14 replies to this topic

[Michae52]

When did you start keeping a marine aquarium? Tank size and what did you have in it?

[Michae52]

I started in the spring of 1978. Had a 100 gal stainless rim cube sitting on a wooden platform in my living room. 14 assorted Lionfish, a spotted pather, and a snowflake eel. I really went thru the feeder gold fish. It was amazing. Living in Norman,Oklahoma with marine life in my living room.

[KimP]

4 or 5 years ago, with my same tank. It has changed quite a bit in the past year though. I've had seahorses in it all along.

[subsea]

I started my first marine tank in 1971, when attending the Texas Maritime Academy in Galveston. I maintained a 55G Galveston Bay biotheme. Undergravel filter using air uplift tubes to pull water down thru a filter media of 2" of crushed up oyster shells. The oyster shells were purchased at a farm supply house. It is used mixed with corn and other foods to assist chickens grinding up food for digestion. I thought that I was "knowed up" after receiving an A+ in Chemical Oceanograpy. I was armed with the term "dynamic equilibrium". In order to achieve this "dynamic equilibrium", I tested frequently to track and document, then I acted with resolve and added some buffer to bring alkalinity and pH under control.
Like most new hobiest, I was enthralled with this thing of beauty. Anyway, I have been addicted every since. I have evolved into the Laissez Fair reefer. I run low tech systems and enjoy feeding and watching micro fauna and fana.
Patrick

[jestep]

FW for about 21 years now. Marine for less than 2 years but I've kept up on it for about 10 through magazines and online forums.

[JamesL]

My first saltwater tank was in 1991, a custom 5 gallon acrylic tank with a built in wet-dry filter. This coincided with my first job at Pet Land

In it was some live rock (had a few hitchhiker mantis shrimps in it). I don't recall the fish, but I dod remember having to get an arrow crab as bristle worms were deemed bad back then.

At one point I got a baby snow flake eel that eventually got moved to a 29g tank and grew to a nice size until it escaped one night and made it part way across the room and dried up.

[Brooks]

I had my first SW aquarium when I was 7 or 8. It was a 15g tank with all Damsels in it. Took it down when we moved from Mississippi to Austin. Then picked it back up again when I was 13, except with a 75g.

[Jynxgirl]

I think am at like nine or so years in marine tanks. Had freshwater before.

First was a 135 gallon tank. Ghetto rigged lights the guy had rigged from shop lights that had what I thought was the coolest yellow tint. Not reef ready. Learned to hate HOB overflows. Rather die then use one ever again! Had crushed coral and rock that was not reef appropriate. Had a few fish that came with it including a few tangs. Learned that marine fish are light sleepers and turning the light on will cause them to get startled and jump straight out the aquarium on the carpet And man the corals... some not colorful brown button corals and red mushroom hitchhikers on few of the rocks. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I'd even seen.

Looking at pictures of those first few days and weeks bringing home my 135 gallon was memory lane of ghetto rigging and what not to do

Edited by Jynxgirl, 19 February 2012 - 12:59 PM.

[mooric]

Around 10 years(off an on) of FW while growing up, in a 55g tank with Stainless steel trim and a slate bottom. Around 5 years in SW first with a 28g cube that was FOWLR around 6 years ago. Then for the last 3 years I have had a 28g mixed reef.

[JeeperTy]

Started keeping a 12-gallon nanocube in 2004 with a fungia plate, button polyps, xenia, and a few zoas in it. The softie coral biome in a box was a fun concept that morphed into the 125-gallon SPS tank I have now.

[mFrame (Mike)]

Freshwater tanks since a child. About 2004 a girl I was dating got me to try converting a 6g Eclipse tank to salt water. One year and countless $$$ later I shut that down and reverted to my 29g cichlid tank.

Just over 3 years ago my wife and I took our honeymoon to New Zealand and Australia. After diving the Great Barrier Reef I had the bug again, and we got a 29g tank. WIthin a year we completed building out our 90g peninsula tank, and have since swapped out a 29g Biocube with a 34g Solana.

[o0zarkawater]

Had FW as a child, then got into keeping snakes/chameleons. About 5 years ago my brother was getting out of the hobby (his friend got him into it, thanks Jon), and I got his 10gal tank. I did no research and just had this little 10gal tank for 2 years with no bulb change on the 96wPC, and I did 2 water changes in those 2 years..... everything lived. BAD TANK DADDY, lucky tank.

I still have that pair of clowns and yellowtail damsel. They are now in my 29gal.

2 Years ago I got the opportunity to take over Jons 55gal and really started researching what is needed to keep saltwater happy. Found the boards and started frequenting the LFS learning what I could. I personally think my 55 is kicking butt these days, and the 10gal has since moved into a 29gal cube.

[RUSH]

Started with Freshwater in 1988 with a 1 gallon hex tank and morphed to Saltwater in 1992 at the age of 15. Had a 55g Oceanic with a Biowheel 300 and undergravel filter with crushed coral. Had a Volitans Lionfish named Frank, A Picasso Trigger named Servo and a Snowflake Eel named Crow. Can you guess my favorite show at that time?

-Chris

[wesreyn]

As bad as I hate to say it I started after the movie Finding Nemo came out around 8 years ago. My kids LOVED the movie and I wanted them to have a little piece of the ocean. I have vacationed to the Carribean around 10 times since and every time I go, it revitalizes my interest in reef keeping.

[DerrickH]

Since Dec 20 2010....40g RR, long gone, and now 72g bowfront(starting over).

Got my daughter a freshwater setup for Christmas, colors were crap so decided to go reef instead. No turning back.