Upside Down, Electric Blue, and Chocolate: Some Cool Fish from John Skidmore of Golden Pond Tropicals, Inc.
What do upside down catfish, electric blue Jack Dempseys, and eartheaters all have in common? They are all bred and raised by my guest today, aquarium fish producer John Skidmore of Golden Pond Tropicals. For 15 years, John raised shrimp in the Caribbean and Hawaii, before moving to Florida to start aquarium fish farming. Join us, as we learn more about the fascinating species bred and raised at Golden Pond Tropicals!
BIO:
John Skidmore, owner and operator of Golden Pond Tropicals, Inc., has been working in aquaculture for the past 25 years. He obtained a Master's degree in Fisheries Science from Texas A&M University and worked in shrimp aquaculture for 15 years in Belize, the Dominican Republic, and Hawaii. In 2002, he returned to Florida and bought a tropical fish farm, where he produces some of the more exotic freshwater aquarium fish species: Synodontis catfishes, including the well-known upside down catfish; spotted pictus catfish, iridescent sharks, and South American cichlids, including the electric blue Jack Dempsey, numerous Geophagus species, and the chocolate cichlid. John has served for many years on the board of, and currently serves as the vice president for the Florida Tropical Fish Farms Association (FTFFA) and is also chairman of the FTFFA research committee. He has a beautiful wife that he has been married to for 25 years and they have 3 wonderful daughters, with whom he skydives on the weekends.