Reef-A-Palooza is packed with an impressive lineup of speakers with in-depth case studies, eye opening sessions, and enlightening Q&As at the end of every session. Check out our lineup.

Lou Ekus, along with his wife, Leslie, has been with Tropic Marin USA for over 22 years. As the CEO of Tropic Marin USA he is responsible for all Tropic Marin product support and aquarist assistance in the US and Canada. He frequently works with aquarists, helping them with system issues big and small from large public aquariums to 1 gallon nano reefs. Lou and Leslie have recently taken on the management of Aquarium Munster USA as well.

Lou is an avid saltwater fly fisherman, holds a commercial hot air balloon license and is an antique car enthusiast, taking trips in a 1931 Ford Roadster, named Irma, with Leslie. There’s no telling where the three of them will show up!

Saturday:  12:30 PM
Topic: Breaking Down the Reef Chemistry Wall

Hunter Hammond is a marine hobbyist who currently keeps a 270g peninsula reef in his living room featuring numerous rare wrasses. He is a knowledgeable leader in the captive care of all reef-safe wrasses and was a MACNA speaker in 2017. He has been in the marine hobby since 2009 and lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his husband and their Thai Ridgeback dog. Hunter’s professional career is in the aerospace propulsion engine industry as a structures engineer.

Saturday:  2:30 PM
Topic: All About Reef Safe Wrasses

Hi, I’m Rico. My YouTube channel is Rico’s Aquariums. I created a YouTube channel a few years ago to help fellow saltwater hobbyists. I started in freshwater many years ago. I saw my first saltwater aquarium back in 1996. I was amazed by the coral and fish seeing this for the first time. At the time I had smaller freshwater tanks but I knew of a pet store that had a 220 gallon aquarium sitting in the middle of there store. Someone preordered it and never picked it up. We made a deal and I took it home. That was the beginning of my Saltwater adventure. Here we are approx. 24 years later and my passion for this hobby just continues to grow.

I currently have a custom 550g display with a total water volume of over 1000 gallons in my home. I love all corals but my true passion is SPS dominant reef tanks. One thing this hobby has taught me is when you think you know it all there is always more to learn.

Sunday:  12:30 PM
Topic: What Makes Me A Successful Reefer…

MetroKat is the online alias for Kat Dhawan. Kat began her reefkeeping adventures in 2011 and earned the first of several “Tank of the Month” honors that same year. After writing and podcasting about all things reef-related, Kat turned her passion for the hobby into a career and founded a marketing firm that works with the most respected brands in the aquarium industry. Kat is the founder of Brand Kat, llc, a brand management company that helps businesses connect with audiences through social media and influencer marketing. When she is not working on her reef or at a trade show, she enjoys painting, freshwater planted tanks, and politics.

Sunday:  2:30 PM
Topic: The Truth About Influencers: The Social Media Gold Rush

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