Oh, that's so sad. I love reading his comments on Wet Web Media.
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A lovely tribute, I hope someone in his family sees this.While I'm sure he wouldn't remember me I would consider Bob Fenner my most significant mentor in this hobby. I got my first salt water tank (a 125 gallon 6' fowlr) in 1996, when I was 13. I struggled to keep fish alive (jn truth a 13 year old shouldn't be put in charge of a 125 gallon aquarium!) in part because the books I had were mostly coffee table books - large, beautiful books withe gorgeous photos but little depth. I also had read Moe's Marine Aquarium Reference, Systems and Invertebrates, which gave me a deeper understanding of the biological and chemical processes in the aquarium (and a dream to make my own algae turf scrubber out baking trays) but was less helpful when it came to selecting livestock and keeping them alive. These books depicted fantasies of the hobby - glossy and problem free on the one side, and a technical DIY bonanza on the other. It isn't that what they said wasn't true, but more like they were written from and for a different way of being in the hobby from mine.
Finding Fenner's The Conscientious Marine Aquarist in this context was like finding a home. Despite his deep knowledge and scientific training, he wrote for hobbyists, people who aren't scientists or engineers but who are deeply interested in fish and invertebrate life and wanted to learn about these organisms and how to keep them alive in their homes.
I got my first computer and internet around this time (1997ish) and found wetwebmedia and discovered I could actually talk with Fenner, that he would answer my questions quickly and kindly. It was so meaningful for me at that age. There was no one around me who knew more about fish than I did, no adult who could teach me what they knew. As I kid I loved fish and also reading and books, and to speak with someone who wrote a book about fish was my equivalent of talking to a revered athlete for many. Of course, Fenner wasn't just talking to me, he was helping and advising me, so It was like getting pointers on how to play from that sports hero.
Fenner made it possible for me to enjoy this hobby by keeping fish alive for the first time. His kindness to me and his generosity with his knowledge are still my ideals when I post on this and other forums. I am so thankful he was a part of my life in this hobby.