The title of Dr. Stephan Tanner’s talk is: “The Science of Filtration”
Aquarium filtration is an age-old topic, however, it goes far beyond nitrification or removal of debris. Let us look to nature to understand what is going on and how that might help us keeping our fish happier and healthier.
Second talk, Friday, laid back talk. It will start at 7:30. This is your chance to spend more time with the speaker in a much smaller group setting. It will be at Jost Chemicals just off of St. Charles Rock Road and Hwy 170. If you are a “Pleco-head” you better be here. The title of Stephan’s second talk is: "Pleco nutrition, they eat more than just algae." Plecos are usually sold as cleaners for the aquarium, however, that is rarely what they do in nature. Various plecos are highly specialized and it takes quite some effort to keep and breed them. To get to Jost Chemicals take Hwy 170 to St. Charles Rock Road. Head east but get in the left hand lane right away and make a left at the stoplight onto Lackland Road. It’s about a mile through an industrial complex just watch for the signs. The meeting will be in the VERY LAST building on the road, look for the cars. The address is: 8110 Lackland Road St. Louis, MO 63114.
Send me a message, call or email me so that we have enough refreshments for this meeting.
Bio for Stephan Tanner
I have kept aquarium fish since 1982. Born in Switzerland, I set up my first fish tank at age 14, followed by a whole bunch more over the years. My fascination for nature and biology led to a B.S. degree in Ecology and Molecular Biology (1995) and a Ph.D. in Human Molecular Genetics (1998); both from the University of Bern, Switzerland. During my undergraduate years, I also worked several years for a local fish and pet shop (Spiezer Zoo, Spiez, Switzerland).
In 1992, I became a member of the International Society for Barbs, Tetras, Loaches, and Catfishes (IG BSSW). From 1994-2006, I was the editor-in-chief for its quarterly publication BSSW Report. I regularly travel to fish related events all over the United States and Europe, or to visit friends that I have made throughout the great world of fish. I am a member of the IG BSSW, American Cichlid Association, American Livebearer Association, North American Native Fishes Association, Minnesota Aquarium Society, and Columbus Area Fish Enthusiasts. Since January 2013, I am a senior editor and the translator for Reef to Rainforest Media LLC, the publisher of the famous CORAL and AMAZONAS magazines in Vermont.
Additional comments by Gary Lange
For those of you that don’t know Stephan is the owner of Swiss Tropicals www.swisstropicals.com. When his fishroom was up and running in Columbus Ohio one could buy all sorts of interesting plecos and egg scatterers from him, some of them fairly rare. The new fishroom in Rochester MN isn’t quite complete yet so you’ll have to wait until later in the year before you can start buying fish from him. He is still selling the Poret foam which is perfect for making Mattenfilters. Check out his site for other great filtration ideas and how to do make great DIY filtration systems. You can also check out a thread I wrote a few years ago on DIY Mattenfilters for another forum that’s now up on the MASI forum www.missouriaquariumsociety.com/FishHeads_Forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=1493
I got to see firsthand when I visited his fishroom several years ago. He practices what he preaches by having great filtration systems in all of his aquariums, including his breeding tanks. The water in all of his tanks was crystal clear, with very happy and healthy fish.
He also sells Xtreme Aquatic Foods and Repashy foods. Those of you that were at our January meeting know how fond our last speaker was of Repashy foods. Stephan is driving down SO until he gets the car completely filled with foam and other goodies, shipping is FREE!