MACO has a course for you! Fish Husbandry!

[wade1]

http://www.aquaristcourses.org

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.

From a previous student of the course: "Thanks for the great class. I feel much more confident now than I did 6 weeks ago in my ability to develop a reef aquarium."

Introduction

Who are we? What are out goals as fish keepers? What obstacles do we face?
Responsibilities of the Marine Aquarist

The life in our hands Give something back
Basic Taxonomy

What is a fish? What is a Genus? What is a species? Why does it matter?
Basic Biology

Basic Anatomy Do fish sleep? Hermaphroditism
Habitats

Where do our fish come from? Does it matter? What is a microhabitat? What is a biotope?
Tank Selection & Setup

How big? Glass or Acrylic? Plywood? To skim or not to skim? What kind of filter? Do I need live rock? Lighting
Quarantine Procedure

What 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 & Compatibility

What 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 management

Prevention and treatment of common fish diseases Nutrition
Family Specific Discussions

Angelfish Triggerfish Groupers Wrasses, etc
Species Specific Discussions

Open discussion on suitable species and compatibility What are the most desirable species for a reef?
Fishes to avoid

Fishes that shouldn’t be purchased, and maybe shouldn’t even be available!
Invert Compatibility

Can 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?

Full registration details and more information are available on the website!

 

[Banggai]

As of April 22nd, 2009, all courses were cancelled.

http://www.aquaristcourses.org/maco-down

 

[wade1]

Unfortunately, that is correct. We could not fill the last few offerings we put together. Since the instructors are paid by registration costs, we could not afford to take up any more of their time having them organize courses that would not garner enough attention to get off of the ground.

However, the site is fully intact and we are waiting for things to pick up to start offering courses again.

In the meantime, if anyone has specific topics they would like to see converted into short courses, please message me or post on the forums!

BTW - Banggai :welcome: !

 

[Tal Sweet]

I wish I had seen this earlier!