March 28th, 2015

On Saturday, March 28th, 2015 the NJAGC held a meeting at Carrie’s home in Glendora, NJ.

In attendance were:

NJAGC President Jerry Smith called the meeting to order at 11am by welcoming first time attendees and our new members. He thanked and acknowledged Darek for his incredible efforts in revamping our website. Jerry provided information regarding his well received speaking engagement at JSAS in March and upcoming presentation at NJAS in April.  Jerry discussed the upcoming AGA convention outside of Washington DC, April 9-11th, 2015.

Jerry spoke about our recent efforts to purchase a Club banner for use at external events. Frank suggested purchasing the banner at  Staples.

Carrie provided detailed specifications for her stunning 75 gallon Planted Discus tank:

Carrie’s pampered “PET” Discus are her pride and joy. Six delicate specimens are the focal point of a beautiful aquatic garden. The dominant pair spawn frequently and everyone is patiently awaiting viable fry. Carrie believes the outcome would be more successful if the aquarium was bare bottomed, thus enabling the pair to see wigglers as they obtain motility.

Her rigorous maintenance schedule includes CO2 injection and 40-60% water changes every 3 days, with Prime as a water conditioner. Filtration is provided by a Fluval 405 canister which is cleaned monthly.  Lighting is comprised of 2 Finnex LED fixtures. Carrie conveyed a detailed explanation of the necessity for Discus to have clean, fresh water. If optimal water parameters are not provided, Discus are prone to illness. Their health can rapidly deteriorate with a lapse in maintenance. Her Discus are finicky eaters. They will only accept blood worms and beef heart.

Additional occupants in Carrie’s tank include Apogonigidae, Corydoras sterbai, Dicrossus filamentosus and Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis.

This layout features a standard triangular scape; cascading from the top right corner to the bottom left.  The most striking impact is created by well placed Cryptocoryne Wendtii ‘Bronze’. When viewed from a distance, the Cryptocoryne radiate an ethereal violet hue, further accentuated from dappled shade provided by gracefully swaying Vallisneria.

During our traditional plant swap, every member had their choice from a vast array of species.

On behalf of NJAGC, We wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to Carrie as our gracious host and for the DELICIOUS BBQ!

Thank you to our members for your attendance and ongoing support. We look forward to our next meeting in May.