How did you get into reefing

JedClampett · Oct 2, 2015

Geno said:
I got into Reefing because I don't do cats or dogs. Fish are not easier. But different. I love nature and animals. But there is something special about marine animals. Their beauty. Their prestige. They are magestic and unique. You have to respect any reefer! They truly own passion for nature and its prosperity. I salute all of you. Keep hope alive!!

It's almost like you have a piece of nature, since you literally have something you could find under the ocean

Tahoe61 · Oct 2, 2015

Jacques Cousteau, 1960's, I was hooked. I grew up with Lake Tahoe in my backyard, fresh water was not enough. I have spent my entire life dragging fish tanks to college, as a travel nurse. If there was a container that could hold water it was used as an aquarium or another collecting object.

4FordFamily · Oct 2, 2015

Worked at a pet store on commission (Petland). Dogs were where you made your money. I personally did not think that pushing dogs as a sales item was very ethical. The owner was a great friend of the family and he did NOT buy shady puppy mill dogs. That is one reason he went out of business no one was willing to pay the premium for a socialized dog in a pet store with an AKC pedigree that we drove out to breeders to buy specifically and hire full time veteranary staff to care for and do things right. People wanted this quality dog for the same price they could drive two states over and spend a day driving without paying for overhead, gas, time, socialization, and veterinary care. Our dogs came with warranty and vet visits and spay/neuter. If you ran the math it was cheaper or the same as locating one yourself most of the time because of economies of scale. No one cared.

Long story short I didn't like pushing "that product". I was in high school at the time and I said you know what our marine section sucks and needs help. I'm going to run that. I bought three tanks on Craigslist (75 reef, 90 fowlr and 125 fowlr) and just jumped in. Researched like a madman. Made some mistakes but learned very quickly. After awhile people drove from hours away to buy equipment and livestock from me because they appreciated my honesty and knowledge. It was cool.

Then I went to college when we went out of business and I was hooked forever. That was 12 years ago.

gidenski · Oct 2, 2015

Tahoe61 said:
Jacques Cousteau, 1960's

Similar story here, but then began digging into the biology of his research vs. my initial report on the aqualung. That led me to the hobby section of the library and with a summer of heavy reading, I was off to the races.

ReefBum · Oct 2, 2015

Nice stories. My dad kept fish only tanks while I was growing up so that is how I got the bug. When I was a young adult I won a goldfish at a fair and ended up getting a 2 gallon tank to house it. That was my first tank......and the obsession began!

Snoopeeyy · Oct 2, 2015

Built a freshwater tank, looked at it. Got bored quick. Gave fish to friend of mine. Went on Craigslist. My tank was born (and cheap too!)

Jasso · Oct 2, 2015

Me personally I was thinking about it and doing research for about a year. One day I went with my girl to buy a new gold fish.
Walked out with 250$ worth of equipment/startup kit. Bee six months
Every thing is doing well.

gaz · Oct 2, 2015

I had two gold fish starsky and hutch that I won at the carnival when I was a 12 and ever since I was hocked, 5 freshwater tank now 3 years into reefing(natural progression).

Paul B · Oct 2, 2015

My family has a sea food market so I grew up playing with dead fish and live lobsters and crabs. So I decided to keep some live ones

GnarleyMarley · Oct 2, 2015

I grew up on the coast of NC so I have grew up fishing and loving the ocean. But I didn't really get into aquariums until I was 19, when I started working for a large aquaculture facility that specialized in high end koi, hybrid striped bass, and small mouth bass. At the farm we did everything from spawning to live selling and everything in between. Shortly after starting there I had my 1st fresh tank setup with koi fingerlings, which switched to bass fingerlings, to cichlids, ect. One day I met a neighbor who had a 125 Reef tank and I was sold. Withing a month the cichlids were gone and my little 30g was transformed to a sw tank. I have never looked back

Lynn52 · Oct 2, 2015

I've had fish tanks most of my life. I started scuba diving in the late 70s when I was in high school. We mostly dove the gulf of California. In the early 80s my family moved to the Phillipines. I got to love the reefs. I had a typical FW tank when my kids were young. As they got older and my disposable income increased, I moved up to African cichlids then discus. About 17 years ago I started my first saltwater tank within a few months I'd upgraded to a larger tank and started getting corals. I had that tank for about 12 years until it crashed when my granddaughter "fed the fish" a whole can of flakes. Didn't see it till the next day when it was a total loss. I got out then. Got back in about a year ago.

