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Updated January 9, 2010
GOOD NEWS! We are
continuing our policy that when your club rents one of
the shorter video programs (less than 30 minutes) at the
regular fee of $15.00 it may have a second one at no
extra charge. This should provide a program of approx.
40 min. (appropriate for most clubs) for the $15.00 fee.
If you would like to request any of the programs listed
below please download the request form
here
and e-mail it to
Udo Rohmann.
CAOAC Video Programs in Review
One of the best kept secrets of the CAOAC Program
Department is the "FISH HEALTH MANAGEMENT" series of
videos produced by the University of Florida. This
series of 6 videos - (CV 37 to CV 42) - start with fish
basics and cover water quality, nutrition, parasites,
bacteria and treatments. The production and photography
are of professional quality and the information is
accurate and meaningful for a wide range of hobbyists.
I would suggest that you start with the first 2 volumes
and plan to include the others over the course of the
next year or so. You'll be doing your members a favour.
If possible the program person should preview these
videos and make a few notes since technical information,
no matter how clearly presented, may not be retained
after just one viewing. You may want to stop and back up
for another look where requested.
CV 24 - "Introduction to
FISHKEEPING" by Allen Brelig
35 minutes in length
Video quality - better than most. While the audio is
clear, a lot of information about the nitrogen cycle,
the nature of pH and the relationships between habitat
and stress is covered fairly rapidly. Beginners may have
trouble following and retaining the information unless
it is followed up by a discussion and/or a summarizing
handout. (Personally I question advice to "change
one-fifth of the water every month" especially without
reference to the size of the tank or the bio-load but
this could be handled during the discussion.) In my
opinion this is not as good a program as the Fish Health
Management Series (cv 37 - cv 42) but they would require
at least 3 meetings whereas this one compresses a lot of
the basic advice into 35 minutes.
CV 33 - "Fish Fanatics and Guppy
Guys" - by John Acorn approx. 30 minutes
Basic hobby information in a very entertaining format.
Very popular. Needs no follow-up discussion. I would
recommend it as a stand alone program when you need
something fairly short. It is unique among CAOAC
programs and wouldn't fit with any other. If many of
your members haven't seen it on TV then plan for it by
all means.
CV 15 - "Cichlids, Angels, Discus
and Africans" - by Video Savant
45 - 50 minutes
For a club looking for something a little different on
cichlids this would make an interesting choice. Don't be
fooled by the introduction that makes it look for a
moment like it's going to be about salt water fish. The
over-simplifying voice-over at the beginning may also
create a poor impression but what makes this video
worthwhile is the hobbyist sequences. There's good
coverage of a technique for collecting the developing
babies from a mother Duboisi's mouth (buccal cavity);
some neat footage of the courtship of a beautiful pair
of Kribensis; pairs of discus spawning and feeding their
babies and some lovely sequences of unusual strains of
marble veil angels spawning and tending their young. If
your club's breeding program is flagging, this one
should inspire some renewed efforts.
CV 35 "Garden Pond Basics" by
Lotus Land Pictures (1994) 35 minutes in length. A comprehensive guide to garden ponds with information
about Koi, Goldfish, Catfish, Filters, Fountains, Breeding and Planting a Water Garden. Video quality is
very good. This video doesn't get into the details of actual pond construction in any real depth but its
photography of various types of splendidly designed ponds could inspire the viewer. More detail is shown on
stocking, planting and maintaining ponds. It has good
entertainment value as well as some important
information and might be a good starting program for a
membership that has indicated an interest in 'ponding'
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CV 34 "The Wonder of Water
Gardens" by Harrowsmith Country Life with assistance
from Picovs 60 minutes in length.
A rather detailed step by step guide to the construction
and maintenance of an in ground pond. Video quality is
good with only slight loss of detail from the copying
process. This video gets into the details of
construction of a pond and waterfall. Pretty much every
aspect is covered with good information delivered with
touches of humour. The advice is practical and
realistic. (For example, the narrators mention that some
people dig their ponds first and then come to the store
to buy the needed liner, pump, filter, etc. When they
find out the cost, some have gone home and filled in the
hole.) This is a useful, entertaining video. Its only
serious drawback may be its length.
CV 19 "Introduction to Water
Gardening" by William Tricker Inc.
