POLL: How long have you been REEFING?

[Paul B]

40yreefer. I have the same book and it was my bible.

 

[Timfish]

Well, if we include freshwater I started 1970 and in 1972 had Corydoris catfish breeding in my aquarium. But I didn't set up my first saltwater tank until 1987. Bought my first mushroom polyps in 1988. Still have brown Sinularia bought in 1994. Purple, red and green watermelon Actinodiscus mushrooms bought in ~1995. Green/orange zoas bought in 1997. Bubble coral bought in early 90's. Sinularia foliata¹ bought in 1997 before the bleaching event in Palau² in 1998 wiped out most of the wild population there. Tricolor Frogspawn bought in '96. Cabbage Coral ~1994 or '95. Still got a finger polyp from a colony that mostly died right after I bought it in '96 or '97 but I've never seen it open in all these years. Still got some fish too from '94.


¹Sinularia foliata wasn't described until 2008 when van Ofwegen did a survey Sinualria spp in Palau, Micronesia. S. foliata was one of several new species he identified. I sent a small colony to Micheal P. Janes of AquaTouch.com in 2011 which he identified as SInularia foliata.

²For a brief overview of how the 1998 bleaching event affected Palau see SeaScope Vol. 16 Summer 1999.

 

[SteveG_inDC]

My first reef full tank shot. Seriously, in 2003 my wife thought I didn't have enough hobbies so she bought me a used 38 gallon tank on craigslist. SHe had no idea at the time what she was unleashing. I had kept freshwater tanks and we had a small pond, but once you go salt...

 

[ricksmithsdca]

Plz answer poll

I've been in the aquarium hobby on and off for 20 years... T my first saltwater tank is less than a month old

 

[dennis romano]

I started when I was in high school in the mid 60's. I worked in the first pet shop in NJ to have saltwater fish (late 60's) and have been in the hobby ever since. We've come a long way since dolomite with undergravel filters and eheim canister filters!

What store was that? I saw my first marine tanks around that time in Hackensack and Teaneck.

 

[dennis romano]

The first freshwater tank was set up in 1968. The first saltwater tank, with real wood frames, was 1973. My first "reef" tank was in 1983. It was a 10 gallon with a UGF and the "reef" was a big piece of live rock covered in zoas and clams. I saw plans for a home made skimmer in FAMA magazine and made it from a soda bottle.

 

[ZoWhat]

Not as long as Paul B, but 40 years continuous for us. Here's a picture of my first go-to book. They hadn't invented the internet back then. First edition was 1959. Still have mine.

WAIT!!!!
I WANNA BUILD A JUNGLE ZOO!

Bet my Local and State Government would have me in handcuffs inside a month.

 

[Dr. Jim]

The first freshwater tank was set up in 1968. The first saltwater tank, with real wood frames, was 1973. My first "reef" tank was in 1983. It was a 10 gallon with a UGF and the "reef" was a big piece of live rock covered in zoas and clams. I saw plans for a home made skimmer in FAMA magazine and made it from a soda bottle.

Tropiquarium on Rt 35 in Oakhurst. The owner's son eventually took over and moved a few miles south on same hwy to Wanamassa. They just went out of business about a year ago.

They were tough to work for! I remember working like a dog, cleaning gravel in tons of tanks and washing the plastic filters in a huge sink of ammonia. I even assembled a huge outdoor freezer for them (that the owners couldn't figure out). I was getting minimum wage ($1.85/hr). When I asked for a raise, she looked at me and said, "Jim, you aren't worth another dime." I will never forget that! Ha, ha!

 

[40g Nano]

My dad was doing it in the early 1990’s

He was in the Marshall Islands at the time and caught all of his fish including
Butterfly’s, emperor angelfish, a pair of harlequin filefish, and lots more

we still have the pics

I’ll have to find them

 

[dennis romano]

Tropiquarium on Rt 35 in Oakhurst. The owner's son eventually took over and moved a few miles south on same hwy to Wanamassa. They just went out of business about a year ago.

They were tough to work for! I remember working like a dog, cleaning gravel in tons of tanks and washing the plastic filters in a huge sink of ammonia. I even assembled a huge outdoor freezer for them (that the owners couldn't figure out). I was getting minimum wage ($1.85/hr). When I asked for a raise, she looked at me and said, "Jim, you aren't worth another dime." I will never forget that! Ha, ha!

Fond memories! I got $20 a day in1973 to clean around 70 box filters. The charcoal(not carbon) got washed in a bucket. Jack, the owner had a big box of angel hair (white fiberglass) that I pulled a chunk for each filter. All of the filters got soaked in a tub all day that had Clorox as a cleaner. I went home smelling of bleach and itching from the fiberglass. LOL

 

[7hogwarts]

I started keeping saltwater when I was 15(1977) But I didn't start keeping coral until maybe 1996.

 

[ZoWhat]

I'm shocked at all the 20+ ppl out there. We're blessed to have soooo much hands in knowledge avail to us on R2R!

I'm at 15, 16 yrs and feel like a young'en among a lot of you....

 

[rwreef]

Around 15+ yrs

 

[DaneGer21]

I started reefing in 2008 when I purchased my first home. A few tanks later but still using all the same rock I initially purchased

 

[Flippers4pups]

27 years going on 28.

 

[lefkonj]

Mine is a fun journey. I started keeping salt water tanks when I took over my Dad's fresh water systems in 1982. I did that for about 12 years, keeping predator tanks, seahorses, inverts, etc etc. At that time I tried everything, including an Octopus (sad that didn't work out). I left the hobby in 1994 and didn't get a tank again until 2011. Lots has changed over the years except of course for the stress and the cost.

 

[Xanthurum]

I voted for since the oceans were formed only because there wasn't any choices past 20 years.

 

[skip0211]

Did my vote change under the new listing.. 1971 to now. Oppsss. Looks like I need a 50+ column...

 

[X-37B]

Here is a blast from the late 80's.
Check out the dkh levels.

 

[skip0211]

Remember Thiel’s Liquid Gold ?? RIP Albert..