April 2008
Contents
  • Upcoming Events
  • March Guppy Show Results
  • Photos from the Monterey Bay Trip - Bill Cline
  • Photos of Borrego Springs Flowers and More -    Charles Pratt

Thanks to Bill Cline for this link to a funny Utube fishing video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFi9UEXQaSY

Editor's Message

This eBulletin is coming to you a little early as we want to publicize our trip out to the Borrego Springs Visitor center to take a look at some Desert Pupfish. I took a trip out there since our last eBulletin, and it was neat to see the pupfish, and the flowers were spectacular.  This event has been planned for only a short time, and was suggested by Victor Tongco while much of the SDTFS Board was sitting around the living room in a house several of us had rented in Monterey for the Aquarium field trip.

Charles Pratt

Upcoming Events at SDTFS

March 29, 2008 - (This is a Saturday) Field trip to the Borrego Desert visitors center to view pupfish in their ponds, and wildflowers. This should be just about the peak of the wildflower season and this is already an exceptional year for desert flowers. 

We will meet at the Murray Drive Park and Ride for car pooling, which is on Murray Drive right next to the Red Lobster parking lot just off Hwy 8 at Grossmont Center. It is right next to the freeway and across Murray Drive from the Walmart. Meet there before 10:00 a.m. and we will leave there at 10:00 a.m. We will drive through Ramona and Julian and have a picnic at the Visitor's Center in Borrego Springs. Bring your own food and drink for the picnic. Nothing will be supplied. Be sure and bring sunglasses, hats and plenty of water.

So what will we see out there? The specific flowers in bloom vary a lot from week to week, but in the last item below are some photos from my visit on March 8th.

April 13, 2008 - Spring Auction - Spring Auction of fish, plants and fish equipment. Sellers receive 75% with 25% going to SDTFS. You must be a member of SDTFS to either buy or sell at the auction. You can join at the time of the auction. For more information on the auction go here: http://sandiegotropicalfish.com/Auction.htm

April 16, 2008 - A visit with Dr. Ted Colletti. Dr. Colletti is a reknown student of livebearing fishes. He has researched, studied and bred a wide variety of livebearers, and has just published a new book. He is an authority on Xiphophorus montezumae, the Montezuma swordtail and has recently published a two part article in two issues of the journal of the American Livebearer Association. He will be at our auction, and then on Wednesday will meet with us, probably at the Imperial Beach Boll Weevil for dinner. As I write this plans are yet to be finalized, so if you are interested, phone me at (619) 267-2236 or email me at prattc@adminoff.com for more information.

May 11, 2008 - Anthony Inder Mazeroll, Ph.D., Collecting fish in Columbia.

March Guppy Show Results

 

Class 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Red Delta Ivy Ivy Ivy Pratt
Blue Delta Ivy Ivy Ivy Pratt
Green Delta Ivy Quinn Pratt Pratt
Yellow Delta Khalid Khalid Khalid
Half Black Yellow Ivy Ivy Ivy
Half Black Red Khalid Khalid Khalid
Bicolor Pratt Quinn Pratt Pratt
Snakeskin Pratt Pratt Pratt Scadeng
AOC Scadeng Scadeng Scadeng Scadeng
Swordtails Quinn Pratt Pratt Quinn
Female Pratt Pratt Quinn Pratt

The March Guppy Show was quite an event. First let me say that it was the first of a kind. It was an attempt to put on a 60 entry show in the time of a normal membership meeting, about three hours. I had a neat little judging system, modeled on the IFGA system, but simpler, all ready to use. We started out using that, then as things worked out there was just so much to do that we did not have time to use the system. We finally put the entries on the table with no tags on the bowls, and left it to the breeders to find their own fish after the judging, and to enter their names on the judging sheets where they had won. 

Next, since there were only about 60 entries some of the classes only had three entries, and some of the classes had entries from only one person. However, in spite of these deficiencies it was really a very nice show. We had two IFGA certified judges, and two IFGA assistant judges on hand, and so the entries were judged by very qualified people. Some of the entries were of as high a quality as you would find at any show in the world. Perhaps most important, we all had fun!

Charles Pratt

Photos From the Monterey Trip

Bill Cline

These are some of the nicest shots Bill captured during the Monterey trip. 

 

This photo of an Alestes longipinnis was taken in the Monterey Bay aquarium.
This South American arowana seems to be as interested in the Ornate Bichir as we were.
Nice shot of a Congo Tetra.
Monterey Bay Aquarium has built a reputation on its Jellyfish displays. SDTFS member and former curator at the aquarium Mark Ferguson was very involved with these when he was on staff at the aquarium.
Needlenose Gar
This shot of Shovelnose catfish was captured in a Monterey fish store.
Part of our group in the Aquarium control room.

Photos of Flowers and More in Borrego Springs

These pictures were shot on March 8th. The flowers in bloom when we get out there on the 29th will likely be different. I hope there will be more cactus in bloom than there were on my trip. Anyway, we hope you will join us on this trip. The scenery will be great!

The challenge in this last picture is to find the Hummingbird!

Support your local tropical fish store!

Stop in, purchase even one new type of food for your fish. This will vary their diet, promote their health and help your local fish store stay in business in this time of economic uncertainty. 

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