Each meeting starts with a guest speaker presentation, followed by our monthly auction. We also have a raffle and a sales table with club merch and fish bagging supplies. The Sacramento Aquarium Society is excited to host a presentation by Hector Ramirez Lara at our next general meeting!

Hector will share the story of how he developed his own aquatic plant fertilizer from the ground up. Drawing from his experience as a planted tank hobbyist, he’ll walk us through the process of experimenting with formulas and understanding plant needs.

Hector Ramirez has been immersed in the aquarium hobby since his teenage years, when he launched his first business delivering fish, plants, and coral to local hobbyists — a venture he called "The Biking Aquarist". He later worked at an aquarium store and ran a consulting business under the name "Afishionados: Aquarium Consulting". During the COVID shutdown, Hector found himself managing a tropical planted aquarium shop almost single-handedly, responsible for over 100 square feet of planted tanks. This experience highlighted a common problem: the fertilizers available on the market were overly complicated and often failed to deliver consistent results.

Hector began refining and consolidating formulas, ultimately creating a simplified, all-in-one fertilizer tailored specifically for planted aquariums. His product is the culmination of hands-on experience, real-world testing, and a passion for making aquatic plant care accessible and effective.