Returned late last night (actually early A.M.) from my first PSAS - "Pudget Sound Aquarium Society" - keeper/sponsor of
"Reef Frontiers" - (which is my alternate "Reef Keeping" web hangout.) meeting which gathered over on Mercer Island, WA (Seattle) - a 45 minute ferry boat ride and 15 minutes by car for me.
WHAT A GREAT EXPERIENCE!
Guest Speaker was: Anthony Calfo
(of "
Wet Web Media" "fame" - Where all those fantastic Marine related "FAQ's" are located. - (he is the "Anthony" who we see replying in so many of the Marine FAQ's - esp. on "inverts"
-
("bio" from "
Wet Web Media )
Anthony Calfo was born in Hawaii and lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is a lifelong aquarist and an aquarium industry professional that has worked the better part of the last decade as a commercial coral farmer and wholesaler, producing cultured reef invertebrates for the ornamental and zoological trade. In a greenhouse environment, he has witnessed such blessed wonders as spawning Tridacnid clams and Cassiopeia jellyfish growing from medusae to adulthood. After selling his mariculture facilities, he has worked as a writer publishing fiction and non-fiction material. He has authored the reef aquariology title, Book of Coral Propagation, Vol. 1 Reef Gardening for Aquarists (450 pages, www.readingtrees.com) and will release the second volume of the series in 2003. He co-founded the Pittsburgh Marine Aquarist Society with the inimitable Bob Dolan. He was schooled at Carnegie-Mellon University and U. Pitt, and has a BA in English Literature. Other interests include African felids, music and studio arts.
"I have thirty-two years on this planet and I'm very grateful to be apprenticed to life. Wise and kind friends like Bob Fenner and the WWM crew make the journey ever so much more enjoyable!" March 2002
--
A knowledgeable, "outrageously entertaining" and just charismic speaker! - could have sat and listened to him talk all night.
Talk was on "Coral Propagation" - & I learned so much my head is still spinning and swimming trying to absorb all the great tips and pointers he shared with us. I guarantee, no matter how experienced any member of the group listening was, he/she learned much.
After talk was a "hands" on workshop on cutting just about every variety of coral - So much, that everyone attending, who wanted to, was able to return home with "frags" of whatever variety he wanted to "experiment" with in his home tank. I got a number of different new ones for my tank! - Am wondering now why I did not pick up more. (was all just too overwhelming & seems now at time I did not want to appear too "greedy" and was very happy with the specific ones I got).
Another highlight was actually meeting "
Mojoreef" - - who occasionally "visits" here. He is "admin" over at Reef Frontiers - and am sure, one of those largly responsible for putting together the great program we were all so lucky to experience last night. (Even remembered me from our exhange of posts here (!) - think I must have made impression due to one my hopefully rare "impertinent" response to a post - embarrassed now)
Anyway - GREAT JOB "MOJOREEF"
Whole experience was just terrific!!! Could have not asked for a better introduction to PSAS - and all the wonderful people this hobby attracts - can see by time of this post, have yet to go to sleep - am still too hyped up - in "wonder" of it all"
last couple of hours spent "playing" with new frags and getting them settled in tank . - Still not done.
But "adrenalin" about used up (yawn)
Rgds,
OmarD
(only regret - leaving without copy of Anthony's book - which will make up for by ordering today)
PSAS Meeting Report - 21 Feb 
