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Come on In! The Water's Fine!
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Merritt Adkins and the Crew
2/4/08
My Bio
Dear Bob,
Michael said you didn't mind me volunteering on WWM and that you needed a
bio and a picture.
Merritt Adkins
Hello! I am a senior at Texas A&M University at Galveston getting a B.S in
Marine Biology. I received my first freshwater aquarium at age 12. It was a
simple setup including the blue gravel, plastic plants and a penguin
bio-wheel filter. Now, eight years later I have become an avid aquarist with
my planted freshwater tanks specializing in small (10 gallons or less)
planted tanks. Some of my personal favorite fish are Bettas, Corys, glass
catfish, kuhli loaches, and freshwater/brackish puffers. These are just my
favorites but I have kept many other species of freshwater fish through the
years. Right now I have two 15 gallon community tanks, three Betta tanks
(two are 1 gallon and a 2.5 gallon), a dwarf puffer 5 gallon tank, and a 6
gallon brackish water tank for my baby figure 8 puffer. (He is less than an
inch long!!) I have been slowly getting into the marine aquarium hobby, but
I still consider my freshwater tanks to be my favorite types of tanks. I am
currently breeding Bettas and I eventually want to breed my dwarf puffers.
My future goals are being able to keep some larger fish like Tiger Oscars
and Spotted Gar.
I will eventually send a better picture. I hope this helps!
Thanks!!
Merritt A.
<Indeed, I/we thank you for coming forward, sharing. I take it Michael will
show you how to log in... Please take a read here re some conventions we use
in responding. http://wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/crewsupwebmail.htm
Bob Fenner> |
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Darrel Barton joins the Crew 5/15/07
<Thank you for this input... Please do consider joining us if you have
time, interest... if for nothing else to help with such captive Chelonian
questions>
Dear Bob,
I'd be happy to help in any way I can, but please first let me explain a few
things. I'm not a biologist, just an advanced hobbyist, so my experience
and advice is purely from trial & error (and huge vet bills). I currently
hold water turtles and Box turtles of various kinds, Green Iguanas, Cyclura
Iguanas, Sulcata tortoises and a Galapagos tortoise and in the past I've
held and raised crocodilians as well. (Animals with flicky tongues or no
eyelids are off my list - {snakes and monitors} as a result of being bitten
by a water moccasin as a kid)
<I see, and understand>
While I'm comfortable speaking with authority of the captive husbandry of
all these animals, but I won't speak with authority on the treatment of
diseases.
<Suggestions are fine... even purposeful referrals>
I have the pleasure of having Dr Doug Mader DVM as a personal friend and
therefore I've learned a great deal about reptile medicine, but the sad fact
is that by the time most people even notice their herp is sick, they're
usually too sick to save... so with the exception of a simple abrasion/sore
or early stages of a runny nose, all I'd ever be willing to say is to get
them to a competent vet.
With that said .... just tell me how I can help!
Darrel
<I am introducing you here to our association, the WWM Crew. Our log-in is
here: "Email Address": Password:
I would/do ask that you log in periodically, peruse your ("Darrel")
in-folder, and the general Freshwater in-folder for queries on Herps... That
you read here re some useful formatting information re how we generally
respond:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/crewsupwebmail.htm
That you consider (please) writing (for pay) some simple articles re the
organisms (reptiles, amphibians...) and aspects of their care (systems,
feeding...) for posting on WWM and our on-line magazine... and Thank You for
your offer of sharing. Bob Fenner> |
|
| Peter Catterick; Tony man about the world, general
rub of most jokes. Pete's originally from York (kinda looks like a Roman
gene-drift about... spent 15 years with brother in Swaziland, southern
Africa... has lived with Bob and Di for a decade or so (we keep moving,
but somehow he manages to find us). He dives, keys as fast, well as
Miguel... oh and is our principal videographer... Now if we could only
manage to edit, get some of the footage on WWF's giganto server... |
Peter wishes he could get this camera removed from his
head.
|
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Which fish drink beer? New to the Crew, Roy Crumrine - 4/24/2006
Bob:
<Roy>
It was a real pleasure meeting you and getting to hang out for awhile and talk
detritus.
<Indeed!>
Hopefully, we'll have an opportunity to bump into each other soon.
<I have seen the future... well, parts of it... blearily... and yes, many good
times ahead>
Meanwhile, I look forward to helping you with WWM.
<And... welcome to it!>
Best of luck,
Roy
<Bob Fenner>
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Mr.
Firemouth/Rich Dietz bio. 12/29/07
Hi Bob,
<Mr. F>
Well a new year is upon us and I hope that yours is filled with sunny days
and great dives!
I wish I had the funds to travel! Hawaii is at the top of the list with
Australia trailing right behind!
<I say come on out!>
It has been a great honor to help WWM this past year! This site is great and
helps so many!
I look forward to 2008!
<Me too>
I thought I would drop you a bio of me and some pics...
<Ah, good>
My name is Rich Dietz and I have been in the hobby for over 25 years. I have
kept hundreds of tanks and bred many freshwater species of fish and
propagated many corals. I currently maintain a fish room with about 1,000
gallons of fish and corals in separate systems.
<Wow!>
I have bred thousands of Firemouth Cichlids in the last 25 years and have
been line-breeding these fish for size and color for the last decade. My
lifetime goal is to produce a true Albino Firemouth mutation. Thorichtys
meeki have been my lifetime addiction!
I am an Administrator at www.uberfrags.net and advise many on saltwater
topics, I am also a 'Mentor' at www.tropicalresources.net which is directly
affiliated with Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine, and I am a Moderator of
www.aquamojo.com a site dedicated to cichlids.
I belong to many clubs including the American cichlid Association, 2 local
St. Louis reef clubs, a Chicago reef club, and several other cichlid
societies/clubs across the United States. I believe that joining a local
aquarium club/society is one of the best things any hobbyist can do to
continue to mature in this great hobby!
Hopefully I will be an asset to the Crew!
Rich-aka-Mr. Firemouth
<Real good Rich. Will post. Thank you again for your help. BobF>
Here are some bio pics...
My wife Nicole and I underwater at Coral World, St. Thomas U.S.V.I.
Note the dive helmets as I am a non-swimmer.
And our cruise pic after dinner. Great time in the Caribbean!
