Bob Bock is an enthusiastic member of the Greater Washington Aquatic Plant Association and regularly attends meetings. He has been interested in fish since he was 7 years old, when he brought two mummichog home from the Hackensack River meadowlands. He now maintains more than 20 aquariums in his basement fishroom, including a 65 gallon world biotope planted aquarium, which, at one time or another, has included species from every continent except Antarctica.  Bob likes writing and speaking about aquarium fish and aquarium-related topics. He is also past president of the North American Native Fishes Association. Through the years, Bob has kept and bred numerous native and non-native species: among them cichlids, catfish, livebearers, cyprinids, sunfish, and killifishes. He is a member of nearly all of the Washington area’s other aquarium clubs.  He is also Web master of the popular aquarium hobby blog, Sonny’s Fish Room.

In addition, we will have our regular auction. Members and non-members are welcome.

May 25th at 1:00pm
5412 Brixham Ct
Burke, VA 22015

Directions:

From I-495

• Take exit for Braddock Rd W/VA-620
• Slight right onto VA-620 W/Braddock Rd
• Turn left onto Burke Lake Rd
• Turn right onto Lake Braddock Dr
• Turn right onto Mersea Ct
• Take immediate right onto Brixham Ct
• Parking is limited on Brixham Ct. Additional parking is available on Lake Braddock Dr.
  

Jason Baliban has been an avid aquarist since 1980, starting with a 10 gallon aquarium and blue gravel. Since that time, he has worked with salt water aquariums, fresh water aquariums, and planted tanks. Over the last several years, Jason has focused primarily on planted tanks, approaching each planted aquarium as a piece of art. He strives to create compositions that inspire himself and others, while providing healthy environments for his plants and critters. Jason’s talent has been proven worldwide by placing 2nd in the Aquatic Gardener Association’s 2008 Aquascaping contest, and was the 3rd highest ranked U.S. aquascaper in ADA’s aquascaping contest during the same year. His work has been featured regularly, both online and in print, which has opened the door for him to give several presentations over the past few years. Jason also maintains a website, Project Aquarium (http://projectaquarium.com), specifically dedicated to keeping planted aquariums.

In addition, we will have our regular auction. Members and non-members are welcome.

April 27th at 1:00pm
Back Entrance of Grace Lutheran Church (in their Fellowship Hall)
2503 Belair Drive
Bowie, MD 20715-2699

Directions:

From I-495

• Take exit 19A to merge onto US-50 E toward Annapolis 6.6 mi
• Take exit 11 for MD-197/Collington Rd toward Bowie 0.2 mi
• Keep left at the fork, follow signs for MD-197 N/Bowie N/Collington Rd N 0.2 mi
• Turn left at Collington Rd 0.4 mi
• Take the 1st right onto Kenhill Dr 0.7 mi
• Turn right at Belair Dr
• Church will be on your left.
• Please park in the back parking lot, enter up the steps near the playground.

March 23rd @ 1:00pm

Andrey Kalinin
15311 Diamond Cove Terr. Apt. B
Rockville, MD 20850

Directions when driving north on I-270N:

• Take exit 8 and keep to the left.
• Turn left onto Shady Grove.
• Head south on Shady Grove Rd 0.6 mi
• Turn right onto MD-28 W/Key W Ave 0.2 mi
• Turn right onto Diamondback Dr 0.5 mi
• Turn right onto Diamond Cove Terrace (there’ll be two stone posts at the ‘gate’) and drive until you face the building 15311.
• Park in any available space. There is no assigned parking.
• Apartment is on the 3rd floor.

Directions when driving south on I-270S:

• Take exit 8 and keep to the right (to Omega Drive). Turn left onto Omega.
• Head south on Omega Dr toward Research Blvd 0.4 mi
• Turn right onto MD-28 W/Key W Ave 0.2 mi
• Turn right onto Diamondback Dr 0.5 mi
• Turn right onto Diamond Cove Terrace (there’ll be two stone posts at the ‘gate’) and drive until you face the building 15311.
• Park in any available space. There is no assigned parking.
• Apartment is on the 3rd floor.

Why collect native plants? There’s many new species to be tried, and the satisfaction of finding your own plants for free. Most of all, it’s fun!

Cavan showed slides and gave us a run down on a number of different species he has found on his collecting trips.

Sagittaria subulata  Not the plant circulating in the hobby that we’ve been calling S. subulata (we’re not certain what that plant actually is). This is the “real stuff” which only gets about an inch tall.

Eriocaulon parkeri  While a lot of Eriocaulons are very sensitive, this is “tough as nails.” It likes tidal places.

