How did you get into the saltwater hobby?

[blackjacktang]

How?

 

[calvertbill]

I was in a ***** buying a pair of dog collars for two newly adopted lab brothers. They has made a policy decision to discontinue storefront display tanks.
90 tank, heater, stand & hood,
skimmer, sump and four powerheads,
live sand and 150 lbs. live rock,
20 turbos, 20 hermits, one fire shrimp,
1 Koran, 1 Blue Hippo, 2 PJs, 1 lawnmower,
1 chromis, 2 damsels, 1 goby
$500
Great deal, right? Most expensive purchase I've ever made. Because of it I caught the disease.

 

[nycbob]

went over to my cousins house 1 day and saw his saltwater setup. after that, i was infected with the reef bug. i think i got the reef bug under control, but occasionally, it'd still flare up there and there.

 

[michaeltx]

I kept looking at the pretty bright fish at the LFS and started talking to them about the it because I had alot of FW tanks and was told its not that expensive and wouldnt cost much to change it over and that it didnt need much to sustain it. ** boy was that wrong** anyway thats how I got started and about 2 years later I started doing research on the web finding out as much as possible, Found this website and have been here ever sense.
Learning and helping others. and finding out new ways of doing things creating better and better tanks with each redo that I have done.
Mike

 

[vayapues]

I was about ten years old, and went into a pet store, and saw for the first time in my life salt water fish tanks. I was absolutly awed. I decided then that one day I would have one.
Every time I returned to a petstore, I would make a b-line for the salt water section, if they had one, and spend my time observing the fish. Back then, reefing must not have existed or been popular, because I never saw corals, just fish.
15 years later, when I got my first real job, and was making decent money, I began dumping loads of cash into the hobby. Had a five year break from the hobby after loosing said job during the last recession, and returned once I was again making enough money to afford it.

 

[fishygurl]

After i watched finding nemo!!! lol Well then we started seeing the tanks in rl and started asking and reading about it and a long time of doing that i got my 72 gallon a year- two years later i got my 125 for christmas!

 

[nwdyr]

my parent's started me at the age of 15, hmm lets see that was...1978 OMG I am old

I have been in and out of it ever since. My dad was ahead of his time back then, he cut a hole in the wall and we built a 55 gal tank. Back then it was hard to keep anything alive very long, but we had fish and anemones, the few that you could keep alive with reg. lights and no wet/dry filters. That was crazy when I think back,cant believe anything stayed alive at all!! Wish I had pic's of the "old tanks" it would make for a great history lesson

 

[faleshockjp]

Well last June I went to this place in Philadelphia to eat and saw that they had a saltwater fish tank. I never thought that people owned them because no one I knew had one. So the next week I googled saltwater fish tanks and came across this site and read and finally decided I wanted one.

 

[granny]

My dad was a naval officer, so we always lived by the ocean. He helped me collect my first specimins when we were in Hawaii and I was just a little tyke. Have kep Saltwater fish ever since.

 

[candycane]

I got really drunk one night and took a lawnmower blenny home. J/K
Went to college in Louisiana and did internships in Florida where I got my blah blah blah. Then I purchased a fish tank because I didn't like being away from the reef and not being able to study stuff.

 

[joyfnp]

First, it was a community freshwater tank, 29 gallon. Then it was a 55 gallon cichlid tank, then a 75 gal cichlid tank in which one of the connections to the canister filter came apart and I had about 60 gallons go down on top of my little dogs in their crates in the basement. After that fiasco, I finally gave in to my son, who wanted a SW tank. Turned the 75 into a softie and LPS tank which has become my new 120 gallon since I did my taxes early!! woohoo!!

 

[17cuddlefish]

one day i went to the aquarium (cant remember witch one). i looked at the saltwater tanks and i was awed at how beutiful the were. then i went home and googled it and came to this site. and well i think you guys can figure out the rest.

 

[flricordia]

My father raised seahorses when I was a little tyke so always had an interest in aquariums.
I remember the living room having 5-6 long tanks with iron braces and stands and little brine shrimp hatcheries all over the place. I think those had my interest more than the horses.

 

[tizzo]

My brother kept killing off all of his fish so I did research to help him out.
As a result, I got hooked myself.

 

[florida joe]

My priest told me while I was in the confessional to say 10 our fathers 10 hail Mary’s and start a saltwater aquarium to pay for my sins

 

[tizzo]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/2573690
My priest told me while I was in the confessional to say 10 our fathers 10 hail Mary’s and start a saltwater aquarium to pay for my sins
hahaha!! That'll keep you busy and outa trouble!

 

[saltfinsax]

I started with freshwater as a kid and loved it. Bred some fish and then got a freshwater lobster that ate all my fish and had to get a 55Gal to house him.
But reef tanks allways seem just way to cool to have, more then the fish even.

 

[jerl77]

had tanks at age 4 now 31 now have 6 tanks set up.

 

[notsonoob]

My wife hoodwinked me. She had goldfish when we met, but hadn't since moving to this country. She had been under stress and said she missed her tank as she would watch it...but she dreamed to have a marine tank, which was impossible in her country.
All I knew was not to lick a broken glass heater...
Once we got it up...I realized it was more than just dumpings some fish into a tank....and had to study!!!!
Funny, this was her project and I was just supposed to flip the bill. The first day the female clown bit her finger, she never touched it again....
I need to put that one on my keychain!

Or toolbox!