Thanks again,
Rich |
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Robert (Bob) Fenner has "lived" the
science, hobby and business of aquatics in the Philippines, Japan and
United States. All phases; collector, wholesale, jobber, retail, design,
construction and maintenance. All levels; manager, owner, hatchery worker,
retail clerk, technician. Except for a stint teaching high school sciences
for four years, he has worked all his life in the field of ornamental
aquatics.
Academic experience includes eleven years of college, a couple of life
science degrees and a teaching credential for chemistry, physics and
biology. Published works include several studies on aquatic biological and
chemical questions, and an extensive publishing and photographic
background in the industry and hobby of aquatics. Have taught High School
sciences and Marine Sciences and Aquariology courses at the State
University, University of California levels. Bob has been an avid aquatic
hobbyist since day one and is active in hobbyist and scientific
organizations. He has served on numerous Boards, judged shows and given
many programs.
Helped form and run (President) of the employee-owned corporation, Nature
Etc., Inc. in San Diego, started in 1973; a turn-key operation in the
field of ornamental aquatics, designing and building ponds, lakes,
fountains and waterfalls (Aquatic Environments), designing, installing
custom aquarium systems and maintenance (Aquatic Life Services), and
operating retail outlets (Wet Pets).... currently does consulting, content
provision to the trade, sciences and hobby of aquaristics. Wot a spiel! |
Here I am mit frauleins at InterZoo!
Now, that's better!
|
Brenda L. Furtak 1/15/07
Dear Bob,
I have recently become acquainted with Jeni (Pufferpunk) and through our
discussions, she has suggested that I get in contact with you regarding
assisting your Crew in answering questions on your website. I typically
spend a minimum of two hours every evening researching reef related items on
the Internet and would like to offer my assistance.
<Ahh! Pleased to meet you. Jen had mentioned your contacting us>
My fascination with saltwater aquariums began when I was around 8 years
old.
<A prodigy!>
As a child I would read books and visit pet shops as often as I could.
Since salt water aquariums were so difficult to keep in those days, my
mother would only allow me to have freshwater fish. My father built me a
stand so I could keep two 29 gallon tanks in my bedroom with one below the
other. I would always stay up late viewing my aquarium, just like I do
today.
Now that my son has grown I finally was able to start my life long dream.
My first 90 gallon aquarium was soon followed by a 55 gallon and then a 25
gallon nano. I still keep a 48 gallon freshwater aquarium at home in my
office but suspect that will be converted to saltwater someday.
I have experience with propagation of corals such as leathers, xenia,
mushrooms, zoanthids, yellow and green star polyps, Anthelia, LPS such as
Candy Cane, Frogspawn, and Torch corals. I have kept SPS corals such as
Montipora for over a year now and have just started keeping Acropora. My
primary love for the hobby is with the Bubble Tip Anemone. I currently keep
five in three different aquariums. I have had the opportunity to watch and
photograph them split. I’ve also had the unfortunate opportunity to see
them near death when I came home to find six inches of water in my 90 gallon
aquarium. I quickly learned that these delicate creatures, with proper
care, could also be strong enough to recover
after being out of water for several hours. The following morning my two
anemones became four--they were tiny and bleached but are now back in good
health.
Since that event, I have always tried to assist others in their BTA
recovery, whether it is a power head incident, expelled zooxanthellae,
chemical war or simply underfed. This year I will be setting up my fourth
saltwater aquarium, which will be dedicated to Rose Bubble Tip Anemones and
a pair of clownfish.
This hobby still fascinates me as it did when I was a child. I continue
to research and expand my knowledge with a wide variety of reef keeping
items every day. If you think my experience is something that would benefit
WetWebMedia, I would be happy to give it a try.
Thank you,
Brenda L. Furtak
<Thank you for coming forward, and welcome to our association.
Bob Fenner> |
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James Gasta (Salty Dog) joins the WWM Crew
Ok Mr. Fenner,
<Please call me Bob>
I worked for 31 years as a Field Service Engineer/Industrial Electrician. I retired in my 50's to open my own industrial controls business which is
doing quite well. I am married to a wonderful wife and have one daughter
who has graduated from college and is an ultra sound tech.
My first
saltwater aquarium started back in 1968, and have had one set up since
then. My, how the hobby has progressed since then.
I feel pretty comfortable answering the following:
Filtering
Lighting
Algae control
Equipment
Fish load/compatibility
Some invertebrates/corals
Anything in the electrical field
Thank you for the opportunity to help others get on the right track. Also feel free to edit anything you like in my bio. I should add that I
live in Bay City, Michigan.
Salty Dog
(James Gasta)
<Thank you James. We have actually changed the way we sort queries, so you
are welcome to choose which you'd like. Welcome to our
association. Bob Fenner> |
The "Salty Dog" and his most lovely wife.
|
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Mike Irving/WWM -02/06/08
Bob,
<Mike>
Have attached 2 pics, but at your discretion the main one called MI (the other
one is just a fun pic!), and the Bio below.
<Ahh, will post>
In addition, you said you were hoping for new help with posting replies to site.
I have a little html knowledge (what do they say about little knowledge again!)
and again, just offer any help I can in that respect.
<As of now, all is copied/pasted... some HTML looking/modifying format-wise...
but for now, we'd just like your help in responding to queries. Am concerned not
to overwhelm folks with the opus est aspects of WWM. Cheers, BobF>
Cheers, M
BIO
Hey! to all at WWM and its friends, and warm wishes from the UK! My passion for
fish keeping started around 20 years ago, with the humble goldfish, black moor
and shubunkin. I progressed to tropicals after a few years, and was a fan of the
Firemouth! Admittedly, my real experience comes from the marine side of things
and have been a keeper for around 12 years now. Under-gravel filters, pugnacious
damsels, and dead coral – wow, those were fun days early on. I progressively
gathered knowledge with the help of a very good friend, and the ever increasing
forums over here. I’ve since worked on some of them, and they’ve been a great
source of enjoyment to me. Since those early days, one relationship has
continued to stir me; that of the clownfish and anemone. Having kept some of the
most beautiful and rare species, I’ve had the opportunity to expand my knowledge
in all aspects of the relationship, so don’t mind saying this is where my
knowledge excels. In addition, I also have a passion for cephalopods and in
particular, the cuttlefish. I’ve been lucky enough to be one of the first folks
to hatch, raise, keep, breed (and repeat the process), Sepia bandensis, and
supplied to public aquariums around Europe. Mantis shrimp take my fancy too
having kept a few in my time, but then again, so do a lot of other things in
this hobby; addictive is the word! Anyway, I live in one of the most beautiful
areas of England, with the mountains and lakes just a short journey away; work
for Her Majesty (or at least, her government); and love scuba diving too! In
fact, I’ve enclosed a picture that Bob may be brave enough to share, from a
drift dive I made around Garden reefs in the Red Sea. The other is from the
heart of the Sinai mountains. Looking forward to working with the rest of the
WWM Crew, and all of its followers. Mike
Mike Irving joins the Crew
2-05-08
Warm Greeting, Bob - a wee while...
