Pete
and Sue's Wet Pets
We are Pete and Sue Scimeca, two tropical fish hobbyists who love
to raise and sell top quality freshwater angelfish. Long time members of
a local general species fish club called Green
Water Aquarist Society of Chicagoland Sue has been club
vice president in the past,
and we are now both current board members plus publicity chairperson.
Over the years we
have won several awards and in 1997 Sue was awarded GWAS member of
the year.
Our current "fish room", a spare bedroom, holds a maximum of 17 tanks
, the largest being
55 gallons. Because of space restrictions we must be very selective
in what we keep and
breed. Not only do we breed angelfish, but often, if space allows,
breed Rainbowfish as
well as various species of Dwarf South American Cichlids with a occasional
Killifish
thrown in for good measure.
The hobby is one that we both find enjoyable. Pete has taken on the
responsibility tank maintenance while Sue enjoys the job of livestock manager.
This seems to work very well and shows in the over all health of our fish.
Pete finds keeping our tanks maintained relaxing while
I can practice my "motherly" skills feeding and raising the fry of
our various fish to adulthood
and ultimately sold to beautify other hobbyists aquariums.
"Quality not quantity" is our motto here. We set high standards
for ourselves and stick to them.
In our "spare" time, outside of fish keeping, we ocassionally camp and
Pete dabbles in building and repairing computers while I spend time searching
for the allusive favorite old book. Our home is also inhabited by five
cats, four of which are Siamese..my first love and the light of my life.
Bred and raised here, I actively showed this breed in CFA from 1990-1995.
The cats on occasion "tank sit" on top of the aquarium hoods to keep warm
or actively hunt the Kuhli loaches in our larger community tanks.
And finally but not by any means last we are also full time grandparents
to one highly active and quite chatty four yr old granddaughter.
As you can see our lives are very full. (G)
Freshwater Angelfish
Most people who have kept at least one freshwater tank in their lifetimes
are familiar with the beautiful Angelfish. This fish is a member of the
Cichlid family and is found wild in the Amazon River in South America.
Its thin, narrow body with high finage allows it to drift in and about
various plants and submerged logs with ease. The stripes found on the wild
Angelfish's body help to break up its shape and allow it to "melt" into
the background, allowing it to perform the ideal "disappearing" act, the
perfect camouflage.
Once introduced into the hobby back in the 1930's the Angelfish has
evolved into something more than just a "stripped" fish. Through selective
breeding a virtual rainbow of colors and finage have been produced . There
is standard or veil tail finage, regular scaling or the beautiful look
of diamonds in the Pearl scale scaling. Marble, gold, koi, halfback, black,
smokeys, blues, albinos, and chocolates are just a few of the colors found
today but the original silver coloration can still be found.
Robust and healthy, Angelfish are hardy and can live a long life in
a well maintained tank. With good nutrition some can even reach the size
of a grown mans palm . Somewhat aggressive (true to their Cichlid heritage)
they still make good community tank fish as long as much smaller fish,
such as neons, are not present. Always popular and unbeatable for beauty
and grace, the Angelfish is still in my opinion the "king of aquarium fish".
Joining a Tropical Fish club
Have you ever found yourself wanting to produce that all time spectacular
freshwater aquarium but have never been -quite- able to make it work? Ever
found yourself gazing longingly at a Pet Store display tank and wonder
"How in the heck they did that so well??" Than maybe its time to better
educate yourself and improve your chances of attaining that goal by joining
a club.
What better way to widen your knowledge on Tropical Fish keeping than
from a collective group of long time experienced hobbyists. Members who
are usually more than willing to help by giving you the tips learned from
their own past experiences. This information can be beneficial to both
the beginner and the advanced hobbyist.
Not only are clubs informative but great ways to meet new friends and
get your family involved in good wholesome family fun.
At most meetings there is a educational program of at least one hour
devoted to a speaker, a video presentation, a slide show, or a question
and answer period on a topic pertaining in someway to tropical fish. Monthly
bowl shows in which members show off their prized fish are held and meetings
usually end with a mini raffle of donated supplies and a mini auction of
members locally raised surplus fish and plants. Also available is a club
library containing a wide assortment of materials on various aspects of
the aquarium hobby. Members can check out the books and return them at
the next meeting. Our club also hosts several open activities intended
to promote the hobby. We host an all species fish show which is open to
the public and twice yearly we hold a all species auction in which members
and non-members buy and sell fish, plants and equipment.
Got your attention now? Really peaked your interest?? Say you don't
know where to find one in your area?? Try looking in the back of most Tropical
Fish magazines for a societies column listings or do a search on the Internet
with one of the more powerful search engines.
The cost for joining is minimal and I am sure most fairly large towns
have one club nearby. None in your area?? Well then, why not start one!!
Need help?...try contacting GWAS web site listed below.
Papiliochromis
ramirezi copyright sue scimeca 1998 
Email comments to: gdpn11b@prodigy.com
Green Water Aquarist
Society General specie Chicago based Tropical fish club
Randy Carey's
fish room Minnesota Tropical fish hobbyist
The Krib web site Page
for information concerning Apistogrammas species
Siamese Internet Cat Club
A on-line club devoted to promoting the love of Siamese cats
Large Clown Loaches
Male Koi Angelfish Male Marble
Angelfish
*** See our other webpage on our first love, Siamese
cats***