Y.A.T.F.S. BAP/SAP PROGRAM & RULES

ADOPTED APRIL 2006

BAP AWARD PROGRAM

RULES & CLASSES

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BAP AWARD PROGRAM

INTRODUCTION

This publication contains the latest revision of the rules and regulations concerning matters that are relevant to the Youngstown Area Tropical Fish Society’s Breeder Award Program. The rules were approved by the BOD and will take effect March 1st, 2006. All previous handbooks of the rules and regulations are made obsolete by this publication.

PURPOSE

The purposes of the Breeder’s Award Program are:

1.—To promote the keeping and breeding of aquarium fish.

2.—To recognize outstanding achievement in breeding aquarium fish. 3.—To encourage research in the spawning of the more difficult species. 4.—To make accounts of breeding success available to all club members. 5.—To distribute spawned species to fellow hobbyists.

ELIGIBILITY

All club members, except corresponding members, that hold “Good Standing” status Are eligible for the Breeder’s Award Program.

AWARD LEVELS

The program is made up of nine levels of competency. The levels and requirements are:

Breeder’s Award-50 points from categories 1 through 14.

Intermediate Breeder-100 points from categories 1 through 14.

Advanced Breeder-150 points from categories 1 through 14.

Master Breeder-200 points from categories 1 thru 14 plus spawning 3 species from 3 different categories on the difficult list or one target species.

Grand Master Breeder—All aforementioned requirements plus one species from the target list or an additional 3 species from the difficult list.

Jan 2014

Grand Master Level II—All aforementioned requirements plus either an additional target species or 3 additional difficult species.

Grand Master Level III-– aforementioned requirements plus either an additional target species or 3 additional difficult species.

Grand Master Level IV—All aforementioned requirements plus either an additional target species or 3 additional difficult species.

Grand Master Level V—All aforementioned requirements plus either an additional target species or 3 additional difficult species.

In no instance may the same species be used for requirements twice in this program.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Attainment of any of the levels achieved will be recognized in the Youngstown Aquarist and at the general meetings. Award certificates and/or plaques will be awarded as soon as possible at a

regular scheduled meeting.

REQUIREMENTS

1.—Points are awarded for proof of spawning fish in any of the 14 categories plus the target and difficult species. Points may be gained for the BAP only once in each category. Additional

points in any category will be listed as “running points” and in the SAP program.

2.—Successful spawning is defined as raising 10 fry to 60 days of age. The count begins with the hatch date. In the event that the fry are considered too delicate to survive transportation, a

member of the BAP Committee will verify the spawn at 60 days

3.—Eggs must be spawned from the breeder’s own fish and on his/her own premises and not obtained from another breeder and then hatched.

4.—All fry and parents must be maintained on the breeder’s premises until turned in on the program.

5.—The Breeder’s Award Program does not recognize crosses between two different species or hybrids.

6.—All fish are to be properly identified by the breeder if possible. If the genus and species is not known, the committee will assist in identifying the fish. Fish will not be awarded points

until identified.

7.—Mouth brooding cichlid eggs ( cat. 2 & 10) are considered hatched 7 days after the spawning date. Final verification would be 67 days after the spawning date.

8.—10 points will be awarded for each spawning of any species not covered in the primary program (goldfish, rainbow fish, koi, etc.).

9.—Following a successful spawning, it is the breeder’s own responsibility to see that his/her points are properly registered.

July­06

VERIFICATION OF SPAWNING

1.— For all categories, the spawning must be verified. This means proof of spawning and raising 10 fry to 60 days of age. Any spawning claim may be investigated at any time by the BAP chairperson or member of the committee. If visual inspection is refused within a 24-hour notice to any BAP committee member, points will not be awarded for said spawn.

2.— For all spawns, fish must be:

A.—Free of parasites or diseases.

B.—Free of deformities.

C.—Proper size for age and species of fish.

3.— The property of the breeder must be such that the health and safety of any committee person is not in jeopardy.

4.— For all 5 point categories proof of spawning and rearing 10 fry to 60 days of age can be made by any club member in good standing or at the regular membership meetings.

5.— For all 10 and 15 point categories, verification will be by bringing 10 fry to the next general membership meeting after they are 60 days of age. Verification will be made by the BAP chairperson or another committee member.

6.—For all 20 and 25 point categories verification is done by notifying a member of the BAP committee within 7 days of the spawning. The committee person can decide is a visit to the

breeding site is warranted.