Hi Bob,
<Mike>
How you doing? Good I hope!
<Fine, thank you>
I have my own site now, really just to give some folks a place to discuss
away from the hustle. It’s not majorly busy, but we get some good
discussions going. Anyway, not here to talk (write!) about that.
I’m here just to offer any service I can to WWM. I’ve lots of experience
this side of the pond in working on the various forums, so there’s that side
of thing, but I do have a number of areas I focus on, which may or may not
be some use to you.
<!>
I claim 2 fields of relative interest and enthusiasm – one you may recall,
being cuttlefish/cephalopods. I hatched, raised, kept, bred and hatched
raised etc a species of cuttle called Sepia bandensis. First here in the UK,
and supplied to Sealife Centres and various specialist keepers. Wrote about
my experiences on a website and have since supplied information and pictures
to publications and articles.
<Ah, yes>
My biggest passion is probably clownfish and anemones. I’m authoring a site
currently, that’s taking longer than I would like, but may illustrate a bit
more (www.clownfishandanemones.com). I’ve kept a fair few pairs in my time,
experimented in some dead-food rearing, and kept some pretty rare clowns (A.
latezonatus) in my time. Same with the anemones.
<Neat... so far so good... Maybe a bit of kibitzing here... but you might
consider adding "other Clownfish pertaining sections of other sites" sort of
links... And I'll gladly send you a copy of the H. malu...>
Don’t know if any of that would come in handy for you, but if it does/could
ever, then it’s at your disposal. If you need some general admin done etc,
menial, give me a shout.
<Will gladly link when you're ready>
Before I go, I took your advice, somewhat belatedly, and learned to dive at
Sharm last year – it was immense!
<Great! We're on our way back there this May... ahead of Interzoo... if
you'd like to come along>
The best thing I have ever done. I was staying in Na'ama bay, and my house
reef was dead, but even then there was all sorts of fish, pipefish, coral
etc. Loved every minute of it, even though I was quite panicky about the
mask removal and replacement exercises, but I soon go those cracked. Dived
at Garden reefs and Sharks reef – you been?
<Oh yes... many times... Always a new experience, things discovered>
Maybe not the best in the Red Sea but it still blew me away. Ended the
course with a nice drift dive at Gardens too. Can’t wait to go back,
hopefully in September this year. Thinking Nuweiba, or maybe the Nabq area
of Sharm. Decisions to make, but those rare ones in life which are nice!
All my best to you, Bob. Hope this finds you well.
Mike Irving.
<Mike, I do hope/trust I am understanding you here. I do welcome your help
on/with WWM... particularly the areas of expertise, topics you feel
comfortable with. If you'd be so kind as to send along a brief bio. for
posting, and a pic (so folks can size you/us up if they're interested)...
I thank you for sharing, helping us all. Bob Fenner |
 |
| Mike Kaechele: I've been working on WetWebMedia with
Bob F. from nearly the start, when it was only a couple of dozen pages in
size. I have enjoyed every minute of it and I'm actually starting to
learn more about the pet-fish business. I'm looking forward to traveling,
scuba diving, and taking some underwater pictures with everyone on this
page. |
|
Leslie Leddo
Hi Bob,
<Leslie>
I am an avid fan/reader of your web site, books, articles and of course photography. I recently saw a response in FAQs about your need for some additional help answering questions. I am not sure how long ago it was posted or if you are still looking for volunteers but if you are I would love to help however I can.
<Ahh, "just in the nick of time" as the saying goes... perhaps just enough margin to "get in a/the groove" before a bunch of us are out to Germany and Egypt next month>
I have to say that my experience is short in terms of length in the hobby compared to many of you but it has been filled with many experiences some of which, at the time, I really would have rather passed on but in retrospect I can see just how valuable they all were and how much I have learned and grown. I have been blessed to be guided by a few wonderful mentors who used to tell me that the 1000's of questions I bombarded them with on a regular basis would some day be paid forward, so to speak, giving back and sharing what I have learned to help others. Did you by chance see that amazing movie Pay It Forward? If not I highly recommend it!! Keep the Kleenex box close by. I have learned so much from my many mistakes & successes, from you, the crew here, and from all the wonderful hobbyists who have allowed me to help them . I have been moderating on the seahorse boards for almost 4 years. I currently help to administrate www.syngnathid.org as well as moderate several forums there.
<Ahh, did not see this movie (yet) but will try to on your recommendation. Am familiar with the concept and abide by it>
I started about 8 years ago or so with a fish bowl. Yup I bought a fish bowl. I just had to have it. It was a drum shaped 1g bowl that sat inside of a ceramic frame consisting of 3 adorable little kittens laying around the bowl. I had a bowl so I had to get a fish right? Funny thing is I used to have nightmares about fish when I was a kid. I rescued a Betta from one of those little plastic jars in the
LFS. I progressed to fancy goldfish in a small tank, then a bigger tank, a black ghost knifefish, a Reed fish and on to Discus and Rams for a short while. One day perusing in the
LFS I stumbled upon captive bred seahorses from Ocean Rider.....I fell in love, have been enamored ever since. Here I am 8 tears, woops I mean years later. Yes there have been tears, plenty of them but the pleasure and benefits far outweigh any sadness or disappointments.
