Kurt Zadnik relocated from California to Columbus, Ohio, in 1996. He has raised tropical fish off-and-on since he was 9 and cichlids since his wife, Karla, made the mistake of buying him a 10 gallon set-up for his birthday in 1979. His California fishroom once contained 50+ tanks, filled mostly with dwarf cichlids from west Africa, South America and Lake Tanganyika. He was an active member of the American Cichlid Association from 1982-1995 and for three years served as Chair of the Special Publications Committee, producing two volumes of the Cichlid Index for the ACA’s journal, Buntbarsche Bulletin. Kurt is best known as a member of the Pacific Coast Cichlid Association since 1982, and has served as Vice-President and President. He was editor of the PCCA's award-winning publication, Cichlidae Communique, between 1985-1997 and has been distinguished by receiving the PCCA’s highest award—life membership. An award-winning author and photographer, he still lectures on the identification, maintenance and spawning of soft water dwarf cichlids.