Annual Breeders Award

Annual points are awarded for fish bred within the 12-month period beginning on 1 October each year and Trophies are given at the AGM to the members with the highest tallies.

Although fish may be scored once only for the cumulative breeders' awards, breeding may be scored once per year for the purposes of the annual award.

Cumulative Breeders Award

Fish may be scored once only for the cumulative breeders' awards.

• Novice 50 points;
• Intermediate 100 points;
• Advanced 200 points;
• Senior 300 points;
• Master 500 points;
• Senior Master 1000 points; and
• Grand Master 2000 points

Awards and Certificates

Awards:

Whenever a member successfully breeds a fish, points are awarded, the number depending on the species of fish as described later in this section.  The number of points reflects the relative difficulty of breeding and raising the species concerned. 

There are three types of awards:

The first being the cumulative award, in which points are given once only for the successful breeding of each species of fish.

The second type of award is the Annual Fish Breeders’ Award and the third being the annual Australian and New Guinean Native Fish Breeders’ Award.

Breeders’ Certificates are presented to acknowledge the increasing experience and achievement of breeders as their cumulative tally increases. The tallies that have to be gained to receive Breeders’ Certificates are as follows:

• Novice 50 points;
• Intermediate 100 points;
• Advanced 200 points;
• Senior 300 points;
• Master 500 points;
• Senior Master 1000 points; and
• Grand Master 2000 points

Annual points are awarded for fish bred within the 12-month period beginning on 1 October each year and Trophies are given at the AGM to the members with the highest tallies. Although fish may be scored once only for the cumulative breeders' awards, breeding may be scored once per year for the purposes of the annual award.

To be awarded points, a member must raise at least five fry (young fish) to 30 days old from their own adult stock. Upon first sighting the free-swimming fry, the breeder should notify another member (who can not belong to the same household as the breeder) and arrange for verification to be made as soon as possible.

The member verifying the spawning must sign the appropriate spot on the Breeding Notification Form (as supplied by Breeders' Awards Chairperson).

This form should be handed to the Breeders' Awards Chairperson at the next available meeting.

If unable to get another member to verify the fry onsite, it is perfectly acceptable to bring 5 fry into the next CDAS meeting.

If at least five fry survive for 30 days, a second verification should be arranged by the breeder and again the member verifying the spawning (who can not belong to the same household as the breeder) signs the appropriate spot on the Breeding Notification Form.

The breeder should hand the form to the Breeders' Awards Chairperson at the next CDAS meeting.

Breeders Award Points - How it works

Point Scoring System:
The total number of points awarded for each successful breeding notified is calculated according to a system which accords batches of five points for each extra degree of difficulty assessed in breeding a particular species.

The criteria used to determine degrees of difficulty are as follows:

For example:

Guppies get 5 points for being a non-egg layer, 5 points for being infanticides, 5 points for being better off in their own tank when breeding, and five points for having (mostly) less than 100 fry within 24 hours, for a total of 20 points for a spawning.

A points list for commonly bred fishes is available from the Breeders' Awards Chairperson. Species not on the list will be assessed according to the above criteria. In addition, 5 extra points will be awarded if the species has not been previously bred within CDAS. 15 extra points are awarded for members who produce an article for Tank Talk or make a presentation at a CDAS meeting giving an account of the spawning. This practice is to be encouraged as it not only educates other members in spawning methods but also ensures the continuity of Tank Talk.

Breeding fishes is an important part of the hobby, as it preserves species that may well be extinct soon in the wild. Even the so-called common species will teach the aquarist and their family a lot about the diversity and complexity of nature and are thus a necessary and enjoyable part of keeping the aquarium hobby alive into the 21st Century.

Species Bred by CDAS Members