My marine knowledge & experience is limited to basic marine aquarium keeping, seahorses, specifically seahorse disease and treatment, species identification, some breeding and rearing, tankmates, more recently (the last 2 years) puffers and a new Zebra Moray. I am also interested in Anglers but do not have one yet. I had an amazing Midnight Dogface Puffer and have learned quite a bit about these wonderful endearing creatures. I recently lost my first Puffer, who was my all time favorite fish to a hunger strike I could not persuade him to break. I cried like I had lost one of my best friends. I still get tearful when I think about it. I have some experience with dentistry ...Puffer dentistry, that is :), as well as tube feeding seahorses when all else has failed. I am passionate about these creatures I care for and would be honored to share that passion with others. My experience is lacking in some of the more technical aspects of aquarium keeping like chemistry, lighting, reef keeping and inverts. I currently keep ONLY captive bred seahorses but have had experience with wild caught seahorses as well. I have kept both temperate and tropical tanks and almost all if not all the species currently available. I also have a FOWLR tank and have set up a new tank for a Warty Frogfish! Can't wait to find one!!!
<Am looking for anglers daily while diving in HI>
I have 2 wonderful Doberman pinchers.....Kali and Willie they are 11 and 8 respectively and have had quite a bit of experience training, specifically using operant conditioning/clicker training as it is affectionately called. I assisted a local animal behaviorist with his puppy and obedience classes for several years. I toy with using some of these techniques deliberately with my wet pets and actually had begun to work with my puffer to try and get him to eat get him to eat shelled seafood which he was not to fond of, as well as to diminish his incessant begging behavior which always made me feel guilty for not responding and indulging his every whim.
I am a registered nurse since I can remember.....27 or so years, working in Labor and Delivery and High Risk Obstetrics, in the hospital setting. I take care of pregnant women with any complication of pregnancy you can imagine and then some :). I believe that my medical background has been a great asset in caring for my animals and the reason I seem to delve so deeply for answers. I have always been intrigued by the how and why of things.
<A full life for sure>
I know my limits and when I am in over my head. I have no trouble asking for help. I post from my own experiences good and bad as well as research my responses. I read what ever I can get my hands on. The Conscience Marine Aquarist was my first and is my favorite marine book. I love your warm light hearted writing style. It is fun and at the same time informative and easy to read. I refer to it on a regular basis. In fact I just had to purchase my second copy because it was so well worn that the pages were falling out and kept getting mixed up. Drove me nuts.
<I don't even have a copy!>
I had an article published in FAMA called Mycobacteriosis: An Infection You Could Acquire From Your Aquarium . It is also posted in the Library of syngnathid.org
http://www.syngnathid.org/ubbthreads/showarticles.php
along with an article on UV and tube feeding seahorses......if you would like to have a look at my writing style there are also many posts on the board. I have had the great honor and privilege of working with Pete Giwojna on his soon to be released book on seahorse husbandry. My love of photography and my wet pets has in the last few years taken a new twist which I never in a million years expected. I started receiving requests to use my photos on the internet first then in
FAMA's monthly column Horse Forum and most recently they have been published by TFH in Alisa Abbott's book The Complete Guide to Dwarf Seahorses in the Aquarium as well as will be featured almost exclusively in Pete's new book I mentioned above. My photos can be seen in the following places if you would like to have a look:
-The Syngnathid.org Species Galleries http://www.syngnathid.org/ubbthreads/PP/index.php
,
-The Syngnathid.org Member's Gallery http://www.syngnathid.org/ubbthreads/PP/index.php
,
-syngnathid.org in the rotation of photos on the main page http://www.syngnathid.org
-Bob Goemans site http://www.saltcorner.com
-http://www.oceanrider.com
-Reefcentral's Reef Keeping Online magazine http://www.reefkeeping.com/
has accepted a series of
my photos for use in their Reef Slides monthly column.
-http://www.oceana.org and Gateway Learning Corporation also purchased one of my photos for educational
purposes
<I wish you could have been out here this go... we've been out with Carol and Craig (and Dylan and Cooper their twin boys) of Ocean
Rider a few times, and a dinner party or two here... Carol was over to recover her salad bowl last night... Am sure you would have enjoyed meeting, chatting with them... perhaps next time>
If you are interested and need photographs of seahorses, puffers or any of their tankmates I would be also be honored to share my photos on your web site or for any of your various projects. I shoot both transparencies and digital.
<Ah, good>
Let me know if the your crew could use another volunteer - it would be a great honor and privilege to work with you and your crew and share my experience with your readers.
Thanks so much for your generous commitment to the hobby and for your time and help over the years.
Sincerely,
Leslie
<Thank you for coming forward. I am cc'ing your message here to the WWM Crew and welcome you to join us. Would it be okay to post much of what is here as your bio?
Please feel free to "grab" what questions you find in the "general" in-box, or return ones that end up in your personal folder that you'd rather not respond to... There are a few conventions that we try to adhere to... placing a title on the responses, not responding to queries in ALL
CAP'S! What have you. Am sure others will respond/welcome you here. Again, thank you for sharing. WWM is a wonderful tool for informing and inspiring others... and a good start at encouraging awareness, stewardship of our planet. I thank you for being part of it with us. Bob F>
|
Re: Volunteering
Hi Bob!!!
WOW!! I am honored. I am so excited.....just thrilled to have you accept
my offer, to be part of such a wonderful group and have another avenue to
share my passion. Thank you so much. I am glad the timing is right.
<I as well. Please make it known what sorts of categories of questions you prefer... other than syngnathids>
Germany and Egypt.....sounds like a lot of fun. Please stay safe.
<We will>
I am so sorry I missed Carol and Craig. Were they here in CA or were you in
Hawaii?
<Out here on the Big Island. If you can make it I hope to have some of the folks, particularly those that aren't coming out next month, come on over for any part of the first two weeks of July... we have a house here>
I would have loved to have met them and those boys!! Carol sent me
a photo and they are just adorable!! I have spoken to them once or twice on
the phone and have emailed back and forth quite a bit. Yes please feel free to use whatever you would like from my email for my
bio.
<Will do>
I look forward to joining you all and participating in this great journey.
Thank you so much for a wonderful opportunity!!
Leslie
<A pleasure to meet you. Bob F> |
Marco Lichtenberger
Thanks; answering questions; articles; article update confusion
2/16/07
Dear Robert,
first of all let me thank you for the generous payment for the freshwater
moray article. It will all go to the hobby. I am sorry to bother you again
with three small suggestions.
