Besides information, I also hope to convey something that I feel is missing for a lot of hobbyists and that is a sense of fun. Most are far more knowledgeable than I am, so when I do not know something, I hope to reach out to them to help us on our journey. I am fortunate in that during my time in the hobby, I have made many friends, most of whom have now been my friends for over thirty years. My sister was a lawyer and she told me that you can’t be sued for not saying anything, so if I do not talk about a product it either means I have not used it or it did not live up to my expectations. If I come across a product that does less than advertised I simply will not say anything about it. When I speak about a product it means I use it and believe it works. Occasionally, I will get a product to try out, and if I do, I will let you know that when I review it. I do not have any sponsors, nor am I paid by any company to promote their products. A passion for reef tanksĪs I noted above, this has not been my career but instead has been my passion, which helped me cope with my career. But rather, I am a guy with a lifelong passion for this hobby who has made literally every mistake you can make and hope to share this experience with you. I am supplying this information not to stroke my ego, but to let you know that I am not some 20-year-old, with a 40-gallon tank and 10,000 posts who is considered a reef guru. While I am not a marine biologist, I do have degrees in biology, chemistry, and psychology and a Master’s degree from Yale, all of which have been helpful in the multiple disciplines that are involved in this hobby. See also The Deep Water Rose Coral Reef is a Living Treasure During this time, I have set up over a dozen different tanks for myself, ranging in size from 22 to 1200 gallons and I have also assisted in the set up to 4,000 gallons and have also consulted for the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. Despite not doing this as my career, I have been very fortunate to have found this as my main hobby throughout my life. 350 published articlesĭuring that time, I have written over 350 articles that have been published throughout the globe and have also gotten to speak all over the world as well. Note the color, even under metal halides. A top-down view of Mike’s 540-gallon tank in 1994. Even more amazing, after writing several articles, a few aquarium clubs, starting with the Marine Aquarium Society of Toronto, M.A.S.T, with Charles Delbeek and Bob James as members, asked me to speak, and I have been doing both ever since. To be honest, I still do not remember how it came to pass that I started writing for this hobby, as I worked in sales and marketing in oncology, and never did this as more than a hobby. Back then there were almost a dozen, as there was no internet, and the only way information was spread was either through magazines or by word of mouth. There were very few of us back then in the US, probably less than a dozen people that I know of, and for whatever reason, I started writing about my experiences starting in SeaScope magazine and eventually writing for all of the aquarium magazines of that era. And that has what has probably kept me interested in this hobby for all this time.įor those of you who do not know who I am or my background, and why should you, as 70% of hobbyists have been doing this for less than five years, I have had a “reef tank” since 1984, and it was not even called that then, back then it was a “mini-reef”. But more so because as I read articles and scientific papers or talk with long-time friends, I still realize there is much we do not know but luckily, I still enjoy learning. I say that as from time to time I still make mistakes, like flooding the floor, leaving a millimeter of space open that a fish jumps through, or trusting a heater to function properly without checking. While I have now had reef tanks for almost 40 years, I can honestly say not only has the time passed quickly, it does when you are having fun, but in a lot of ways I still feel like a beginner. Instead, I am going to try and be like a kindly old uncle and share my experience and advice and try to help as much as I can. To be honest, it is kind of bittersweet, as it is not quite the same as it was when I was having weekly interactions with Jake, who I still miss dearly, and to make it clear, who I am not trying to replace, as he truly is irreplaceable. Well, after a brief six-year hiatus, I am happy to be back writing for Reef Builders on a regular basis.
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