ReefStock is a different kind of aquarium conference where we’ve always put strong emphasis on having a well rounded reef show and one thing we never skimp on is the caliber of our speakers. We’ve welcomed so many great aquarium ‘educators’ since 2008 so every year it gets harder to find new speakers to spice up the ReefStock atmosphere and without exaggeration, we’ve got some pretty spicy professionals to teach you some good sound aquarium fundamentals to improve success with a saltwater aquarium. Check out our profiles on our very well-deserved honored guests below and skip on over to the ReefStock website for more details including buying your tickets online, we’re just two weeks away!
First up is local aquarium celeb Sara Stevens who is the Director of Animal Collections at the Butterfly Pavilion which is a rare invertebrate zoo featuring many aquarium exhibits alongside their butterflies. We’ve collaborated with Ms. Stevens on several occasions to feature the Pavilion’s unique display of endangered Caribbean corals where visitors can enjoy a special look at many Caribbean stony corals in an aquarium environment. Sara has been working hard to keep these corals that were rescued from the advancement of a very lethal disease spreading along the southern coast of the U.S. and she’ll be sharing her journey and the things that she has learned when the success of the aquarium animals is so critical.
Our next speaker is another professional, Mike Senske, this time in the field of aquarium design and installation through his Houston-based company called Aquarium Design Group. Mike and his colleagues have installed literally thousands of aquariums over twenty years and there’s a certain approach, once again, to making sure that the aquarium is successful for their customers and results in a simple yet very effective aquarium system. Mr. Senske is also world-renowned for his aquascaping prowess having competed and judged in competitions all over the world so we’re excited to see his finely tuned knowledge and experience distilled into his ReefStock presentation.
Last but certainly not least we have the Queen of rare and exotic fish (and sawfish) Paula Carlson who is the Director of Husbandry at the Dallas World Aquarium in Texas. Mrs. Carlson is another highly experienced saltwater aquarium Professional who has had the pleasure of looking after many of the most exotic rare fish in the aquarium hobby including conspicuous angelfish, wrought iron butterflyfish, flashlight fish, sea dragons, and was one of the first people to ever keep the purple tang in the 80’s which is now a ubiquitous aquarium fish. Paula is an experienced speaker on the aquarium conference circuit so we can’t wait to hear her share her experience gathered over a long career of keeping, curing and even breeding so many species that we usually only get to see in public aquariums.