<Never a bother Marco>
1. I see you and your crew are doing a great job with answering questions.
Just in case you need another helping hand, there are some topics I think I
could contribute to: puffers (marine, brackish, fresh): ID and care (not
much knowledge of diseases, though... knocking on wood); freshwater moray
eels: ID and care; taxonomy in general (work(ed) as paleontologist).
<Yes... I/we would be very grateful for your help... Please see below>
2. Just in case you want more articles, I could offer you the following
unpublished pieces I have composed and which I could translate for WWM or CA
given some time.
<We will gladly consider any/all such submissions>
a. The red-tailed puffer Carinotetraodon irrubesco
b. Husbandry of the spiny eel Macrognathus pancalus
c. Keeping mangroves in a tank
d. Puffer confusion: targets, dwarves and Africans (would need some
pictures, but could ask at the pufferforum)
e. South American Puffers of the genus Colomesus
<All topics I would like to see much more on... along with a few tens of
thousands of others!>
3. Just a short note to avoid confusion: I recognize the article of
freshwater moray eels was updated at:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwmorayeels.htm but is mirrored
in the old version at
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwmorayeels.htm
<I don't recall why this piece occurs on both the root and FW subwebs... but
will correct. Thank you for this notice>
Kind regards,
Marco.
<And thank you for coming forward to aid others... I do hope you have time
to take a look to see if queries are of interest on our webmail server.
The log on is:
"email address":
password:
And we'll make an "in-folder" for you (should people write you back): Marco
Please peruse the general and specialized "in-folders" for incoming queries
and review here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/crewsupwebmail.htm
for some general input re our conventions. Again, thank you for sharing, Bob
Fenner> |
Hey, where's your picture under the Crew Bio
section? I've seen Jeni on her Harley and Bob in his leopard print wrestling
tights (eeeee hehehehe), Anthony with his beanie and goatee (you ROCK,
Dude); plus pictures of other crew members. But no Marco.....! What gives?
I'm just sayin', is all.
<I'm very shy and reclusive.. just kidding. Will send a picture to Bob if
needed. Until then you can find a picture on my homepage
http://www.geo-lichtenberger.de.vu/ , click at “Zur Person”.> Got it.
RMF
Marco's moray eels 1/6/2008
http://www.rzuser.uni-heidelberg.de/~mlichten/Geo/morays.htm
That's a link to pictures of some of my morays for
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex
/wwmcrew.htm.
Enjoy and take care.
Marco Lichtenberger.
<Thank you Marco. May I ask, in some of your earliest correspondence, you
mentioned selling us/WWM some to-be-transliterated written works... Did you
ever get around to these? Bob Fenner>
Re: Marco's moray eels,
writings 1/6/2008
Oh yes, the spiny eel piece was in CA, the mangroves I found already
covered well by Anthony, for the irrubesco piece I'm still searching for
sometimes seen females with a red caudal, and I hope mine start breeding...
Barry White does not always work.
<Well... he is dead>
For the South American puffers piece I wish I had some pictures of the
specimens from the 80s C. psittacus, nowadays all turn out to be C. asellus.
There are several other pieces in the making, proper pictures are often a
problem for me, since I do not have pictures of fish I have kept 5-20 years
ago and started writing about fishes not so long ago.
<Ahh. If I have any that are of use, you have to but ask>
The article on moray eel toxins was - thanks to your help my friend - in TFH
09/2007.
<I must have missed it... or perhaps the current "cold" is malaffecting my
memory>
The one on moray eel sexing needs some more pictures. E.g. I found a male
snowflake about 50 km away, but it's hard to get the serrated front teeth
into a decent photo, although they are well visible with the eel in front of
you.
Some other pieces (puffers, morays) have been offered to print magazines
first and are waiting to be published within the next months.
<Good>
I also had a lot to do with marine fishes from tropical Brazil. Besides
that, is there any specific topic (puffers, morays, predators in general)
we'd need an article on?
Marco.
<Oh yes. Many for sure. Danke, BobF>
|
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Mike Maddox Bio. for WWM Crew
posting - 1/31/08
I'm a premed Junior at Texas A&M Galveston, majoring in Marine Biology. I've
been keeping some form of aquatic life on and off (mostly on, with a recent
sabbatical I've recently returned from) since I was six years old (that would be
eighteen years now...I'm old) and marine life for over fourteen years. I'm
intimately familiar with the needs of virtually every ornamental aquatic fish
(and have had almost all of the marine ones at one point or another) as well as
most common reef invertebrates (Cnidarians, crustaceans, molluscs), and how to
provide proper care/feeding/water chemistry for said animals. I currently have
only one aquarium (I'm a student with a negative cash flow living in an
apartment with the kitchen built into a closet!). My tank houses a Starry Puffer
and a Commerson's angler, which I spend time watching when I should be studying.
I will gladly help anyone with any question they may have about aquatic life, be
it a frog, fish, turtle, or otherwise (I've kept more random aquatic animals
than I care to name), but I feel I'm most knowledgeable about marine life, and
most lacking in the freshwater fish area. I'm always willing to help someone
long term with a known difficult/"impossible" to keep species, as I've done a
lot of research regarding these types of animals, though not necessarily tried
to keep many of them. I do feel that this is how we progress in the hobby, and
if someone is taking a responsible, informed approach in doing their best to
keep a particular species that's known not to fair well in captivity, and is
trying to learn for the sake of the hobby, I will do what I can. I don't
recommend this for the average aquarist, though! |
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Sara Allyn Mavinkurve joins the WWM Crew
– 06/28/07
SaraM Bio and pic – 06/28/07
Ok, I'm not so good at this... but here's what I came up with for a "bio."
I'm attaching a picture too (it's not the best pic, but I don't have too many
other recent ones).
-------------------
I was born in 1981 in Akron, OH and currently live in Cleveland, OH.
I've loved aquatic creatures and kept aquariums of some sort or another since I
was quite little. My mom tells me that when I was 4 I was quite frustrated with
the fact that I would never be a fish or be able to live in the sea. I'm still a
bit disappointed about that, but find some solace in my aquariums.
