Bob Mehen, one of PFK's Fishkeeping Answers experts, tells us about his obsession with brown fish, his views on the hobby and all things aquarium.
Who is Bob Mehen?
Bob Mehen has been a fixture of the magazine for a long time. Those that visited the old forum might even remember him telling you off for breaking the rules. But who is he? Learn more as he answers 20 of our questions.
1. What job title would you give yourself?
Unelected supreme leader of the world, but failing that freelance writer and artist.
2. What do you do day to day that is related to fish?
I used to help to moderate the Practical Fishkeeping forum. More recently I write articles for the PFK and use my experience to answer the readers questions and look after my own fish.
3. How long have you been involved in the hobby?
I have been keeping fish for almost 40 years!
4. What would you say is your specialist subject?
Catfish.
5. How would you describe yourself?
Strikingly good looking, witty and intelligent, but a poor liar...
Fascinated with all things fish is more accurate.
6. How do you think others would describe you?
Worryingly obsessed with brown catfish?
7. Who are your fishkeeping idols?
Dr. David Sands is probably my biggest idol. His books helped to ignite my passion for all things catfish. I'd love to get hold of his "Catfishes of the World" and all the supplements.
8. What's your biggest achievement?
Getting my first article published in PFK ranks up there. This was an ambition which first started when reading the magazine in the 1980's, but little things can be personal achievements as well. I always get a great sense of achievement breeding any fish and successfully raising fry. I don't have the time to manage loads of tropical aquariums for fish breeding but when I do, I thoroughly enjoy it.
9. What advice do you have for anyone starting out in the hobby?
Be patient and do your research. Newcomers will face many problems when setting up a fish tank. These will have been experienced by another fishkeeper already, so, if everyone joined a good forum before purchasing a tropical fish tank, they might learn to avoid these common mistakes.
10. What advice do you have for anyone who wants your job?
None – it's mine! More seriously, choose something in the hobby you're passionate about and let that passion shine through in your writing.
11. What's your favourite fish?
Impossible to say, usually whichever species I've just seen that I'd not seen before! If push comes to shove though I have a huge soft spot for the Brochis catfish, Brochis splendens, B. multiradiatus and B. britskii.
12. What would your dream aquarium look like?
Rather like my favourite fish, this is ever changing, but a huge Amazon biotope, filled with catfish and the occasional tetra and cichlid would be nice.
13. What's the most common mistake you see being made in your specialist field?
People often buy catfish to 'clean the tank'. Examples include: buying a 'common plec' clear a tank of algae, or Corydoras to help 'keep the substrate clean'. Catfish need feeding and looking after with the same care as all fish, and their hardiness is not a license for neglect. The best aquarium cleaner is the fishkeeper themselves.
14. If you discovered a new creature would you want it named after yourself?
I'm not sure, it depends what it looks like I suppose. A stunning new brown catfish would be tempting unless it's from the genus Vandellia...
15. Are you an aquarist first and foremost or an aquascaper?
Always a aquarist first, after all it's the fish that attracted me to the hobby. But the aesthetics of the tank are important to me. I admire the work of aquascapers as an art form but not at the expense of the fish's wellbeing.
16. In-situ or ex-situ conservation?
In an ideal world conservation would all be in-situ. However, there is a place for ex-situ. Many of the fish in our aquariums are extinct or critically endangered in the wild. People are releasing some captive bred species into the wild to bolster the population.
17. If you could re-train in anything other than what you do now, what would it be in?
I've always loved archaeology and palaeontology and while I'm sure most of it involves digging holes in a cold muddy field in the rain and finding nothing, it's still something I'd love to be involved in.
18. Should any fish be banned or licensed?
Another tricky one, but if the legislation was robust enough and well thought through then yes, licensing or banning the keeping of some fish would be a good idea. I think most giant predatory catfish have no place in the home aquarium, and the same could be said of countless other 'tank buster' species, both marine and freshwater. Most seem only to be kept for their 'trophy' status and few, if any, private fishkeepers have the finances or facilities to give these fish the space they need.
19. Is the Internet a help or hindrance to the advice you give?
A bit of both, there is loads of good advice out there, but you need to filter out a lot of hearsay, fishkeeping myths and complete lies. You can always find someone on the Internet to contradict anything anyone says! The Internet does allow us to support arguments with solid scientific research if you know where to look and what to trust.
20. Fish club or fish forum?
While I have a soft spot for fish clubs, as a moderator on the PFK forum I have to cast my vote for forums. The good ones provide near instant help, advice and friendship to fishkeepers everywhere.
Check out Bob's tank in the Your Tanks section.
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