When did you start reefing?

SlugSnorter · Mar 2, 2022

I wanna see a rough spread of what kind of reefers are active in the community and when they joined. (years)

blaxsun · Mar 2, 2022

I assume this is in years. Just remember: it's not the years, it's the mileage.

Big Smelly fish · Mar 2, 2022

I started in mid 80’s about 85 but started keeping marine fish in 1972

SlugSnorter · Mar 2, 2022

blaxsun said:
I assume this is in years. Just remember: it's not the years, it's the mileage.

yup

SlugSnorter · Mar 2, 2022

blaxsun said:
I assume this is in years. Just remember: it's not the years, it's the mileage.

Im not asking as a measure of experience, but just to see when people started and what start date is the most common

flyingscampi · Mar 2, 2022

You forgot a 1 - 2 year option.

I bought this book 30 years ago to help me start out, then Emma was born and life just got in the way...

Covid gave me the opportunity to do the research and I started my 15 gallon nano 13 months ago.

I've still got the book which is obviously outdated in the equipment sections - it looked like reverse undergravel filters and wet/dry sumps were all the rage in the early 90's.

SlugSnorter · Mar 2, 2022

what tank do you have? ive also got a 15 gallon nano!

flyingscampi said:
You forgot a 1 - 2 year option.

I bought this book 30 years ago to help me start out, then Emma was born and life just got in the way...

Covid gave me the opportunity to do the research and I started my 15 gallon nano 13 months ago.

I've still got the book which is obviously outdated in the equipment sections - it looked like reverse undergravel filters and wet/dry sumps were all the rage in the early 90's.

dennis romano · Mar 2, 2022

First salt water tank was in 1973. Quit for college in 1974. Restarted with fish in 1980. First tank with live rock that had zoas in 1983.

Dburr1014 · Mar 2, 2022

1st salt tank 1994

Subsea · Mar 2, 2022

First saltwater tank was a Galveston Bay biotheme when I entered Texas Maritime Academy in 1972

JPM San Diego · Mar 2, 2022

1970 - 1976 Fresh water
1976 - 1999 Salt water, primary fish, brief dabble with coral
1999 - 2017 Fresh water (due to raising children)
2017 - present Salt water coral reef tank

Gtinnel · Mar 2, 2022

I don't remember the exact year but I know it was while I was still in high school in the late 90s. But there was a 10 year window where life got to busy and I didn't have any tanks.

fish farmer · Mar 2, 2022

22 years ago I was setting up my first reef tank, Fiji live rock started cycling the first week of April.

I did SW fish during college in the late 80's early 90's.

MaxTremors · Mar 2, 2022

I started reefing when I was 16 in 1997. I had kept freshwater tanks for couple years before that. My first tank was a little 10g all glass aquarium with regular fluorescent lighting (but two bulbs!, one actinic and one 50/50), a glass lid, a ‘skilter’ (half power filter, half skimmer, it was so loud and put out tons of microbubbles), a little maxijet, a bunch of fiji live rock (we didn’t know how good we had it back then), a black and blue damsel (haven’t see any of these in stores in years), a firefish, a bunch of mushrooms, and a CuC. It did surprisingly well for what it was and how little I knew. I also had (and killed) a couple condylactis anemones in that first few months (wasn’t testing, used tap/well water, and had crappy lighting). I’m a little bit ashamed to think about some of the stuff I did (because that’s what I was told to do) back then, it’s crazy to think about how much we have collectively learned since then.