Born: 28 March, 1948 in Great Falls, Montana. When I was 12 years old, I set up my first freshwater aquarium. My first marine system occurred two years later in 1962. I have had both marine and fresh water aquaria pretty much continuously since 1970. From 1971 through 1987 the marine aquaria were mostly research aquaria, and were basically concerned with animals from the Pacific Northwest. I set up my first reef aquarium in 1991.

My education is in Zoology with a B. S. from Montana State University in 1970, followed by a M. Sc. in 1973 and a Ph.D. in 1977 from the University of Washington. I have taught courses in Invertebrate Zoology, Marine Biology and Introductory Biology at an assortment of institutions including the Bamfield Marine Station on Vancouver Island, where I was Assistant Director from 1983-1985.

Additionally, I taught at both the Seattle Campus and Friday Harbor Laboratories of the University of Washington, the University of Alaska in Anchorage (where I served as the Chairman of the Biology Department), the Oregon State University Marine Station, and at Montana State University.

In addition to writing a regular online column for Reefkeeping Magazine, I have written online columns for the now defunct Aquarium Frontiers Online, and Aquarium.Net, I have also written articles for Aquarium Fish Monthly, Aquarium USA, Marine Fish and Reef Annual, Tropical Fish Hobbyist and FAMA. I have my own question and answer forum, “Ask Dr. Ron,” on the Reefcentral BBS. I have spoken at numerous clubs, symposia, and conferences and in 2001 received the MASNA award for “Outstanding Contributions to the Aquarium Hobby,” presented at MACNA XIII in Baltimore, Maryland. I have also been published in Natural History and Shells and Sea Life.

Since 1975, I have published 23 marine biological papers in peer-reviewed professional publications. Most of these papers have focused on predator-prey interactions and molluscan systematics including the description of two new species of deep-sea scaphopod mollusks.

ABSTRACT:

Myth-takes About Sand Beds

There have been numerous recent discussions about deep sand beds that are wholly based on suppositions and assumptions. Some of these assumptions are based in fact, but most, such as assumptions about the accumulation of organic material or nutrients are based upon… no evidence whatsoever. I will present the results of samples taken from several reef tanks examining dissolved oxygen, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, sulfide, phosphate and copper concentrations determined from samples taken from several hobbyist aquaria of varying ages, sediment compositions, and sizes. These results show that many of the commonly held assumptions about concentrations of these factors are simply erroneous and that the conclusions based upon them are equally erroneous.