Tony Thompson
Active Member
Hi my name is Tony Thompson and I live in the North East of England. I have been keeping Aquariums on and off for some 30 years. A large part of that time was spent breeding and keeping Lake Tanganyika Chiclids. Over the last 3 years I have turned my attention to keep Marine Aquariums. After some research on the subject, what stood out to me the most where two points.
The lack of awareness and promotion in the hobby with regards captive bred stock and other sustainable choices available to hobbyists, in particular the UK.
The large number of myths and miss leading advice surrounding the Biology and Chemistry involved in keeping an aquarium.
On the first point. I decided from the start, to make my aquariums as sustainable as possible. I only use artificial reef rock, captive bred fish and cultured corals. The knowledge I gained in my en devour to find suitable stock, particularly captive bred fish. Lead me to set up the Face Book Group Sustainable Marine - Reefers UK https://www.facebook.com/groups/susutainablemarinereefersuk/. The aims of the group are to post relevant information including captive bred and aqua cultured availability, environmental issues and other aquarium related articles with respect to sustainable practices.
On the second point I decided to take a rather skeptical approach to the range of methodology's and products available within the hobby. I am in no way a qualified Chemists or Biologist but I try to keep controls in place with my experiments and be as subjective as possible. I also decided to post to the group (as mentioned above) articles of scientific research , recognized, respected publications and media resources. The group as been running for 6 months and includes over 400 members. The backgrounds of those members ranges from, Professional Aquarists, Importers, Wholesalers, LFS owners, Marine Biologists, Publishers, Writers and hobbyists from all levels. Although initially aimed at UK reefers we also have a growing number of members from other countries.
I really do love this hobby and hope that we can all work together to strive towards a sustainable future. Not just for the sake of the hobby but also in the interests and welfare of the wonderful animals we decide to keep.
I really look forward to reading articles and where I feel confidant enough, contributing to the discussion. Happy Reefing to you all.
The lack of awareness and promotion in the hobby with regards captive bred stock and other sustainable choices available to hobbyists, in particular the UK.
The large number of myths and miss leading advice surrounding the Biology and Chemistry involved in keeping an aquarium.
On the first point. I decided from the start, to make my aquariums as sustainable as possible. I only use artificial reef rock, captive bred fish and cultured corals. The knowledge I gained in my en devour to find suitable stock, particularly captive bred fish. Lead me to set up the Face Book Group Sustainable Marine - Reefers UK https://www.facebook.com/groups/susutainablemarinereefersuk/. The aims of the group are to post relevant information including captive bred and aqua cultured availability, environmental issues and other aquarium related articles with respect to sustainable practices.
On the second point I decided to take a rather skeptical approach to the range of methodology's and products available within the hobby. I am in no way a qualified Chemists or Biologist but I try to keep controls in place with my experiments and be as subjective as possible. I also decided to post to the group (as mentioned above) articles of scientific research , recognized, respected publications and media resources. The group as been running for 6 months and includes over 400 members. The backgrounds of those members ranges from, Professional Aquarists, Importers, Wholesalers, LFS owners, Marine Biologists, Publishers, Writers and hobbyists from all levels. Although initially aimed at UK reefers we also have a growing number of members from other countries.
I really do love this hobby and hope that we can all work together to strive towards a sustainable future. Not just for the sake of the hobby but also in the interests and welfare of the wonderful animals we decide to keep.
I really look forward to reading articles and where I feel confidant enough, contributing to the discussion. Happy Reefing to you all.
