I have been a freshwater and marine aquarist for 24 years, and while I’ve kept reef tanks extensively during that time, it’s the fish that have always been my focus and passion. In 1988 while a senior in high school, with enough credits to graduate and a spare period on my hands, I put together a special project Aquaculture class for myself. Under the guidance of my mentor, I designed and built a 400-gallon tank complete with a DIY biowheel filter to study the growth rate of aquacultured Channel Catfish under various conditions. While I’ve kept and bred a large number of old and new world freshwater cichlid species, I’ve always made room for marine fish. Although I’ve always kept them, over the years marine fish became my primary focus. I’ve been a member of the “Crew” on Wet Web Media, and recently published several articles on various marine species which can be found at Advanced Aquarist Online. Several articles are also forthcoming in Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine.

As I stated, I started keeping marine fish back in high school, when under gravel filters were the accepted norm, tank decor consisted of dead coral skeletons, and live rock was unheard of. I also spent time working in the industry itself back in the 80’s, both at the wholesale and retail level, which was an eye opening experience in more than one way – including the incredible mortality rate that most never see. Over the years I’ve kept hundreds of species of fish from many different families, and the only thing in the hobby that brings me as much pleasure as keeping fish, is educating other aquarists about them.

There are many possible pitfalls when starting out in the marine hobby, misinformation abounds, both in print and online. The purpose of this class is to enable you, the beginning or intermediate marine aquarist, navigate those pitfalls, and be as successful as possible with a minimum of frustration, as well as a minimum of wasted time or cash. I'll enable you to make an educated decision about that fish you just saw in the magazine or in your local store, and if bringing him home is really a good idea.

See you in class!