSOCIETY.ORG.
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, September through June, please notify me at (718) 238-1792 by the Tuesday previous to the meeting.
Joe Graffagnino
President
2nd Annual PHOTO CONTEST
UPDATE: EXTENDED UNTIL OCTOBER 19, 2014
SECOND ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST – Take your best shot!
We’ve had such great success with our photo contest last year that we decided to do it again.
With more categories (19!), more sponsors and better prizes you’ll be silly not to share your photos with us.
Read more about it here (Our member Tomasz Lis was nice enough to create a whole website dedicated to it)
2nd Annual Photo Contest Flyer
Submit Photos >
Don’t wait, get to work, take your best shot and when ready submit it here.
Deadline:
Contest ends midnight Sunday October 13th, 2014. Any late entries will not be considered.
We would like to thank the following people for their generous donations.
We wish to acknowledge the very generous donation made by;
Steve Galimi,
Clem Lebine,
Ted Louies,
Ann & Mitchell Lowenthal,
Ted Louies,
Ruth and Charles Stein,
Harvey Tieh
Thank you all!
President’s Message – June 2014
Dear Aquarist,
June was our final event of the year and we really ended it with a huge BANG! Our guest speaker was Chuck Davis. Chuck’s topic for the evening was “Gizmos, Gadgets & Other Good Ideas.” Chuck returned to Brooklyn after a long absence – the last time Chuck gave a presentation to our Society was in 1991 (23 years ago). It was great to have him back. Several members from the North Jersey Aquarium Society joined Chuck at our meeting. As always, Chuck’s presentation was educational while also being hysterically funny. Chuck poked fun at many of our members during his Power Point show to great amusement. Chuck demonstrated how little household objects can be converted into useful aquatic contraptions and inexpensive, easy methods to change potential recyclable objects into filters, fry hatcheries and many other useful fishy items.
We had our annual elections and the majority of the Board kept their positions. A significant change was that Charles Stein had to step down because of health issues. Charles had been on the Board, in multiple positions, for over 20 years. Most of you remember Charles and Ruth as the charming couple selling shirts and books for us.
We are happy to add David Manuel to our Board as a Board member. He has been helping out as a volunteer for several months and has proven to be hard working and dedicated. David also has helped promote our Facebook pages with fantastic results.
Several of us went to the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Burlington, VT Aquarium Society, sharing the bus trip with the North Jersey AS people; members of the Jersey Shore and Lancaster, PA AS clubs joined us on the trip. We all had a great time. David and Janine Banks put on a wonderful weekend of events for fish and for non-fish people, which included a dinner cruise around Lake Champlain. Presenters such as Eric Bodrock and Rachel O’Leary gave informative talks that all enjoyed.
We had such a good time on the trip we want to do it again. We are contemplating going to the Catfish Convention in Herndon, VA on Friday, Oct. 17, returning on Sunday, Oct. 19. Guest speakers include Hans Evers, Editor-In-Chief of Amazonas magazine, Julian Dignall, PlanetCatfish.com, Ian Fuller and many more.
Also we are looking into attending, by bus, the Ohio Cichlid Association’s 20 Years of Cichlids and Catfish. Presenters will be Ad Konings, Wayne Leibel and many others, from Nov. 21- 23, 2014.
Anyone interested in going on either trip, please let me know. You must register for the hotels and convention registration. Cost for the bus depends on number of attendees.
We will take our needed rest, closing down for July and August. When we return on September 12, we shall have Greg Sullivan as our guest speaker. Greg’s topic for the evening will be “Saltwater For The Squeamish.” As always, the meetings will be at the NY Aquarium Education Hall. Doors open at 7:30 PM. And, 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. 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!
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, September through June, please notify me at (718) 238-1792 by the Tuesday previous to the meeting.
Joe Graffagnino
President
President’s Message – May 2014
Dear Aquarist,
Our Spring Giant Auction was a huge success. We had aquarium products such as lighting, filters, canopies and aquariums. We also had rock backgrounds, gravel, pumps and the list goes on. The plants were beautiful and varied from aquarium plants to pond plants. The live stock selection was varied and contained such a variety of invertebrates for both marine and freshwater species. The fish were beautiful such as a red flame angel (marine) and betta ocellata and betta smaragdina (rare freshwater). Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the cake and cookies that our auctioneer Dennis Alestra brought.
