Despite the fact that I’ve been a hobbyist for decades longer than I’ve been a scientist, I like to say that I’m a scientist first and an aquarist second. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been enamored by fish, both in aquariums and the wild. I never lost the desire to understand how these creatures fit into their watery world. This fixation expanded until I obtained a Bachelor’s of Science in Biology where I emphasized in the evolutionary biology and population genetics of vertebrates. My career has taken me in the direction of being the Aquatics Technician at the Van Andel Institute where I maintain a metapopulation of zebrafish (Danio rerio) that is used in research on how blood cancers develop, but I’ve never escaped the gravitational pull of keeping home aquariums. I spent several years as manager at Water Colors Aquarium Gallery, where I oversaw the quarantine systems, and I’m still one of the co-hosts on the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast. I even spent a year on the Board of Directors for the Grand Valley Aquarium Club. These days, I focus on encouraging conservation breeding in home aquariums and advocate for hobbyists to adopt practices that will enable us to maintain our beloved aquarium fish for generations to come.
Parasites of the Caribbean: The Evolution of Cleaner Gobies
Marine fish breeding has never been a mainstream hobby, with most people believing it’ll be too difficult to be fun. This is despite the fact that many of us are already breeding demanding species and maintaining the live foods to do so in our living rooms right now. The evolutionary history of the Elacatinus and Tigrigobius gobies gives hobbyists a unique opportunity to bring marine microhabitats into their homes, in less than three gallons of water, and practice skills that will make us better freshwater fish breeders while we’re doing it.
Marine fish breeding has never been a mainstream hobby, with most people believing it’ll be too difficult to be fun. This is despite the fact that many of us are already breeding demanding species and maintaining the live foods to do so in our living rooms right now. The evolutionary history of the Elacatinus and Tigrigobius gobies gives hobbyists a unique opportunity to bring marine microhabitats into their homes, in less than three gallons of water, and practice skills that will make us better freshwater fish breeders while we’re doing it.
CCAC Monthly Meeting Online Viewing
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/92380637183…
https://zoom.us/j/92380637183…
Meeting ID: 923 8063 7183
Passcode: 854737
Passcode: 854737
What to expect:
A typical meeting we start setting up about 7:00 pm and will official start around 7:30 pm. At the start of the meeting all club business and announcements are made.
Next is our speaker/presentation. Typically they last about 1 hour. Topics have a very broad range as far as a hobbyist can see.
After that a brief intermission.
The Conclusion consists of door prizes, a members-only raffle item donated from one of our many proud sponsors/supporters, and a members-only mini-auction of fish and aquarium related goods. Meetings usually last until 9:30 or 10:00 pm