Where did it all begin?

[Cosmic]

I'll bite on this one.

I've grown up knowing about freshwater fish since I could start talking. Our basement was a plethora of tanks, in all sizes from 10's to 55's. My dad was a huge African Cichlid breeder back in the 70's, back when breeding them was a still mostly a myth. One thing led to another and eventually the basement became an LFS. I went off to college and came back a year later for a visit to find this wonderful 125 gallon saltwater reeftank set up in the shop. This was in 1990.

After growing up a bit more, I came back to the store and took over, shortly thereafter setting up my own reef, a humbling 75 gallon that has been running almost 6 years now. It will be retired soon as I finish gathering parts to setup the 300 I recently bought. Yup, still got that bug

Cos

[dgasmd]

Mine will be a long one, but funny too. I was 10 years old and my neighbor had a 10g tank with guppies and guramis. I couldn't get enough of it, so I asked my dad to get me a bowl thinking he wouldn't buy me a 10g tank. He turned it down. I asked my grandpa for some moolah and he did get me some money, but now I wanted bigger. I couldn't buy a bigger tank, so I talked to this kid who's dad had a little refrigerator repari shop. He tell sme his dad uses a large refrigerator shell, with the holes plugged for soaking old parts. I thought that was a great idea, so I got me one for pennies. I took some old bike tires and cut rubber patches and burned them in place to plug the hole. I brought it home and filled it up with water. I slowly had about 75 fish in there and looked awesome. Ahhh, the trials and tribulation of desire in a third world economy. I grew up and got more interested in girls than in the tank, so I gave it away and sold the fish to take Heidi to a movie, which eventually got dumped by me for being high maintenance and for me finding out that after all the heavy petting and making out that she had gone out with a friend of mine before. How dare she had been touched and tainted I was only 12.

After I moved to the states, I got a 20g tank with freshwater fish. That got switched to a 55g freshwater that later became FO. Then, that was sold to get a 125g tank that I packed to the brim with extremely hard to get and expensive goldfish. I had it for 10 years until I had to move to a rat hole for my medical internship in NJ and had to put the tank in storage. I made about $9K on the fish and put it away. Then moved to MD and set up a reef tank. That soon became a 360g tank in about 6 months. Now, I am in the process of having a 600g tank built. See a trend here?

I wanted a reef tank since I saw one in a petstore about 5-6 years ago. It was an all softy and I couldn't get enough of it.

All this because my dad wouldn't get me a 10g tank. I know 64ivy started because a landlord wouldn't let him have a dog instead. See what some people start for trying to hold others back??

[blueoceandiver]

growing up in the fla. keys....i was hooked at a young age

[SunnyX]

How it all began………
Well I was in the 12th grade at the time when I was introduced into the wonderful world of marine aquariums. I was a teachers aid in AP Biology. My job was to maintain the greenhouse, aquariums, and reptiles. The one aquarium that we had was a 55 gallon Freshwater Oscar tank. That is what sparked my interest in fish keeping.
Part of the requirement of the class was to setup and maintain a creature habitat. I had already setup the Greenhouse, Reptile exhibit, and now needed something more challenging to do. My instructor suggested that I setup an Nano marine aquarium. I thought “how hard could it be”? I was about to find out.
The Nano I started couldn't have been more than 7 gallons. I read up on the subject and decided on using crushed coral for the substrate. I then purchased a box of Instant Ocean Salt and began to add water to the tank. After a week when I knew all levels were correct I added my first fish; a domino damsel. Boy was he feisty. He ate like a cow. After a month I decided on adding another fish. This time I chose a Ocellaris Clownfish. Boy was that a mistake. The two fish went at it. They fought like mad. Next day the Domino Damsel was dead. Survival of the fittest at its best. Darwin would be proud.
After High school I wanted to keep a marine aquarium of my own. I decided to convert my 29 gallon Freshwater aquarium into a marine aquarium. I at the time was ignorant about the ways of the world and was easy prey for my local fish store. The owner of the store had a radar in his head. He seen me come in and locked on me. By the time he was through with me I had spent $600 on equipment and came out with a Queen Angel, Yellow Tang and 2 Clownfish.!!! He took advantage of me and to this day I still try to get people from going to his shop.
After a while I decided that my 29 gallon was too small. I then opted for a 55 gallon. Like the fool I was I went back to the same store. This time he didn't get me as bad but still put my wallet in a headlock. The tank was running fine for a while until I had a huge out break of algae. I tried everything to rid myself of this plague, but to no avail. At the same time my fish contacted Ich. I went back to the same store and asked the owner what I should do. He said to add copper. I ended up adding too much and killed everything. Hopefully in the year 3007 the live rock will be useable.
After the 55 gallon debacle I decided to go to a 120 gallon tank. This time I decided to read as much as I could on the subject. The single biggest factor that helped me was joining an online reefing community. Every question I had they answered. The 120 gallon had its share of problems but now is stable and doing quite well.

