April 2009 - Kitchener Waterloo Aquarium Society

A P R I L 2 0 0 9
From Beginner to Planted Tank Specialist
An interview with Cam Turner and Family
Submitted by Phil Maznyk, KWAS (pmaznyk@rogers.com). Photos by the author.
I first met Cam on February 7, 2007 through our club forum.
Cam was what you would call a complete newbie to the hobby
(albeit one who had done considerable research ahead of time).
His very first post that night was his introducing himself and
his desire to setup his very first aquarium, a 56 gallon bow front
tank that would fill a small void in his home. He had loads of
good questions and was not ‘afraid’ to ask. I believe this is
important for any person just getting started. Do not be afraid
to ask. As the days went by it was clear Cam was really doing
his homework. Not only was he asking questions about
different types of hardware but also different types of fish even
going as far as talking about a planted tank! I guess the forum
members did a good job because after 5 days of asking
questions Cam announced that he was going to join our club
the very first chance he got.
computers. Fast forward to Christmas 2007, my brother got a 30
gallon tank and I said to myself “you know what I‘ve always
wanted a fish tank too” so I went and bought a 56 gallon corner
tank and started planning that. Things have just happened
from there. I’ve only been in this hobby for just over 2 years.
Q. Your 3 year old son Owen seems keenly interested in tropical
fish and even some of your recent projects. Does he have a
favourite fish or type of fish and what else does he like about
the aquarium hobby
Specialist Cleaner Caridina japonica
This brings me to this interview and the article. In a brief period
of just over 2 years, Cam has gone from someone who knew
very little about the fish keeping hobby to someone who now
grows difficult and somewhat hard to get plants, has multiple
tanks and is breeding several species at the time of this writing.
He is even doing guest lectures on his DIY projects. His very
latest project is an attempt to breed his own Cardinal Tetras.
Cam, thank you for taking the time to be interviewed today.
Q. What got you interested in the Aquarium Hobby and when
exactly did this happen
A. Well, before I went to high school I was considering a career
in either marine biology or computers. For a long time I was
interested in fish and that sort of thing but I chose to pursue
Owen and Cam at KWAS Oktoberfish 2008
[Phil: At this point in the interview Owen took me to show me his
current favourite fish, Blue German Rams. He also showed me how he
helped his dad paint the tanks.]
A. Owen first took a liking to brown bristlenose plecos. He
affectionately named one of them ‘Monkey’. Owen is constantly
interested in helping me clean tanks, change the water, etc. One
of his favourite pass times is asking to catch fish. He’s always
asking me if he can help move fish. Owen currently goes to a
pre-school early education centre and just the other week the
teacher was asking the class if anyone kept fish and what were
their names After the other kids had answered with some basic
replies like we have goldfish, Owen piped up and said we have
Plecos and Cardinals and Labs and basically named off several
species. The teacher asked if they had any names and Owen
replied, nope only George the guppy. I am constantly
encouraging Owen, showing him things and telling him the
proper names of the fish when he asks.
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