Meet the "Doctor"
My name is Jon Skrapits and I love helping people achieve success with keeping marine creatures not only alive but thriving and reproducing! Truth be told, I am not actually a doctor, but I am a Marine Scientist. I have also farmed coral and built large marine aquariums professionally for over 15 years. During this time I have built thousands of reef habitats with a less is more mentality. Chemicals and the latest gadgets tend to be band aids for system design flaws or poor husbandry habits. A thriving saltwater habitat should become living art with minimal upkeep. If you are working on your aquarium for more than an hour or two per week you aren't doing it right!
Marine ecosystems have been a passion for me since I was a child. Being born and raised in Allentown, PA, family trips to the Jersey shore helped cultivate a deep connection to the ocean. I would spend hours fascinated by the wonders of the sea and my family had to visit every aquarium possible. After serving in the Army for four years, including a deployment in Korea, I settled in Vero Beach as an Electronic Engineer. However, during the economic downturn of 2008 I was laid off from work which prompted me to pursue saltwater aquariums.
In 2010, I founded Treasure Coast Corals, Inc. Originally, TCCorals was supposed to be an online coral business. However, TCCorals quickly morphed into a retail store and aquarium service business. It is there I learned, only bad things happen fast when it comes to aquariums. I helped guide and teach tens of thousands of aquarists with their journey in the hobby which provided a unique opportunity to discover what worked and what did not.
The Aquarium Doctor is a manifestation of my lifelong passion for the ocean and my dedication to sharing it's beauty and wonder with others. I promise to provide my clients with the best possible advice for their animals first and foremost while taking into consideration the client's experience level. "Is my aquarium ready for this fish, invert, or coral" is a question I have heard by almost every aquarist I have met. The real question is, are YOU ready for that critter? I help bridge the gap between your skill as a hobbyist and the habitat's readiness for the critter. I equate reef keeping to karate and we all start as white belts.
