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Post by ryansweatt2004 on Oct 22, 2015 19:00:59 GMT -5
I figured it'd be fun to hear from everyone how you all got started in this hobby. For me, I've been a fish nerd for as long as I can remember. When I was little my mom got our first freshwater tank for us when I was around five years old. This was after always seeing the tank at my grandmothers house. I can remember getting up from bed as a kid after all the lights were out just to mess with the fish tank and try to find our elusive horse faced loach. And yes I got caught with my had in the tank a number of times but it never stopped me. Those were fun times. That started me on an almost a 20 year stretch in the freshwater hobby. After exploring with everything from native cold water species to exotic large oddball species my then girlfriend at the time "wife now" came up with the bright idea for us to get a saltwater tank. That was almost ten years ago now. How funny is it that the women in my life brought me into the aquarium hobby each in a different way. So anyway, I'd love to hear stories of how you all came into this hobby.
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Post by scoobnoob on Oct 23, 2015 13:26:24 GMT -5
After finding nemo a segment on Nano tanks that could be kept in a dorm room appeared on good morning america. I wanted one immediately. I didnt get one until much later after doing a lot of research
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Post by Rakahrd Eastbrook, Me. on Oct 23, 2015 21:27:14 GMT -5
`well as kids yes plural (6)we alwas had gold fish turtles etc. when I got married with a house of my own I was offered a 20 gal setup so got some fish . freshwater mind you later when I got remarried we got a 55 gal setup at a yard sale and bought 96.00 worth of fish. had to move so that went too.. later we come across a couple of tanks in yard sales worked on them and eventualy ended up with a 30 tall. still fresh water though but had been collecting tanks and assorted equipment from friends,yard sales free on the roads . 4 years ago my baby brother had 2 salt water tanks a 30 and 50 gal with corals and fish. he had 2 damseks that were wreckinh his corals a domino and a black damsel that was actualy yellow with blue fins at the time. not big fish but persistant and aggressive.. He gave me them to starta salt tank s for a long time we had just those 2 and a few crabs n snails. good thing theyre cheap lol. we found a 65 hex tank and picked up some dry rock so we began stocking that with salt critters and moved the 2 nasties in it .. wel they would destroy anything they could get hold of mostly was the domino damsel.. . He ended up in the snowbank out off the porch . things calmed down for a while then the black damsel,yes he did turn black, started eating my starfish found one totaly legless. so he was gone the next day .. wewll we decided to try another approach to doing saltwater tanks so we gathered all the critters and a few fish we still had ,put them into 2 10 gal tanks, broke down the 65 hex and got rid of a ton of unessary equipment. took a 55 gal tank and worked to get it ready for salt water comunity tank by this time we had learned more so we could get into trouble alot faster lol. we had a serious problem with the hex with red slime algae covering everything. so did alot of research and worked out a few things that werent working for us namelt lighting and general housekeeping. lack of a true refugium/sump too. I have the 55 going with a deep sand bed (5 inches) 2 10 gal sumps linked, and led lights. lots of live rock most fromprevious tanks. now were starting to slowly work in some corals... so far so good but Im still learnin. I will say this though you guys are Awesome! really good help and forgiving  loved my first ever frag draft even though we had a hard time moving around grins. saving for the next now ..... thats how I ended up where I am. |
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Post by Rakahrd Eastbrook, Me. on Oct 23, 2015 21:28:01 GMT -5
sorry for the book but its hard to explain in only a few sentences.
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Post by jasonandsarah on Oct 24, 2015 8:23:48 GMT -5
I started out just like any average hobbyist (skipping the Betta tanks and gold fish as a kid). About 5 years ago we bought a 3g circle tank for glo fish! Lol  yeah we started with glo fish. We got tired of them pretty quickly and returned them to the pet store. Plus we Got a Betta named Patriot and he didn't like the glo fish much. Although they picked on him witch is kinda weird  and that was his home for a couple years. At the same time we had Patriot I had the itch to get something better/bigger. So Sarah found a 30g tank and I was off to the races. Started out as a freshwater community tank and slowly changed it to a African Cichlids tank. *This was my male*  That kept my interest for awhile as I started trying to breed them and was successful a couple times. The baby's weren't really worth the hassle though because they were mostly just average $8-$10 fish. I then started researching planted tanks and while doing my research these beautiful coral reef tanks kept popping up. Now we had always loved the saltwater fish at petco and stuff but I didn't know people were keeping all these beautiful corals and anenomes in there tanks. I remembered them from school and different documentaries and stuff. So my research quickly turned into a mad scramble because I wanted that! Started collecting all the equipment I needed and bought 100 lbs of liverock. There's a ton more to the saltwater/reef side of the story but I'll leave it here because this could get a lot longer. Here's one of my first reef pics from the very beginning.  I still have 2 fish that were in here at set up. It was 3 until a few weeks ago  lost my purple firefish. I think it's fair to say I'm overly addicted to corals and trying to master this hobby. The greatest thing about that though, I don't think I'll ever be able to master it. So this hobby will always keep my interest.  Sorry, hopefully the pics helped with the long explanation  |
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Post by tripleridge on Oct 24, 2015 10:05:22 GMT -5
I had fresh water tanks in my bedroom as a kid. My father was in the Air Force and had a buddy who had several large salt water tanks built into his walls at his house. I would beg to go over and visit just to sit and watch the cool fish swim around. I knew at that point I would some day have a salt water set up of my own. About 30 years ago. ( wow I'm getting old) I started a 65 Hex salt water fish only tank when my wife and I had a apartment up in Orono at college. After that we got into fresh water planted tanks. Then the salt water bug started to hit me again. Knowing that I'd be spending a few bucks, I knew it would have to wait. Well I recently dug my old 46 bow front out of the cellar and thought I'd give it a shot. I had planned a fish only tank at first, But was looking on craigs list for equipment and met Ryan Sweatt. He turned me onto this great site. With your all's help, I am now a reefer. That was in early June and I want to up grade to a larger tank already. I guess I have been sucked in as you would say..