Our next, and final event of the season brings in Chuck Davis. Chuck is a personal favorite of mine as he has helped and advised me over the decades in the proper care and maintenance of aquariums and the varied live stock that they could contain. Chucks topic for the evening will be “Gizmos, gadgets and other good ideas.” Chuck Davis is a sought after speaker and an excellent banquet speaker with his hilarious sense of humor. His sharp wit spares no one so be careful or you will be on the receiving end of his puns and jokes.
If you want a fun time with an enjoyable group then come on over. June is also our election of officers and Board members for the coming year. If anyone wants to run for a position on the Board please let me know. The only requirement is that you are a member in good standing (paid your dues) and have at least 6 months as a club member. We hope to see you on June 13. As always the meetings will be at the NY Aquarium Education Hall. Doors open at 7:30 PM. 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. 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!
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
President’s Message – April 2014
Dear Aquarist,
April brought our flower to the club event – Rachel O’Leary! Rachel brought in Rapashy foods as donations to our meeting. Rachel put on a great presentation on “Freshwater Nano Diversity – The Ins, Outs & In-betweens” because she mentioned not only what fish, invertebrates and plants would work well in a small aquarium, but also the foods, pH, temperature and other considerations for a successful eco-system. Her topic covered micro-crabs, goby’s, micro-rasboras, tetras, snails, shrimps and corydoras catfish.
The auction was super great, mainly because we had a 50/50 on livestock for our members. Some beautiful and expensive freshwater fish, marine corals and marine fish and the beautiful plants were a sight to see. I saw some huge African cichlids and there were nano tanks donated by our sponsors.
May brings our Giant auction and as always it will be spectacular! No speaker just a wild and crazy auction of livestock, aquariums, lights, filters, books, shirts and a plethora of aquarium equipment and products. So plan on attending this great event on May 9. As always it will be at the NY Aquarium Education Hall. Doors open at 7:30 PM. 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. 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!
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
President’s Message – March 2014
Dear Aquarist,
Our March event brought in a different type of guest speaker. Gene Ritter, an experienced diver in NYC waters, was our guest for the evening. His topic was “Reef Diving in NYC.” Gene’s presentation and videos were fascinating. He spoke of his many different exploits and findings beneath the waves in our own back yard. He discussed the finding of the Steeplechase Pier bell, a sunken Army barge filled with ammunition at the base of the Verrazano Bridge, and having celebrities take dives in the waters surrounding New York – which included our NY Aquarium Director Jon Forrest Dohlin. Gene discovered several Revolutionary warships that were sunk in the East River and a World War II fighter plane that went down off of Westchester. The fighter plane on a training mission crashed without a trace. Many years later, a relative of the pilot was convinced he knew where the plane was located. He talked Gene into the search and before long they did discover the aircraft 40 miles away from where it should have been. A coincidence or a voice from beyond? You decide.
Since poor weather kept some members away last month, we decided to have our 103rd birthday party at our March event. It was a beautiful and delicious cake (proof of that was there was not one piece left). A good time was had by all!
Next month’s event brings Rachel O’Leary as our guest speaker. Rachel is a most sought after speaker. She will be speaking on “Freshwater Nano Diversity – The Ins, Outs and In-Betweens.” Rachel is an invertebrate expert, so I’m sure she will talk on snails and shrimps and what fish species would go well with them. Put it on your calendar to be at the NY Aquarium Education Hall for April 11 at 7:30 PM. 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. 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!
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
President’s Message – January 2014
Dear Aquarist,
We kicked off 2014 with a great event. Pat Donston, the owner of Absolutely Fish, a fabulous aquatic retail store in Clifton, NJ, was our guest speaker. Pat’s presentation for the evening was “Stronger Fish, Healthy Aquariums.” The members and guests had a great time listening to Pat giving detailed information about the how’s and why’s of keeping marine fish and corals. Pat was kind enough to bring in corals and aquatic products and donated them to our event.
Pat Donston has offered to have us come to Absolutely Fish on a Saturday and has promised a 30% discount for that day to all attendees. To add to the fun, he will open early just for us. Absolutely Fish normally opens at noon, but for us he will open at 10:30 AM so those that come with us will have an hour and a half of private viewing and buying. Come to the February event to find out what Saturday we will be going!
Our February event will be on February 14, which coincides with our 103rd birthday. We plan on having a birthday party, so bring your best sing-along voice. Our guest speaker for the evening is Kathy Cardineau, a pond expert who is the president of the Nassau County Aquarium Society. Anyone hoping to install a pond this Spring should definitely attend. Kathy’s title is “Setting Up A Pond.” As always, there will be free parking and free refreshments.
