AquariumPros.ca Tank Of The Month has a panel of judges that vote on TOTM. When nominations are sent in, these judges then look at each nomination and then judge them on a set criteria.
Our judges all have experiences in marine aquariums and reef keeping and a deep desire to see this hobby exceed. The TOTM Judges are non bias and are not affiliated with any tank that are nominated for TOTM.
The Tank Of The Month Judges
Kev Jacklin aka Mugster
(AP Administrator & TOTM Judge)
Years in Hobby: 6
Location: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Background: Born and raised in Southwestern Ontario. Kev always had a fondness for animals, and had quite the assortment of pets ranging from groundhogs, raccoons, and rabbits, to cats, dogs, and of course fish. Kev had many freshwater tanks over the years and always wanted to try his hand at saltwater.
About 6 years ago he decided to try saltwater. Kev bought and setup a 40 gallon Eclipse tank and started learning. The 40 soon turned out to be too small which led to a series of upgrades; 40-65, 65-100, 100-180 reef ready. Kev stayed with the 180 for almost 3 years and continued to learn. Joining Aquarium Pros was a major asset for him learning more about this wonderful hobby/obsession. In July of 2005 he made what he hoped was his final upgrade to a 235gal reef ready with closed loop.
Steve Wright aka steve w.
(TOTM Judge)
Years In Hobby: 18 Years salt water
Location: Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada
Background: It all started off on a snorkeling trip in Martinique. Being a freshwater fish keeper from the age of 7,
what I saw beneath the water’s surface made me want to change my approach to the hobby forever.
It wasn’t too long after that snorkeling trip in 1990 that I purchased my first saltwater system out of
the Buy & Sell. I started with a 72 gallon tank, 5 fish and some pink-tips, but was unsuccessful with
corals. Fast forward to 2004; after learning about advances made in coral husbandry and propagation
from LFS staff, I decided to try coral keeping again. Much to my wife’s chagrin it became a
much more expensive, time-consuming and addictive hobby than I first thought. My 11 year old son
has now joined our hobby with his own 12 gallon tank.
Joe Magri aka oakie
(TOTM Judge)
Years In Hobby: 5 Years salt water
Location: Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Biography:Been in the hobby for as long as I can remember, and saltwater for about 5 years. Current set up includes a 180g Reef, a 240g FOWLR and a 40g seahorse tank that houses 2 red Reidi, a leopard Reidi and a red banded pipefish. The reef system has a frag tank plumbed in and I'm trying out my skills on a Nano. The reef is mostly sps and lit with 4 250 DE 20k bulbs and is home to blue, purple, powder blue and yellow tangs, a sixline, and a flame angel. Water circulation is provided through a closed loop system and seaswirls.
The FOWLR is a bullnose starphire with blue face, emperor and queen angels, golden butterfly, pink tail and blue throat triggers, six line and naso occupants. Hosting in 1 of 3 anenomes are a pair of breeding clownfish. Lighting is provided through 4 250 DE 20k bulbs which really brings out everyone's colours, and since its got the lights, the odd piece of coral makes it in there too.
All systems are fed by a 200 gpd RO/DI system and supported by back up UPS power supplies.
Over the next couple of years I'd like to focus on being able to raise clownfish and seahorse fry, and have been toying around with the idea of a 500 plus gallon tank.
Joe
Zachary Ramwa aka Patwa
(AP Moderator, TOTM Judge)
Years In Hobby: 5 Years salt water
Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Biography:Although born and raised in Guyana, Zach emigrated to Canada with his family at an early age, settling in Mississauga, where they have lived for almost 20 years. From the very start he had a seemingly innate desire to keep and take care of an aquarium. So much so, that when he was a child living in Guyana, he would often times be found at nearby streams and creeks with his nets collecting guppies and tetras for his mother’s tank.
At first, his love for freshwater aquaria seemed unwaivering, with his favourite freshwater system being the ‘Amazon’ planted tank. However, it was with the constant urging from his brother, Nicklaus, that Zach finally tried his hand at a saltwater system. His first foray into the saltwater hobby came by way of a small 30g tank, which had limited soft corals and a few small fish. However, it was quite evident to those close to him, that he was spending less and less time on his freshwater tank and more time working on the reef. Eventually, he tore down the freshwater system and installed a 65g reef. During the next two years, he worked diligently and developed the 65g into a brilliantly coloured, zoanthid and LPS dominated reef. It was during this time that he was honoured with AquariumPro’s TOTM for April 2006.
Zach’s philosophy in creating and keeping a successful reef includes ‘keeping it simple’, as can be seen by looking at his tank profile; having respect for the animals – that is, reading as much as you can to learn the ideal way to care for them; making it nothing less than a work of art – a beautiful reef tank, simple put, should be a feast for the eyes!
Andy aka Andy
(TOTM Judge)
Years in Hobby: 12
Location: Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Background: My interest in saltwater aquaria began in 1997 following a lengthy fascination with African cichlids. My first saltwater tank was a standard 125 gallon reef with a mix of soft and hard corals and a large fish population. In 2001, I upgraded to a 280 gallon stony coral system (mainly SPS) with clams and a light fish load. The tank has been through numerous significant prunings to deal with issues stemming from overcrowding such as light competition and reduced circulation. The tank is, for the most part, fully automated with little intervention required other than daily feedings. In the near future, I plan to do some major reaquascaping to open up the tank and lower the reef profile. I will likely migrate back to a system with more LPS corals, clams and a heavier fish load.
