October 2009 Message from the BAP Chair

Hail, fellow fish breeders! What follows is, one hopes, the first of a monthly series of news and events that will keep you all abreast of the state of the BAP. This month's memo includes all the changes that came about from parsing 20 years of data from the prior BAP run, so it is hoped that future posts will be much shorter.

News

We have a new BAP Committee Member: Terri Vance is joining our jocular gang in steering this ship. That fills up the BAP Committee (Myself, Dave Snell, Mike Kaiser, Gerry Hoffman, and Terri Vance. Sherry's got a vote too.)

Awards

We have a new Breeder! Jen Williams has made her first 50 points by breeding the Honey Blue-Eyes (sounds like an exotic dancer, doesn't it?) Pseudomugil mellis. This is an endangered species, so it is hoped that we can get a couple of folks maintaining populations. Gerry Hoffman and Ron Leftwich are also on the cusp of getting to the first (and indeed the second) level.

Prior BAP records

The BAP committee has voted on accepting the Prior BAP records, and come to the following decisions:

1. All points substantiated by a BAP form in the old records will be accepted. So will the one spawn for which I have an email demonstrating that the fish was bred and points awarded.
2. If you have BAP forms from the prior run where the initial spawning report (for category 1) or check (for 2-6) was done, and a Spawning report for any Category 2 or higher fish, they will be accepted.
3. There are a couple of folks that have a ton of points but whose records apparently went missing. Given that one of these folks was running second in the BAP, I will work with them to generate a list of species that will match their published level and point total.
4. Once I have gotten the lists from those people, I will be positing the revised standings here.

Current BAP Standings:

JT Thomas: Breeder - 120 Points Awarded, 70 Pending
Jen Williams: Breeder - 50 Points Awarded, 0 Pending*
Cecilia Allman & Ron Leftwich: 20 Points Awarded, 145 Pending
Gerry Hoffman: 30 Points Awarded, 60 Pending
Robert Peterson: 0 Points Awarded, 60 Pending
Sherry Mitchell: 20 Points Awarded, 15 Pending
Rick & Mary Dotson: 0 Points Awarded, 25 Pending
Susan Findely: 10 Points Awarded, 0 Pending

* Note that Jen has a proposal to bump Ps. mellis to category 2, so she may get another 5 points.

If all pending points pan out, JT and Ron & Cecilia should make Intermediate this year, and Gerry & Rob should make breeder. (Though Gerry will get a massive lift from the prior run)

Rules Changes

• All fish must be reported on the forum, to bap@pvas.com, or directly to me within 10 days of first detection of free swimming fry. If you can count them, that's good to know. If you can't, report them anyway - it may turn out that you have more than you think.
• For Categories 1, 2, and 3, there is no need for an additional check until the end of the growout period. (2 & 3 used to require an in person check).
• Categories 4, 5, and 6 still require an initial in person check of the fry, but this can be done within 21 days of free swimming (still need to report them within 10 days, unless they're also checked within 10 days.)
• Spawning Summaries: For Categories 2 & 3, if there is a Spawning Summary on the PVAS website for that species, and it is 5 years old or less, the Spawning Summary is waived. (Categories 4, 5, and 6 still require a spawning summary, either written or a short presentation at a meeting.)
• Checkers: BAP checkers are no longer a separate category - Any PVAS member eligible to participate in the BAP may check spawns for any other member not of their household.

Point Cateogory Changes

• Common Domestic Livebearers: Swordtails, Platies, and Short and Sailfinned Mollies are now eligiable for award points separately from their wild forms. e.g. Wild Green Swordtails, Xiphophorus helleri are distinct from say, Red Wag Swordtails from Petco, and the latter is designated Xiphophorus sp. "Domestic Swordtail". The reasoning is that those four fish are hybridized all to heck to get all those pretty colors. Also, Lyretail Mollies can be categorized as Poecilia sp. "Domestic Shortfinned Molly" or P. sp. "Domestic Sailfinned Molly" at the breeder's discretion.
• There is now a Cichlid II catchall in category 2 for specific Cichlid species as bumped up from Category 1. Currently Cyprichromis leptosoma and Paracyprichromis nigripinnis are the only species included (though all of the tribe Cyprichomini, a group of peleigic LakeTanganyika Mouthbrooders, are included and will be listed as spawned.)
• Miscellaneous Catfish have been moved from Category 3 to Category 4. All members of the Family Callichthyidae, including Corydoras, remain in Category 3.
• All Pike Cichlids, Crenicichla spp., are promoted to their own catchall in Category 4.
• Based on the presentation at the August meeting, Discus are separated into two catgeories each eligible as a single species: Wild Discus remain Category 5. This is an F1 or F2 spawn from P0 or F1 parents only, and this should be listed as Symphysodon sp."Wild" . All other discus are considered Symphysodon sp. "Domestic", and are demoted to category 4.
• Catfish in the genus Synodontis (UpsideDown Catfish, Cuckoo Catfish, Featherfin Catfish et al) Are moved to Category 5, and a catchall, Catfish V, is now in place to hold them and any other species that may be bumped up.
• Lake Tanganyika Killifish Lamprichthys tanganicanus is promoted to Category 5, and a new catchall, Killifish V, is now in place to hold them and any other killies promoted in the future.
• The Catchall for Checkerboard Cichlids in Category 5 now includes Taeniacara candidi as well as the two Dicrossus spp.
• In Category 5, Severum catchall, Gold Severums, Heros severus "Gold", are recognized as an Albino variety and separately eligable for award.
• All Freshwater Stingrays are now eligiable as Category 6. Tell Ron Leftwich what a mensch he is for breeding them.
• To stimulate folks to stretch their abilities, the following 3 catchalls are added to category 6: 1) Arowana and Arapima, 2) Mormyrids (Elephantnose fish and Baby Whales) and 3) Knifefish. I don't expect the first two to ever be used, but get cracking on the Knifefish. It can be done.

Proposals on the Table

• There is a proposal to promote Pseudomugil mellis (or the whole of Pseudomugilidae/nae) from Category 1 to Category 2, to join Glossolepis spp. in the Rainbowfish II catchall.
• There is also a proposal on the table to change the way that the award ranks are done. It's fairly complex, so email bap@pvas.com if you want details.

Alright, thats about it. I expect to have the new Rules Guide and Point Values list posted to the main site within a week or two, and the complete (more or less CMMI compliant) operating rules for the BAP will be available as well.

Happy breeding!