Joseph Ferdenzi
The Passing of A Legend – Rosario LaCorte: 1929-2024
On April 8, 2024, Rosario La Corte died quietly in his home surrounded by family. He was 95. With his passing, the aquarium hobby lost one of the greatest aquarists ...
My Balanced Aquarium Experiment
Is the idea of a balanced aquarium a myth? During the early days of the aquarium hobby it certainly was not regarded as such ...
At the Dawn of Aeration
What did aquarists use before electricity came into widespread use? How did they heat, filter, and aerate their aquariums? A Recent presentation by Emiliano Spada of Rome (Italy) answered these ...
The First Fish of the New York Aquarium
The municipally-owned New York Aquarium first opened its doors to the public in December of 1896. But, of course, before that, it was engaged in acquiring the fish that would ...
New York’s First Aquarium Mega Store (Maybe)
Those of us who have been in the aquarium hobby for awhile usually have fond memories of some pet shop from our youth that no longer exists. In New York ...
A Rare Relic From the First Golden Age of the American Aquarium Hobby
Can you travel back to the past? While I wish there were something like the famous time machine of H.G. Wells’ novel, I’m afraid there is not…yet. But in the ...
Nostalgia Notes: Nassau Pet Shop
The Nassau Pet Shop was so named because it was located on Nassau Street (number 129, to be precise), just a stone's throw from City Hall and only a few ...
Pioneering Aquarist: The Legacy of William Holbein
In the early days of the aquarium hobby in America, New York City was the epicenter of its activity. The first two aquarium books published in America were both New ...
Beginnings: A Memoir of my Early Days in the Hobby
My serious involvement in the tropical fish hobby began at the very non-serious age of about 12. It was during the 1965-66 academic year (sixth grade) at Our Lady of ...