Poll: Did you get your start with Freshwater?

[keddre]

I tried upside down jellies but failed since I had no knowledge of the nitrogen cycle. Even with all of my new knowledge I am not keeping jellies again since reefing is easier and more fun.

True, I just tend to be an invert guy

 

[Steven91]

I have a 90 fresh for a little over 4 years now and my dream was to get a salt tank, was thinking about making my 90 into salt after a few years but i grew attached to some of the fish i have in the tank. I got lucky as my lfs was doing a clearance on some of their display tank and brought a 120 with overflows about 7 months ago. Now i have a 120 with my dad now talking about making the 120 into a 150 and then having my 120 go to fresh and getting rid of my 90.

Im excited if it all happens but quite nervous of having to move fish and coral around.

 

[mckinleyw]

mainly salt now started in fresh years ago, before I went into the army. my parents kept the tank running and just barely alive while I was serving. When I got out I came home and I am still running that old tank with them 55 gal. angels and basic fish, and now my son has a 10 gal. betta tank with a couple other lil fish.
My main love though is my saltwater reef tank. Always want to go bigger, someday the wallet maybe able to handle it. lol

 

[Rakie]

I would like to specify that I'm strictly salt now, because the freshwater fish I want tend to get about 3' long...

You guys with 400, 500, 600 gallon reefs have great tanks. But those are grow-out size tanks for the FW fish I like to keep.

 

[OREGONIC]

Had freshwater tank in high school with some tetras. Switched over to piranhs after high school for a few years. Took a 10 year hiatus from having fish then started a planted tank. After about a year of the planted tank decided to start a saltwater tank aswell. Have both now but the planted tank pretty much runs its self nowadays, a 20% water change once a month and trim plants at same time and feed the fish 2-3 times a week. Definitely enjoy my reef tank alot more, it is way more challenging. The wife and i have been throwing the idea of turning the freshwater tank into a dart frog vervarium.

 

[Pivitol]

About 4yrs ago my step-son comes home from his dads house telling us look what I won at the carnival!! 2 goldfish, I turn to my wife telling her how after a month or so they will be dead and the tank will be filthy and a constant pain to clean. Bound and determined to prove me wrong she keeps them alive and healthy in a 2qt desktop tank for about 3 weeks until the tank sprung a leak, set-up a 20 gal a friend gave me and she stocks it with all the usual suspects neons, danios, etc... I found myself watching the tank instead of the tv, so I'm like "I want a tank". Fast forward to today, I currently have 2 55gal tanks, a 60gal cube, a 40gal bowfront planted, a 40gal halfhex saltwater and a 200gal sw. Those .20 goldfish cost me thousands!! But I really do enjoy keeping tanks.

 

[ThunderGoose]

I started with freshwater when I was in the 3rd grade. Since then I've only gone brief periods without any tanks and hit my maximum with 6 (all FW).

A year ago I had a single 120 planted freshwater. Still have it going.

Started my first saltwater in December- 55 gallons ID. It's a mixed reef and it's highly entertaining.

I really enjoy reading the hitchhiker forum and felt that starting with dry rock I was missing out so, in June, I set up a 10 gallon nano with live rock and sand. It's been so much fun! I've really enjoyed finding new critters that came in with live rock.

Current count three tanks. But if nano reef starts the rumored pick jar contest that may go up to four.

 

[Jeff Miotke]

Love both reefing and planted tanks. Very different hobbies.

 

[Huskernation]

I started with freshwater and moved into brackish with my puffers. I then set up a saltwater tank and learning began lol

 

[roninmagik1]

started out as a kid w/ a guppy, some green plant and a bowl. the magic happened when that one female guppy had babies, and i was like whoa! after that i've always had a tank, freshwater, brackish, now saltwater...=)

 

[ScubaShane]

What would Other be?

Brackish Tanks which is what I started with.

 

[Larry L]

What would Other be?

Started with both fresh and salt at the same time?

