Who has inspired you as a fish keeper?
- Thread starter cookiemonster
- Start date
My parents were the ones who inspired me to fishkeeping. Both kept fish since their childhood days.
Two people 'above' me have really kept me going with fish. One was a past Curator we only called "Tiger", the other is a shark researcher in the Gulf of Mexico.
However, truth be told, the biggest motivator for me have been staff who worked for me (both the paid and "free slave labor" interns). I'm serious. So much of my career has been dealing with people who used to love fish, but fell in love with money instead. I hate seeing things go that way.
Seeing a face that lights up when they feed and animal or clean a tank totally makes my day. Seeing people who start each day with a positive outlook with a goal of learning something and doing great things for the animals charged in their care is amazing. Knowing that I got to help teach someone learning the basics something new or show them a way to learn on their own means everything to me.
If nothing else, I hope my life is used to pass knowledge to the fishkeepers of tomorrow - so they in turn can pass on that, plus more to the generation to follow them.
However, truth be told, the biggest motivator for me have been staff who worked for me (both the paid and "free slave labor" interns). I'm serious. So much of my career has been dealing with people who used to love fish, but fell in love with money instead. I hate seeing things go that way.
Seeing a face that lights up when they feed and animal or clean a tank totally makes my day. Seeing people who start each day with a positive outlook with a goal of learning something and doing great things for the animals charged in their care is amazing. Knowing that I got to help teach someone learning the basics something new or show them a way to learn on their own means everything to me.
If nothing else, I hope my life is used to pass knowledge to the fishkeepers of tomorrow - so they in turn can pass on that, plus more to the generation to follow them.
arapaimag (pure determination/heart which led to the coolest tank on MFK), necrocanis (catfish king), john ptc (beautiful tank plus a father figure full of advice), and yoji (cause hes brave enuf to donate part of his spine to sumone :s) and Koji (arowana king). There are so many other people that i dont have time to mention but these are my top 5! 
Awesome outlook there... I only wish half of those I have trained had this in them. Most just preferred to screw off and f-up about everything before going their merry way.. I of coarse work for a bit larger institution so we get the creme of the crop as far as morons go. Makes me yearn for the days of working in a small nameless nature center when those who would come where always very willing to learn and always very thrilled to experience and do something new.. It is however a very good thing to inspire another to a life long career in animal care and this is something I take a great deal of pleasure in knowing I have done over the years also.
I have to say the fish themselves are what inspires me more than anything.
I've said this before, but I would sell my soul to work for "Tiger" again! If it wasn't for him I would not have the motivation or the confidence in myself to become a good fishkeeper.Zoodiver;1800352; said:
What also inspires me is the critical need to conserve the oceans. They are so important to all life on earth. Public education is so important. People don't understand or care as much for marine life like they do for elephants or pandas because they are in a world that most of us will never really experience. Aquariums are the public's window into that world, and once they discover and understand it they will start to care. And when the public starts to care, that's when people act and change happens. That's my inspiration.
I'd have to say Dieselmack. Seeing his tanks and fish on youtube really opened my eyes to how fun fish keeping can be.
