FSA is a trained and certified low voltage landscape lighting design and installation company. Our installation process assures our customers that the materials we use are chosen to give long lasting results, installed for maximum performance, and designed to make your property a piece of art. Landscape lighting is used to highlight the landscape and architectural features of your home, creating dramatic results that will have people turning their heads. Landscape lighting also increases the value, adds safety and security, and extends the hours of outdoor enjoyment of your property. Let an FSA lighting technician take care of your landscape lighting needs to ensure high grade materials are used and proper installation techniques are practiced. Twice yearly inspections of your lighting system to ensure optimum performance are available and recommended.
Working in the pond and aquarium industry for close to 20 years has allowed me many opportunities to take part in some interesting projects, everything from installing small aquariums for children’s classrooms, installing therapy aquariums in hospitals, to working as an aquarist and helping in designing a shark tank for the New York Aquarium at Coney Island. Custom fish tanks of all shapes and sizes have been installed by FSA&L, we work with acrylic and glass aquariums, and we install the full line of aquarium set-ups from the well known aquarium manufacturers. Our customers range from private individuals to corporations, medical professionals to professional athletes. FSA&L handles all aspects of aquarium installations in NJ, from the tank delivery and filtration design, to the plumbing details. FSA&L professional aquarium installations can handle stand alone tanks, in-wall aquarium installations, room dividers. Custom aquarium cabinetry and aquarium furniture to rival the finest furniture. You can see our professional aquarium installations in residences, restaurants, hospitals, hotel, lobbies, and waiting rooms all around New Jersey. Let your imagination design your aquarium, our contacts in the aquarium builders trade can allow us to build just about any custom aquarium installation in New Jersey.
This was a fun gig, being involved and having access to not only what the public gets to see on a visit to the famous NY Public aquarium of Coney Island, but being a part of the behind the stage operations was a great experience for a guy who loves fish and the challenges one faces when trying to keep in captivity some of the more exotic and difficult species. Most of my work took place in the Discovery Cove section of the aquarium and consisted mostly of the tropical species of fishes. As an aquarist I took care of maintaining the displays, preparing foods for the different varieties of species, and monitoring water quality and the general health of the fishes. I was maintaining the displays that ranged from several hundred gallons to 20,000+ gallons. Preparing the foods for the feeding was always a great way of starting the day, and everything had to be fresh. Oh No, no dried or prepared food for these spoiled fish, nothing better than using an industrial blender to create a mixture of whole sardine, squid, algae, vitamins, and gelatin. Mmmmmmm. When dealing with sick fish it was not a matter of adding droplets of medication, we would capture the fish and run it over to the on premise fish hospital where top-notch fish veterinarians went to amazing lengths to diagnose and treat the species kept on premises which were not just limited to fish, we had seals, sea lions, sharks, octopus, beluga whales, penguins, corals, invertebrates, and a plethora of other aquatic animals we took care of. I was able to work with some of the best professionals in the industry, and had direct experience with varieties of fish from all over the world North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Tropical fish, coldwater fish, river fish, lake fish, pond fish, ocean fish, reef fish, deepwater fish, flying fish (ok, so not really flying fish), but all sorts of critters from every different environment you could think of. I have taken this experience and now apply it to working with my customers and dealing with their specific aquatic environments whether it be aquarium or pond, large or small, I still get to pursue what I love!
The New Jersey Marine Science Consortium; bet you didn’t even know it existed! It does and the campus location may surprise you too, it is located at Sandy Hook State Park on the military reserve campus. The curriculum of these studies ranged widely: oceanography, aquatic life, plant life, fish physiology, wave dynamics are all within the scope of the broad curriculum. For us to spend a morning out on the boats trolling for different species like bottom dwelling animals, jellyfish, and plankton; then passing the afternoon in the lab working with the scopes or doing dissections was pretty typical. Often times we’d simply walk out and seign the shoreline, or scour the rock jetties to collect species for study. Our studies extended to the plant life along the shore lines as well, not just different marine algae, but the actual plants, trees, and bushes that are able to grow in the shoreline environment. This course work, although focused on marine life, provided concepts and insight that I am able to apply to freshwater environments as well. Have a strange snail in your backyard koi pond, I can tell you about it; is there a new algae creeping up in your tropical marine aquarium, I can identify it. Caught a fish at the shore and want to keep it at home in an aquarium, I can tell you how to do that. That is why the aquarium experts, water garden experts, pond experts, and installation professionals at FULL SERVICE AQUATICS & LANDSCAPE are second to none.
A good part of my studies took place at an “Ag N Tech”. The SUNY Morrisville Agricultural and Technical College, a great school for horticultural sciences. An “Ag N Tech” school probably makes it sound like we had cows roaming the campus and corn fields outside our dorms….WE DID! Coming from suburban New Jersey just 20 minutes outside of NYC it was definitely a bit of an adjustment, but I adjusted and loved the experience that gave me a great foundation for offering the services that we now bring to our customers today, 20 years later. When not in typical classrooms studying the books, my classrooms were greenhouses, arboretums, and gardens; it was not too bad! Landscape design theory, soil sciences, deciduous and evergreen tree identification, shrubs and woody landscape plants, flowers and floral design, plant propagation, and of course the usual college courses of mathematics etc. were on my plate. Ever have to grow a plant for a grade? Talk about pressure…that is when I learned that yelling at a plant to “grow damn it, and grow pretty” doesn’t work, hard lesson learned. It did teach me, however, the best approaches and practices to helping my customer with their landscape plans; from design to installation, and then the best maintenance care to keep their landscape looking great from planting stage to maturity. FULL SERVICE AQUATICS & LANDSCAPE design services are available for our customers to use to their best advantage, call for a free landscape design consultation today. And no yelling at your plants…I promise.