JLynn · Oct 2, 2015

I had to do a report on any animal/creature that I chose in 7th grade, and I saw a picture of a dwarf seahorse on Google Images (I have always loved seahorses since seeing them for the first time in an aquarium). The link took me to an old(-ish) article on Fused Jaw on the care and keeping of dwarf seahorses. My mind was absolutely blown by the idea that I could actually have one of my all-time favorite creatures as a pet. So I started researching everything I could about keeping seahorses/pipefish, which lead me to ReefCentral where I found an excellent series of articles for beginner hobbyists covering everything imaginable. And the rest, as they say, is history.

RMS18 · Oct 2, 2015

Always wanted an aquarium, and one day I woke up and 6 hours later and about $500 spent I have a tank starting to cycle. Not sure why I started that day and not sooner... but I love it. Crazy how much money is spent so quickly.

JakeK · Oct 2, 2015

I had no desire before my wife said she wanted a saltwater tank, specifically the Biocube 29. I started researching the hobby and got hooked. Saved up for a few months, buying equipment here and there then finally put it all together last April. Another way to scratch my cultivation itch. No turning back now.

JedClampett · Oct 2, 2015

JakeK said:
I had no desire before my wife said she wanted a saltwater tank, specifically the Biocube 29. I started researching the hobby and got hooked. Saved up for a few months, buying equipment here and there then finally put it all together last April. Another way to scratch my cultivation itch. No turning back now.

Happy wife happy life

JedClampett · Oct 2, 2015

JLynn said:
I had to do a report on any animal/creature that I chose in 7th grade, and I saw a picture of a dwarf seahorse on Google Images (I have always loved seahorses since seeing them for the first time in an aquarium). The link took me to an old(-ish) article on Fused Jaw on the care and keeping of dwarf seahorses. My mind was absolutely blown by the idea that I could actually have one of my all-time favorite creatures as a pet. So I started researching everything I could about keeping seahorses/pipefish, which lead me to ReefCentral where I found an excellent series of articles for beginner hobbyists covering everything imaginable. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Do you still have a seahorse tank, if so post pics i would love to see it

paul_britt_garcia · Oct 2, 2015

I bought Miniature Seahorses and some Rila Marine mix from a magazine or comic book ad when I was 10 years old. Put them in a 10 gallon with a crappy little charcoal and filter floss filter. They had babies and died after 1 or 2 months.Did that twice then gave up!

paul_britt_garcia · Oct 2, 2015

That was 45 years ago. Don't even have a tank now!

squirrelieygrrrl · Oct 3, 2015

My sister started the addiction with her saltwater tank she had in the 80's when I was young, a pretty thriving and clean FOWLR, and a small 20g puffer tank. In 1998 I got a job at a pet store in Daytona Beach FL, they had a fish room and I used to spend any free time I had in there. After some time working there they let me start to help with the freshwater tanks, then progressed to the saltwater tanks. They had this big tubby red mandarin I was infatuated with living in their live rock system, complete with a bio ball trickle filter and VHO lights. I was instantly hooked, and kept a 40g breeder FOWLR, with an old fluval canister filter and a cheap incandescent hood, I had a couple of blue damsels and a chocolate chip starfish, I always thought this would be the pinnacle of my aquarium hobby. Little did I know.......

Fast forward almost 18 years later I couldn't imagine my life with out a reef.