What made you want a REEF aquarium?

[got bait?]

its a living work of art

As noted by malkore!

Looks like artwork, but constantly changing (evolving). It has been 6 months since I've added anything and still wake up to see something new that seemed to have grown overnight. I could just have a tank of LR and I would be happy.

 

[philly]

im 13, when i was eleven i was opsesed with the aquatic shows on the discovery channel, after i begged my dad got my a 25 gal. fresh water setup i stuck with that for a year but i got bord because of the lack effort involved with fresh water so i took the plunge and whent SW i overstocked the tank with a yellow tang a maroon clownfish and a blue tang they all died after a month. i lernt from my mistake and first got 2 oclaris 2 weeks later got a sand sifting gobie and then graduated with ourchasing a rose anemone for the clowns. the tank flourished and matured along wit my water changes they all lived. but this just made me more eager for more challenges and more clolourful things. so when my parents asked me what i wanted more than anything for my big Bar Mitzvah present i said i wanted the beutiful 90 gal. surfline id been gazing at since i started buying freshwater fish.
so i got that just by our luck the manager was a member at our synagogue and said that hed include the 4 powerheads, heater and skimmer he also broght me too the back of the store and gives me the newely arived healthy fish. at the moment i have 2 oclaris clownfish 1 yellow tang 1 bicolour dottyback and this wensday my blue tang and yellow watchman gobie are ariving, the problem is i dont have any algae in my aquarium for the gobie to eat

 

[Casimir]

As a young boy I started with goldfish in the small round bowl from the Carnival. When a teenager, my brothers and I started a 15 GA FW tank, and we had alot of fun raising guppies. When my daughter was a few years old, we started a 20 GA FW and eventually graduated to Cichlids, mostly mbuna's which I think are the most colorful fish. All this time the LFS was enticing me with their SW displays, but I resisted the urge, due to the high cost and stories about difficulties encountered by. Now that my daughter is married, and I am semi-retired, I have decided to give it a try.

 

[Nanoreefer]

People around us all think that we are crazy for spending thousands of dollars on corals, lighting, skimmers, fish, filters, heaters, coolers, and every other money sucking aspect of this hobby. Even when I show my friends and three girlfriends (that had to compete with my reef tank over the five years having the tank set up), the perfection and elegance of each tiny part of life living together in perfect man-made balance they do not comprehend what we find so very interesting. There is something to be said that we can just watch the reef for hours everyday as if it were the first time we plugged in the lights, they will never understand till they build it them selves.

I always wanted a reef tank from the very first time I saw one at an aquarium show in the Tanforan Mall in San Bruno, CA during the summer of 1994. I was only 14 years olds at the time. I saved all my money I could and begged my parents for a 50-gallon tank. Over 6 moths I saved 300 bucks, all I could afford was the tank, an emperor filter, sand, a few gray stones, salt mix and a triggerfish. It was far from the show quality reef tanks I saw at the mall and I killed 5 fish, it was set up for four years. After leavening for college in San Diego and selling my set up for 50 dollars I lost interest in fish keeping. It was not until the spring of 1999 when my girlfriend won a goldfish at a carnival on campus that I again became interested. I went to her dorm that day and saw that poor little guy swimming about in a kim chee jar. I was appalled and we immediately went to the LFS and bought the gold fish a ten-gallon tank with an aqua clear filter and under gravel filter with a power head. The fish was won for a quarter and I spent 50 dollars on his new home. That was the renaissance of an obsession we are all too familiar with. Eventually the fish died and I was given a hand full of live rock from a disgruntled nano-reef enthusiast who had spent too much on a tank full of algae and dead coral. I took his sand and rock and five years later today I have the one of the most beautiful mini reef I have ever seen.

 

[RocketSeason]

Post some pics Nanoreefer!!!

