First marine aquarium memory?

revhtree · Apr 9, 2015

What is the first memory of your journey into this awesome hobby of saltwater aquariums?

eliramos · Apr 9, 2015

I remember for Christmas I was in the 8th grade and my dad bought me my first jbj 30 gallon aquarium. It's been the death of my finances ever since

Bryan47 · Apr 9, 2015

I remember my beautiful Sailfin tang. So majestic and beautiful. I plan on buying a Desjardini Sailfin tang as soon as I find a LFS that can order them. When they burst their sails it is just so beautiful and amazing.

afamousjohnson · Apr 9, 2015

Walking into the lfs to get supplies for my python......and seeing the colors...lyers - it takes expensive lighting.lol

kacrocorals581 · Apr 10, 2015

soooooo much hair algea lol but really what got me started was when I lived in the Bahamas all I wanted to do was dive the reefs every spare second I had and got back to the states surrounded by pine trees and that just was not cutting it and then it turned into a debilitating disease after that tanks got bigger pockets got smaller lol least I'm fortunate enough to have a wife that enjoys the hobby as well

Humblefish · Apr 10, 2015

The first time I saw a SW aquarium was at age 5, in 1978. My dad had FW aquariums all over the house, so I was used to those. So, I walk into this LFS (with my dad) and there it was ... a Yellow Tang. I couldn't stop looking at this bright yellow fish with deep brown eyes, and the eyes even moved! I was hooked!

Longnose Hawkfish · Apr 10, 2015

When I was like 12 and I got a spotted mandarin but it killed my green mandarin. Sad day. That's really all I remember from my first tank.

Tahoe61 · Apr 10, 2015

Roughly 1973, LFS called Fin-O-Rama in Reno Nv, it was the Koran Angel. Martin Moe's breeding clown fish was the hot hobbyist book at the time.

miamiangler · Apr 10, 2015

It was In 1972 . Caught a1 inch French angel fish in our back yard (Waterfront to Biscayne bay). got a used 20gal tank with under gravel filters and hang on back filter. Joined the FMAS that year also .

Stretch · Apr 10, 2015

I've had FW for years and years but that first look at my buddy's predator tank hooked me. I'm more of a reef guy now but that's what gave me the shove into SW.

mtfish · Apr 10, 2015

High school marine biology class. Had to take care of 100 gallon tank, stock it with local caught stuff from the Texas coast and not kill anything or it would affect my grade. This was mid 1970's. This class is what made me want to go to college. First personal tank was a 212 gallon plywood build around the same time frame. All local caught stuff. Thought those people that paid money for fish were crazy. Now I am definitely crazy!

AdamNC · Apr 10, 2015

About 30 years ago my mom decided to turn our 55 gallon long fresh water tank into a salt water tank. Fake plants, crushed Florida coral and that agonizing 12 week wait for it to cycle. It's looked almost like the tank in Finding Nemo, except no volcano but it did have a pirate chest bubbler :lol. Well I do remember 2 fish we had which was a Huma Huma Trigger and a Cowfish, Well one day my mom also decided to get a baby horseshoe crab. He made it about a week and then one day dead on the tank floor and completely cleaned out. We later found out triggers eat inverts

The tank lasted a few months until my stupid younger brother was swinging a bat in the house and chipped the front left corner of the tank. Didn't break the tank completely but did put a nice crack in it. That was it for about 20 years when I started up reefing again.

revhtree · Apr 10, 2015

One of our kids at our Christian school got a 75 gallon marine for Christmas one year and my interest in keeping saltwater aquariums was birthed!

CastAway · Apr 10, 2015

Brothers Fish, at the Blue Ridge Mall, in Kansas City Mo. It was in the 70's. Humid, small, dark little basement shop. I remember lots of salt creep, large colorful fish and no corals. Maybe a big leather or two, and inverts. It was an amazing bubbling place.

briansc88 · Apr 10, 2015

I remember the day my first tank completed Its cycle. My girlfriend and I went out that night(in a blizzard) to buy my first fish a beautiful yellow tang.

3Twinklets · Apr 10, 2015

About 1988, I went to "Window to the Sea" to get some supplies for my Koi pond.
I wandered into the saltwater fish room and was transfixed.
I started reading every saltwater book I could get my hands on.
I converted my Oceanic 125 g Discus tank into saltwater.
There were not many corals available at the time, mainly soft corals but I studied and learned on my own.
I did not even realize that forums existed until just a couple years ago when I stumbled onto R2R by accident.

TDG · Apr 10, 2015

My first tank was a 29 gallon with under gravel filter in 1976. It was an invertebrate tank. I also had another tank with a pair of piranha in it.

markalan · Apr 11, 2015

When I was a kid my Dad took me to his friends house in Malibu Ca over looking ocean, all I remember was the big reef aquarium in the living room it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, I've been hooked ever since.

jeffp1 · Apr 11, 2015

In 1998 I started with a 100 gallon freshwater tank with a bass, bluegill, and catfish that I caught while fishing on river. Went In a Reef store right after that and saw all the colors and Kool critters. Bought a 55 Gal. corner tank that day with everything needed to get started. After cycle was complete I bought a Clown and Yellow Tang. Almost quit a few month's ago but my Clown is still with me after all those years, so decided I owe it to him to stay in the hobby. Glad I continued on now. My wallet probably doesn't but will spend it on something so might as well be something enjoyable to look at.

maroun.c · Apr 11, 2015

1998 online didn't exist yet and we only had a single LFS that had marine. at the time it meant a fish shipment every few months and bad quality equipment or outrageously priced limited choice of good equipment. Seaclone was the skimmer I ran my first 2 tanks on!!!
resorted to making my own preorders at freshwater LFS and had to wait months for a few snails or Caulerpa and mushrooms were a rare finding.
What made me shift to marine was the nicest Hippo tangs I have seen in the only LFS that had marine tanks at the time and I don't recall any time I didn't have a hippo in any of my tanks or avatar