About : Me
I can talk about aquaria for hours, until I lose my voice (which happens frequently), but about myself.... I don't think that's why you are here, but my daughter (who started this site for me), says it's why people make sites ;~).
Briefly, my background is as an auto-mechanic, bartender, then nightclub management, engineering (included environmental, test, design and power applications), hi-tech management (project, program, product support, new product introduction & engineering services), inventor and entrepreneur (jack of all trades & master of none).
When the bottom dropped out of hi-tech (and I closed 2 company divisions) I spent a year at home doing renovating, and discovered the newsgroups and the vast amount of aquaria information on the web. On the newsgroups, I quickly went from a lurker to a prolific participant, quizzing all the real experts who would occasionally frequent the newsgroups while hunting for an elusive bit of information for themselves. These biologists, chemists, geologists and many others were an outstanding source of real credible information, and they led me to research papers on countless topics. My technical background & curiousity, along with over 30 years of keeping aquariums were starting to turn me into an asset for the newsgroups. I'll never be an 'expert', but I was once told that I know enough to be dangerous ;~).
Capitilizing on my experience as a hobbyist, a brief summer job in a pet shop 30 years ago, and over 3,000 newsgroup posts on related subjects, I talked myself into managing the fish dept. in a new store (which was just finishing construction). My first job was to fishless cycle over a hundred aquariums.
My hobbies are varied, like motorcycling, street and a little dirt...
 
.. and jet-skiing
heh heh ;o) *just kidding*
In the shop, I was managing about 4,300 gallons of water, (or 108 tanks), and it's true that no matter how many tanks you have, you still wish for just one or two more. I was purchasing every fish in the shop, typically managing a livestock level of about 10,000 fish, and ordering about 1,000 fish per week. I was also the district 'fish guy' for the company, so with 2 other fish mgrs, I overlooked another 180 tanks (or 6,830g) *whew *.
Fish retail will not make you rich, but it's low stress and very enjoyable. I recommend it for any hobbyist who has retired and is looking for a little extra income. The satisfaction you get will depend on the autonomy you have, and the ethics of the company. I was very lucky to be working for a good one. I had 2 employees in their 50-60s and they were well-respected for their knowledge and experience. My part time students were also hobbyists, and could hold their own in a debate. With so many aspects to this hobby, I wrote a training manual with a matrice to keep track of what had been reviewed. I find training is one of the biggest weaknesses in this business.
According to my head-office, the store was rated the highest in the health & appearance of the aquariums & fish (they have been in twice taking pictures). That's in a chain of 35 stores, and most of the credit goes to my staff. They are the ones gravel vacuuming, planting & pruning while I'm reading the fish-breeder sheets and balancing the books.
I've really enjoyed promoting this hobby in the newsgroups, through my work, and now, with this web site.
I'm no longer working at the fish store, having set off on my own business. I'm also not in the newsgroups anymore due to the spam & troll activity. Most of the newsgroup regulars moved to a new forum we created, called The Freshwater Aquarium (change the .com to your country if you're not in the USA). It's a low stress place to discuss all manner of aquaria and pond topics. I hope to see you there.
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