45 minutes in
length
A detailed guide to choosing plants, planting water
lilies, etc., preparing for fish and adding them,
introducing scavengers and fertilizing. Video quality is
quite good. The key word in this video is 'detailed'
especially the major part which deals with types and
colours of water lilies and how to pot them and other
plants for your pond. The entertainment value is lower
because of the very organized and slow paced
presentation but it is very informative. A drawback is
the degree to which it constantly plugs Tricker products
to exclusion of all others.
CV 20 "How to build a Water
Garden" by William Tricker Inc.
45 minutes in
length
A detailed step by step illustration of the construction
of an in ground pond. This video shows the process of
planning, laying out, digging, lining and edging a pond
in great detail. The pace is much slower and less
entertaining than, for example, CV 34 but each step of
the recommended procedure is carefully demonstrated. I
would hesitate to recommend this for a general meeting
program unless you have a group of hobbyists that are
seriously about to embark on the installation of such a
pond.
CV 1 “Private Life of the Siamese
Fighting Fish” & “Reproduction Cycle of the Angel”
56 minutes
This video represents the transfer and combination of
two 16 mm films. The films were both excellent but over
their lifetime they experienced some deterioration and
damage due to wear and tear. Further losses in video and
audio quality resulted from the process of transferring
to tape. As a result this video is only poor to fair in
quality but it has some beautifully photographed
breeding sequences of both Bettas and Angels. Its length
might be another drawback. Perhaps at some point it
could be edited down to a more reasonable length, while
removing some of the weaker parts.
CV 5 “Fish Nutrition” & “The
Cichlid Aquarium” - produced by Tetra
35 minutes
in total
These videos are made up of still pictures and in some
cases the flashing back and forth from speaker to
subject can be distracting. The video and audio quality
is quite good. “Fish Nutrition” is approx. 13 minutes in
length. It consists of simple, basic information which
is well organized and presented in point form with some
fish pictures interspersed. (Tetra foods a featured.)
“The Cichlid Aquarium” runs for approx. 22 minutes and
is mainly narrated by Paul Loiselle. It consists of a
slide presentation with good basic information about
what constitutes a cichlid, methods of breeding and ways
of coping with aggression. There are numerous plugs for
Tetra products. (Note: These videos were made back in
1986 and do not reflect recent changes in nomenclature.)
CV 18 - "Atlas of Killifish Vol. I
and II"
This video tape consists of a great many identification
slides of killifish. The only information given verbally
with each slide is the scientific name of the fish. This
could be very useful to a hobbyist researching exactly
which population of, say bivittatum he/she has but
would, I think, become very boring for a general
audience. (Unfortunately, the names given don't reflect
the latest taxonomic changes in some cases.)
CV 8 to 14
contain 13
programs of the Aquatic Maestro featuring Paul Speice.
(sponsored by Mardel)
In general they contain good information on a wide
variety of aquatic topics. The video is fair to good, (some losses in the copying process), and the audio is
quite good. Paul is, as always, an interesting, well-informed speaker calling upon about 45 years of
fish hobbyist experience. The main weakness in the series is a tendency in some of the segments, (most
noticeable in the Cichlid program), for the camera to treat Paul as a ‘talking head’ at times when it should.
(in my opinion), be focussed on what he is talking about. There are, however many good sequences, (real
video -- not slides), from his own tanks as well as a
variety of different locations, (other hobbyists, pet
stores, wholesalers, fish farms and public aquariums). These are all taped TV broadcasts and, except for CV 14
“Trickle Filter”, each tape has 2 programs running for
approx. 45 - 50 min. in total. Here are some brief
comments on each program:
CV 8
# 1 “Equipment and set up”
Among other related things this deals with tanks and how
they are made, research and development of filters, how
to pick an aquarium and Paul demonstrates the set up of
an undergravel filter. # 2 “Set up and Water Quality” -
This program continues the set up, adding water, heaters
and how to adjust them, tank furnishings etc. plus
adding the fish -- Livebearers are recommended.
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CV 9
# 3 “Feeding, Food and Nutrition”
This program is largely an advertisement for Aquarian
food. It contains a longish segment in which Dr. David
Ford discusses how and why he developed a variety of
foods (Aquarian) for Mardel.