I want to remind our friends and members to visit our BAS Forum. The Forum is a great place to get good, solid information from experts in the hobby. Many of our sponsors have “rooms” on our Forum to talk about their latest products and to answer questions on their products and equipment, but also to field questions from concerned hobbyists. Please take a few minutes to visit our Forum. I’m sure you’ll be glad that you did. To reach our Forum site, please visit our web site (www.BrooklynAquariumSociety.org) and at the top right side click on the Forum and follow the instructions for joining.
I am asking for your help and support. If you want to see different speakers or want to go on a field trip to the Baltimore Aquarium and visit huge pet shops along the way, 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.
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
President’s Message – December 2013
President’s Message
The December 2013 Holiday party was a fun time for all. I think this is the most enjoyable event of the year – at least for the Board and Officers of our great Society. This is the one time all year that we can relax and enjoy the wonderful foods and pleasant conversation with our fellow aquarists. We all shared the great dishes our members and their families brought in. It was truly a feast of different tastes and aromas. John Todaro and his son Andrew ventured down from the snows of Vermont to join us in the festivities. John made some of his famous meat pies, culled from medieval recipes. Everything was delicious!
I handed out the hard earned awards for those dedicated members who worked all year to make this club what it is today – the largest, oldest and most successful aquarium society in the United States. I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for joining us and working so diligently all year. John Todaro gave out the Aquatica and the FAAS awards for the best written articles submitted to John for publication in our Society’s magazine Aquatica – one of the best aquarium society publications in the United States.
Marie Licciardello ran our “Fish Bingo” this year and we had plenty of fishy prizes to give out. It was a lot of fun.
The January event will feature Pat Donston as our guest speaker. Pat is the owner of Absolutely Fish in Clifton, NJ who has been an enthusiastic sponsor of our great Society for many years. His retail aquarium store is fantastic and has huge selections of marine fish and corals, freshwater fish and live plants. The quality of his establishment is superb. Pat travels all over the United States to give insightful presentations on marine and freshwater subjects and also how chemicals affect aquarium environments. Pat’s topic for the evening will be “Stronger Fish, Healthy Aquariums.” So be there on January 10 at 7:30 PM to welcome Pat. As always, there will be free parking and free refreshments.
I want to remind our friends and members to visit our BAS Forum. The Forum is a great place to get good, solid information from experts in the hobby. Many of our sponsors have “rooms” on our Forum to talk about their latest products and to answer questions on their products and equipment, and also to field questions from concerned hobbyists. Please take a few minutes to visit our Forum. I’m sure you’ll be glad that you did. To reach our Forum site, please visit our web site (www.BrooklynAquariumSociety.org) and at the top right side click on the Forum and follow the instructions for joining.
The awards for this past year were given to:
PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS:
BREEDER OF THE YEAR:Larry Jinks
RICHARD SPANVILL MEMORIAL AWARD: Virginia Cahill
JOE & ANN BELLER MEMORIAL AWARD: Michael Roman
HOBBYIST OF THE YEAR: Tomasz Lis
William F. DeFoe Award: Marty Karfinkel
Auctioneer Awards went as a big thank you for our wonderful and dedicated auctioneers that for many, many years have gone above and beyond, with very little thanks. I want to personally praise Dennis Alestra, William Amely and Seth Kolker.
We did have C.A.R.E.S. awards for those aquarists who bred and raised endangered aquatic species. This year’s awards went to:
Frank Nell for the Pseudotropheus demasoni
Larry Jinks for Xiphophorus meyeri, “Puebla Platy”
Tilipia gutterosa, a West African cichlid from Lake Bermin, Cameroon
Pelvicachromis subocellatus, a Kribensis type of African cichlid
I am asking for your help and support. If you want to see different speakers or want to go on a field trip to the Baltimore Aquarium and visit huge pet shops along the way, 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.
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
Save The Date – NEC Convention – March 28-30, 2014
Read more below…
Thanksgiving Specials for BAS Members – Don’t miss out.
Our new sponsor New Island Aquarium, 1963 Utica Avenue (between Ave. K & L in Brooklyn) – will have a 25% off livestock and a 10% off dry goods sale this Friday [Black Friday].
Mention you’re a BAS member and you will get an additional 5% off any livestock!
Brooklyn Zoo & Aquarium, 2377 Ralph Ave. (between Ave. K & L in Brooklyn) – will be having Holiday Sale with discounts on everything!
