From Ken's self-introduction for a 2017 talk at the Ohio Cichlid Association:
I started keeping fish when I was 6 years old, catching introduced exotics in the creek behind my house when we lived in Tampa--mostly livebearers, but it was a start. Little did I know where this would lead! My parents bought me a 10 gallon tank to keep my catch in, as I was proliferating little containers all over my bedroom, full of aquatic creatures. Tanks seem to multiple as easily as guppies, as I now have about 600! I don't think there has ever been a time in the last 48 years when I did not have fish.
I keep a variety of cichlids from Africa, Central and South America, and many wild type and fancy livebearers and discus. I got my first discus in 1978 and just keeping them alive back then was the challenge. My first successful spawn was in 1982, with some of those “new” Wattley Turquoise, and I've been hooked ever since. I love to breed fish and have spawned hundreds of species, introducing several new species to the hobby.
I worked at a major University for 18 years, keeping my sanity with my fish hatchery, Fishfarm USA, and owned a retail pet store. I've been the President of the Atlanta Area Aquarium Association (AAAA) since 1998, was elected to the first of four two-year terms to the American Cichlid Association Board of Trustees in 1998, and served as Chairman of the Board in 1999 and 2004. I was Chairman of two very successful ACA Conventions in 2002 and 2008, in Atlanta. I was also elected to the Board of Directors of The North American Discus Association in 2005 and I've belonged to the American Livebearer Association for many years.
In 2001, I went with a group of breeders and importers, organized by Bing Seto, to Asia for a two week tour of Asian fish farms and the international discus show in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the Aquarama in Singapore. Wow, what a trip! We visited Hong Kong, Bangkok, Saigon, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Singapore.
I’ve been on 5 collecting trips to Honduras with groups of serious hobbyists, including Rusty Wessel and Eddie Martin. Man, this hobby just gets more fun. We went to Mexico in February, 2006. I’ve gone on trips to Uruguay in November/December the last 5 years. I've enjoyed all aspects of the hobby, including meeting great people, going to shows and conventions, speaking for clubs, breeding new fish, and collecting in the wilds of exotic places! Keeps me busy and off the streets.
Two RAS Sessions with Ken:
Ken will spent time with RAS on both Wednesday and Thursday evening. On Wednesday, Sept 5, we will have dinner and drinks at the Hibernian Pub where we can informal discussions on fish. Ken will host a Q&A discussion format session where we can pick his brain on spawning and raising fry. He will also dazzle us with photos and interesting stories. It will be a fun evening!!
At our regular Thursday meeting on Sept 6, Ken will speak about “His fish collecting adventures in South and Central America”.