# 4 “The Fish”
The CAOAC
binder says Livebearers but there is no special
information about that group here. Paul deals with the
diversity of forms in fishes, both externally in terms
of types of scales, spines, barbels, eyes, etc. and
their functions, and internally in terms of the skin,
mucus, lateral line, etc. Lots of useful basic
information about fish in general.
CV 10
(an odd combination
of programs)
# 5 “Saltwater”
(Very good
video of a variety of salt water fish and
invertebrates.) This program deals with creating and
testing the water and stresses the importance of not
overfeeding saltwater creatures which are very sensitive
to toxins in the water. Information is presented on the
substrate and the nitrogen cycle.
# 6 “Barbs and Tetras”
This
program does a good job of pointing out the differences
in the nutritional needs and oxygen requirements of
these two groups of fish which are rather similar in
outward appearance. It has important ideas for those
wishing to set up a community tank of such fish.
CV 11
# 7 “Disease”
Paul
emphasizes the importance of preventive maintenance,
minimizing stress and creating conditions in tanks that
favour fish health. (Good Water Quality) The parasitic
relationship is discussed and the importance of correct
diagnosis, (charts and literature), is stressed.
# 8 “Gouramis”
This program
provides general information about the Gouramis of Asia
with some mention of those from Africa. A discussion of
the importance and meaning of scientific names for fish
is included.
CV 12
# 9 “Live Plants”
This
program deals with the conditions for good growth and
methods of reproduction in aquatic plants. It touches on
algae control and outlines methods of providing what
different plants need. (Good video information on
various plant specimens.)
# 10 “Catfish and the Bottom Gang”
Paul deals with the importance of mouth type and
position in determining feeding preferences as well as
the function of barbels, spines and eye position. He
discusses various adaptations in catfish and loaches and
reminds us of the importance of hiding places and
determining how to insure that they get appropriate
food, where and when they can eat it.
CV 13
#11 “Cichlids” Good information
about these fish but the ‘talking head’
video
approach is more of a problem with this program. Paul
discusses factors and behaviours involved in aggression
in a cichlid tank. He deals with the importance of
territories and gives breeding tips.
#12 “The Aging Aquarium”
Here Paul outlines some of the changes that take place
as an aquarium ages: water quality and the importance of
avoiding pollution by testing -- especially for unseen
pollutants such as ammonia; the mix of fish --
especially important as they grow and reach sexual
maturity and the importance of finding a good reliable
pet store. ( Paul includes his famous poem about fish
excrement.) Other, more subtle changes such as dimming
fluorescent lights, clogging air stones, etc. are
mentioned.
CV 14
# 13 “Trickle Filter”
approx. 25 min. (This program might logically have been
combined on the tape with the Saltwater program.) Here
Paul outlines the conditions for salt water success:
lots of light, water movement, good nutrition and
excellent filtration. He uses a trickle filter to
describe its stages and operation in the process of
obtaining optimal water quality. Enough information is
given to whet the appetite of those who will settle for
nothing less than a reef tank. (Good photography of a
number of popular saltwater fishes -- especially the
Tangs.)
NOTE: It should be kept in mind that,
although these programs come 2 to a tape, it is up to
the discretion of the club program chair whether to show
just one or both and, if there is sufficient interest,
some recombining of programs could be undertaken. For
example Saltwater with Trickle Filter, Barbs and Tetras
with Gouramis, Disease with the Aging Aquarium, etc.
CV 26
"Freshwater Fundamentals" the beginners guide by
Coralife 30 minute (approx.)
Excellent video quality, covers all the basics:
- Fish anatomy
- Nitrogen cycle
- Oxygen
- Water quality
- Light and temperature
- Set up and design
- Food choices
- Basics of disease & treatment.
Recommendation: Good program for beginners and a useful
review for the rest of your members.
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CV 36 "Advanced Koi Keeping"
By Coral Life 50 minutes
Good video quality. This video opens with scenes of
Japan & Japanese water gardens. It shows how to avoid
stress in koi eg. Hiding places. There is good
information on common infestation -- lice, anchor worms,
etc. as well as useful treatments for fungal and
bacterial infections. (Preventive methods are
emphasized.) The last section shows many quality koi and
show winners. Recommendation: This video will have
special appeal for those interested in ponds and koi but
much of what is discussed has applications for tropical
fish as well.
