About Macauley

Macauley is one of the leading voices behind Pufferfish Enthusiasts Worldwide, where he plays a central role in research, writing, and community guidance.

With over two decades of experience in fishkeeping, including work with more than 30 species of pufferfish, he brings both scientific depth and hands-on knowledge to the group.

His widely read care sheets have become reference points across the hobby, helping aquarists worldwide to raise their standards of welfare and husbandry. Within PEW, Macauley’s role is to combine his deep understanding of water chemistry, ecology, and disease with a passion for education, craftsmanship, and system design, ensuring that the group remains one of the most reliable sources of pufferfish knowledge today.

His Story

Macauley’s journey into fishkeeping began at just seven years old, when he set up his first aquariums in his childhood bedroom. Among his earliest fish were Oscars; bold, intelligent cichlids that sparked a lifelong fascination with aquatic life. From that moment, fishkeeping became more than a hobby; it became a lifelong pursuit of knowledge, observation, and care.

By the age of twelve, Macauley had acquired his first pufferfish: the beginning of a relationship with this unique family of fish that would come to define his reputation in the aquatic world.

In his early teenage years, he expanded his collection, maintaining multiple tanks and experimenting with a wide variety of different species. This early immersion gave him not only practical experience but also a natural curiosity for the “why” behind their needs and behaviours. His interest steadily gravitated toward South American species, and especially the mysterious world of blackwater habitats.

Today, blackwater aquariums remain one his deepest passions.

“Following nature’s example and building biotopes isn’t just part of the hobby for me. It is the hobby.”