My broad and seemingly endless curiosity about the world in general has left me
with a rather eclectic list of academic achievements and experiences. Though I
majored in math and minored in computer science in college, I also took many
biology and chemistry classes as a premed student. I spent almost a year in
medical school before deciding that it wasn't for me. At some point while in
medical school, I started my first marine aquarium which became the second love
of my life after my husband. At some point I earned a MA in Bioethics and am now
in law school at Case Western Reserve University.
My main interest now is in reef aquariums, corals and other marine
invertebrates. The courses I took in biology and chemistry, biochemistry, etc.
along with my experience in medical research is what has enabled me to be able
to read and understand just about any science or research journal. I also
understand research and study design and hope to use this ability to make more
academic information accessible to the reef keeping hobby. I've created
ASIRA.org with the hope of making more information more accessible to store
employees and owner (and hobbyists too). I'm happy now to be able to help WWM do
the same.
As for WWM, just tell me what you'd like me to contribute. I have plenty of
time to answer queries. I know you don't like to take work for free, but please,
you already bought me dinner, remember? ;-)
Sara
<I do welcome you to our Crew Sara.
Bob Fenner> |
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|
Neale Monks
Neale Monks
began keeping fish in the early 80s, and since that time has tried out most
of its specialisations, but his favourite bit of the hobby is brackish water
fishkeeping. He is fascinated by those fishes able to adapt to environments
with varying salinity, and quickly learned that the boundary the hobby
places between "saltwater fish" and "freshwater fish" is an arbitrary one
that doesn't mean much in the real world. After ignoring the aquarium books
of the time and going by the scientific literature, he learned that many
aquarium fish supposedly strictly freshwater or saltwater fish are also
brackish water fish in the wild, and put this to the test in two 200 gallon
tanks at the university he was studying at. Communication with fish
collectors, ichthyologists, and experienced aquarists has reinforced his
view that much of what is published in the aquarium literature about
brackish water fish is hopelessly inaccurate and out of date. Neale began
keeping an online compilation of his observations in 1995 as the Brackish
Water Aquarium FAQ, and in 2006 TFH published Brackish Water Fishes, a book
edited and partly authored by Neale describing the variety of brackish water
fishes in more depth and more authoritatively than ever before. Besides
brackish water fish, Neale enjoys keeping coldwater marines, catfish, dwarf
cichlids, pufferfish, and oddball livebearers, particularly halfbeaks.
Neale currently writes for a number of tropical fish magazines including
Tropical Fish Hobbyist and Practical Fishkeeping, and holds a BSc
in zoology and a PhD in palaeontology. As well as fishkeeping, he has
published numerous scientific papers on fossil cephalopods and other
invertebrates, as well as books on ammonites, cladistics, and amateur
astronomy. After living in Nebraska for some years, he has moved back home
to England, to the Hertfordshire market town of Berkhamsted. He divides his
time between professional writing, web site development, and teaching. Neale
has two fossils named after him, including a fish, the Eocene porgy Ellaserrata
monksi.
|
Offer of WWM help? - 03/10/07
> Please do let Jeni (or whoever) know that I'd me more than happy to help out
with any brackish/oddball Qs that come up. Obviously gratis.
> <Oh! Neale... is this an offer of help in responding to such queries on WWM?
We would definitely be interested in your help here... and I do think you will
be greatly motivated to "fill in" the enormous gaps/missing articles et al. as
you see/come to find them... Please do make it known if this is your intention.>
Robert,
Precisely so. Happy to help answer the "post bag" as and when things come in. I
just did a couple today for PFK, and they're fun. I can't pretend to be as
expert on pufferfish as Jeni, but I flatter myself that my general knowledge of
things brackish is adequate for most tasks.
I shall endeavour to uncover such gaps in the WWM web site article roster that I
can! Feel free to point me in the direction of bits you'd like me to focus on.
I'm very much at your disposal.
Sincerely,
Neale |
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Andrew Nixon joins the
WetWebMedia Crew 1/6/2008
Dear Mr. Fenner,
I am writing to you, via a suggestion by a member who actively posts on a
website I moderate on called aquariacentral.com , and that member is a part of
your crew ( Jeni - aka PufferPunk ).
<Ah, yes>
By way of a little introduction about myself. My name is Andrew, 34 years old
and I live in Uk, England. I am Head IT Manager by trade for an estate agency
group, have a daughter who is aged 6..I have been fishkeeping for about 7 - 8
years, started of will a good few freshwater species tanks, was never really
that much into the planted side of things. The tanks ranged from 10 gallons, up
to 90..About 3 years ago, I decided that after a good few years of researching,
learning and understanding marine fish, corals, inverts I branched out and start
keeping marine. These tanks ranged from 46 gallons upwards in varying sizes,
could not get enough of et.al tanks have always been very successful and I put
that down to the few years of knowledge building I did while I was keeping
freshwater. Since then, I moved over to the side of passing on my knowledge and
helping others by joining Aquariacentral.com and head the marine forums there (
my member name there is ATNIXON ).. I spent the vast majority of my time there
now, helping and supporting the existing aquarist's and new starters alike, and
would like to branch out and help other sources too. I enjoy this with a
passion, I feel at home discussing, debating, advising people on now to solve an
issue with their tanks, advise on how to go about setting up marine systems,
advise on stocking compatibility issues etc etc..corals / invert and their
feeding, lighting and behaviour...Equipment choices, recommendations, why some
work better than others, and the things for people to avoid. So, all I wanted to
do was put an offer to you, that if you ever feel that you have room for a
junior member on your team to help out on all round issues of the marine aquaria
side of the site, then I glad offer my services and knowledge over to you, would
certainly be an honour and a privilege.
With kind regards Andrew Nixon
<We do have a need for a person of your apparent background, interest... I do
hope/trust that helping as part of WWM will not interfere with time better spent
with your family, work, other endeavours. Do send along a likeness and other
Bio. mat. if you'd like this posted, and thank you for coming forward, offering
to help others. I welcome you to our association. Bob Fenner>
|
 |
Chris Perivolidis ... New to the Crew 5/2/06
Hi Bob, good talking with you over the weekend at IMAC. Sorry we missed you
after the banquet, but we couldn't resist going to see PufferPunk tanks.
Anyway, looking forward to helping out on wetweb.
