Michael Paletta has been keeping marine aquariums since 1980 and reef tanks since 1985. During the past 18 years he has written over 130 articles on marine fish and invertebrates in both the US and Europe. His first book, "The Modern Marine Aquarium," is an attempt to simplify marine fish keeping for the beginning hobbyist, while at the same time incorporating advances that have been made due to reef keeping. This book has sold over 70,000 copies and has been the best selling marine aquarium book the last two years. His second book "Ultimate Reefs" illustrates how far the hobby has come in the past 15 years. In this book there are examples of just about every type of reef tank using all different types of systems and technology. Michael has enjoyed speaking at over 75 marine societies and national conferences in North America, Canada, and Europe.

Currently Michael has 480, 180, and 40-gallon reef tanks set up in his home as well as a 300-gallon propagation tank. He has helped in the set up of over 120 tanks throughout the U.S, including several tanks over 2,000 gallons in capacity. Michael also acted as a consultant with the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the Pittsburgh Zoo Aquarium. Michael has B.S. from Dickinson College and a Master's degree from Yale. Michael has also been a technical consultant for several equipment manufacturers and online companies. Michael is currently employed in sales in the biotechnology field.