 

[Florida8]

I was digging in ditches and creeks in NE Florida LOL

I grew up born and raised in NE FLorida and loved digging in the creeks and ditches for little turtles and minnows. My grandmother kept a 10g with the old green box filter and rainbow gravel in it at her house for me for whatever new critters I found and a then my grandfather had two 10g above each other on a old metal 10g stand full of guppies. Then when I was about 14 my mom bought a 55g FW and broke all the rules and ended up with a beautifully planted and stocked tank, It was something easy to sit there and pass an hour or more watching these fish in their own world. Then I grew up, I married, bought a 55g like my mom and had africans and although big and bright, and even managed to have many breed and rear lil fish, I ached for a SW each trip the LSF every week. The same fish store I shopped at was the one my mother shopped at and only changed owners 3 times in over 25+ years... About 10 yrs ago they opened a entire side with the most high tech SW tanks and were very reef friendly and had the best help... I rushed home and told the hubby and he was like WHAT!? How much for LR??? What is LR!? he asked, he thought I was insane, but said ok, thats you christmas LOL... he has no idea it would be every Christmas for years to come... it was Christmas each week! I went and bought a little rock here and there if it looked to have a button or polyp and found the perfect pace for it and a big one when they caught my eye, and unwrapping that rock in its cooler in wet news paper was so awesome each time. Next thing I knew the hubby was in the living room at 1 am with a flash light with me watching the rocks for strange new life and odd creatures, or helping me catch and trap mantis shrimp... We love love love it! How can you NOT get hooked!?

 

[seafan]

I live a few blocks from the ocean and love snorkeling, so it was just a short step to a saltwater tank. My first 20gal had a ugf an cc I tore it down to get a 55gal with lr and corals.

 

[seafan]

I live a few blocks from the ocean and love snorkeling, so it was just a short step to a saltwater tank. My first 20gal had a ugf an cc I tore it down to get a 55gal with lr and corals.

 

[seafan]

Sorry it sent it twice because I pressed the refresh button

 

[IfoundNemo]

My wife and i went to see Shark Tale movie, and the local theater has a large 180gal SW tank on display in the waiting area. It was so beautiful with all the corals,fish,and inverts... So to make the story short, we decided that we want a SW reef tank in our living room too. As a result, this was how we got into this hobby.

 

[mncspradlin]

Hello All,
I am a scuba diver and I wanted a way to have that beautiful reef available to view all of the time. I am so happy that I did. Although it has its frustrations it has been a great hobby for me, my husband and our children 4 and 10yrs. I love coming home from a very stressful day at work (I am an emergency room nurse) and just staring at all of the things in the tank for 15min to defuse. it is great

 

[X the Outsider]

When I was about six I had the goldfish in a bowl. Then after they died my dad got a forty gallon freshwater, and we had that for years. We had mollies, angels, tetras, and others I don't remember at the time being. I used to watch those for hours. I remember going into the LFS in the mall, and seeing these lionfish, seahorses, and stars. But salt tanks were even more expensive back in the day, and my parents didn't have the money for salt tanks. Well fast forward nearly twenty years, and once again I've become interested in fish again. I set-up my first salt tank three months ago. At moments it's been stressful, but it's very rewarding. After I get my current tank the way I want it. I plan on setting up a 58g salt tank. Where I will be getting a dwarf lion, and maybe a dwarf angel.

 

[jenpc]

I was given my tank by my friend and employee. I was scared at first that it would be too much work and I would not attach myself to my new pets because I hadn't had fish before. Good news is I love them and am getting on everyone's nerves with my "fish talk". I have learned tons. This website is wonderful and very helpful. I hope to add more coral to my tank, but my fish numbers are maxed out for the size of the tank. Of course, I can see myself going bigger someday.

