How did you start, Freshwater or Saltwater?

[Duncanr9t]

How did you start this hobby? and what type of tank(s) do you keep now?

Marine/Reef tanks can get quite complex, anyone ever go back or have thoughts of going back to simpler freshwater tank?

I had a Juwel RIO125 planted freshwater tank (no CO2) before its base cracked and 120+ litres leaked onto my wooden floorboard......
...but I remember how 'peaceful' it was, it was quiet....1 pump only for entire system and school of tetras, corydoras, 2 guppies...swimming against backdrop of greens and drift wood.

I love my Reefer 170 mix reef but its not that tranquil feeling, its more energetic, clowns, coral beauty, cleaner shrimp, corals which are brightly colours etc

..debating setting up a small planted freshwater .....:lolspin:

 

[sde1500]

Freshwater tanks as a kid, though parents always took care of it more than me. Had a class in High school where I stocked and managed a 150 gallon planted tank, also no CO2. Nothing fancy, gouramis, cories, guppies, molies, lemon tetras and some angels. Tetras, mollies and guppies all bred successfully. End of the year took some of them home and set up a small tank for them. Kept that up for years before the fish all died out. Last one alive was a lemon tetra that lost an eye. It had a single eye for a couple years before it died, tough sob.

I got to say I like my marine tanks more. More work, more headaches etc, but I like the movement. A friend likened it all to a campfire, everyone sits around just staring at the campfire, the tank seems to do the same. It just draws you in. Though my LFS has a fantastic Cichlid setup that sometimes make consider setting one up. Then I realize I have no room and a wife that would 100% not allow it haha.

 

[lespaul339]

I've been keeping fish since the age of 14. I'm 32 now. Started out with freshwater in high school. Had a 29 gallon tank with two red bellied piranhas in it. When I got them they were the size of a quarter. They of course out grew that tank in a hurry. Came home one day to find one fish had eaten the other in half. But at the time I didn't know better, and the pet store told me they would be fine in my tank.

Then after those I kept a couple albino oscars in the same tank. Those outgrew that tank in a hurry too. I then tried my hand at keeping African Chichlids for a couple years. got tired of them always beating the crap out of each other. After them I converted it into a freshwater community tank. Had that tank set up that way for a few years. Then we lost power in the winter for 4 days. Lost my entire tank. Was super bummed. Got out of keeping fish four a couple years.

After a couple years I decided to try my hand at a saltwater tank. Always wanted to in the past, but always got scared away at how much work and money they cost. I ended up setting up a 60 gallon salt water tank. Started off FOWLR but quickly got into converting it into a reef tank after seeing my friends reef tank. Kept that tank for two years before I upgraded to my 150. I'm pretty happy with the size of tank I have now and can't really see going bigger at this point. I've been through my trials and tribulations with this tank. GHA outbreak, battled cyano, ich, coral loss, plumbing leaks, you name it. But with patience and determination my tank looks better than ever right now. I've come out ahead on all those things. There's no doubt that with this hobby you will have good and bad times, but if you keep your head up you can get through it and have the tank of your dreams in the long run.

 

[ca1ore]

FW fish 1974-1985
FW planted 1985-2004
SW fish 1985-1988
SW reef 1988 - 2009; 2013 - present

FW plant tanks are awesome; I just don't have time to do both.

 

[FirstContact]

Mine's pretty easy. Started with sw reef in 2006. Never considered fw as the comparison is so drastic. Love the beach and the ocean and a sw tank is just an extension of that. As a kid, I did ask once to do fw, but my parents weren't having it. That was a long time ago, and sw wasn't available back then. Started with a 46 bow front that I got for free, and swapped it out for a 120 just a year ago. Really did not like the bow front, but it was a good beta test. I'll be in the hobby for life and plan everything larger. I would like a 300ish tank in 8-10 years.

I ran my wife's beta tank for several years until he died, and I still run my youngest son's freshwater tank for him. He's off in the Marine Corps.

 

[Fiver]

I started off with goldfish and gravel as a kid. That's it. It was really my older brother's tank. Then we graduated to tiger barbs. As a teenager, he stopped but I continued, buying my own 30 gallon and stocking it with tropical fish.

Kept a small 10 gallon while I was in college and then stopped afterward until I restarted with a native freshwater stream tank about 10 years later. (Old 30 gallon ran at my parents' house for several years until everything died and people stopped buying replacements.)