<Great!>
A little about myself. I've had tanks most of my life, with a break during
college and a few years after that. My Dad got me started as a kid, with a
small tank and a few Tiger Barbs. Plenty to keep me fascinated though. I moved
up to a 20 that I had for many years with a now horrifying collection
of incompatible fish and shoddy maintenance, but live and learn. After going
tankless for quite a while I got the bug again and moved into
saltwater. After close to a year of research and waiting I finally got my
current tank, a 46G tank, home to my clowns and Gramma, and a red serpent
star (squiggy) that has passed through several WetWebbers tanks before now
calling mine home. Plus several colonies of soft corals and mushrooms that
came along with the LR.
I feel confident answering questions on SW livestock, maintenance, and fish
diseases. However I'm not much of a coralphile so those I'll have to mostly
pass on. I'll also try to help out in the freshwater area as much as possible
but I'm a bit rusty on that topic. I am also a relatively new
diver and can't wait for summer to get back in the water.
Talk to you soon,
Chris Perivolidis
<Thank you for sharing. BobF>
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Chris UW in HI... Sab pic |
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Pufferpunk (Jeni)
Hi Bob,
<Hello Jeni>
I have been keeping fish for over 25 years. I have had my own cat & dog
grooming business for over 18 years. I worked in the aquarium
industry for over 8 years.
<Sounds like you've "paid your dues".>
In the end of that career, I was managing the fish dept of a major
million dollar pet shop. I was responsible for stocking, cleaning,
medicating & selling fish for 70 tanks. Presently, I have 10
tanks. 6 are puffer tanks. I have extensive knowledge of FW (mostly oddballs)
& BW fish & their care. I have moved some of my BW fish into
a 55g SW tank along w/clownfish & damsels, but am new to that end of the
hobby. I have a 90g w/several rare Plecos, rainbowfish, synodontis, Corys,
Leaffish, purple spotted gudgeons (spawning pair), loaches & my prized,
yellow-finned Chalceus. I have a total of 14 puffers. A
12" Fahaka puffer (Tetraodon lineatus) in a 125g, living with 10" Adonis
& 10" gold spotted Plecos, 2 (6") green spotted puffers (t
nigroviridis), a 5" Ceylon puffer (t fluviatilis) in a 55g living w/a
clownfish & several
damsels, 2 South American puffers (Colomesus asellus) & a dwarf puffer (c
travancoricus), living in a 50g w/a blood parrot, frontosa cichlid & royal
pleco & 3 figure 8s (t biocellatus) . I just got 4 new SA puffers that are
in a 10g quarantine. I have a 15g cycled tank waiting for an ambush predator
puffer (not sure what kind yet) I have had experience with several
other puffers also. I co-own a pufferfish website: THE PUFFER
FORUM. I have been a scuba diver for over 5 years, logged over 200
dives & am an underwater photographer. I ride my own 1982 custom Shovelhead
Harley-Davidson. My Jack Russell Terrier (Lulu the Wonderdog) rides on the back.
I love to garden.
<We "had" a Jack Russell (Rudy)... he unfortunately took one long
stay too many in the canyon in the back... am still hoping he "walked
out" with someone rather than being consumed by coyotes>
If you are interested in seeing my tanks, I have a lot of photos recently posted
at WWF.
<Yes! The WWF did come up (finally) and I saw and posted your bio. materials
with your offer on WWM this AM>
Thanks for your interest in me! Jeni (Pufferpunk)
<Jeni, I thank you for volunteering. Will you try answering freshwater as
well as brackish questions?
Will cc the existing WWM Crew here to welcome you aboard... there are some
conventions on how we respond (a title on the response) if you'd take a look in
the "sent" folder on the WWM mail... and am sure Antoine will direct
you to an accumulation of input on what we do. Again, thank you for sharing. Bob
F>
Re: Volunteering My Services
Bob, Thank you for bringing me into your Crew!
<Thank you>
Will you try answering freshwater as well as brackish questions? I
would prefer to answer questions on puffers & BW fish, as these are my
present expertise.
<Okay>
Do you have a preference for how folks respond to you at WWM, perhaps a last
name or just Jeni or Pufferpunk? I'm kind of partial to Pufferpunk
<Okay, will add you on the Dailies as such>
We "had" a Jack Russell (Rudy)... I hope too that he is safe &
happy somewhere!
Jeni (Pufferpunk)
<Be seeing you, Bob F>
|
Our (sexy) Easy Rider!
The one, the only, Pufferpunk (and her little
dog, Lulu, too)!
|
Chuck Rambo's Bio
Chuck has been keeping freshwater fish for over 36 years. He currently
maintains 40 freshwater aquariums with cichlids from all over the world.
He is a "Fellow" of the American Cichlid Association and has
served as
past Board of Trustee and Chair. He currently serves as the Conservation
Chair as well as the ACA/Marineland Speakers Program Chair. Chuck serves
on the Board of Directors for both his local clubs, the Pacific Coast
Cichlid Association and the Silicon Valley Aquarium Society.
In 2002 he
and his wife Carol traveled to Lake Tanganyika to dive with Ad
Konings. In 2003 they went with him to Lake Malawi to dive and
observe the
cichlids in their natural habitat. Chuck also collects antique aquariums
and vintage fancy Vaseline glass fish bowls.
<Ahh, thank you for sending this along. Bob Fenner, who will post on
the Crew's bio. pages> |
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Eileen
Ridgeway/Yunachin joins WWM Crew
Hello Bob!<Eileen/Yunachin>
Dear Bob, Greetings from sunny Myrtle Beach.
<In South Carolina I take it>
My name is Eileen but more known as Yunachin. I would like to start off
saying I was referred to through Jeni, AKA- Pufferpunk, via her site:
The Puffer Forum, where I have been visiting for a while. She is a
wonderful person. <Oh yes> My fondest memories of having fish were when
I was a little girl and we had Oscars. I would sit for hours and gaze
into those beef-cake eyes wishing that I might be a fish one day. As I
got older we had several Bettas, tetras, Corys, catfish, guppies etc. I
learned about the spawning process with guppies very early in my keeping
of them. Then I got into larger goldfish care and Koi ponds. I was also
introduced into the spawning of convicts. I had my hands full. When I
met my husband I knew nothing about saltwater fish but that soon
changed. We own a LFS here and I have become quite the aquarium addict.
