A Talk by Mike Hellweg
Saturday, June 12th, 2010, 7:00 PM
Come at 6:30 to meet with other hobbyists!
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Bio: Mike Hellweg has been a hobbyist since he was nine years old. He is the only person to reach the rank of sixth level Grand Master Breeder in his local club, the Missouri Aquarium Society, Inc. (MASI) He has convinced more than 250 species from more than 25 families to breed, and successfully raised their fry. Mike is also his club’s only fifth level Grand Master Aquatic Horticulturist, having propagated more than 200 species of aquatic plants, many of them by seed.
He is active in the organized hobby – having served on the Executive Council of the Missouri Aquarium Society since 1989 and is in his 13th term as their president. He has also served on the BOD of the American Livebearer Association (including two terms as their Vice Chairman), and has served as the Historian of the Aquatic Gardeners Association for many years. He is the moderator for the American Killifish Association’s Foods and Feeding Forum.
Mike presents programs on various hobby topics to local schools as well as hobbyist organizations, shows, and conventions around the country. A prolific writer, he has written many articles for local and national hobbyist organizations and is a regular contributor to Tropical Fish Hobbyist and other magazines. He writes "Adventures in Fishbreeding," a monthly column in Aquarium Fish International, and with Ted Judy co-writes a monthly breeding column in Tropical Fish Hobbyist as well. His first book, Culturing Live Foods, was published by TFH in June of 2008. His second book, Raising Live Foods: Complete Herp Care, has just been released by TFH, with more to follow. He currently owns and operates Exotic Aquatics, selling uncommon fish, live foods, his own line of flake and pellet foods, and aquatic plants both to local hobbyists and to hobbyists around the country.