[Maxx]

Great thread Travis!
Hmmm.......I was six years old and my grandmother thought that it was very important for me to be able to swim. I think one of her younger brothers had almost drown as a young kid. I was scared at first, but she bribed me w/a 10 gallon tank and some Comet goldfish from the pet store at the mall.
I kept freshwater fish off and on until my family moved to Hawaii when I was 12. Now as an excellent swimmer, I went out snorkeling all the time, my dad decided to get into the act, and I was PADI certified by the time I was 13.
By this time I was busy reading everything I could get my hands on that had to do w/ aquatic life. There is a LFS wholesale/retail in Hawaii called Coral Fish Hawaii. Has about a million gallons of saltwater. I walked in one time and was hooked. the owner was nice enough to talk w/ me for a bit and was surprised that I knew as much as I did for a 13 year old. He offered me a job on the spot. Due to child labor laws I couldnt get paid until I was 16, but he graciously offered to let me work for store credit at the same rate as minimum wage.....I couldnt believe this guy was actually gonna pay me 3 whole dollars an HOUR to be in his store. Blew my mind..... I worked there for 2 years, bought myself several tanks and kept lots of fish that I never could have afforded otherwise. Great experiance. This is when the reefing thing was first taking off. Mushrooms and Zooanthids were considered difficult to keep.
Things have come a long way!
Nick

[strat]

well, here goes... as a kid we lived in costa rica and i snorkelled and dove lots. my folks got a saltwater setup, probably about 35 gallons and they caught a small octopus and had him in there until they pickled him, (kept topping off with saltwater) doh then several years later and back in canada i saw someone was giving away a 10 gallon goldfish tank in my building, so i took it. i was hooked, within a month i had a 90 gallon piranha tank, with 10 red bellied piranhas and i huge sailfin pleco... had that for 6 months or so then i got married........ moved to mexico and setup a 50 gallon FOWLR wiht lots of hair algae.. ordered a 180 tank and stand and got ripped off..... back to canada and i have the 90 gallon from before setup as a freshwater community until i can save the bux to get myself setup with a real reef tank. hopefully in about two months. in the meantime ive been reading and researching like a madman... and thoroughly enjoying reading about you guys and hearing all the advice and tips. you all rock

strat (im hooked badly) lol

[Montanareefer]

Great thread Travis!

Well I grew up on the shores of Lake Champlain in Malletts Bay, Vermont. As a kid(one of eight), we were always down by the lake or in the woods looking for critters. There was a summer camp right across the road where we grew up and hundreds of boys came there every summer and my brothers and I would collect all the animals for their nature lodge.

I always loved walking along the shore of Lake Champlain looking for shells or anything of interest. I think we learned to swim before we walked.

I went through the goldfish in a bowl thing as a kid and always loved watching reef stuff on the nature channel, etc. growing up.

I had a 29 gallon reef tank over 35 years ago and we used lava rock, CC for substrate, hand-on filters. Had the tank for a year and a half and it was fun and we also had a reef club back then.

I had thought about having another reef tank over the years but raising a family came first and then one day about six years ago I went into a LFS and they had a 500 gallon reef tank and needless to say I was hooked from that very second.

Since then I have set up a 72 gallon bowfront reef tank which got torn down because of a bad leak in the front bottom of the tank. I then set up a 80 gallon rectangle reef tank and just recently tore this down because of phosphates and unwanted algae blooms and now currently in the process of sitting up a 60 gallon cube tank and this should be the dream tank I have always wanted.

There are alot of great hobbies out there but I can't think of a better one than this one!

[Tom Vick]

I've had the fish bug for 20+ years keeping chiclids and piranas at first...always wanted SW though...got out of the hobby for a few years, kids and other distractions...then one day while helping a freind move, I saw a tank at a yard sale...$30.00 for a 55g hood and filter...about a grand later I had a good looking little reef...a fish buddy was impressed and gave me a 125g that he never got around to setting up...the most expensive gift(for me) I've ever got...now the 55g is a sump/refugium and I'm scared to add up all the money spent!

[64Ivy]

Well, as many of you know, I first got into the hobby waaaaaay back in 1978 out of pure spite. After promising me that pets were not a problem before I moved in, my landlord then went back on his word and said the only animals I could keep were fish. By fish, I knew he meant goldfish...in a bowl...with a blue and purple gravel substrate, a marble, and maybe a little ceramic skull with bubbles coming out of the top of it, if they were quiet bubbles. Unfortunately, he was not that specific so I immediately went out and bought myself a 55g TruVue, complete with a canopy, stand, all the bleached coral decorations I could carry, an undergravel filter, and a really loud pump.

It could've been worse I suppose. Had he said I could only keep mice, eventually we would've had the movie "Willard".

[Maxx]

Well, as many of you know, I first got into the hobby waaaaaay back in 1978 out of pure spite.

Yeah,
but now many thousands of dollars later...who do you think really won that battle???
Nick

[Craig Manoukian]

I was born a poor black child...then one day my son comes home from college in December 2001 with a 6 gallon eclipse.

Now I have more SW than a sane person should have!

[64Ivy]

Originally posted by Maxx
Yeah,
but now many thousands of dollars later...who do you think really won that battle???
Nick

He's dead now so I'd have to say me.

[Maxx]

He's dead now so I'd have to say me.

Anytime you can get the last laugh, you're the big winner.
Nick

[Witfull]

he who laughs last,,,,thinks the slowest...LOL

[Cougra]

I've been keeping fish for as long as I can remember, when I was about 10 years old I saw my first live saltwater fish, a purple baslet (psuedochromis porphyreus) and wanted one ever since but wasn't allowed. When I finished college and got my own job I started up my first SW tank to have that particular fish. About 9 months later the LFS had a stunning colt coral in and it called out to me. I refused it the first few nights, but after two or three restless nights dreaming about having a coral, I went back to the LFS and gave way to temptation!