Hemianthus glomeratus  This is the true name of the plant many of us have been calling Hemianthus micranthemoides. The real H. micranthemoides has not been seen in nature since 1941.

Ludwigia x lacustris  A rare hybrid of L. palustris and L. brevipes, this is a “really gorgeous plant” with growth properties in between both species. It is found in scattered locations from Rhode Island to Georgia. Oddly, there is no L. brevipes in any of the locations where Ludwigia x lacustris is found.  Is this because L. brevipes once had a wider distribution? Or was Ludwigia x lacustris introduced to new locations because a small piece was dragged there by a duck? No one knows.

Ludwigia Sphaerocarpa  This “spectacular plant” is found from the the Eastern Shore of Maryland to Texas. It requires co2, a stable tank, and lots of light.

Lilaeopsis chinensis a good aquarium plant, similar to L. brasiliensis. It is found in brackish areas, but can grow in fresh water.

Juncus subcaudaris grows near here, in the Suitland area. It is very much like Cyperus helferi.

Callictriche terrestris  Cavan found this in New Jersey, “while looking for something else.” It forms a nice shrub, and pearls easily like Riccia.

Acmella repens is in the sunflower family. It works well in Dutch type aquascapes, and gets purple under high light.

Crassula aquatica  Erroneously listed as “extirpated in Maryland,” Cavan has found this plant in Charles County, Maryland. It is a tiny, succulent plant.

There are several plants Cavan refers to as “duds” that don’t work well in the aquarium:

Elatine minima  This is similar to the popular foreground plant Hemianthus callitrichoides, but “it rots from the bottom up eventually,” and no one has been able to keep it alive for long in an aquarium.

Glossostigma cleistathum   This invasive plant was originally from Australia and New Zealand. Its introduction to the US has been blamed on aquarists, but Cavan reports that “no one has been able to keep it alive.”

Myriophyllum tenellum Is very unlike other plants of the same genus. No one would have guessed from the slide Cavan showed us that it was a Myriophyllum –it looked more like a Lilaeopsis. It grows extremely slowly, and is more a novelty than anything else.

Cavan gave some tips on planning collecting trips. First, do your homework! Know what to look for and where.  Cavan recommends a mix of definite locations and general locations. Give less attention to artificial lakes and bodies of water with fixed water levels. Better choices are bodies of water with shallow slopes, tidal areas, and places with variable water levels.  A “wet soggy ditch” is an example of a good location.

Sources to help you find what you want include general web searching, literature, habitat surveys, the USDA website, and Google Earth. Bring a cooler, ziplock bags, GPS, plant keys/books, digging implements, and a camera. What to wear? Cavan recommends light colored nylon windbreaker pants, Keen or other closed toed sandals, and a wide brimmed hat.

You may want to press specimens that need to be identified. Most characteristics needed to ID a species are preserved this way. With pressing, there is no time limit for identifying a species, and can be sent to a specialist if needed. Before pressing, note anything that may not remain afterwards, such as flower color, growth habit, etc. Take photos and note what other plants it was found with. To press a plant, spread it evenly across newspaper and sandwich it between blotter paper or cardboard. In a pinch, even a book will do.

Some final tips:

–Share what you’ve found with other hobbyists (i.e. don’t put all your eggs in one basket)

–Don’t collect where you shouldn’t. Be careful about private property, and get permission when needed.

–Take only what you need

–Bring a friend. Both for your safety, and because it’s more fun. When possible, go with someone who knows the area.

–No luck? Try again next year. A plant may be plentiful in a location one year, but not the next. Conditions change, and some plants have adapted to produce seeds that germinate in both the short term and the long term. Seeds may germinate in just a few years, or in as much as 50 years.

Jen Williams is stepping down after two years as President (in addition to two years on the board prior to that).  Arlene Wagner will also step down after two years of serving as Corresponding Secretary. A big thanks to both of them for all the work they have done for the club!

The board for next year was “voted” in (with everyone running unopposed, there was no formal vote):

President: Kris Weinhold

Vice President: Viktor Gyorffy

Corresponding Secretary: John Godbey

Recording Secretary: Judi Hammett

Treasurer: Cristy Keister

There are plans to add several “At Large” positions to the GWAPA board. These positions would provide the opportunity for more members provide input and share in the responsibilities of running the club, without having to take on a full board position. The club’s bylaws will need to be amended to add these positions, which will be discussed at the next board meeting. A special election to will be held to elect the At-Large members.

A year-end member survey will be coming soon on the forum. Please respond so you can help determine what direction GWAPA takes in the next year. The board reviews all responses to help plan speakers and events.

