About
Our Meetings
Our
regular meetings are usually held on the last Friday of the month at the
Phipps Garden Center on the corner of Fifth Ave. and Shady Ave., (1059
Shady Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15232). The doors open at 7 p.m. and the
meeting begins at 7:30.
July 25th: Kurt Johnston's "The Making Of Your Own Fish Food"
I was born and raised in Pittsburgh and graduated from Carrick High School in 1972. After leaving Pittsburgh to go to college I have lived in Cleveland, OH, Northern Virginia and currently live in Lancaster County PA.
I am a member of the Aquarium Club of Lancaster County and I am currently the Public Relations Chair, Webmaster, BAP chair and Swap Meet Chair and write the monthly exchange column for our newsletter (Tank Tales). I am also a member of the Capital Cichlid Association and the American Livebearers Association.
I got started in the hobby about forty years ago when my mother won a raffle for a twenty gallon setup at the GPASI show at the Buhl Planetarium. Through the years I always had at least one aquarium that were set up for show but due to several moves never really got involved in a big way until moving to York County 6 years ago. After meeting my current wife her father introduced me to a 29 gallon tank that he was not using and the addiction started. Shortly thereafter I went to a meeting of the Aquarium Club of Lancaster County and started listening to the many members who were breeding many different species of fish. My first fish for breeding was a trio of Zoogoneticus tequila that I bought from Rit Forcier when he came to Lancaster on a speaking engagement. Goodeids and other unusual livebearers are still my favorites but I have also had several African Cichlids from Malawi, Tanganyika and Victoria as well as some Peacock Gudgeons (Tateurndina ocellicauda) and Bristle nose catfish. I got involved in information technology in 1988 and have worked in that field ever since. I am currently an employee of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the Department of Labor and Industry as a project manager. Because of my varied interest in different species of fish I was interested in and the cost of quality foods, I decided to explore the possibility of making a food that would meet the nutritional needs of many different species whether they be herbivores, omnivores or carnivores. Over the past 2 years I did a lot of research into the different ingredients that others used and checked into what different “difficult” or “special needs” fish needed. What I came up with is a food that is fairly easy to make, inexpensive, and nutritionally complete to serve as my main but not only food. I will explain the whys and hows of this ongoing project during this presentation.
August: Aug 29
Brian from brianstropicals.com and Stephan Tanner - Both of these fine speakers come to us from Ohio State University.
Brian is a Microbiology Professor at Ohio State University where he studies Salmonella genetics. His hobbies include raising tropical fish and poison dart frogs. He will be talking about disease avoidance and breeding wild betta species, including betta albimarginata, betta channoides, and betta brownorum. More background information on Brian can be found at his website Brian's Tropicals at www.brianstropicals.com
Stephan Tanner -- I have been an active fish keeper since the mid 1980s. Back in Switzerland where I was born, I got my first tropical fish tank when I was 14 years old, and the "tank fever" has since never left me. In fact, my interest in biology and nature pushed me to earn a master's degree in Behavioral Ecology and Molecular Biology (1995) and finally a Ph.D. in Human Molecular Genetics (1998). During my undergraduate years I also worked in the Spiezer Zoo, a nice local fish store with quality fish and great service. In the spring of 1998, I moved to Columbus, Ohio for a postdoctoral fellowship in Cancer Research with Albert de la Chapelle, M.D., Ph.D. at The Ohio State University. After four years I became a Research Scientist and since the fall of 2005, I am a Research Assistant Professor in Human Cancer Genetics in the Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology, and Medical Genetics at OSU.
As for my fascination with fish, a pivotal moment was when I went to a meeting of the German Barb, Tetra, Loach, and Catfish association VDA AK BSSW in 1992. I felt instantly comfortable among highly devoted specialists and became a member. In 1994, a new editor for the quarterly publication BSSW Report was needed and I held this position until the end of 2006. I occasionally travel to Germany for fish related meetings and to visit friends that I have made throughout the fabulous German hobbyist community.