I divulged my time into learning about every aspect of fish. We are
common sights at local aquariums, sometimes I think they might throw us
out. Over the course of time I have become knowledgeable in marine fish
and identification. I also have begun breeding clownfish and have
studied on this over a year. I currently have 7 tanks in the house,. 4
full saltwater reefs and 3 freshwater tanks. I own 5 puffers; combined
species of, Fahaka, Green-spotted and Hawaiian White Spotted (separate
tanks, of course!). We also have a ribbon eel who has been living in
captivity for over a year and a half and is hand fed. There are various
tangs, blennies, gobies, clowns, wrasse and others in our collection. We
also own a full discus tank. Hands still full. Ha ha. I love caring for
these fish and I love learning about new things. I am not an aquarium
expert but I don't consider myself a beginner either. I dedicate every
waking moment to the fish and the learning process. I am a young and
vibrant aquarist with good information and I am not afraid to admit when
I am wrong. I would love to be a member of your Crew & I hope I can
become an asset to your team.
Have a fantastic day!-Eileen Ridgeway
<Am sure you've considered whether you have time for sharing/helping
here... That Jen/PP has mentioned what we do, how we do it. I do welcome
you to our association therefore.
Again, thank you for coming forward, sharing. Bob Fenner> |
 |
Eric Russell
I'm truly flattered you think I can contribute/help, and I would
consider it
an honor to do so. I must be honest, between my recent promotion at
work (I
now "mentor" six of my comrades), and administering to the local marine
club, I find I don't have as much casual time to spend on the web as I
used
to. But that said, I know how much it would have meant to me so many
years
ago; and still yet today, to have a competent avenue for questions, and
as
such, I promise to do my best to answer my share of queries with honest
and
helpful information. You probably still have my home phone but just in
case...803-561-XXXX...I'm usually home from work by 6:00 pm.
I've attached a pic and a brief bio as follows:
I've been fascinated with aquatic critters since I can remember, and
kept
"glass jars" of various aquatic life as soon as I was old enough to get
near
water. I acquired my first "real" aquarium (10 gal. Metaframe) in 1973
and
have had one or more of one size or another virtually ever since. I
spent
20 years building bombs in the Air Force and I'm now warming a chair in
front of a computer working on my second career as a
programmer/analyst. I
had opportunity in the late 70's to keep a planted aquarium in the
Netherlands (what else!), and after years of marine fish-only systems
set up
my first reef tank in 1989 while stationed in the United Kingdom keeping
nothing but reef systems since. My current setup consists of a 375 gal.
reef biotope display (yep, got on the bandwagon!) supported by a 55 gal.
vegetable 'fuge and a 75 gal. sump. I also have a separate "frag"
system in
a room over my shop which, by the way, if my wife ever inquires the
correct
answer is; "why yes, it's perfectly reasonable for Eric to be able to
sell
frags to help pay for his hobby!", even though I seem to trade or give
away
rather than sell <G>. I also have a 550 gallon concrete pond sunk in
the
first level of a three-level 1800 sq. ft. deck, all of which I built
myself.
Along with reefing, woodworking/remodelling/construction is my
avocation.
While I don't consider myself anything close to being an expert, I do
think
of myself as a student of the hobby and have spent the last few years
relearning and rediscovering the wonders of this fabulous and
intoxicating
pastime.
Warmest Regards,
Eric Russell |
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Welcome Scott Vallembois to the
WWM Crew! 10/20/07
Hi Bob, this is Scott Vallembois from momsfishsupply.com/glass-holes.com.
It was great to finally talk with you today. Thank you for all your advice
and input. As we had talked about, I would be happy to spend some time
helping out with the replies on Wetwebmedia.com. I have close to 25 years
aquarium experience ranging from goldfish to planted discus tanks to full
blown SPS reef tanks and just about everything in between (never anything
brackish). I would be happy to answer anything, but as you know the last few
years I have come to specialize in reef tank set up. Let me know if you need
anymore from me to get set up and I look forward to hear from you.
Thanks much Scott
<Thank you for coming forward Scott. As we chatted over the phone, I am very
glad to have you help us respond to queries at WWM, and to help you and your
partner in furthering your business endeavours.
Do please send along a brief bio. for posting with a pic/likeness if you
wish. Am hoping to "goose" you and EricR into writing "complete" pieces on
(marine) aquarium engineering, assembly... BobF. |
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Lynn Zurik 4/2/07
Hi Bob!
We met when you were up here in Seattle last year giving a seminar for
the local club. I really enjoyed meeting you and getting a chance to chat
for a bit. Regarding my joining the crew, yep, I'd love to give y'all a hand
however I can. My main strength is ID'ing critters but I'm sure I could
help in the other areas as well. LOL As long as it's not FW, it's been way
too long since I've done that! I started off with SW in '73 when I was in HS
and never went back ;-)
<Ahh!>
As for the article(s), we've been trying to come up with things to do to
help newbie members at WWF so we've decided to write some short articles to
post there.
<Wiki fashion? Or individual effort, or?>
We're hoping to get a lot of member participation in writing these articles,
but in the meantime, I'm working on some critter ones. The first will be
"Things that go 'click' in the night". Part one will be on Pistol shrimp,
part 2 will be on mantis.
<Sounds good>
Right now I'm doing the research and hoping to get it posted later this
week. While it's not going to be something that will be long enough (or
probably technical enough) for WWM/CFA, it should be helpful for a newbie
who's been wondering what those sounds were!
<Mmm, actually... will make the offer to conspire with you, give you use of
my image work if it will help... Edit, lengthen and help you market such
pieces to the pulp and e'zines>
I would, though, like to write something in the future for possible
submission.
<Please do>
I love taking photographs, so perhaps I could submit something there as
well(?). Here's my profile page - if you have a chance you can check out
some of the photos I've taken. LOL But they're nowhere as good as your's or
Zo's!
<Mmm, a matter of practice, gear and opportunities taken...>
http://wetwebfotos.com/Home?actionRequest=userview&userID=2470
<Very nice... really like the close-ups of the polychaetes>
Thanks and have a great week!
-Lynn
<And you as well... And thank you for coming forward. Our webmail log-in:
XXXX
And a link to familiarize yourself with a few of the conventions we use:
http://wetwebmedia.com/WWMAdminSubWebIndex/crewsupwebmail.htm
Welcome to our association. Bob Fenner> |
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