April Speaker
Ted Coletti
The Hidden History of the Aquarium Hobby in America
Date: April 6th 2017
Dr. Ted Coletti (NJ) has been a hobbyist for over 30 years. Ted comes to us from the NEC's North Jersey Aquarium Society as Master Breeder and Expert Grower. He is also a member of the Ali Shan Aquarium Society. A writer and teacher by passion, Ted has penned over 200 articles and columns, and a book, and has presented programs on various topics around the country. Ted's interests are varied. In the 1990's he took part in the biotope aquaria and live plant renaissance. His "Aquarium Geographic" column in Freshwater & Marine Aquarium Magazine (FAMA), ran from 1995-2000. He established the Grower's Award Program at his local club.
In the late 90's, Ted shifted his focus to wild-type livebearers. He has served in the American Livebearer Association in various capacities for 16 years, and is the current Editor of Livebearers, the ALA's color print Journal which he revamped. He is also co-Founder of the NorthEast Livebearer Association. He penned the livebearer columns for FAMA and TFH from 2000-2010, culminating in his TFH book, Aquarium Care of Livebearers. Ted takes a keen interest in the genus Xiphophorus.
Being a Hobby Historian is another role Ted takes very seriously. In 2002, he founded the Aquarium Hobby Historical Society of America. The Group meets on Yahoo and Facebook and has established a large archive of reference material. Ted also serves as his local club's Historian and Archivist. Ted maintains a collection of historic hobby literature and artifacts.
For the past 20 summers, Ted has been propagating tropical fish, waterlilies, and native aquatic plants in over two dozen tub ponds on his property. He has inspired many hobbyists to participate in this old but forgotten practice through his writings and speaking engagements. In 2015 he founded the Northeast Fish Tub and Water Garden Study Group here at the NEC. The group has an Annual Symposium and Auction at the Convention and meets on Facebook. He is currently writing a book, Fish Tubbing and Container Water Gardening for the Hobbyist which he hopes to publish this year.
Born and raised in The Bronx, New York City, Ted received his B.S. in Psychology from Fordham, and his M.A/Ph.D in Counseling Psychology from Seton Hall, specializing in Statistics & Measurement. A former Adjunct Professor, he has worked in the field of Marketing Sciences for over 20 years, currently in the cancer drug industry. He resides in the Skylands region of the Garden State, with his patient wife of 25 years and his teenage son. His daughter is an environmental policy student at Hampshire College in Massachusetts. In his remaining spare time, Ted enjoys singing and playing with local musicians, tinkering around the yard, and volunteering at the homeless charity, Bridges Outreach. He changes water as infrequently as possible.
