Matt Pedersen: Tips for turning your hobby aquaculture into a business, successfully. | MACNA 2019

During his presentation at MACNA 2019, Matt Pederson shared some valuable information and insight to help YOU be successful with your saltwater aquarium side hustle. You can expect tips, tricks and advice for selling captively grown fish and coral alongside a ton of interesting market data that will help you make the best moves when it comes time to sell your precious livestock.

Matt Pedersen is a Sr. Editor & Associate Publisher for the saltwater and reef aquarium publication CORAL Magazine, as well as the publications’ online presence at Reef2Rainforest.com. Serving in the same capacity for AMAZONAS Magazine, Reef To Rainforest’s freshwater counterpart to CORAL, since 2011. Pedersen and partners Stephan Tanner and Michael Tuccinardi took over the publication of AMAZONAS in 2018 under the new Minnesota-based publishing company Aquatic Media Press, LLC.

In 2016, Matt launched the online retailer MiniWaters.FISH to compliment his wholesale livestock offerings primarily consisting of regionally-produced aquacultured saltwater aquarium livestock, well-conditioned and privately-bred freshwater fishes, and purpose-grown vivarium plants for the herpetological, paludarium and terrarium hobby.

Originally from Chicago, IL and currently living in Duluth, MN Matt’s professional background is in interactive software development and digital marketing. Additionally, Matt has diverse past experience as a professional orchid breeder, a part-time fly fishing guide, and certified fly rod builder. 

Matt has been a marine aquarist for 30 years, and an aquarist for 35. After spending time on every side of the aquarium industry (retail, commercial and private maintenance & installation, wholesale, hatchery), he currently considers himself a “professional hobbyist”. 

Matt has spawned 31 species of marine fish and 6 species of invertibrates, successfully raising nine of them to date. The most notable being the Harlequin Filefish - Oxymonacanthus longirostris which was a worldwide first! Most all of this captive breeding was accomplished with less than 100 gallons of total working capacity in a closed culture environment. 

In 2010, Matt Pedersen was selected as the breeder of choice to work with the now famous PNG Lightning Maroon Clownfish from the SEASMART program and chronicles the efforts to propagate this one-of-a-kind fish online at The Lightning Project. 

Matt Pedersen is credited with starting MOFIB - Marine Ornamental Fish & Invertebrate Breeder’s Association and writing for multiple publications including CORAL, Koralle, Practical Fish Keeping, Marine Habitat, Reef Hobbyist Magazine, Reef Builders, Reefs.com, Advanced Aquarist and more. 

Matt has spoken at numerous aquarium clubs and events from coast to coast. He currently sits on the MBI - Marine Breeding Initiative council which is a project dedicated to bringing the concept of a unified Marine Breeder’s Award Program to hobbyist organizations around the globe. 

In 2009, Matt was recognized as Aquarist of the Year by IMAC West and subsequently awarded with the MASNA Aquarist of the Year award in recognition of his accomplishments and contributions to the marine aquarium hobby.