Mark Schmidt has been in the aquarium hobby for over 36 years receiving his first tank as an 8th grade graduation present. Over the years he has kept a variety of livebearers and egglayers but Angelfish and Discus have always occupied a majority of his tank space. He currently maintains 20 tanks ranging in size from 2.5 to 140 gallons, keeping mostly South and Central American Cichlids with a special interest in Dwarf Cichlids. Mark started showing fish in the middle 90's at the urging of a fellow hobbyist who saw the magnificent Apistogramma species he was maintaining. His first "major" victory was when he took first place in the Dwarf Cichlid class at the 1997 American Cichlid Association (ACA) convention. He followed this accomplishment up by winning the "Best of Show" award at the 1999 ACA convention with an Apistogramma Viejita. Since then he has been a regular participant in local and ACA shows consistently placing fish in the top 3 of classes he has entered. He most recently won the "Best of Show" award for the 2nd time at the Greater Chicago Cichlid Association's (GCCA) 2003 Cichlid Classic. Mark is a member of both the GCCA and ACA.