Omar Shaikh

A classic 90's kid, Omar was born and raised in S.E. Michigan on 7-Eleven and endless hours biking away in the long Northern summer days. His love of animals and pets came from his parents, especially his mom who was constantly taking him and his brother to the Detroit Zoo, local nature centers, and practically every type of pet store from furry creatured shops to those with things that slither and swoop. Growing up he mostly had smaller creatures such as newts, salamanders, crabs, crayfish, a parrot named 'Rocky' and the annual catch of local tadpoles from the swampy marshes nearby.

The one constant, however, was always fish. Likely from an ill-fated school fair, came his first goldfish, but there were many others along the way from guppies and mollies, to tetras, rainbow sharks, and of course the ambitious youthful zeal of owning a "tiny" pleco. Something about goldfish though, he kept always coming back to. In his earlier years, most exposure to goldfish in America consisted mostly of comets and fantails. In high school however, with the advent, then explosion of the internet, he discovered the very international world of goldfish fanciers, the dozens of varieties of goldfish kept in other countries, and the expansive and ancient history of the hobby, particularly in Asia. This long-standing pedigree was what solidified his myriad interests combining the joy and competency that comes with raising aquatic animals with a rich global culture of diversity and appreciation of these creatures by different peoples.

He hopes to keep the culture of goldfish alive here in the U.S.A. along with seeing it spread and grow amongst hobbyists here in North America, slowly creating our own set of fun and traditions that come with keeping goldfish.

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Omar currently lives in a hundred year old house in a historic neighborhood of Detroit, MI with his wife Rimsha, a derpy orange tabby named 'Boo Radley', and an ever-rotating gallery of fancies, though Sakura Ranchu are his favorite.