Interview with Tom Bowling of Biota and Biota Aquariums

Tom Bowling and Biota Marine are the aquarium hobby’s two strongest link to Palau, and the multitude of wonders and cool creatures that can be found there. Thankfully, Tom has been a busy little bee over in Palau, successfully culturing a variety of reef fish including humphead parrotfish, clown triggerfish, a 4-Pack of Eviota dwarf gobies, and even a few species of corals.

More recently, Tom along with Kevin Gaines have devised a completely new model of sustainability in the aquarium hobby with the shortest supply chain. Their new enterprise, Biota Aquariums, aims to supply new users with an ideal first aquariums, complete with captive raised fish and corals, and all the proper equipment to be successful with your first marine tank.

If you’re reading Reef Builders, you’re more likely an advanced hobbyist or professional aquarist, and the Biota Aquarium is not for you. However if you’ve been reefing for a number of years, perhaps you don’t want to teach Reef Aquarium 101 for the umpteenth time in your life, so Biota Aquarium is the perfect recommendation for our close friends to get started in the hobby, the right way, the first time.

amblygobius linki — Amblygobius linki now available from Palau

Furthermore, Biota Aquariums is looking to have a short supply chain with their captive raised fish, now offering a limited catalog of unique captive bred fish including Mandarin ‘gobies’, and the Palau endemic Amblygobius linki goby, an attractive sand sifting goby which is in between the size of a rainford and a dragon goby.

We sat down with Tom Bowling for an in depth conversation on aquaculture, Biota, Palau, a host of reef-related topics which should make for pretty good listening.

P.S. If I have a spaced out look in the video that’s because the camera we used for the recording was actually sitting on of a tank filled with many juicy corals at Aquatic Art, and I spent too much time staring at a beautiful pair of yellow mouthed Goniopora that were swaying in current.

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Jake Adams

Jake Adams has been an avid marine aquarist since the mid 90s and has worked in the retail side of the marine aquarium trade for more than ten years. He has a bachelor’s degree in Marine Science and has been the managing editor of ReefBuilders.com since 2008. Jake is interested in every facet of the marine aquarium hobby from the concepts to the technology, rare fish to exotic corals, and his interests are well documented through a very prolific career of speaking to reef clubs and marine aquarium events, and writing articles for aquarium publications across the globe. His primary interest is in corals which Jake pursues in the aquarium hobby as well as diving the coral reefs of the world.