Mention you’re a BAS member and get an additional 10% off.
President’s Message – November 2013
Dear Aquarist,
November event was an interesting meeting. Our guest speaker for the evening was John Coppolino. John’s topic for the evening was “SPS Success”. Although the coral pictures and John’s methodology in growing them successfully was very interesting I think most people were interested in his new home which has a 1,300 gallon marine aquarium installed. I think he built his home around his aquariums. Spectacular doesn’t do it justice. We also had a 50/50 on livestock (plants, fish and corals) that was very successful. Our auction and donations of products had many attendees enjoying our sponsor’s products.
We gave out the prizes to the winners of our BAS photo contest and took pictures of the winners and their prizes for each of the 17 categories. The pictures, along with the photo that won the prize (for the two areas that had ties all the pictures will be shown) will be available in our upcoming Aquatica for you to enjoy and to think about what pics you want to enter for next years’ contest. I want to personally thank our panel of judges from SeaChem, Hikari, and Central Aquatics (which owns Aqueon, Kent Marine and Coralife, along with our own Kay Martin and Dr. Robert Price. All the pictures can be seen on our Yahoo Group BrooklynAquariumSociety. Thanks for everyone who entered!
Our next event is our Holiday Party. This is where we break bread and share stories with our members and families. Everyone is to bring in a dish so all can share in the bounty of BAS food, desserts and non-alcoholic beverages. All attendees must bring in a dish or they will be charged $10 at the door. This is also the evening we present our awards for our hard working Board, and members and least we forget our sponsors and other donators. The meeting/dinner will be on December 13. As always doors open at 7:30 PM, and there is free parking.
I am asking for your help and support. If you want to see different subjects offered, please let me know. As examples, some members asked when we were having another bus trip to the Long Island Aquarium & Exposition Center; another asked if we would be willing to do a bus trip to the Baltimore Aquarium, take in a ballgame at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, do an overnight and then hit several huge aquarium stores on the way home. I said sure why not, IF you can get enough people to fill a bus. So, those who are interested get back to me with what you want to do!
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, or visit our modern website at WWW.BROOKLYNAQUARIUMSOCIETY.ORG.
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
President’s Message – October 2013
Dear Aquarist,
Happy Halloween! I’m afraid we didn’t have any pumpkins at our Giant Auction, but we had plenty of fish, plants, corals, filters, lights and aquariums. There was plenty of haunting going around or maybe that was hawking our wonderful shirts, donated books and magazines and our donated items at our freshwater and marine items tables. We had a wonderful time and our members and guests came away with some spectacular items.
Our November event is on a marine topic. Renowned MASNA speaker John Coppolino is our guest lecturer and his topic will be either “Modern Fish Keeping In Reef Aquaria” or “SPS Success.” I think that either one will be a big hit. As always, doors open at 7:30 PM, and there is free parking and free refreshments.
Our photo contest is over. There were some technical problems with Yahoo Groups so our judges are still compiling the votes for the winners in each of the 17 categories. We will announce the winners at our November event and present them with their wonderful prizes at that event. The prices are at least $100.00 in value for each category. Our sponsor/donator/judges are – SeaChem, Hikari, and Central Aquatics (which owns Aqueon, Kent Marine and Coralife). The winners will be posted on our web site (www.BrooklynAquariumSociety.org).
I am happy to note that our Corresponding Secretary position has been filled by Dan Smith. Welcome aboard Dan. Mike Roman, our current Corresponding Secretary, will be posting the position’s data to Dan over the next few months. Mike, we will sorely miss you! You have been a tremendous asset to BAS and we want to wish you good luck and happy fish when you move to Wisconsin.
I am asking for your help and support. If you want to see different subjects offered, please let me know. As examples, some members asked when we were having another bus trip to the Long Island Aquarium & Exposition Center; another asked if we would be willing to do a bus trip to the Baltimore Aquarium, take in a ballgame at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, do an overnight and then hit several huge aquarium stores on the way home. I said sure, why not, IF you can get enough people to fill a bus. So, those who are interested, get back to me with what you want to do!
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.
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
Earn 50%* on donated livestock at November 8, 2013 event.
We will once again be having a 50/50 split on donated livestock only (corals, fish and plants in good health) for members only.
Members must sign in at the donation desk that they want 50% of whatever their livestock items are auctioned for (no reserves).
The total of all donations must be greater than $5 and your return check will be available for pickup at the next regular meeting.