7.—For 30 and 50 point categories a 7 day notice must be given to a member of the BAP committee. A visit to the breeding site is discretionary but visual verification of spawning conditions by a committee member is recommended. Should a spawning go unnoticed, the

breeder is to notify a BAP committee member as soon as he/she realizes there has been a spawning.

Jan 2014

REGISTRATION

1.—To register a spawning for the BAP program, the breeder must fill out a BAP registration form in duplicate to be ready for the verifier to sign. One copy will stay with the breeder,

and one to the BAP chairperson.

2.—The breeder must donate four fry or one pair ( if the sex of the fry can be determined) at the regular membership meeting. It is permissible to donate them at any one of the annual

auctions if the event is near the same date.

3.—For all 15 point categories and above, the breeder shall either submit a written report suitable for publishing that will be forwarded to the editor, or deliver a suitable report orally at a regular membership meeting. See the BAP chairperson to schedule oral report.

4.—Required signatures on a BAP registration form:

A.—One committee signature on any category 1 through 14 spawning.

B.—Two committee signatures on category 15 and 16 spawning.

C.—On spawning by the BAP chairperson or committee member, they may not verify

And sign their own registration form.

July 2015

CATEGORIES & POINT ALLOCATIONS

Category 1 5 Points Any species of livebearer except Half Beaks and Belonosox

Category 2 5 Points Any Mouth brooding cichlid not in Categories 9 & 10

Category 3 10 Points Any species of cichlid not in Categories 2, 9, 10 & 11.

Category 4 10 Points Any species of Danio or Brachydanio.

Category 5 10 Points Any species of Barb.

Category 6 10 Points Any mop­-spawning killifish that aren’t considered true annuals, except those on Category 15.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * report required from here on down * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Category 7	15 points	Any species of Anabantid except Chocolate Gouramis,
		Licorice Gouramies and Bettas.
Category 8	15 points	Any species of Betta except those listed in Categories 15 & 16
Category 9	15 points	Any species of Dwarf Cichlids.
Category 10	15 points	Any mouth brooding species endemic to the Rift Lakes
		and mouth brooding Geophagus species.
Category 11	20 points	Any species of Angelfish except Altum Angels.
Category 12	20 points	Any species of catfish except those listed in Categories 15 & 16
Category 13	25 points	Any species of killifish considered a true annual or bottom spawning
Category 14	25 points	Any species of Characin (Tetras).
Category 15	30 points	Any species from the difficult list.
Category 16	50 points	Any species from the target list.

DIFFICULT LIST

1.—Any species of Discus (Symphysodon) or Uaru.

2.—Neon Tetra or Cardinal Tetra.

3.—Any species of Hatchetfish (Gasteropelecidae). 4.—Kissing Gourami (Helostoma temminucki).

5.—Any species of Silver Dollars or Piranhas (Aserrasalmus, Rooseveltelia, Pygomcentrus,

Metrynnis, Mylosornma, or Mylopus).

6.—Any species of Rasboras.

7.—Any species of Puffer (Tetraondontidae).

8.—Any species of Whiptail catfish (Loricaria, rhinoloricaria, etc.) 9.—Butterflyfish (Pantodon buchholze).

10.—Any species of Leaffish except Polycentrus schomburgld (Monocirrhus, Polkycentrus,

Or Polycentropsis).

11.­ Any species of Glassfish (Centropomidae).

12.—Any species of Goby (Brachygobius). 13.—Four-eye (Anableps).

14.—Any species of Stickleback (Gasterosteidae).

15.—Spotted Headstander (Chilodus punctatus). 16.—Chocolate Gourami (Sphaerichthys osphromenoides). 17.—Oscars (Astronotus ocellatus).

18.—Altum Angels (Pterophyllum altum). 19.—Bristlenose Catfish.

20.—Any species of Pencilfish. 21.—Iatherina wemeri. 22.—Half Beaks. 23.—Belonosox.

24.—Betta brownorum, burdigala, coccina, foerschi, persephonae, macrostoma, rutilans, & tusryae 25.—Papillolebias bitter i & Spectolebias semiocellatus.

26.­­Spectolebias semicellatus

27.—Any “:Diapteron” Killie & Aphyosemion jergonsheeli. 28.—Any species of Darter.

29.—Pygmy Sunfish. 30.—Barbus Jae.

