What got you started??

[Anonymous]

Just curious how many people were introduced to reefing by a Local Fish Store, or by accidentally surfing to a Mail Order website...

Especially you Tangirl.....


Glenn

 

[Anonymous]

I had a FO tank for a while and started looking into skimmers on the net. Next thing I knew, I'm upgrading lights, etc...

Ty

 

[2good2b2]

Rover

I got started when I went to the LFS to buy supplies for my FW setup. I had a reef setup as a display tank.

 

[jdeets]

My SO wanted an aquarium in an inset place on the wall in the formal living area. I said I'd rather have a piano there and if it had to be an aquarium, I'd rather do fresh (b/c I knew who'd be taking care of it). After a few trips to an LFS to check out all the neat stuff, I was convinced. Now I'm hooked and spend many hours a day and late at night on the reef boards and reef newsgroups. I love it--and someone else is wishing they'd asked for a piano!

 

[Bobzarry]

I started in grammer school about 30 years ago. Teacher took a field trip to the jersey shore with a few students to collect stuff to put in a class tank. I was hooked imidiately. Back then you never saw any SW in a pet store. Had to bring water back in a bucket..........sheesh now I feel like an old man. Thanks Rover.

 

[cstar]

When I was growing up in Florida I was always facinated by the amazing tanks in restarurants and hotels.


My father and uncle had tanks growing up and I must have got that gene.

 

[sawcjack00]

Used to keep FO, but went SCUBA diving on my honeymoon. Fell in love with the reef!

 

[danmhippo]

Started out from a 5G FW, then got more $$ into 40G FW, then fascinated by the color of the SW-FO, changed the tank to SW-FO. After a couple years, loose the job, went back to graduate school. Money is tight back then, convert the FO back to FW again. About 4 years ago, found a job, earned some dough, convert everything into Reef until now.

So, what triggered me into reefing? Myself......and availability of free money in my wallet.

 

[whirley]

Went to Hawaii and snorkled when I was
16. Bingo, instant love of the reefs and
thier inhabinents.

From then onwards, I always wanted a reef tank.

whirley

 

[MontanaRocknReefer]

I had what was considered a reef tank over 30 years ago. I had a 29 gallon tank and used lava rock and a 1" CC substrate and had a cleaner shrimp, jawfish,flame scallop and 3 predatory anenomes.
In the process of moving a helper broke my aquarium and could not afford to get back into it with raising a family.
Over the years having a reef aquarium crossed my mine and then about 3 years ago I started to think about it more seriously. I made the mistake of stopping into the LFS and they had a 500 gallon REEF AQUARIUM!!!
Well the rest is history and 2 years ago I started a 72 gallon bow front reef and since then have gotten rid of the 72 and have an 80 gallon reef about 4 months old and loving every minute of it.
At night when in bed I dream of a 1000 gallon reef aquarium and--------------Darn it I live in a second story apartment!! Johnny

 

[Anonymous]

Just making a point for all the people who want to bash the LFS!!

 

[Anonymous]

Growing up in Hawaii, my parents and what seemed like all my parents friends had them. Of course they were not called reef tanks by that crowd and they did not have as many varieties of coral.

 

[bigtank]

I started with a 3g freshwater more than a year ago. Then I looked up aquariums on the internet and learned about reefkeeping. About $3,000 later, the results are beautiful. I got a 70 because I wanted a lot of room and it's starting to get smaller now...one day a 180 or something

 

[mwm6]

Trip to the Keys in 1987. Visited a collector and they had a tank set up with live rock - I thought it was soooo interesting. Came home, and a month later I had my first 55 gallon reef started.

10's of thousands $$$ later, I'm hooked more than ever. And I'm not one for sticking with hobbies long. I no longer consider it a hobby though, it's now a passion.............


Mack

 

[Quillen]

I have a love for different animals and found fish to be very theraputic/relaxing, good way to control ulcer. My boyfriend nursed me through the first two and half years of the marine tank world. The local marine fish store he went to, I loved, and so that played a part.

 

[gazpep]

I progressed from a FW livebearer tank in 1964 with no heater and just an air pump. The tank was made of glass, window putty with an angle-iron frame. Was in 1st year of high school. Had another FW tank of community tropicals 3 years later. Then other things took my interest, cars, girls, music etc and dropped out for 5 or more years.

Got married and set up a Marine FO tank in '74. All glass 70 gals, with internal skimmers, reverse-flow UG Filter which was state of the art at the time. Pretty successful too with the fish I kept. Other priorities saw me drop out again, this time for over 20 years.
Dabbled in a small FW tropical set up again about 6 years ago, then re-entered Marine hobby about 3 years ago starting with FO, converted to Reef 8 months ago.

 

[Anonymous]

I always had FW tanks. I college I had a fancy guppy 'breeding' tank just a 10 gal. I had so many fish, including 10 or so males with tails three times the size of thier bodies, I couldn't give them away. Now that same 10 gal houses Tiger barbs on my desk. It is beside my computer. (pause to watch fish...)
Last march when I moved into my current apartment, i convinced my SO to let me get a big tank..55,75,or a 90. I wanted to do FO. had no idea what a reef tank was. Then I found a 100 gal on e-bay, bought it, and the next day was researching fish on the net and saw a pic of a nice reef tank. Then the decision was made.

 

[purplefirefish]

My wife was looking for a hobby since I was out doing my hobby all the time (flying). She went to LFS that told her she could set up a 46 gal tank for less than $400. Well mucho $$$ later she is still looking for a hobby and I just don't seem to fly as much as before

James

 

[2poor2reef]

Someone told me it would be a good way to meet women. I was misinformed...

No, I just like to take care of things and watch them grow. I grow a vege garden every year for the same reason. Kept fresh water tanks as a kid and when I decided to set up another tank as an adult, I just couldn't get excited about freshwater once I saw salt.

 

[Anonymous]

I thank the kind gentleman that pointed this post out to me.

It started way back when I was a little girl...

I had freshwater tanks and always dreamed of salt tanks.

Over the winter, I began researching reef/FO tanks, mostly with the help of my LFS's. They told me to go with crushed coral, 80 watts of ordinary flourescents and one of them told me that I could easily get a 75g started for less than $600 (I feel your pain, James

) and they told me that there weren't really any books out there worth reading. Now this is 3 supposedly reputable LFS near me. 2 of them constantly have mass amounts of dead fish at all times of the day, any day - I understand things happen, but I assume scooping up the dead guys would be the first thing you do when you get there - not these stores. One of them sold me a powder blue as my first fish and always pushes all kinds of wacky supplements and snake oils because they are all on commission.

The other LFS has a really nice fresh water section, it seems they just threw together the salt water section as an after thought to sell to any suckers that may walk in. I actually watched a bubble tip latched onto and getting ready to eat a perc there. I guess that's what happens when you put them under 40 watts of light.

If one of my LFS's were worth a darn, I might do away with my signature. I assume that's what started this thread? I'm not attacking anyone here, no problem at all with asking anything.

I've got 3 LFS's - one's about a 3 minute walk away, one's a 10 min drive and the other's 20 minutes away. And that doesn't count petsmart and petco and a couple other little extremely filthy places nearby. I drove to NH (3 hours away) to go to a store and will try a store I've been scoping out in MA (probably 2 hours away) next.

Not long ago, someone posted a thread, it was called something like "How much is it worth to you?" And I encouraged him to pay extra and support the LFS if it's a good one. But there are, now that I'm trying to think of all the little dirty petstores too, at least 9 LFS around here and none deserve my money.

I know it's long, but hey, you asked.