Weekly Discussion - What got you into this?

[kim]

I like water. All water.

I was brought up in a house on a river. Spent my early life on it.

Swimming (you learn quick, or....), fishing, rowing, sailing.....

All my holidays as a kid involved rockpools, strange fish and funny creatures. Or camping near streams and lakes, catching newts and fish. Damming them, swimming in them, just sitting in them in the Summer heat.

Now I live in a city. Which is fine, but I still want water.

To be honest, a goldfish would scratch that itch.

But a reef is much more fun.

kim

 

[Len]

I'm like kim. I've always been strongly attracted to bodies of water and don't feel like home if I don't have an aquarium around me. I can't remember a time I didn't have an aquarium. Reefkeeping is undeniably the most intriguing aquarium segment for me. The first coral I saw (an Elegance) got me hooked.

If there is such a thing as reincarnation, I can't help but think I was some ocean-dwelling critter in my past life.

 

[Mikef1]

I would have to say diving in the cayman islands and Hawaii. Also my brother got me started and now I am way more into it than him.

 

[Anonymous]

i saw my 1st 'real' tank when i was about 7, at family friend's house.. it was a 125, iirc, and among the inhabitants was a pair of jewel cichlids in full breeding dress tending a clutch of eggs- i was hooked for life right there
i started sw at about 14, as just a branching out development from the fw hobby

 

[ded08221]

i'm a biology major, and wanted to observe and gaze at animals i read about in text books. plus having a nice looking SW tank in the living room is awesome in a college apartment.

 

[Unarce]

It all started when I was 12 and my best friend brought a baby piranha to school for show and tell. The excitement of watching him run home as fast as he can because it bit the bag, sold me from the start. I've been a reef enthusiast since 1993.

 

[dgasmd]

I had FW tanks for 12 years before I set up first SW tank. I went to a store in Chicago to browse while I was waiting for an appointment and they ad a large saltwater section. They had what I now think it was a 135 Oceanic packed to the brim with soft corals with a large amount of water flow that made everything wave back and forth. It was an amazing sight. I stood there for like 20 min. just starring at it. Some that worked there must ahve been discussing filtration or equipment with a customer and opened the doors to the cabinet to point something out. I saw all that equipment and was a little scared. I went home and while sitting in front of a computer did a search for reef tanks or something like that. I ran into reefs.org (late 1999). I also found the same day this other new site that had not been there for even a month and it had a peculiar name (RC), so I started reading. When I thought I knew enough to invest in such an expensive hobby and not get discouraged enough to dump the investment in a few weeks (that took 2 years), I turned a 125 I had into a reef tank. Did it pay off. I think I had more success int he first 6 months than most people have in 5 years, so I moved up to a 360g within 6 months of starting

 

[Carpentersreef]

I've had an aquarium of some sort ever since I can remember.
Various freshwater, turtles, newts, planted, now saltwater.
A person can look at the ocean from a beach and have no idea how much is going on beneath the waves.
It's facinating.

Mitch

 

[llpoolej]

It has been cumalative. My husband kept aggressive tanks before we were together(15 years ago) I have always thought they were beautiful. Snorkeling in Hawaii really was incredible, like swimming in a big fish tank!

What I think drove us back over the edge, and I may be flamed for admitting it, was "Finding Nemo". It was just that last little push.

Somehow, I got on reef sites vs plain fish only sites and gradually made my way into reef tanks and drug hubby along with me. We went from a totally inappropriate 30h with eheim cannister filter to our now 65g reef ready, MR-1 Skimmer, sea swirl, 150x2 de MH with 100+lbs or LR and a 4 inch live sand bed.

So, I have come a long way baby!!

 

[Anonymous]

It all started in 1962 when I started raising fancy guppies which started to become boring fairly rapidly when I purchased an aquarium book by Dr Herbert Axelrod which was published in the 50's that actually had 2 whole pages on marine fish. I went off to my LFS at the time who was able to order a bag of silica sand, salt mix, a hygrometer and had access to some species of marine fishes. Sooooooo by the beginning of 1964 I had set up my first marine aquarium ( It was a challenge as little was known ) and while making mistakes it was extremely fulfilling. After discussing my success with the LFS owner he even started carrying marine fish in his store. 1965 I set up my first crude reef tank but in the middle went off to college and the rest is history.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[Anonymous]

David Mohr! VERY long time no see. Welcome back.

 

[LauraH]

I got started when I went to a fish store 11 years ago all set to get a new freshwater setup going. After watching me spend most of my visit admiring the saltwater fish, the owner convinced me that keeping saltwater wasn't as difficult as I had thought it to be. They have long since closed their doors, but I thank them for introducing me to the hobby.

What keeps me in it? Love - Fascination - Insanity

 

[Anonymous]

Moving into a new apartment with a 33'x15' living room (yeah, here in NYC). . .

I've always had fish tanks. At my old apt, I had a 10 gal with tiger barbs on the kitchen counter. I moved in the new place with a girlfriend. She wanted cats, I wanted a(another) nice fish tank.

I found a 6' 100 gallon on Ebay for a great price. Bought it, then decided what I was going to put in it.
Was looking online at discus, killifish, SW fish, Then I found RDO. The decision was made.

Since I learned that the old tank had so much copper that I could never do a reef tank, It became freshwater goldfish. And I set up a 15h reef on my desk (where the tiger barbs were set up.) It's been around 2.5 years, and I still love it.

I got a mantis with my first batch of live rock. I set him up his own tank. (that made 4 total in the house) It went from a 4 gal cube, to a 7 gal bow, to a 10 gal. The mantis died, but I still kept the two tanks up and running.

Every single day I sit and wonder how I made such a cool looking little biotrope in my living room.

My affections for the tanks wax and wane. I've been batteling hair algea in my 15 for over a year. (DSB?) so most of my recent focus has been on my 10.

I've got to move out of this apartment, and both tanks are going into one big tank. I'm getting rid of all but one tank. It's probably going to be a 75 or a 110. Haven't decided yet.

B

 

[t gallo]

well after leaving harvard, and then attending princeton:lol: i needed a real challange.

 

[saltnmyeye]

Went to the new downtown aquarium in Houston, Tx. They have a 10,000 gallon tank with a restaurant built around it. after staring at it for about 2 hours i decided i had to have one, but smaller. as most of you will agree, its very addicting, the tank is never big enough, and you always see stuff you never have befor, and got to have it no matter what it cost!