I'd like to say thank you to everyone here for answering my dumb questions and helping me start what is appearing to be my newest addiction. Thanks! |
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Post by Rakahrd Eastbrook, Me. on Oct 24, 2015 17:45:02 GMT -5
I dont think Ill ever out grow the interest but my wallet is sure acting weird on me.
I really need to look for some used stuff pumps wave makers a quiet skimmer (if there is such a thing)
oh and another set of lights too.
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Post by jasonandsarah on Oct 24, 2015 18:09:43 GMT -5
I dont think Ill ever out grow the interest but my wallet is sure acting weird on me. I really need to look for some used stuff pumps wave makers a quiet skimmer (if there is such a thing) oh and another set of lights too. Not really that right thread for it but I have a wave maker. Of your interested PM me. |
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Post by spotfin on Oct 26, 2015 20:58:52 GMT -5
I started a long time ago. We had a family camp on Unity pond where I spent most of my time in the summer as a youngster, poking along the shore catching all things aquatic. When my parents remodeled the bathroom at home, they saved the old bathtub and took it to camp for me to keep things in. That was my first "aquarium". My first glass 10 gal tank came in high school, some where around 1988 or 1989. Tanks have gotten bigger since then.
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Post by Rakahrd Eastbrook, Me. on Oct 28, 2015 18:00:01 GMT -5
yaa its weird hor things seem to grow and Grow n GROW.i SEE SO MANY PLANNING HUGE TANKS AND NOT FINISHED THEIR CURRENT ONE YET... i THINK THAT IS CALLED ADICTION! LOL.
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Post by doverdoug on Nov 9, 2015 12:26:17 GMT -5
Around the age of 5 I would visit my grandmother and stare at her tank for hours. It was a 20 gallon with fw angels and neon tetras a couple corydoris cool stuff! Fast forward to the 55 gal. in the lobby of the hotel that my mother managed in Holland I was hooked...what is this thing that hides inside the cave all day? The elusive Elephant nose was such a strange sight...and kissing fish, which did just that. I was 13 when we left there and moved back to the states, I was tankless for 5 years while in Texas and then after moving to Nebraska I conviced my mother that we needed a tank and the 55 gl was mine. I spent quite a few hours when I should have been sleeping listening to those Oscars beat their heads off the glass. Thinking back I should have put the fish tank in the living room. Not long after that we move back to maine. The tank came with us minus the fish and then while browsing a high priced fish store in Boston a beautiful thing appeared to me. What is this you speak of, this wonderment that will forever change the way I function? This thing you simply call a sump? Return chamber sounds much more professional. Soon after the fowlr was born... the tomato clown, the yellow tang, the lionfish, the porcupine puffer... they were all mine! Years later I went down to SMTC in sopo and studied a little in thier Marine bio and oceanography program. I moved to South Carolina at the age of 22 and after a couple years painting houses I got hired on as maintenence at Ripleys Aquarium in Myrtle Beach. Night shift and I litterally could have put on a scuba suit and dove in the 750,000 gl shark tank but I'd never do that cuz that would have got me in trouble. Good times man. I saved a 5 foot sawfish once that was caught in the overflow. IT WAS A BIG OVERFLOW. sorry for my long rant guys.
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Post by jasonandsarah on Nov 10, 2015 11:10:40 GMT -5
Around the age of 5 I would visit my grandmother and stare at her tank for hours. It was a 20 gallon with fw angels and neon tetras a couple corydoris cool stuff! Fast forward to the 55 gal. in the lobby of the hotel that my mother managed in Holland I was hooked...what is this thing that hides inside the cave all day? The elusive Elephant nose was such a strange sight...and kissing fish, which did just that. I was 13 when we left there and moved back to the states, I was tankless for 5 years while in Texas and then after moving to Nebraska I conviced my mother that we needed a tank and the 55 gl was mine. I spent quite a few hours when I should have been sleeping listening to those Oscars beat their heads off the glass. Thinking back I should have put the fish tank in the living room. Not long after that we move back to maine. The tank came with us minus the fish and then while browsing a high priced fish store in Boston a beautiful thing appeared to me. What is this you speak of, this wonderment that will forever change the way I function? This thing you simply call a sump? Return chamber sounds much more professional. Soon after the fowlr was born... the tomato clown, the yellow tang, the lionfish, the porcupine puffer... they were all mine! Years later I went down to SMTC in sopo and studied a little in thier Marine bio and oceanography program. I moved to South Carolina at the age of 22 and after a couple years painting houses I got hired on as maintenence at Ripleys Aquarium in Myrtle Beach. Night shift and I litterally could have put on a scuba suit and dove in the 750,000 gl shark tank but I'd never do that cuz that would have got me in trouble. Good times man. I saved a 5 foot sawfish once that was caught in the overflow. IT WAS A BIG OVERFLOW. sorry for my long rant guys. No way don't be sorry that was great! Thanks for the awesome story Doug. |
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lost my purple firefish. I think it's fair to say I'm overly addicted to corals and trying to master this hobby. The greatest thing about that though, I don't think I'll ever be able to master it. So this hobby will always keep my interest. 
