First time you saw a reef tank?

Kalkbreath · 10-18-2003, 11:05 PM

It's interesting that, for the most part.....new hobbyists dont become interested in setting up their first reef aquarium ........the same way people get interested in owning a new car or even buying a soft drink .......by being exposed to TV ads or billboards......... it seems newbies get "hooked" on the idea of starting a tank ....somewhat like second hand smoke.......someone they know is doing it while they are in the same room..........and they get "exposed" to the hobby quite by accident.........My question is; what was you first experience? And second what got you excited enough to actually jump in?..................... Thanks

Rover · 10-18-2003, 11:13 PM

I walked through a door and into a pet store. Bought a betta and a glass bowl. Three weeks later I bought a 10 gallon starter set. A year later I bought a 55 gallon freshwater set up. Six months later I got a job at the pet store. Six months after that I bought a used 125 reef set up. Two years later I bought the store.

ckreef · 10-18-2003, 11:21 PM

A friend at work got me hooked. I started with a 29 gallon fish only marine tank. Within a month or so I had turned it into a reef with a HOB wet/dry and some LR.

I immediately started building an 84 gallon reef. I built the entire system from the ground up including the tank which I had to beltsand the glass edges in order to remove the fresh cut. It's all history after that. I've had just about every type of equipment know to the hobbiest (even ozone w/redox controller run through a skimmer --- HA). I guess I've come full circle and am back to a Nano tank with the simplest setup possible.

Good to hear from you again Jeff.

Kalkbreath · 10-18-2003, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ckreef

Good to hear from you again Jeff. [/b]

It gets cold this time of year beneath the rock I live under....... . So I though it good idea to crawl out and stir up some interests..........I ate my first blue damsel today............tasted great!

wasabi · 10-19-2003, 12:13 AM

one of my customers sold me a 30 gallon hex. i had no idea what to do so i went and bought a cute little silver arrowana with a little yoke sac attached. as the arrowana transfered tanks three times in 1 year, i started salt/reef tanks and went from a 25 - a 450 gallon system in 3 years. the sad part is im thinking of the next upgrade.i still have a few feet of undisturbed space in the basement. i am diseased

cyberchef · 10-19-2003, 12:15 AM

I've kept and or bred something almost my wholelife. Whether it was reptiles, freshwater fish, tropical freshwater fish and even parrots. My wife saw how much our kids really liked "fish tanks" and suggesyted weget one. Little did she know... lol She figured I'd get a 10 gallon and a few guppies (been there, done that, won't do it again... lol). I've always wanted a slatwater tank, ever since I got to dive a reef in the US Virgin islands when I was about 12. I went to a local LFS that carried saltwater and "trusted" one of the employees. Luckily shortly thereafter I found TRT, RC and ARC. I ended up getting a used 55RR, set it up as a reef tank and never looked back. It's been great.

Rick O · 10-19-2003, 06:32 AM

I started with a 55g FW tank. The store I shopped at had a pretty nice reef tank set up and I used to spend a lot of time staring at it whenever I was in the store. I was getting bored with the drab colors of FW fish so one day I asked one of the employees in the store what I would have to do to switch to FW. "Just buy a bag of salt and dump it in".

Several thousand dollars later here I am.

AquaticCo · 10-19-2003, 08:10 AM

I have had fish tanks on and off for about 20 years. I kept freshwater for about 10 years. My wife and I honeymooned in Keywest where we went diving. One of the most memorable experiences in my life. Had a reef tank 4 months later. We have now been married for seven years. I have had reef tanks for just about all this time.

MsReeReee · 10-19-2003, 09:09 AM

Well i started with a little 10 gallon FW tank when my son was 3 and couldnt keep anything alive so low and behold i went into a LFS one day and saw a salt water tank and i fell in love.......20 years later........I have never looked back and now have a 125g reef tank ..........

ckreef · 10-19-2003, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Rick O
Several thousand dollars later here I am.

ROFLMAO --- I think you make a typo.

Shouldn't that have read several Ten Thousand dollars later ??

sally · 10-19-2003, 10:45 AM

I had freshwater tanks and must of went into the same store Rick O went in and saw a reef tank. I asked the employee there how hard setting up a reef tank would be. He said" you have all the equipment..just add salt".......yeah right!

Ray1214 · 10-19-2003, 12:04 PM

The first one I remember was a huge acrylic setup that my chief had with sharks, and corals (now i realize to be fake plastic corals). He had bought a condo in San Diego that had like a 250 gal plus tank built in. IN one room, you saw the tank. The living room they had the brass portholes to view the tank like looking trhough a sub window. He had a nurse shark I think and a bamboo shark and a school of look downs. (Maybe Leopard it was 12 or so years ago). this tank was neat in that all of the equipment was off the side in a closet.
The most recent incarnation was Lisa came bebopping home with two 5 gal "Bow"Tanks. This was a few years ago. From there it went to large fresh water planted tanks (I still have a few) to brackish water tanks(who doesn't like puffers) to fish only marine tanks to finally reef tanks. Funny enough, I didn't get impressed with most home systems until I joined this club. I have seen some of the most beautiful tanks just going to meetings and trading with the members.

RAy

cyberchef · 10-19-2003, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ckreef
ROFLMAO --- I think you make a typo.

Shouldn't that have read several Ten Thousand dollars later ??

Thats all Charles??? ROTFLMAO...

Kalkbreath · 10-19-2003, 01:22 PM

So far , Fresh watertanks seem to be the best form of advertising ..........Anyone ever just stumble into a LFS by accident and get the bug for a reef tank?

Nishant3789 · 10-19-2003, 06:37 PM

i caught the bug thgrough starting with a fresdhwater tank then going to the AOL fish chatroom and seeing other people talk about a 5 gallon reef tank, i was like what? whats a reeft ank? and they said it was a tank with corals etc. in it saltwater. so i went to the store and saw all tehse purty lookin things, and many of hundreds of dollars later here i am with a ten gallon nanotank and happy as ever.