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General Meeting: January 10, 2026

KILLER AQUARIUMS! MICROBIAL INFECTIONS LURKING IN YOUR FISH TANK!

Eric Thomas

Most aquarists spend a lot of time with their hands immersed in their tanks. Several disease-causing bacteria live in aquaria, and they present a significant health risk to humans. This talk introduces the bacteria, the diseases, and the stories of patients who’ve struggled, sometimes for years, to find answers and get effective medical care.

About our Speaker:

Eric Thomas began keeping fish around 1970, at the age of about 8, with his older brother, Bill. From 1970-1978, they kept and bred mouth-brooding cichlids (Geophagus and several Lake Malawi mbuna, including Labeotropheus trewavasae, Maylandia zebra, and Melanochromis auratus), along with Steatocraneus casuarius and convict cichlids (who doesn’t start with convicts?). Eric and Bill were members of the now-defunct Tri-City Aquarium Society of Southern California. In college, Eric studied captive husbandry of vertebrates with his mentor, Professor Rudolfo Ruibal at the University of California, Riverside. In 1978, Eric was the first person to breed the Budgett’s frog, Lepidobatrachus laevis, in captivity. In Dr. Ruibal’s lab, Eric learned about and began studying skin glands and their function. Eric went on to earn a Ph.D. under Dr. Paul Licht at UC Berkeley, studying reproductive endocrinology and the influence of sex hormones on frog skin glands. Eric is an Associate Professor of Biology (and former Co-Chair and Director of Graduate Studies) for the Biological Sciences Department at University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Eric’s research is split between reproductive pheromone production Hymenochirus frogs, self-poisoning in cory catfishes, and recently he’s started studying the taxonomy of Microglanis bumblebee catfishes in Peru.

At home, Eric’s interests include keeping and breeding catfishes and runs about 35 aquaria and currently has over 40 species of catfish. Eric operates a YouTube Channel (Bekateen) and a FaceBook page (Bekateen’s FishRoom) for sharing his knowledge and experiences with fellow fish keepers. Eric served seven years as the program coordinator for the Sacramento Aquarium Society, and he is currently a moderator on PlanetCatfish.com.

Get here early and get your pizza and drink and remember to mention that you are a PCCA member and you get 15% off the food and Happy Hour Beer pricing. See ya Saturday!