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mpedersen
02-05-2014, 10:58 PM
I'm going to do this quickly, so I'm just going to copy and paste my most current bio ;) As far as angels are concerned, I primarily took them on in the last couple years as a fish I can actually produce and sell in my local and regional market with some regularity (I'm a marine breeder at heart, but the two fire clowns I sold to my local shop will probably be there long enough to pair up and start making their own babies!). The other reason I took on domestic angels was to learn the ropes before ultimately tackling altums (they're growing up rather nicely right now).

So here's the bio, the background. FWIW,

Matt

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Matt Pedersen's career as an interactive software developer of 15 years took an interesting twist in December of 2011, and he is now a Sr. Editor of AMAZONAS and CORAL Magazines, as well as an Associate Publisher with the parental company, Reef To Rainforest Media, LLC.


Matt has been a marine aquarist for 27 years, and an aquarist for 32+. After spending time on every side of the aquarium industry (retail, commercial and private maintenance & installation, wholesale, importing and hatchery work), he currently considers himself a "professional hobbyist" - when pressed, he would tell you he is not really part of the aquarium industry these days, but part of the publishing industry!


Most recently, Matt has currently spawned 28 species of marine fish, successfully raising 10 of them to date including one worldwide first (the Harlequin Filefish, Oxymonacanthus longirostris), as well as attempted another 6 invertebrate species to date (excluding those that tend to propagate with no special intervention). Matt’s extensive experience with freshwater fish was primarily focused on Rift Lake Cichlids in the 1990’s, but in the last 2 years has focused on the genus Pterophyllum (Angelfish) as well as Betta species and domesticated forms.


In 2009, Matt was awarded "Aquarist of the Year" honors by both IMAC West and MASNA in recognition of his accomplishments and contributions to the marine aquarium hobby. Matt continues to contribute to the aquarium hobby to this day. His articles have been published in Coral, Koralle, Practical Fish Keeping, Marine Habitat, Reef Hobbyist Magazine, Reefs.com, Advanced Aquarist, Reef Builders, Reef2Rainforest.com, and most recently, Amazonas Magazine. He is one of several co-authors in well-received book Banggai Cardinalfish published in 2013, the culmination of The Banggai Rescue Project, a project designed to reassess the plight of this enigmatic species both in the wild and the aquarium trade while centralizing all current breeding knowledge for the species.


In 2010, Matt Pedersen was selected as the breeder of choice to work with the now famous "PNG Lightning Maroon Clownfish" from the SEASMART program, and chronicles the efforts to propagate this one-of-a-kind fish online at The Lightning Project. This project has realized initial success, with the successful spawning and rearing of "Lightning" offspring during the summer of 2012 and the first offspring being released to private individual and public aquarium genetic repositories, and then to the open market, in 2013.


Matt has spoken at numerous aquarium clubs and events from coast to coast since 2006. He currently sits on the MBI (Marine Breeding Initiative) Council, a project dedicated to bringing the concept of a unified Marine Breeder's Award Program to hobbyist organizations across the country and around the globe.


While still freelancing as a software developer on occasion, he also takes on work as a fly fishing guide. Matt's diverse background also pulls from experiences as a professional orchid breeder and certified fly rod builder. Matt is originally from Chicago, IL, but he currently resides in Duluth, Minnesota, with his very understanding wife, Renee, their young son Ethan and their new daughter Audrey.

AlyeskaGirl
02-06-2014, 12:02 AM
Hello and welcome!