Some programs are not presently available:
CS 4 - a slide program on Killies of Africa
CS 12 - a slide program on Fish Defences
CS 23 - a slide program - CAOAC fish quiz #2
CS 25 - a slide program on Breeding Cichlids by Peter
Lewis
CS 37 - a slide program - Terry's Fish Quiz by Terry
Little
CV 23 - a video program - Cichlids of the World.
If you know anything that might help us recover any of
the above programs please contact
Udo Rohmann
by
e-mail.
Please
note: Program CS 8 - Tropical Fish in Holland - is being
withdrawn from the active distribution list due to its
deteriorated state.
CAOAC Slide Programs In Review
Among the best of CAOAC's slide programs are those
prepared for us by Dr. Peter Lewis of FAMA fame. I would
recommend any of the following as useful, informative
programs which are well worth the $15 rental fee.
CS 20 - General Fishkeeping
50 slides with tape or script - 54 minutes in length,
(Script is potentially much shorter depending on the
amount of discussion). This program covers the major
groups of fish with the emphasis on good beginner fish
and might prove to be a good starting place for Dr.
Lewis's programs.
CS 18 - Advanced
Fishkeeping 50 slides with tape - approx. 50
minutes in length. This is an interesting program with
good slides and audio. It concentrates on the more
challenging fish.
CS 21 - Cichlids
of the World 50 slides with tape - (53 min.) or
script - (shorter depending on discussion). This is a
good general survey of cichlids (excluding the Rift
Lakes). Remember that some name changes have been
proposed since this program was made.
CS 24 - Rift
Valley Cichlids 60 slides with tape - 40 minutes
in length. This one is a nice introduction to Rift Lake
cichlids. (It doesn't, of course, include recent name
revisions and won't confuse some of us old timers.)
CS 29 -
Characins 52 slides with tape - (40 min.) or
script. This program provides a good basic survey of the
Characin family. (Note: a few slides need to be
replaced.)
CS 19 - Catfish
49 slides, (slide 50 is missing), with tape - 45 minutes
in length. This is a good survey of the various types of
catfish.
CS 17 - Botias,
loaches, eels and sharks 49 slides with tape -
(60 min.) or script. This program has excellent
information and slides. (A script is now available which
will reduce the time to 40 min. or less.)
CS 26 - Fishy
Trivia 60 slides with tape - 40 minutes in
length. This is an entertaining program in the area
which became Dr. Lewis's speciality. (His Fishy Trivia
column appears in FAMA magazine each month.) As always,
club program chairs should obtain these programs in time
to preview them before their meetings. Decisions can
then be made as to the best way to present the program
with the particular audience in mind.
CS 43 “Community
#3" by FAAS
63 slides 27 min. in length
Script - no tape. This program has a misleading name.
Starting as it does with an excellent slide of an
Anableps anableps, and continuing with many unusual
species including some large and belligerent ones, you
soon reach the conclusion that very specialized
communities, (sometimes communities of 1 fish), are
being considered. The program keeps mainly to common
names which will appeal to some and the quality of the
slides varies greatly from very good to only fair but
includes some unusual fish such as the leaf fish and the
butterfly fish. I think that club members, particularly
novice fish keepers, (its target), might find this
program interesting.
CS 34 “Wild
Forms of Livebearers” from the ALA
44 slides
Short program - probably about 30 minutes
Script - no tape. This program consists of slides of
less common livebearing fish such as halfbeaks,
goodeids, limias, etc. The slides are from the ALA and
should help with identification and stimulate interest
in the great variety of livebearing fish that exist.
Information about size, gestation period, food needs
etc. is included in the script. Although this program
doesn’t take the place of a knowledgeable speaker with
some good slides, it could serve to provide valuable
information in a short program package when such a
speaker is unavailable. Keep it in mind if you get
requests for information about livebearers other than
guppies, swords and platies.
CS -11 Aquarium
Plants 40 slides Approx. 30 min. in length
Audio tape. This slide program deals with the
identification, cultivation and propagation of common
aquarium plants. The quality of most of the slides is
surprisingly good. Most of the specimens shown and
described are still available but there are many more
that have been discovered since this program was made.
