Marine Aquarist Courses Online (MACO) has a course on Fish Husbandry starting on April 6th! The course is 6 weeks of full instruction. MACO courses are internet based, with a 2 hour chat session per week. The husbandry course will have the live interactive chats at 6pm Sundays PST (9pm EST).
www.aquaristcourses.org (click the link on the left menu for the Fish Husbandry for more details)
This class will introduce you into the world of marine fish husbandry, from basic biology and taxonomy, to principles and procedures used to insure that these animals live out long and healthy lives under your care. You'll learn how to select the proper equipment, and be guided on how to set up your system in a way that suits the fish that you've chosen and the environment that you would like to emulate. Most importantly, you'll learn to avoid all the mistakes that are so easily made when learning to keep these amazing animals. The class will cover the tendencies and idiosyncrasies of various families of marine fish, how they interact with each other, and how to keep them together without experiencing the problems that plague so many aquarists. You'll learn how to manage and avoid diseases that commonly infect and often kill so many captive marine fish. You'll learn what you must do, and as importantly, what you must not do in order to excel as a marine fish keeper.
The following is an outline of the course's topics:
Responsibilities of the Marine AquaristThe life in our hands Give something back Basic TaxonomyWhat is a fish? What is a Genus? What is a species? Why does it matter? Basic BiologyBasic Anatomy Do fish sleep? Hermaphroditism HabitatsWhere do our fish come from? Does it matter? What is a microhabitat? What is a biotope? Tank Selection & SetupHow big? Glass or Acrylic? Plywood? To skim or not to skim? What kind of filter? Do I need live rock? Lighting Quarantine ProcedureWhat is quarantine? Why do I have to quarantine? Does quarantine stress the fish more than just placing it in my tank? Is it worth the extra expense? Stocking order & CompatibilityWhat do I introduce into my tank first, and why? Can I keep fish of the same species together? Can I keep fish x with fish y? Aggression Management/Aggressive tanks Disease managementPrevention and treatment of common fish diseases Nutrition Family Specific DiscussionsAngelfish Triggerfish Groupers Wrasses, etc Species Specific DiscussionsOpen discussion on suitable species and compatibility What are the most desirable species for a reef? Fishes to avoidFishes that shouldn't be purchased, and maybe shouldn't even be available! Invert CompatibilityCan I keep this fish in my reef/this invert with my fish? Angels in the reef Nanos What is a nano? What makes it different? What fish can I keep in my nano? Are nanos harder to keep?
________________________________________________Keith“I'm hitting the woods just great,
but I'm having a terrible time getting out of them.” - Harry Tofcano
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