31.­­Ctenapoma Nanum, Ansorgeli 32.­­Hypseleotris compressea, cypriniudes, guentheri 33.­­Woodcats (south america)

34.­­Rivulas Madi 35.­­Non­designated species.

A difficult species of the breeder’s choice may be submitted for points. The breeder must submit a written request to the BAP committee for approval, which must be approved not less than 1 month prior to the spawn. The request must include the breeder’s reason why the species should be considered one of the difficult fish to spawn. This may be done only ONCE to complete the BAP program.

TARGET SPECIES LIST

1.—Red-tailed Shark (Labeo bicolor).

2.—Any species of Plecostomus.

3.—Any Botia Loach.

4.—Glass Catfish (Kryptoterus bicin-hus).

5.—Any species of Scats (Scatophagus).

6.—Any species of Monos (Monodactylus).

7.—Any species of Headstander except Chilodus punctatus.

8.—Any Oviparous fish found in saltwater>

In the case of Pipefishes or Seahorses the BAP chairperson must be notified with The receipt of the fish. A waiting period of 60 days will be observed before any Spawning will be considered. This is to ensure that the spawning actually Occurs in the breeder’s tank.

9.—Any species of Knifefish (Notopteridae, Xnomystus, etc.).

10.—Any species of Sturisoma.

11.—Silver Needlefish (Xenentodon cancila).

12.—Any species of Stingray.

13.—Any species of Flounder.

14.—Any species of Eel.

15.—Sculpins (Native & Tropical) 16.­­Brochis catfish

17.—­­Mud Skippers

18.­­—Baby whales & Elephant noses

19.­­—Mad Toms or any native catfish

20.­­—Synadontis any species

21.­­—Non­designated species

A target species of the breeder’s choice may be submitted for points. The breeder must submit a written request to the BAP chairman for approval, which must be approved not less than 1 month prior to the spawning. The request must include the breeder’s reason why the species should be considered in the Target Category.

BAP COMMITTEE

The BAP committee shall consist of at least three (3) members who are in good standing with the club. The Chairperson shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Board of Directors. The remaining members will be selected by the Chairperson and then approved by the BOD.

BAP COMMITTEE FUNCTION & AUTHORITY

The committee shall oversee and enforce all rules and regulations governing the BAP program. Among these are verifying spawns and awarding points to qualified breeders in a timely fashion, keeping proper records of spawns and awards, making proper awards to qualified members, presenting the results to the editor of the Youngstown Aquarist, reviewing the rules and regulations at least once each year f possible improvements, and reporting to the Board of Directors regularly.

Special rulings may be requested of the committee. Appeals to those rulings may be referred to the Board of Directors and may be modified by a two-thirds majority vote by the BOD.

Should the committee ever feel that certain changes may be advisable, they will adhere to the following procedure (No rules may be retroactive).

1.—A date for the changes or modifications will be chosen by the committee.

2.—The change(s) or modification(s) will be brought before the Board of Directors for their approval.

3.—If the BOD approves, the BAP rules must be published and distributed to the membership as soon as practical.

The BAP committee reserves the right to temporarily assign any fish not covered by the program rules to whichever class they feel it appropriate until such time as it can be given it’s rightful designation according to the steps outlined above. The points will not be awarded until the species is rightfully identified, but the spawning will be registered as a successful spawning.

When removing any species from the “Difficult” or “Target” lists, the BAP committee MUST replace it with at least one other species.

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

1.— The definition of “family” is outlined in the constitution (Article 3; Section C.).

2.— To avoid confusion, children within a family are encouraged to participate separately in the BAP program.

3.— Understanding that married couples or partners will often wish to participate in the BAP program jointly, YATFS has made the following provisions:

A.— in the event that two people, who are jointly engaged in the BAP program, should be separated by divorce, death, etc.:

1.—Each party will maintain the award level and total points equal to what they had previously earned together.

2.—In the event that the divorced couple remarries they may either:

a.—Continue the BAP program where they left off as a partnership, in which case their points accumulated after their dissolution will be null.

b.—They may choose to begin the BAP program anew as a couple in which case any points earned previously are forfeited.

4.— In the event a member leaves the club, his/her BAP points and standing will be reinstated at any time they choose to rejoin the club.

5.— Any member of the society who loses his/her rights as a member in good standing shall lose all points earned in the program. The points may be reinstated if that member again attains the status of “Member in Good Standing” with the Board of Directors and is cleared by the BAP committee.

