ARCkeeper
Active Member
After years of monitoring many of these online aquarium groups, I finally joined R2R to participate in WWC's last livesale. I am starting to stock my new 125g tank and they had some choice corals.
I have been keeping aquariums since I got a 10g for Christmas in 1972. I went through various iterations of community tanks over the next few years before getting deep into African cichlids. I tried marine for a while but decided it was too consumptive of wildlife. At that time success at keeping marine fish was spotty and keeping corals and inverts was virtually nonexistent.
Fast forward to present. I have been a zookeeper for 33 years. I have constantly remained in the aquarium hobby since that first tank. I've explored many aspects of fish keeping and breeding over the years, but until recently kept it as a hobby and avoided it professionally. I have worked virtually every area of zookeeping over the years except elephants and great apes. Most of that time I've worked with large carnivores (19 years) with a smattering of marine mammals and small carnivores such as red panda, wolverine, and 3 otter species. One of the highlights has been over 12 years breeding tree kangaroos - they are fascinating and unlikely animals!
I got back into marine aquaria about 15 years ago and started reefkeeping about ten years ago. I have been working as an aquarist for the last four years but mostly with freshwater fish. Our marine collection at work is almost entirely coldwater with the highlights being Giant Pacific Octopus, California Sheepshead, Garibaldi, and Common Cuttlefish. Our former curator was intimidated by corals but I convinced him to let me set up some reef tanks for our education dept. Our new curator is interested in corals and we may eventually convert one or more of the larger systems to reef. He has also expressed interest in possibly becoming involved in off exhibit propagation of some of the Florida corals for conservation and reintroduction programs.
I currently have a 125 g tank that I set up last August. There are 2 black Ocellaris clowns that I moved from my old 50 gallon, a Caribbean moustache jawfish, a purple tang and a black capped basslet. I have few corals as yet but an starting to add them. I bleached and restarted my old 50 and am using it for a quarantine/frag tank. I have about a dozen frags currently growing out in the 50 before moving them to the display tank. After taking care of aquariums all day every day I have cut way down on my tanks at home. Besides the 125 and the 50, I have a three tiered pond of about 1200 gallons that I built in my backyard with a surrounding naturalized area/ garden. I have some fantail goldfish in the pond that I move inside during the winter. Their population is fluid.
I am looking forward to making new friends on R2R and exchanging ideas with you all.
I have been keeping aquariums since I got a 10g for Christmas in 1972. I went through various iterations of community tanks over the next few years before getting deep into African cichlids. I tried marine for a while but decided it was too consumptive of wildlife. At that time success at keeping marine fish was spotty and keeping corals and inverts was virtually nonexistent.
Fast forward to present. I have been a zookeeper for 33 years. I have constantly remained in the aquarium hobby since that first tank. I've explored many aspects of fish keeping and breeding over the years, but until recently kept it as a hobby and avoided it professionally. I have worked virtually every area of zookeeping over the years except elephants and great apes. Most of that time I've worked with large carnivores (19 years) with a smattering of marine mammals and small carnivores such as red panda, wolverine, and 3 otter species. One of the highlights has been over 12 years breeding tree kangaroos - they are fascinating and unlikely animals!
I got back into marine aquaria about 15 years ago and started reefkeeping about ten years ago. I have been working as an aquarist for the last four years but mostly with freshwater fish. Our marine collection at work is almost entirely coldwater with the highlights being Giant Pacific Octopus, California Sheepshead, Garibaldi, and Common Cuttlefish. Our former curator was intimidated by corals but I convinced him to let me set up some reef tanks for our education dept. Our new curator is interested in corals and we may eventually convert one or more of the larger systems to reef. He has also expressed interest in possibly becoming involved in off exhibit propagation of some of the Florida corals for conservation and reintroduction programs.
I currently have a 125 g tank that I set up last August. There are 2 black Ocellaris clowns that I moved from my old 50 gallon, a Caribbean moustache jawfish, a purple tang and a black capped basslet. I have few corals as yet but an starting to add them. I bleached and restarted my old 50 and am using it for a quarantine/frag tank. I have about a dozen frags currently growing out in the 50 before moving them to the display tank. After taking care of aquariums all day every day I have cut way down on my tanks at home. Besides the 125 and the 50, I have a three tiered pond of about 1200 gallons that I built in my backyard with a surrounding naturalized area/ garden. I have some fantail goldfish in the pond that I move inside during the winter. Their population is fluid.
I am looking forward to making new friends on R2R and exchanging ideas with you all.