There has been some discussion of GWAPA hosting the Aquatic Gardeners Association convention in 2014 or 2016, which would require a large number of volunteers. GWAPA and other area clubs PVAS and CCA may also host another Aquafest in October 2013. If you are able to help with either of these events, please let the board know.

The winners of our Annual Aquascaping contest were announced:

First Place, Beginner Category:  Julie Weis

Second Place, Beginner Category:  Arlene Wagner

First Place, Experienced Category: Kris Weinhold

Second Place, Experienced Category: Jen Williams

There were a total of 11 tanks entered in this year’s contest, the theme of which was Nature Aquarium Style. Winner was chosen by popular vote, with the voting in the Beginner category being extremely close. Congratulations to the winners! Pictures of all the entries can be seen on the forum:

http://www.gwapa.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5353

http://www.gwapa.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5354

We had our usual mini auction. In addition to a variety of plant species, there were several different species shrimp and fish.

Julie Weis was not able attend, but provided two detailed slides for the automatic water changing system on her 37 gallon tank. One slide shows how the system works, the other shows what parts are needed and where to get them. Julie’s tank is in her living room, and she has drilled through the living room wall into her garage.  To drain the tank, a valve is opened, and gravity carries water into her yard so she can water plants. The valve is then closed, a pump is turned on by remote starter, and the fill valve opened. Water is pumped into the tank from a reservoir in the garage. Julie’s slides have been posted on the forum at http://www.gwapa.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=5312&start=10.

Bob Bock spoke on the topic of making fish food. Bob doesn’t feed fresh food exclusively to his fish, but does rely on it for breeding and conditioning. Freshly made fish food can approximate live foods, can be customized with color enhancers and nutrients, and can be used to deliver medications.

Bob did not provide a specific recipe or precise amounts for ingredients (“I’m a cook who doesn’t use measurements”), but simply described his process and gave general guidelines to help us create our own recipes.

His method involves combining fresh ingredients (meat, fish, greens) with dry color enhancers (dried shrimp, vitamins) and binders (gelatin, egg yolk, agar). He begins by rehydrating gelatin, and bringing it to a boil.  While the gelatin cools, he chops the fresh ingredients in a food processor, and processes the dry ingredients in a coffee grinder. Agar is added to the dry ingredients, which are then combined with the fresh ingredients. Egg yolk and gelatin are added last of all. The mixture is spread into a shallow pan lined with parchment paper, and baked at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. After cooling in the refrigerator, the food can be cut into cubes and frozen.

Bob’s blog www.sonnysfishroom.com describes this process in more detail, and includes a link to a recipe developed by Kurt Johnston of the Aquarium Club of Lancaster County.

Sean Murphy explained how he set up his sump systems. Sumps are more common in reef aquariums, but also have benefits in a freshwater set-up. A sump can maintain the water level in the main tank, increase the total water volume, and provide a place for equipment out of sight. Sean places tank heaters in his sumps, and bubbles co2 in front of the return pump.  Instead of an overflow, a constant level siphon is used to drain water to the sump.

Kevin Lee shared a brief cautionary tale of “what not to do.”  He wanted to divide a tank to be able to keep more species in a single tank. He carefully divided the tank with custom cut panels of glass. Only after he started to fill the tank did he realize the risk of breakage from the pressure of the water on individual panels. He realized that he should have left a gap under each panel beneath the substrate.

Cavan Allen described his experience in building an LED fixture for his 40 breeder. He had become tired of the “roller coaster” of certain demanding plants doing well initially, only to show less color and poorer growth as his T5 bulb output decreased over time. He decided to construct a fixture using one of the Solderless LED Kits from www.RapidLED.com.

Cavan’s system is dimmable –he would not recommend buying or building a fixture without dimming capability. At full power, he has measured 150 micromols at the substrate in the center, 90 in the corners. The LEDs produce a good shimmer effect, and show off reds well.

The club plans a presentation or workshop with Rapid LED in the coming year, probably in June.

As usual, we will hold our regular mini-auction following the presentation. Members and non-members are welcome to attend!

July 28th at 1:30pm
Walker Nature Education Center
11450 Glade Drive
Reston, VA 20191

Speaker Bio:

Directions from I-495:

• Take exit 45A to merge onto VA-267 W toward Dulles Airport (Partial toll road)
• Take the exit toward Hunter Mill Rd/State Route 674 (Toll road)
• Turn left onto Hunter Mill Rd/State Route 674
• Take the 1st right onto Sunrise Valley Dr
• Turn left onto S Lakes Dr
• Turn left onto Twin Branches Rd
• Turn right onto Glade Dr