How long have you been in this hobby?

AydenLincoln · Jan 31, 2023

I’m reaching one year with my tank really soon and I’m looking forward to many more….so I’m curious to how long have you been in the hobby? It doesn’t have to be straight and not including gap years without a tank!

Viking_Reefing · Jan 31, 2023

About 21-22 years in reefing and 30 with keeping tanks overall. Started my first SW tank when I was around 12-13. I’ve had a couple of years without a tank due to moves and things of that nature.

Gtinnel · Jan 31, 2023

15ish years. I started in the very late 90s when I was still in high school and kept a tank or two until around 2010. At that point between working long hours at crappy jobs and having 2 kids I couldn’t keep up with it and got out of the hobby. Then almost 4 years ago my wife suggested I get another tank, she says that is the biggest mistake she has ever made.

tsharpe291 · Jan 31, 2023

Since 2002, I was working on someone’s house that runs a saltwater shop.
I started doing work in exchange for setting up a tank which back then was a 58 gallon oceanic. Easy way for me to get into the hobby. Or should I say that was the start of money flying out of my wallet,lol

homer1475 · Jan 31, 2023

40 years overall......

First 10 as a young kid was in FW, then slowly gravitated toward the salty side. About 20 years ago we lost power for over a week, lost the entire tank. Still had FW, and FOWLR. Turned the "reef" tank into a terrarium.

Fast forward another 10 years(still had a FW, and FOWLR for all this time) went on vaca to myrtle beach, SC and went to the Ripley's Aquarium and fell in love with the "reef" side of the hobby again. Been back in for the last 10 years

Reefing102 · Jan 31, 2023

Since 2003 so going on 20 years. I took a break from 2013-2019 but still had a tank (just neglected). Prior to that I had freshwater since the 90’s

dirty_south87 · Jan 31, 2023

AydenLincoln said:
I’m reaching one year with my tank really soon and I’m looking forward to many more….so I’m curious to how long have you been in the hobby? It doesn’t have to be straight and not including gap years without a tank!

Little more than a year for me. Started with a 13.5 gallon then moved to 55 and now I’m running 180 gallon bowfront tank

Troylee · Jan 31, 2023

Close to 20 years… but had a break for 8 years or so..

CrunchyBananas · Jan 31, 2023

Got started in Freshwater in about 2003, started salt in 2006, founded the aquarium clubs at my high school and college, got my Marine Bio degree and worked in finfish research for a couple years. Now My full time job is Installation Manager doing high end installation and maintenance for a company with 175 customers.

Dbichler · Jan 31, 2023

Since 2006 only break was a deployment in 2015 for a year.

Buckster · Jan 31, 2023

Started 30 years ago with a 180. Much failed due to lack of knowledge. I now have an updated 180 and enjoying the reef tank. R2R and internet has provided the much needed information.

vlangel · Jan 31, 2023

I had 10 g freshwater tanks as a teen, college student, and newly married. Then in 1986 my husband and I bought the house we still live in and put a 40 g XH tank in the wall. Ha ha, that was a big tank in those days! Anyway around 1998 we converted it to salt and even added a few soft coral. I still have a cabbage leather from that time. I have transferred my rock and coral several times into different tanks over the years but have always had one,( or two or three) running. Now in my 60s I am very happy with my 56 g mixed reef.

Fishnut · Jan 31, 2023

Got my first fresh water tank in 1970. (30 gallon with under gravel filter.) Moved into salt FOWLR soon after falling in love with Lion fish. Now running a 300, 125, & 55 gallon tanks. Still going strong 53 or so years later.

acabgd · Jan 31, 2023

I'm in my 11th year now. Many ups and downs at the beginning of course, but it's both fascinating and challenging. After some 5 years you get the hang of it

Producing some great results nowadays, can't complain (photos from 2yrs ago but same now, just bigger).

chipmunkofdoom2 · Jan 31, 2023

Started in 2006, so coming up on 20 years.

atoll · Jan 31, 2023

About 43 years. Freshwater before that.

Subsea · Jan 31, 2023

atoll said:
About 43 years. Freshwater before that.

You are an “old school” dinosaur. I have 51 years with @PaulB reefing for 6 months longer than I even though I am his senior by 6 months.

theMeat · Jan 31, 2023

Four decades, with a few years off here and there. Amazing how far it’s come. While the internet pretty much killed the in person Saturday morning lfs pow wows, where hobbyists would gather to exchange ideas and knowledge. The internet has really taken the hobby to a whole nother level with the ease of sharing

homer1475 · Jan 31, 2023

theMeat said:
Four decades, with a few years off here and there. Amazing how far it’s come. While the internet pretty much killed the in person Saturday morning lfs pow wows, where hobbyists would gather to exchange ideas and knowledge. The internet has really taken the hobby to a whole nother level with the ease of sharing

Remember those days! Hanging out at the LFS all day on a saturday to "pow wow" with fellow hobbyists. Only way besides actual paper books to gain more knowledge back in the day.

Practices and fundamentals were so regional back in the day. What we did in our little group, was something totally different then what some other group was doing just a couple hundred miles away were doing.

The_Skrimp · Jan 31, 2023

I started my first tank around 2005 or 6 and ran it for a few years before moving. My wife and I bounced around a bit and moved a few times since then so I ended up not setting a new tank up till years later. My current tank is almost 3 years old now.