6.— Spawns of the same fish turned in from the same household and submitted by another member of the family must be at least 30 days apart.

BREEDER OF THE YEAR

Effective with the year 2003, a Breeder of the Year award will be given. The criteria for this award is as follows.

1.­­One point will be given for every spawn from Category 1 through 14, and 17, turned in during the calendar year.

2.­­Two points will be given for each “Difficult” species turned in during the calendar year.

3.­­Three points will be given for each “Target” species turned in during the calendar year.

4.­­The “Breeder of theYear” will be determined be the simple addition of all the points earned from the above rules. The award will be presented at the next scheduled meeting.

The BAP Committee wishes to have the Breeder of the Year competition be open to as many members as possible and be as fair as possible for all concerned.

So as not to discourage less experienced members, the committee feels that it would be unfair for the more experienced breeders to submit fish that they have previously spawned and been awarded points for, however, we also realize that any species bred and distributed amongst members is desirable.

Therefore, for the benefit of the more experienced breeder, for every three different species / color varieties that have previously been awarded points may be submitted for one Breeder of the Year “bonus” point. Three spawns must be completed to receive the bonus point. If the three spawns are not within the calendar year, the points will be received in the year that the third spawn is submitted. These bonus points are

only for the annual Breeder of the Year competition.

Species spawned for bonus pionts cannot be turned in same year as original spawn and is limited to once a year. In the event that a bonus points is not completed by the end of the year , same spiecies cannot be turned in to complete that bonus point.

The BAP Chairman along with the BAP committee will be responsible for implementing and overseeing the BAP, the SAP and the Breeder of the Year points and records.

Disagreement on any ruling by the BAP Chairman may be appealed to the Board of Directors by sending a written request outlining the grievance to the Club Secretary.

The BOD will then meet and either uphold or reverse that decision. All decisions by the BOD will be final.

Jan 2014

SPECIES AWARD PROGRAM

PURPOSE

The purposes of the Species Award Program are:

1.—To encourage members with a special interest in certain categories to continue breeding along those lines.

2.—To recognize outstanding achievement in breeding a specific category of fish. 3.—To distribute spawned species to fellow hobbyists.

ELIGIBILITY

All club members in “good standing” are eligible for the Species Award Program.

AWARD LEVELS

This program is made up of 12 categories

.. They and their requirements are as follows:

Cat. A	Livebearers	6 different species or color variations.
Cat. B	Cichlids	6 different species
Cat. C	Barbs & Danios	4 different species.
Cat. D	Killifish	5 different any species
Cat. E	Bettas & Anabantids	3 different species.
Cat. F	Catfish	3 different species.
Cat. G.	Tetras	3 different species.
Cat. H	Angelfish	4 different color variations.
Cat. J	Rainbowfish	4 any species.
Cat. K	Difficult	2 different difficult species.
Cat. L	Target	1 target species.
Cat. M	All Others	5 different species not covered above.
		See BAP rules Category 17.

MASTER SAP

Must have earned SAP awards in 6 different categories, including 1 difficult SAP award.

GRAND MASTER SAP

Must have accumulated SAP awards in 9 different categories, including two difficult or 1 target SAP awards.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Attainment of any of the 12 levels, Master or Grand Master levels will be recognized in the

Youngstown Aquarist and at the regular monthly meetings.

Awards for the SAP classes will be presented at the regular monthly membership meetings for all 12 levels of achievement. Master & Grand Master awards will be presented at the annual Christmas Party.

REQUIREMENTS

The requirements are the same as previously recorded under the BAP rules with the following exceptions:

1.—Different color variations count towards points as well as different species.

2.—4 fry or 1 pair (if sex can be determined) must be donated to the SAP auction at a

Regular membership meeting, in addition to those required under the BAP rules.

3.­­—SAP items must be bagged separately from BAP items for auctions.

POINT ALLOCATIONS

Because the SAP program is only germane to YATFS the points earned cannot be added to, the BAP program. However, they will be reflected on the SAP List, and in the Running

Points Column as published in the Youngstown Aquarist. However, points will only be awarded once in the running total. First time spawns will be for BAP totals only,

Additional spawns will be reflected in SAP and running totals

The points earned for spawns in the program are the same values as found under the BAP rules

THE SAP COMMITTEE

The committee for this program is one and the same as for the BAP program. All rules regarding it’s function and authority and special circumstances are the same as found in the BAP rules.