To do a complete bio would likely bore you to tears. SO, suffice it to say, I've been involved with aquariums for 59 years and strictly marine for the last 34 years. I set up my first marine aquarium in 1966 by 1972 I'd sold all my freshwater aquariums and have been strictly salt ever since. To say I'm captivated by marine critters would be an understatement. I've always been a hobbyist but have also sold them retail and wholesale, installed and maintained aquariums for bars, restaurants and private individuals. In 1992 I began an attempt at growing coral fragments. By 1994 I was having some success and as the lighting requirements became better understood my success grew.
In the mid to late 1970's my interest in Cephalopods lept into the forefront when an Atlantic pygmy octopus layed a clutch of eggs in her aquarium. That did it for me. The eggs hatched and I had some success growing out the young. Back in those days there wasn't a clear understanding of the Nitrogen cycle and the role Nitrate played in the total picture. There wasn't a clear understanding of how to controll Nitrate either. Nitrates in the range of 50 ppm, if memory serves me correctly, did them in. However the youngsters lived and grew for 3 or 4 months. Kept various other octos over the years with varying degrees of success. In the '90s my interests changed to corals and haven't had an octo for quit some time. Never lost my love/fascination for them though.
In January 2004, my name was given to two professors at the Univ of Hawaii, Drs. Ned Ruby and Margaret McFall-Ngai, head professors in the Dept. of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. Their research involved the pygmy bobtailed squid, Euprymna scolopus and it's symbiotic relationship with the luminous bacterium, Vibrio fischeri. The professors worked as a team and had accepted positions at the Univ of WI, Madison, where I lived at the time.
You can imagine my surprise when they told me they bred the squid in captivity regularly and their research was conducted on the young before they picked up the luminus bacteria.
I was fascinated with the prospect of accomplishing this project for the professors and accepted the challange. If you are interested in reading my blurb of the events here's a link to it on my website - Squid System.
Today, I reside in FL, retired from 40 years of pipefitting, (yes, in addition to the aquarium business). I'm setting up a coral fragging business with related sales in live rock, live sand, clams and who knows maybe cephalopods. The professors want me to try growing out some bobtailed squid because my system produces more eggs than they can use and the eggs ship very well.
If you've read this far, you've had enough of me for one night. Very happy to have stumbled into you guys. Looking forward to learning from the experts and contributing where I can.
Dick
In the mid to late 1970's my interest in Cephalopods lept into the forefront when an Atlantic pygmy octopus layed a clutch of eggs in her aquarium. That did it for me. The eggs hatched and I had some success growing out the young. Back in those days there wasn't a clear understanding of the Nitrogen cycle and the role Nitrate played in the total picture. There wasn't a clear understanding of how to controll Nitrate either. Nitrates in the range of 50 ppm, if memory serves me correctly, did them in. However the youngsters lived and grew for 3 or 4 months. Kept various other octos over the years with varying degrees of success. In the '90s my interests changed to corals and haven't had an octo for quit some time. Never lost my love/fascination for them though.
In January 2004, my name was given to two professors at the Univ of Hawaii, Drs. Ned Ruby and Margaret McFall-Ngai, head professors in the Dept. of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. Their research involved the pygmy bobtailed squid, Euprymna scolopus and it's symbiotic relationship with the luminous bacterium, Vibrio fischeri. The professors worked as a team and had accepted positions at the Univ of WI, Madison, where I lived at the time.
You can imagine my surprise when they told me they bred the squid in captivity regularly and their research was conducted on the young before they picked up the luminus bacteria.
I was fascinated with the prospect of accomplishing this project for the professors and accepted the challange. If you are interested in reading my blurb of the events here's a link to it on my website - Squid System.
Today, I reside in FL, retired from 40 years of pipefitting, (yes, in addition to the aquarium business). I'm setting up a coral fragging business with related sales in live rock, live sand, clams and who knows maybe cephalopods. The professors want me to try growing out some bobtailed squid because my system produces more eggs than they can use and the eggs ship very well.
If you've read this far, you've had enough of me for one night. Very happy to have stumbled into you guys. Looking forward to learning from the experts and contributing where I can.
Dick