If you have any questions regarding this event please don’t hesitate to contact us or just post your questions below.
Not a member yet? No problem, become one today http://membership.basny.org/
2012/2013 Award List is here…
President’s Message – September 2013
Dear Aquarist,
September has arrived and with it is the start of a new year for BAS. So to kick off the year with a jump start, we had a very special guest speaker – me! I must admit my talk was mesmerizing. It was a fun topic called “Knowledge of Useless Stuff I Acquired.” I shared my experiences, trials and tribulations that I have accumulated over 40 years of aquatic experience with you, our members and friends. When I ran out of fish and plant topics, I started on remedies to cure sore throats, flat and dull hair and even an easy way to separate two piece fishing rods. I left no stone unturned in my pursuit to share knowledge with anyone who would listen. I think the crowd enjoyed it, since I wasn’t hit with eggs or tomatoes.
Next month is our Giant Auction. As always, we will NOT have a speaker — just an auction with the best aquatic fish, plants, corals and equipment, along with great products at bargain basement prices. I guarantee that you will have a great time and will leave with many items of the highest quality with the lowest price you can ever find. Doors open at 7:30 PM. As always, there is free parking and free refreshments.
We are having a photo contest which started at the conclusion of our June event. All contestants are to put their pictures on our Yahoo Group called the Brooklyn Aquarium Society. We are having 17 categories that you can enter. Each member may enter 3 pictures of 6 Megapixel or greater in each category. Winners will be selected by our sponsors and members of the Board that have not entered the contest. The contest is over on September 30, so hurry and get in photos of your aquatic treasures. The prices are great and are from SeaChem, Hikari, Aqueon, Kent Marine and others. The winners will be announced at our October event. Winners must be present to collect their prize.
I am asking for your help and support. If you want to see different subjects offered, please let me know. As examples, some members asked when we were having another bus trip to the Long Island Aquarium & Exposition Center; another asked if we would be willing to do a bus trip to the Baltimore Aquarium, take in a ballgame at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, do an overnight and then hit several huge aquarium stores on the way home. I said sure why not, IF you can get enough people to fill a bus. So, those who are interested get back to me with what you want to do!
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.
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
President
1st Annual PHOTO CONTEST
FIRST ANNUAL PHOTO CONTEST – Take your best shot!
Deadline – September 30th, 2013
Freshwater Categories:
- Best Aquascape
- Best Nano Aquarium (2 ½ – 10 gallons)
- Best Med-sized aquarium (15 – 40 gallons)
- Best Large aquarium (50 + gallons)
- Spectacular Freshwater Fish
- Most Fabulous Plant
- Most Amazing Freshwater Invert
- Best Freshwater Photo (any category)
- Spectacular Cichlid
Saltwater Categories
- Best Aquascape
- Best Nano Aquarium (2½ – 10 gallons)
- Best Med-sized aquarium (15 – 40 gallons)
- Best Large aquarium (50 + gallons)
- Spectacular Saltwater Fish
- Most Breathtaking Corals Reefs
- Most Amazing Saltwater Invert
- Best Saltwater Photo (any category)
SPONSORS (Thank YOU):
Aqueon
Coralife
Kent Marine
Hikari
Seachem
PRIZES – From Sponsors Above – Thank you!
Freshwater Categories:
Best Aquascape
- AquaVitro Plant (Premier, Envy, Proper, Carbonate, Mineralize, Synthesis, Activate) by SEACHEM
Best Nano Aquarium (2 ½ – 10 gallons)
- Evolve 2, water care products, food, siphon, cleaning magnet by AQUEON
Best Med-sized aquarium (15 – 40 gallons)
- Evolve 4, water care products, food, siphon by AQUEON
Best Large aquarium (50 + gallons)
- $100 worth of HIKARI products.
Spectacular Freshwater Fish
- $100 worth of HIKARI products.
Most Fabulous Plant
- 500ml Bottles of Prime, Flourish, Flourish Excel, Flourish Iron, 600g Bottles of Acid Buffer, Alkaline Buffer, Equilibrium, Nutridiet Flakes (30g), 1L Matrix by SEACHEM
Most Amazing Freshwater Invert
- Evolve 4, water care products, food, siphon by AQUEON
Best Freshwater Photo (any category)
- $100 worth of HIKARI products
Spectacular Cichlid
- $100 worth of HIKARI products
Saltwater Categories
Best Aquascape
- AquaVitro Reef (Alpha, Balance, Calcification, Eight.Four Fuel, Ions, Vibrance) By SEACHEM
Best Nano Aquarium (2½ – 10 gallons)
- CORALIFE Aqualight & Circulation Pumps, KENT MARINE Reef Salt.
