Randy Holmes-Farley
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Very sad to hear this. 
Bob Fenner has passed away...
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We had a nice conversation in February at the Waterbox Family Reunion. Very nice man.
Rybren
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Wet Web Media was my go to source for all things marine when I made the switch from FW to SW. I've never met the man nor spoken to him, but I certainly learned a lot from him.
Rest in Peace, Bob.
Rest in Peace, Bob.
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While I'm sure he wouldn't remember me I would consider Bob Fenner my most significant mentor in this hobby. I got my first salt water tank (a 125 gallon 6' fowlr) in 1996, when I was 13. I struggled to keep fish alive (jn truth a 13 year old shouldn't be put in charge of a 125 gallon aquarium!) in part because the books I had were mostly coffee table books - large, beautiful books withe gorgeous photos but little depth. I also had read Moe's Marine Aquarium Reference, Systems and Invertebrates, which gave me a deeper understanding of the biological and chemical processes in the aquarium (and a dream to make my own algae turf scrubber out baking trays) but was less helpful when it came to selecting livestock and keeping them alive. These books depicted fantasies of the hobby - glossy and problem free on the one side, and a technical DIY bonanza on the other. It isn't that what they said wasn't true, but more like they were written from and for a different way of being in the hobby from mine.
Finding Fenner's The Conscientious Marine Aquarist in this context was like finding a home. Despite his deep knowledge and scientific training, he wrote for hobbyists, people who aren't scientists or engineers but who are deeply interested in fish and invertebrate life and wanted to learn about these organisms and how to keep them alive in their homes.
I got my first computer and internet around this time (1997ish) and found wetwebmedia and discovered I could actually talk with Fenner, that he would answer my questions quickly and kindly. It was so meaningful for me at that age. There was no one around me who knew more about fish than I did, no adult who could teach me what they knew. As I kid I loved fish and also reading and books, and to speak with someone who wrote a book about fish was my equivalent of talking to a revered athlete for many. Of course, Fenner wasn't just talking to me, he was helping and advising me, so It was like getting pointers on how to play from that sports hero.
Fenner made it possible for me to enjoy this hobby by keeping fish alive for the first time. His kindness to me and his generosity with his knowledge are still my ideals when I post on this and other forums. I am so thankful he was a part of my life in this hobby.
Finding Fenner's The Conscientious Marine Aquarist in this context was like finding a home. Despite his deep knowledge and scientific training, he wrote for hobbyists, people who aren't scientists or engineers but who are deeply interested in fish and invertebrate life and wanted to learn about these organisms and how to keep them alive in their homes.
I got my first computer and internet around this time (1997ish) and found wetwebmedia and discovered I could actually talk with Fenner, that he would answer my questions quickly and kindly. It was so meaningful for me at that age. There was no one around me who knew more about fish than I did, no adult who could teach me what they knew. As I kid I loved fish and also reading and books, and to speak with someone who wrote a book about fish was my equivalent of talking to a revered athlete for many. Of course, Fenner wasn't just talking to me, he was helping and advising me, so It was like getting pointers on how to play from that sports hero.
Fenner made it possible for me to enjoy this hobby by keeping fish alive for the first time. His kindness to me and his generosity with his knowledge are still my ideals when I post on this and other forums. I am so thankful he was a part of my life in this hobby.
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I want to add Fenner was the first person I saw to bring issues of environmentalism and responsibility to nature to the hobby, which really spoke to me as a kid and which continues to be such an important paradigm for us.
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ReefGirlVicki
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First Jack Randall & now Bob Fenner...
It’s been such a sad week for the aquarium community
I learned so much from him over the years and spent a lot of time in the WWM forums reading & researching until all hours of the night about all different topics but especially before I got my Dwarf Seahorses & also Anglers. He was always so eloquent, polite & helpful when it came to answering questions that in some forums or groups would have gotten you made fun of simply for being a newbie with a “dumb question” or your question being replied to with tons of comments from the “you should have done your research first crowd” just bashing you rather than actually trying to help you out. With Bob there was no dumb questions & you never had to feel funny asking anything.
He shared so much of his invaluable knowledge not only within the saltwater/reefing community but also the freshwater community. He helped out so many people especially new hobbyists in need of some guidance. He will be greatly missed!
RIP Bob Fenner </3
It’s been such a sad week for the aquarium community
I learned so much from him over the years and spent a lot of time in the WWM forums reading & researching until all hours of the night about all different topics but especially before I got my Dwarf Seahorses & also Anglers. He was always so eloquent, polite & helpful when it came to answering questions that in some forums or groups would have gotten you made fun of simply for being a newbie with a “dumb question” or your question being replied to with tons of comments from the “you should have done your research first crowd” just bashing you rather than actually trying to help you out. With Bob there was no dumb questions & you never had to feel funny asking anything.
He shared so much of his invaluable knowledge not only within the saltwater/reefing community but also the freshwater community. He helped out so many people especially new hobbyists in need of some guidance. He will be greatly missed!
RIP Bob Fenner </3
LivinTheSwreefLife
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Hearing him speak at an event was on my bucket list. Almost all of my aquarium books were written by him. Wow. What a loss for the aquarium community.
Larry L
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I've been in the both the freshwater and saltwater hobby for a long time and also had known about Bob Fenner for a long time, due to Wet Web Media and all of his books and magazine articles, and I was lucky enough to meet him for the first time in person at MACNA 2014. I felt kinda awkward about it but went up introduced myself and told him I was happy to get a chance to meet him, and he seemed so genuinely enthused to talk with me, so much so that within a couple minutes he had me feeling like he and I had been best friends for ages. That's how he was with everybody. We talked for a while about the hobby and then about a charity project that my wife and I work on, which he took an interest in. When I saw him again a year later at MACNA 2015, I called out to say hello, and he walked right up and said hi and asked how I had been doing and how was my wife and how was that charity project coming along. As if we had just seen each other a week before, not a year. He was pretty amazing in that way - everybody was his best friend and he truly made you believe that. Was able to meet up with him at every MACNA since, and was really looking forward to seeing him again this year. Am really going to miss him.
chema
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I feel so sorry. The Wet Web Media was the first marine web I visited and the place where I began learning about reef aquaria. I always enjoyed Bob's way of explaining things.
May rest in peace
May rest in peace
Cmccarthy
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I used wetwebmedia a ton and even got to converse with him and all he was ever about was educating and helping. Huge loss. Condolences to his family and friends.
Rogueaquariums
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It’s with great sorrow I announce that Bob Fenner has passed away. Huge loss to the saltwater aquarium community and the world. Praying for Bob’s family and friends.
I met Bob at Macna and just enjoyed listening to him. His knowledge and wisdom will be greatly missed . He has contributed so much to the reefing world and he will be greatly missed. Prayers go out to his family
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Oh, this is so sad. Bob was one of those people that no matter who you were -a heavyweight in the aquarium world or a Mrs Nobody like me- he would lend a hand if you asked him for help.
Generous and kind, no question was too simple or basic, he would answer you through his website and give you as much of his time as he could. His book was like a bible to me when I first started more than 15 years ago. He will surely be missed.
Generous and kind, no question was too simple or basic, he would answer you through his website and give you as much of his time as he could. His book was like a bible to me when I first started more than 15 years ago. He will surely be missed.