Stephan Tanner
The origin of the Swiss Tropicals Limited Liability Company has a simple reason. I am setting up a large fish system with well over 100 tanks to properly house all the fish that I am interested in. And breeding - which is naturally the ultimate goal - produces lots of offspring that need a good home. Well, selling a few fish is not an issue but selling them by the hundreds would sooner or later bring the IRS or the state treasurer to my door step. To avoid any legal issues, I decided to set up a company that does proper business and pays taxes. In addition, I have valid US Fish and Wildlife Service and USDA import licenses that allow me to legally bring back fish and plants from my trips.
More info of Stephan can be found on his site, Swiss Tropicals at www.swisstropicals.com
SEPTEMBER: Sept 26
Bob Ventorini on "Changes in Fish Assemblages of Pittsburgh’s 3 Rivers"
“Bob Ventorini recently started working as a Fisheries Biologist 2 for the 3 Rivers Ecological Research Center at the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission’s office here in Pittsburgh. Last year, Bob started working for the Commission as a Fisheries Biologist 1 at the Fisheries Management Area 8 office located in Somerset. Bob earned a B.S. degree in Biology/Ecology from Penn State University (1995) and an M.S. degree in Biology/Fisheries from California University of Pennsylvania (2002). Previously, Bob worked as a Research Assistant while at Penn State (1990-1994); Watershed Coordinator for the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation in Greensburg (1995-1998); Assistant Project Manager for Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. in Pittsburgh (1998-2006); and Consulting Ecologist for Aquatic Systems, Inc. in Pittsburgh (2006-2007). Bob has performed freshwater fisheries surveys in lakes, streams, and rivers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, and New York. Bob and his wife Christine live in Verona near Allegheny river mile 10.”
October:Oct 24
John Melograna - Angelfish Husbandry Genetics and Tricks of the Trade - This is your chance to have any question answered about your Angelfish. John owns Mellow Aquatics, more info at www.mellowaquatics.com
Dates of regular
meetings in 2008: July 25, Aug 29, Sept 26, Oct 24, Nov 21.
The Board of Directors
meets at 7:00 p.m. at Elmer's in Monroeville on these dates: July 14,
Aug 11,
Sept 8,
Oct 6,
Nov 3,
Dec 8.
Benefits
of Membership
For
$20 a year, our members get a monthly newsletter; monthly meetings with
great speakers, a raffle, and a members' auction; two huge public auctions;
special events and opportunities; use
of our library of reference books; discounts at local stores; and other
goodies.
Want
to become a member? Contact Membership Secretary
or visit the membership form page (you
will need free Acrobat
Reader to view it), fill it out, print it, and mail it with a check
or money order for $20 to
GPASI
PO Box 22452
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-0452
Auctions
We have an auction
every month at our regular meeting. We also have a big public auction
each fall and spring.
Members--and guests
who have signed in--are welcome to participate as buyers or sellers.
Sellers
Double bag your fish
in proper fish bags (not Ziplock bags or Baggies): You can buy bags from
your local fish store or from GPASI members. Air should fill and inflate
about 2/3 of the bag. The first bag should be inverted and then placed
in the outer bag. This will prevent fish from getting trapped in a corner
since the second bag will bend over the corners of the inner bag. Secure
each of the bags with a rubber band or knot.
It's always a good
idea to bring a few extra bags in case one leaks.
Please mark your
bags clearly in waterproof ink with this information: name, phone number,
scientific name of fish, common name (if applicable), number of fish in
bag, and your seller's code (your three initials plus the number of the
bag--starting at one and proceeding sequentially). You may also note any
other relevant information (for example, gender). Equipment must state
whether it is in good working order or if it needs repair.
You must also submit
a seller's form (see below) that lists your contact information, your
bags, their codes, and the contents.
Download
a seller's form for a GPASI auction
(either our regular meeting auctions or our big Fall and Spring auctions).
You can type your information directly into this form or print it out
and complete it by hand.
Please note that the program that made the original form into a typable
form also altered the GPASI logo. A small price to pay for legibility
and convenience!
Back
to Top
Questions
or Problems? Contact
. |