 

[Thumper]

When I was around 6 years old my parents had a 40 gallon tank for a couple of years, well they decided to do away with it after a while and I made the mistake of going into a lfs 25 years later after always wanting a saltwater tank due to the wild looking fish and there I saw a beautiful reef tank, well you know where this is going, within a month of researching different set ups we purchased a 150 gallon reef tank and have enjoyed every minute of setting it up and getting it running.
We havnt ventured into the corals much at this point ,only a few fish untill we get our feet wet in the hobbie but the corals are coming soon,

 

[spongeynip]

I remember when I was 10, my parents bought a house in the Bahamas. I loved it, and especially the coral reef in the ocean in the backyard. I loved snorkeling around and seeing them. I bought a tank from my lfs, but after my mom got angry about the whole saltwater expenses, I had to make my 20 gal tank a freshwater tank. 3 years later my Iguana died of a terminal virus and I was devistated. So she caved in (of course after 3 years) and bought me one this Christmas (30 gal.). I'm getting it all cycled as we speak, and I couldn't be more excited (especially since im getting two o clowns for christmas). Now I'm so excited, and am looking toward the future (75 gal. tank )

 

[SeriousDude5]

MY neightbor has a fresh water tank and I used to go over there all the time to watch him feed his oscar I LOVED IT then one day he said he was getting rid of his tank and all I needed to do was cut his hedges so I did and bam a free 55 gallon aquaium. I started comunity but I knew what I really wanted was ciclids so I finally ended up with and oscar, and before that a red devil. MY neightbor then moved to NC but came back and we got to talking and he said he set up a SW tank. Well my oscar died from hole in the head a month later and I knew it was my chance to go SW. I sold my 55 and pushased a new 65 for the living room. And thats where I stand today!

 

[Jonathan G.]

Growing up inmy household as a child we always had pets. Mainly our black and white cat and our overweight bulldog. We also had an aquarium but it was my brothers and he always had cheamealeons and such in it. Well now i have grow up a little bit and have grown very much intrigued by tropical fish and even more so by reefs and inverteabrates. So here i sit on a wad of cash and am investing it into a 75 gl sw reef aquarium. I am still in the process of educating myself about all the know hows and such. I am a week away from the initial process of starting my sw tank up and going through the cycle process. anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Brad524]

the variety and colors over FW

 

[senorcat]

Hello. I am not a very great story to tell, but the story of how I got hooked on fish may be. I was very young, and as one of my first memories, I remember my grandfather's aquarium in his bar in brooklyn. I was barely able to get up on the barstool to gawk at the immense fish in this tank, but one of the bartenders helped me up, and there I stayed until I was plucked away to do family stuff. The Parrotfish was my fav. and I thought that the anemone was cool, but that's cause I was told that it was a magical fish booger. Anyways,I went home to Seymore Johnson AFB, N.C. , and watched all of the nature shows I could, especially about fish.
I begged for a tank, but it took two years before my father got one, after my older sister brought home a goldfish for me that she won at the fair kept a month in a cookie jar. The 20 gallon tank lasted a year, and we filled it with 5 more goldfish. Then I learned that you dont put goldfish with angels the next year, or sharks with guppies, or little 2 year old brothers with tools even near a tank. There went another four years.
High school, I loved biology, and got a tank with earnings from art projects for neighbors. !Mine All Mine at last! I kept freshwater to keep costs down, but a year later we moved and lost the fish. It was overcrowded with rosy reds that bred like guppies. A miracle that astounds me today and fueled a mischevious ego then. Well, my bro and i kept frogs in that tank for years to come, and away to the army I went, where I wasnt allowed to have pets.
Two years ago I started again, and have for the new year started a 30 gallon marine tank for my wife and I starting with a mollie I converted over the past 6 months, a tomato clown, damsel and purple angel. As well I have a 10 gallon marine for myself with a rescued razor clam and to juveniles so far, and a 20 gallon turtle tank, that until today had goldfish as well (he got the munchies a half hr ago and ate his tankmate).
I look forward to keeping and culturing my wife and I's marine tank and my 10 gal too for many years. It's about time, it took 23 years.

 

[midiman]

I have (had) three tanks: one African cichlid, one tropical FW community, and one tank in which went first a big Osacr (died of hole-in-the-head), and later the "abused" victims of the cichlid tank.

I decided to set up a brackish tank, and then, as I kept reading, the thought of a salt water tank became more and more appealing. That, plus being a scuba diver, made me want to try to do a marine tank.

We'll see......