Best Med-sized aquarium (15 – 40 gallons)
- CORALIFE Bio-Cube 14, KENT MARINE Reef Salt
Best Large aquarium (50 + gallons)
- $100 worth of HIKARI products
Spectacular Saltwater Fish
- $100 worth of HIKARI products
Most Breathtaking Corals Reefs
- SEACHEM 1L Bottles of Reef Fusion 1& 2; 1L Containers of Matrix Carbon, Phosguard & Matrix; Nutridiet Marine Flakes (30g)
Most Amazing Saltwater Invert
- CORALIFE Aqualight & Circulation Pumps, KENT MARINE Reef Salt and more KENT MARINE Products.
Best Saltwater Photo (any category)
- $100 worth of HIKARI products
OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES
No purchase or payment necessary to enter or win
HOW TO ENTER
The 1st Brooklyn Aquarium Photo Contest will be announced June 14th, 2013 at the monthly Society’s meeting, all entries will be accepted until September 30th, 2013. The results of the Contest as well as the award ceremony will take place on October 11th at the Society’s monthly meeting. Digital photos must be submitted to BROOKLYN AQUARIUM SOCIETY YAHOO GROUP in JPEG format. Photos submitted must be 6 MP (mega pixel) or greater. As a condition of registration, you will be required to click where indicated to signify that you accept and agree to be bound by these Official Rules. With each submission, participants must include the following: 1) Name of Photographer, 2) Address of Photographer, 3) Phone Number, 4) Email, 5) Category of Freshwater or Saltwater photo is to be entered, 6) Scientific and Common Name of Subject in Photo.
> Brooklyn Aquarium Society @ Yahoo Groups < Submit your photos here.
Photo Eligibility
To enter, you do not have to be a member of the Brooklyn Aquarium Society or a member of the BAS Forum, contest is open to all, no age restrictions. BAS judging individuals and their immediate family are not eligible. BAS non-members taking part in the Contest and winning a prize for any of the 17 categories will receive a free 1 year membership to BAS. Entries that fail to comply with the Official Contest Rules will be disqualified.
Image Modifications
Minor digital enhancement is permitted, but images that have been significantly modified or appear unnatural will be disqualified.
Number of Entries
An individual may submit a maximum of 3 photos per category, any category.
Photo Subject Restrictions
Photos must be appropriate for category entered. Photos unrelated to the contest or of questionable content will not be considered. BAS retains sole discretion as to what constitutes appropriate content. Photos must not contain people or other objects other than the subject for the category entered.
Deadline
Contest ends midnight September 30th, 2013. Any late entries will not be considered.
Judging
Entries will be judged on the basis of photographic quality, and effectiveness in conveying the beauty and/or unique character of the object in their respective categories. A panel of judges consisting of representatives of the Contest’s sponsors as well as members of the BAS Board will judge the entries and all contest decisions are final.
Winners
The judging panel will select 17 winning entries (one per category). Winners and all prizes will be announced and presented during the BAS October 11th 2013 meeting. Any winner not able to attend the October 11th 2013 meeting, the prize will be kept at BAS until the December 13, 2013 meeting. If the winner/s fails to collect the prize as mentioned earlier, the prize/s will be auctioned at the January 10, 2014 meeting.
Photographer/Copyrights
Entries must be submitted by the original photographer. Do not submit a photo taken by someone other than yourself. You must be the sole owner of the image submitted. By submitting your photo, you guarantee that you are the author and copyright holder of the photo. By submitting, the contestant waives all rights upon submission and therefore has no recourse whatsoever in the use of the photo.
Additional Terms and Conditions
BAS is not responsible for computer system, hardware, software, or program malfunctions or other errors, failures, or delayed computer transactions or network connections that are human or technical in nature. Furthermore, BAS is not responsible for: (i) lost, misdirected, misplaced, illegible, unintelligible, incomplete, or late entries or (ii) any act, failure to act, or delay regarding the transmitting or processing of entries. BAS reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend all or any portion of this contest without notice. BAS is entitled to interpret these rules as needed and its decisions are final. BAS reserves the right to disqualify any entrant that BAS has reason to believe is not the original work of entrant, or does not otherwise meet the contest rules.