The Oklahoma Aquarium Club

Mariculture Awards Program

PURPOSE: The purpose of the Mariculture Award Program (MAP) is to recognize and encourage the keeping and Spawning of Marine Aquarium vertebrates, invertebrates and Macro algae.

Marine Aquarium vertebrates, invertebrates and Macro algae - Any animal that is of interest to the typical marine aquarist, said animal must spend over 90% of it’s lifecycle in Marine waters

THE MAP COMMITTEE MAKEUP AND FUNCTION: The MAP committee is made up of one chair and up to 2 additional members their purpose is to oversee MAP Program including awarding points to qualifying members, maintaining records and presenting awards, As well as revising the rules and regulations when necessary.

PLANTS AND ANIMALS NOT PERMITTED:

Pursuant to 29 O. S., Section 6-601, the following plants, seeds or plant parts are hereby declared to be noxious in the state of Oklahoma

:
(1) Caulerpa taxifolia - Caulerpa (aka - Mediterranean Clone of Caulerpa)

REQUIREMENTS FOR BAP AWARD:

1. A completed MAP form must be submitted along with one or all of the following:
   1. Propagated or spawned species to donated to the MAP auction (amount or number to be specified on a case by case basis)
   2. A written article on the spawning of the species, submitted for publication in any TOKAC publication.
   3. An oral presentation on the spawning of the species.
   4. Completion of a, b, and c for a species will result in an additional ten points being                    awarded to the participant.

ELIGIBILITY:

1. All members in good standing are eligible for MAP. If any member should not renew their membership, awarded points will be kept on an “inactive list” until such time that they renew their membership.
2. Any person joining TOKAC and transferring from another club will be allowed to transfer “spawns” from the other club.  The “spawns” will follow TOKAC MAP guidelines. Certificates or awards will not be given for “transferred spawns”.

AWARDS:

1. Certificates will be awarded for each species propagated.
2. Certificates will be given upon completion of each MAP Class.
3. Plaques will be given upon completion of each Level
4. A lifetime TOKAC membership will be awarded to anyone becoming a Grand Master Breeder and above.
5. Other special awards and contests may be given at the discretion of the MAP Committee.

LEVELS OF ACCOMPLISHMENT:

Requirements for the levels of accomplishment are as follows:

• Breeder: a total of 100 points, plus one completed class, and one article, oral presentation, or artwork.
• Senior Breeder: a total of 300 points, plus completion of two classes, and two articles, oral presentations, or artworks.
• Expert Breeder: a total of 500 points, plus completion of four classes, and a total of two articles, oral presentations, or artworks.
• Master Breeder: a total of 800 points, plus completion of six classes, and a total of four articles, oral presentations, or artworks.
• Grand Master Breeder: a total of 1,000 points plus completion of all classes, and a total of six articles, oral presentations, or artworks.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

David Stewart developed the TOKAC MAP program rules as a member of TOKAC.  The IP contained within is not transferable without consent from TOKAC and David Stewart

CLASSES:

There are nine classes A-H. Taxonomic groups and similar spawning/Propagation techniques determine the different classes.

POINT VALUE:

Point values are based on the following criteria – Difficulty in spawning/propagation and/or rearing of fry in the aquarium

CLASS LISTINGS:

Class A – Marine Fish

These fish are similar in that they all have live young.  Included are all species of: Clownfish, Damsels, Gobies, Mandarins, Cardinal fish, Dottybacks, Groupers, Basslets, Seahorses, and Pygmy Angelfish, and others

Completion of this class requires the spawning/propagation of 2 species.

5 points: None

10 points: All Clownfish, Damsels, Gobies, Cardinal fish, Seahorses

15 points: All species not mentioned in other point groups

20 points: Pygmy Angelfish

Class B –Macroalgae and Marine Plants

Both marine plants (turtle and oar grass) and all the Macroalgae (from Caulerpa to Sargassam) that look like plants , but are actually a larger form of algae  

Completion of this class requires the propagation of six species.

5 points: All Caulerpa sp.

10 points: All species not mentioned in other groups

15 points: All Gelidium, Titanophora, Bryothamnion, and all other Red algae

20 points: Thalassia and Halophila sp.

Class C – Non-Cnidarians invertebrates

This family contains all invertebrates that are not cnidarians (sea anemones, corals or jellyfish) Included are all species of snails, bivalves, limpets, shrimp, lobsters, crabs, starfish, and urchins

Completion of this class requires the spawning/propagation of two species.

5 points: None

10 points: All Gastropods and Limpets

15 points: All Arthropods

20 points: All Bivalves and echinoderms

Class D – Anemones, Corallimorpharians, and Non-Photosynthetic Corals

This class contains the traditional anemones as well as the mushroom corals and several other species of corals that are non photosynthetic

Completion of this class requires the spawning/propagation of six species.

5 points: None

10 points: All Corallimorpharians

15 points: All Non-Photosynthetic Corals (Gorgonians, sun corals, and several others)

20 points: All Anemones

Class E – LPS Corals

This class consists of the Acan’s, Brain, Bubble, Elegance, Cup, Torch, Trumpet, and other Subclass Hexacorallia species that are commonly grouped together in literature and by aquarists as LPS corals.

Completion of this class requires the spawning/propagation of five species.

5 points: None

10 points: Acan’s, Brain, Bubble, Elegance, frogspawn and similar

15 points: All species not mentioned in other groups

20 points: Goniopora species

Class F – Soft Corals

Soft corals is a very generic term that refers to corals without calcium skeletons, however we are further reducing this classification to remove the soft corals covered in class D and H.

Completion of this class requires the spawning/propagation of five species

5 points: None

10 points: All species

15 points: None

20 points: None

Class G – SPS Corals

These corals have smaller polps on average and have different requirements than other corals in the other classes

Completion of this class requires the spawning/propagation of four species.

5 points: None

10 points: All Montipora

15 points: All species not mentioned in other groups

20 points: All Stylaster and Acropora

Class H ­ - The Colonials

Zoanthids come in a variety of different colors. They can be found as individual polyps, attached by a fleshy stolon or a mat that can be created from small pieces of sediment, sand and rock. The main characteristic of the zoanthids is that their tentacles are arranged into two distinct rows.

Completion of this class requires the spawning/propagation of five species.

5 points: Green star polps, and All Anthelia sp.

10 points: All Zoanthus , Palythoa and Protopalythoa species.

15 points: All species not mentioned in other groups

20 points:  All Isaurus species.