For example it naturally contains no examples of the
Anubias genus. There may also have been some changes in
nomenclature since that time. (I don't consider myself
knowledgeable enough about plants to judge the accuracy
of the scientific names used.) Much of the information
is still valid and the sequence on propagating
Aponogeton seeds is particularly good. My recommendation
is that one or more of our aquatic plant specialists
should review this program; make recommendations for
changes to names and information where they see fit, and
point out where slides could be added to make it more
complete and up-to-date.
CS -30 Spawning
and Raising the Brown Discus by Ted Kretz
46
slides Approx 30 min. (depending on how long you pause
to admire each beautiful slide).
Script - no tape. This beautiful program is really a
photo essay of a successful spawning by a pair of Brown
Discus. Ted is a masterful photographer and he had
access to processing techniques unavailable to most of
us. You get to follow the process in detail, often with
masking effectively used to focus your attention. I
can't imagine a true fish lover that wouldn't be
inspired by this gem of a program. My recommendation: If
you need a short, lovely, slide program that will get
your members thinking that maybe they should try Discus
again -- go for this one.
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CS 35 "Our Pond"
by Karl & Denise Schwarze of Hamilton
The
construction of a garden pond 122 slides
Script only. This program consists of a beautifully
photographed pond project from beginning to satisfying
end. All the details are covered but in an entertaining
manner with flashes of humour. (I'll bet by now Karl
wishes he'd used 45 mil instead of 15 mil liner.) 122 is
a lot of slides but their quality combined with a script
which makes it possible to move along fairly quickly
easily overcomes any problems with length. I highly
recommend this beautiful program to any club where an
interest in ponds has been expressed.
CS 45 "Preparing
Your Own Driftwood" - by Douglas King Sr.
38
slides Approx. 10 min. in length
Audio tape and script. This slide program on how to
prepare your own Driftwood, was created and donated by
Douglas King Sr. and was delivered to CAOAC through the
good offices of Ray Lucas. I find it to be excellent. It
takes the viewer through all the steps of collecting and
preparing driftwood in a very logical manner. The
photographs are first rate and the tape/script is clear
and informative. It would provide a good mini program
and could possibly be combined with another short CAOAC
program.
Rules for Program Rentals
Applications for program rentals should be mailed with
the CAOAC Order Form, (available in the binder), signed
by your club/society president or program chairperson
and the appropriate fee enclosed (cheque or postal money
order) made PAYABLE TO the Canadian Association of
Aquarium Clubs. (Some banks
don't like abbreviations.) Rush requests for programs
will be accepted by telephone and/or e-mail, subject to
availability. Special Delivery may incur additional
costs. The CAOAC Order Form and fee should be sent ASAP.
Programs can be reserved in advance as the "first come -
first served" rule applies. Make any post dated cheques
payable for the 1st of the month prior to your meeting.
Programs will be mailed First Class to arrive five days
before your meeting date (whenever possible) and should
be returned to CAOAC within five days after the meeting,
(unless special arrangements have been made). Programs
being returned should be well packed and mailed First
Class, or delivered personally, for example, at a CAOAC
meeting. Remember, another club/society may be eagerly
awaiting the same program.
For slide programs being mailed back, CAOAC recommends
the purchase of postal insurance to a coverage of $100
to protect your liability to CAOAC in case of loss.
Clubs/Societies may be held accountable for the late
return of a program unless special arrangements have
been made ($1 per day max.) and for any wilful
destruction of part or all of a program. Normal wear and
tear arising from normal use is expected, however any
damaged or missing portions of a program should be
indicated when the program is returned. Remember that
videos and tapes should be allowed to warm up to room
temperature when brought in from your car in winter.
Clubs/Societies in arrears of fees shall be assessed the
cost of letters and phone calls required to remind them.
Programs will not be available to Clubs/Societies in
arrears of fees or fines. No program or part thereof may
be reproduced by any means without the written consent
of CAOAC.
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TARIFFS |
MEMBER CLUBS |
NON MEMBER CLUBS |
|
CAOAC slide programs |
$15.00 |
CALL |
|
CAOAC video
programs * |
$15.00 |
CALL |
*In the case of short videos of
less than 30 minutes a club may obtain 2 for the $15 fee
in order to provide a program of reasonable length.
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