What's your BEST reefkeeping moment?

[MandarinFish]

Mine: after $70+ tax, 2 weeks of reading, several calls to the store; my great little H. Iridis ("radiant wrasse") came home with me. The next morning it was gone. I have a big, common fairy wrasse that is solidly built and aggro enough that it scared me.

I've fed the tank mysis to see if it was alive. I read if they don't show up in a week, it's time to worry. It sucks to lose fish, and this one was f/w treated at the store. Weeks pass... fish gone.

I came home from dinner tonight, a month later, to see my Iridis out in mid-tank, I fed nori to the tangs and the iridis ate it too. Then mysis, and the iridis got into the scrum and quickly went to town, stealing food in between 3 tangs and outmaneuvering the whole community for shrimps.

Best reefkeeping experience I've ever had. Here's what they look like (haven't photo'ed mine yet)

Thanks RDO for the very cool site - this was a special moment for me and only fellow reefkeepers might appreciate it. I can't be alone in having a singlularly positive experience. I keep humming Beethoven's 9th Symphony. How about your most positive?

 

[Mihai]

So far... when my mandarin fish spawned the first time.
http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.p ... t=mandarin

It was indeed really special for me.
M.

 

[Len]

The first time I saw Acropora polyps in my tank .... that was THE moment for me. It might not sound like much, but keep in mind this was some 15+ years ago when SPS were fabled as impossible to keep.

 

[Anonymous]

I guess I must still very new to this. Everyday seems to be the best moment. I find something cool/great everyday. One of the best was when the torch opened up but I'm not sure its the best moment though. It could also be when 2 of my nephews, and about 4 other children ages from 5 to 13 walked into my home and sat down in front of the tank. They talked and pointed for about an hour no tv or video games for an hour is really something to see LOL.

 

[Anonymous]

Setting up my first SW tank in 1963 when only a few people in Europe and the US were starting to.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[Anonymous]

For me it was the first time I managed to get Mandarin eggs to hatch. The next one will be when I grow some out of the larval stage.

 

[Anonymous]

One day in October 2000. The day I put liverock in my first tank, a 75G. I was so happy to be starting a reef tank. Just staring at the liverock was such a thrill.

I'm pretty happy today too. I am moving the livestock (that I want to keep) out of that 75G and into my new 300G.

Setting up the 75G was a bigger thrill. There's nothing like the first time

Louey

 

[coralfarmin]

The first time I fragged out a acro....I got "hooked" on the strange smell.
I may need to go to rehab by now :lol:

 

[Ryan7]

Every time I get to spend the day with my Dad going to all the local fish stores.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with louey. The first tank, Aug 2000, the first day with LR in the tank. Staring at it for hours including long nights with redlense flashlights with the wife staring at critters I had no idea were in the tank lol. Still having a blast today.

 

[Anonymous]

Setting up my first SW tank in 1963 when only a few people in Europe and the US were starting to.

How successful were you with that first tank David? I can't imagine the difficulty with few to none reference materials available. Were you using natural sea water? What did you use for measuring salinity?

 

[FLOPPYFISH]

Taking this:

and turning it into this:

The first was my tank 8 months ago.

 

[MandarinFish]

VERY nice Floppy! I'm impressed!

Mihai and Guy -
Mandarins getting down is a special thing to behold, isn't it?

I had a happy, healthy, BIG FAT female and she with her boyfriend would do the dance almost nightly, to the infinite happiness of the corals and other hungry fish. Next time I will try to collect and raise them - still my goal.

When Mrs. Mandarinfish and I get down... oh, wait.

Keep em coming guys - there have to be good reasons why we persevere through all the expenses and setbacks. What are those great moments you've had? Watching my tiny $150 acanthastrea piece survive and grow has been a slow, special event for me too.

 

[Anonymous]

Setting up my first SW tank in 1963 when only a few people in Europe and the US were starting to.

How successful were you with that first tank David? I can't imagine the difficulty with few to none reference materials available. Were you using natural sea water? What did you use for measuring salinity?

The hardest part was finding an all glass aquarium, back then most aquariums had metal frames.
Packaged salt was available (I don't remember the brand), silica sand could be had in 10# bags and floating glass hygrometers, though inacurate, were used (I had 3 and did an average).
Lighting was just room light from the ceiling, there was no cover.
I set up a 20 gal with silica sand substrate, there was no such thing as live rock available (I used a few pieces of plain well cleaned rock just for hiding spots) , and a cheap in tank corner filter containing filter floss and carbon.
Back then very few SW species were shipped into the Country, so the first inhabitants were a Chrysiptera parasema (Yellowtail Blue Damselfish) and a Dascyllus trimaculatus (Domino Damselfish); their colors compared to FW fish just blew people away.
After a few months I was able to locate a Dendrochirus biocellatus (Twinspot Lionfish) and that was the third and last inhabitant.
I had the tank set up with the three fish for 3 years until I had to move, so I sold the fish back to the LFS.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[SnowManSnow]

Best moment: A few weeks ago when I taught my 1.5 yr old boy which one was the hammer coral and wich one was the anemone! Now when you ask him to show you the anemone he runs over to the tank and points at it! I'm working on frogspawn now!

B