Started with fresh, tried salt and got so frustrated went back to fresh?

 

[budget buster]

I started with freshwater in the mid 60's my Dad bought me stainless steel framed with stainless steel housed light. I don't think there was a UL certification back then because every time you would touch the frame or light you would get a little shock. But that's when men were men and aquariums were made out of glass and steel none of this plastic stuff LOL.
in the mid 90's I bought a DAS 150 gallon aquarium with what they considered was reef ready back then. but I chickened out and went with African Cichlids. I also had a 55 gallon planted tank then.
Then I bought a 125 gallon about 13 years ago and went REEF. I have been addicted ever since.
I still have the same 55 gallon planted tank.
Whats nice about it is that most of the tetras in that tank only cost a buck a piece.

 

[Steadyreef42]

My very first tank ever. I thought it was a masterpiece lol it took about 3 months before I got interested in the idea that I could realistically keep a clownfish .

 

[vlangel]

Like greybeard and budget buster I had freshwater back when I was a kid. I think around '68 my mom bought my sister and I each a dimestore goldfish. From there I bought a 10 gallon with one of those air powered corner filters with the carbon and floss and kept some swordtails and mollies. I always had a tank in college which came with me when I got married.

In '86 when we bought the house we live in now we bought a 40 gallon high and built it into the wall. It had a green spotted puffer, a spotted rapheal catfish and some other brackish fish for years. I decided to try salt and so re-homed the current fw fish and took the plunge around '98 and set up a fowlr system. That lasted until '04 when I upgraded to coral.

 

[ScubaShane]

When I was growing up my uncle had a 125g with cichlids and oscars. So when I got old enough in 1988 with money of my own I wanted to get a cichlid tank. So when I went to the fish store shopping for a tank I was browsing the fish. The fish I was attracted to were not fresh at all they were brackish. They didnt carry saltwater or I might of started then. But any way I ended up buying a All Glass 55g aquarium with pine stand and canopy for $300. I had bumble bee gobies, green scats, fingerfish, green spoted puffer, severums, and a brackish Ray. Then when I joind the army I gave it to my cousin. When I got out of the army in 2001 I still had an interest but it was a whole new world. Saltwater grew so much since the 80s! So i visited the store frequently and studdied up for about a year before i took the plunge. Ended up getting a AGA 90g with an overfow, a CPR wet/dry filter and a ASM G1 skimmer. I had 50/50 Power Compact lights. Went straight into a mixed reef. Softies were mostly shrooms and zoas, LPS like favias, huge frog spawn, blstos and just a huge orange monti cap and a huge birds nest for sps. For fish mostly tangs and clowns. Now........Im rockin a 150g high with fancy smanchy equipment!!!!

 

[dbl]

I wanted to thank all that have commented so far. I just love reading the various stories of how everyone found their way in to this crazy hobby.

 

[srad750c]

I kept mostly pond fish as a kid, loved the way bass, perch and crayfish destroyed minnows. Got serious in 1989, had FW tanks of all sorts. Community, rainbow only, large predatory tank, African chiclids, brackish and saltwater. Then reef craze started for me in 1990 something, had a few LPS, mushrooms, clams and polyps. At one point I had 7 tanks in a two bedroom apt. A 90, 75, 55, 65, 50, 29 reef, 20H Berlin style reef and 10 gal SW with clowns and anemone. Thank God I don’t have a larger house, although I have been thinking of converting my shed into an aquarium. Then I could have everything I like in one place. Right now I have a 90 mixed reef, upgrading to Red Sea Reefer 625 XXL early next year. I need more tank space. Already buying components now

 

[Dsnakes]

I started with simple freshwater and gravel growing up. Advanced to planted tanks and then High tech planted tanks. Eventually jumped to salt after a trip to Guam and getting scuba certified. Reefing from here on out!

 

[Ebone]

I didn't see " I Started from the bottom now I'm here" as an option haha