Kevin Kohen

Biography

LiveAquaria Director Kevin Kohen has extensive experience in the tropical fish industry, regarded by peers as being one of the leading industry authorities on marine fish husbandry, identification, handling, acclimation, and shipping. As a hobbyist/enthusiast, Kevin established his first aquarium when he was only six years old, which evolved to keeping more than 21 freshwater and marine aquariums by the age of 16. He launched his career working in a retail fish store for eight years before advancing to direct operations for over eight more at one of the Midwest' largest tropical fish wholesale and import/export businesses. During that time, he gained considerable knowledge experimenting with various shipping techniques, medication protocols, and filtration technologies, striving to improve the well-being of aquarium animals while reducing mortality rates. For over 30 years, he has been a leading advocate for specialized shipping techniques that ensure the health of aquatic life during transit. In 2004, Kevin proposed starting up an aquaculture coral facility at Drs. Foster and Smith's headquarters in Rhinelander, WI, designing and directing the initial construction of the Midwest's most state-of- the-art Aquaculture Coral & Aquatic Life Facility, which opened in July of 2005. In 2007, he designed Phase II of the facility, which more than doubled the size to over 20,000 gallons, then in 2016 oversaw Phase III expanding the capacity to over 28,000 gallons. The facility consists of numerous coral raceways, quarantine & holding systems, and aquatic habitats to house a variety of freshwater fish, marine fish, corals, and invertebrates. Kevin has bred and reared nearly 100 species of fresh and saltwater fish and was one of the early pioneers in the U.S. to maintain live corals in captivity in the early 1980's. He has a special interest in Small Polyp Stony Corals (SPS), Non-Photosynthetic (NPS) corals, and filter feeding invertebrates. He currently maintains a thriving Acropora dominated SPS reef aquarium, a mixed reef aquarium, and also a mixed reef nano saltwater display in his office at the Drs. Foster and Smith headquarters. Kevin earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Wright State University, and is a member of the Marine Aquarium Societies of North America (MASNA). He has contributed numerous articles for various aquarium publications and speaks at reef clubs and aquatic events throughout the country. In the fall of 2012, at the Marine Aquarium Conference of North America (MACNA) Kevin received the 2012 MASNA Aquarist of the Year award for his outstanding contribution to the marine aquarium hobby.