Member of the North American Water Garden Society. This group has local chapters around the United States and Canada which hold meeting for likeminded members to discuss water garden and pond related topics. The NAWGS website has information to find your local chapter and peruse their useful information.
Mike Gannon serves the professional community on a consulting level for companies and businesses that need advice and direction on all aspects of their water feature, koi pond, aquarium, and professional landscape projects. A complete plan from concept to completion can be provided or on-site consultations for a specific problem are all available by contacting Mike. Mike Gannon of FULL SERVICE AQUATICS & LANDSCAPE also offers fun and informative seminars and lectures to groups, clubs, and schools. Mike has presented at the New Jersey Flower and Garden Show, has been a guest lecturer for many other businesses in the water garden industry, teaches at continuing education schools, and is available for one on one individual consultation for the home backyard water gardener dealing with their backyard aquatic habitat issues. Topics like water gardens, koi ponds, tropical fish aquarium, Japanese gardens, waterscapes, waterfall design, bog gardens, wetlands, bamboo gardens, coral reef aquarium, and landscape design are all available for discussion.
Class of 2010. Mike Gannon completed the Kodama Koi Academy at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine and received his certificate of completion. The academy course is taught by world renowned Mamoru Kodama and covers many aspects of koi keeping with an emphasis on koi appreciation.
When people ask what I do during the “slower season” I will often joke that I sleep until spring because of the intense schedule I keep during the “full swing” season. Not only is that not a good joke, but it is far from the truth, during the slow season I plan the new campaigns for the upcoming season, and take the opportunity to further my education in my field. The University of Georgia School of Veterinary Sciences is not only one of the best Veterinary schools in the country, perhaps the world, but it is THE hub of the koi health industry here in theAttending a KOI Seminar at UGA United States headed up by the amazing Vicky Vaughn koi health expert extraordinaire. I am fortunate to be a graduate of the program offered there at the UGA. It is an intense course devoted exclusively to the Japanese carp, nishikigoi, OR koi and all aspects of their health with topics such as: breeding, varieties, housing, nutrition, koi history, disease control, legal matters, importation issues, lots of lab including injections and necropsy, and microscope work identifying those annoying parasites (I left class itchy that day!). This course does not leave any stones unturned in regards to koi; of course the principles and applications can be used for all types of captive fish. It is attended and taught by the top koi veterinarians and experts in the country. The students are a mix of koi breeders, koi retailers, Hands On KOI Seminarfanatical koi hobbyists, and a pond builder thrown in there to boot. Before receiving my certificate in this course I could confidently say I have a depth of experience with koi, and fish in general, that does not come over night, it came with years and years of working directly with these animals on a daily basis in hands-on/eyes-on situations and a deep love for what I do. After this course I have only taken what I do to a higher level and use that gained knowledge to my customers’ advantage. My hobby as a kid has morphed into a profession and lifestyle that I feel very fortunate to have and the interaction with my customers who share that same passion is a blessing. This course is open to the public and for anyone who has a real deep passion for their fish I highly recommend it, but be prepared for intensive work. Go Bulldogs!
Held in the Chicagoland area, AU Pond College takes place at the PONDEMONIUM event hosted by Aquacapes. This is a week long event for pond builders and retailers from all across the Unites States and Canada. Pondemonium is not only the largest educational event in the water feature industry, but in the entire green industry. I have attended this event on various occasions and it is jam packed with hands-on events like “build-a- ponds”, pond tours, and waterfall construction contests; and educational seminars on business building as well. Pond college topics cover everything from basic to advanced construction techniques on all types of water features: ponds, waterfalls, bogs, wetlands, fountains, large scale water feature projects, working with large boulders. Technical topics such as plumbing water features, working with pumps, submersible lighting techniques, filtration systems and techniques, water feature maintenance practices. Other topics such as aquatic plants, fish, aquatic habitats, customer relations, and sales are covered by the best in the industry. This is a great event and lots of fun as well, lots of play, not all work I admit. Pondemonium is held annually giving me the ability to go and recharge and refine my approach to the water gardening profession.
Mike Gannon became a member of the IECA in June of 2008. The IECA (International Erosion Control Agency) provides training and support for professionals in the industry for many aspects of the green industry. Mike Gannon received a rainwater harvesting training certification through the University of North Carolina via the IECA.
The Rutgers University Cooperative Extension program certified Mike Gannon of FSA as a Raingarden Master. The program is given annually by Rutgers and is composed of class room time partnered with a the actual construction of a rain garden.
Mike Gannon became a member of ARCSA, American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association in 2010, and is currently a member in good standing with connections to other rainwater harvesting professionals nationwide and worldwide.
Mike Gannon passed the testing and construction guidelines to be recognized as a professional installer of the RainXchange rainwater harvesting system. Mike was one of several contractors nationwide who participated in the first installation of the RainXchange prototype in Grantville, GA and now services the Northeast US.
Course work and certification through the University of North Carolina was completed by Mike Gannon. Course work allows for a complete and thorough understanding of the practices and concepts of rainwater harvesting and its applications. From site considerations to installation processes for the various types of rainwater harvesting systems above and below ground.
In October of 2008, Mike Gannon attended the FLOATING ISLANDS INTERNATIONAL think tank and training program for biohavens. Biohavens are a cutting edge filtration and habitat technology using biomimicry techniques. Biohavens have large and small scale water treatment applications. Floating island biohavens have successfully been launched around the world, creating improved water quality conditions and new habitat for many species both aquatic and terrestrial.