I started my first reef in October of 2015. It was just calling me. I had to give it a shot. I really enjoy it so far, but I do keep things simple, as I've always done with my tanks.

I currently have my 33 long reef, a 20 long alpine newt and White Cloud Mountain minnow tank and a 10 gallon with some badis, a few kuhlis and one betta. I've never kept guppies, and suddenly feel the overwhelming need to get a few to round out my fishkeeping career.

 

[burton14e7]

I started off with a 55g hex salt water LPS/Soft reef and it was super dope even though I had a remora skimmer...lol I had it up and running for years before I had to take it down.

 

[ALLIDOISREEF]

I did freshwater as a kid, once I started making money I did exotic freshwater fish (Stingrays, Eels etc..) Moved to brackish and quickly to saltwater.

 

[Dj Anarkee]

I started with a betta in a 2.5 gallon with an old school air pump and box filter. In high school I worked at pet stores and got into a little bit of everything. Working on my first tank in ~20 years.

 

[tanksfishtank]

I started with the freshwater puffers as a kid. Then I went to the new aquarium store in town and they had a 12 gallon Eclipse AIO saltwater tank set up on the checkout counter. I was sold. i asked my parents for $ for Christmas and saved my money from bussing tables in 9th grade and bought one the day after Christmas. Had one ever since other than while I was deployed in the Navy.

 

[horwitzs]

Started with a typical 55 gallon freshwater when I was in high school a little over 20 years ago. Took up the salt addiction about 6 years ago.
Still have a 120 gallon freshwater along with the 150 salt tank. I keep telling my wife that these are the last ones and I don't need to go bigger anymore (trying to convince us both).

 

[Walla2GSP]

I had a variety of different Cichlids over my military career, and a couple of smaller planted tanks. I have been doing SW for couple years because my wife really wanted Green Spotted puffers again. I really want a big tank with Green terrors and plecotumus again, and a 15 gallon Planted Betta tank, but our house is tiny and I'm not working at the moment. I also want a 1/2 Acre SA giants pond if I ever find property.

 

[kuzko]

A friend had a tank of guppies that was overpopulating rapidly when we were kids, maybe 6 or 7. I took some home and my mom flipped out on me but being the loving amazing person she is, we rushed to petsmart and got a setup for them. They quickly overpopulated as well and I got an oscar to take care of them, he was awesome. I had the oscar until I finished high school (he was 8-9) but he didn't make it through college. I took a break after him - fast forward to when my wife and I got our first place, I had gotten into reptiles/amphibians and we wanted an Axolotl - it reminded me how much I enjoyed aquatic life so very soon after we set up a malawi cichlid tank which we still have to this day.

 

[Joe0813]

ive always had freshwater fish tanks when I was younger. and as said above... I didn't really take much care of those. When I was around 20ish I got a 46 gallon bowfront free from a good friend. set it up with a HOB filter and took care of my first freshwater tank. hit 24 and freshwater tanks were just boring to me. so I bought my first 75 gallon deep blue reef ready tank and off I went. Now im 30 with a 180 reef ready

 

[moondoggy4]

FW in the 70's

SW FO 85 to 89 Aggressive tank.

Mixed reef 03 to present.

 

[kmbyrnes]

Just over 3 years in the hobby.
Never considered FW.
But thought about SW for almost 8 years before jumping in over my head.
12g SW Nano - 8/2013
110 SW Reef -11/2013
125 FOWLR moved to Reef - 4/2014
350 FOWLR - 11/2015

 

[Rybren]

FW Fish only from the early 1960s to about 2007. Since I switched to SW, I've had 5 systems but only ever had two running at the same time. I just have the 120G running now.

My first tank was a 10G with a slate bottom and chrome trim, similar to this one

 

[oseymour]

I always wanted a saltwater tank because the fish and corals were just more colorful.

I started with a freshwater tank for a year only because I heard saltwater was more work and I wanted to get into the rhythm and get used to caring for a tank.

After a year I got tired and took the plunge, I should have just started with saltwater from day one because very little of that knowledge transferred over, I had to buy equipment again, and I never really cared for the freshwater tank too much because I knew it was a stopgap.

 

[eastlake]

There has been an aquarium in my house since birth. My parents had and took care of the freshwater tank until I was old enough to know that they were neglecting it a bit so I took over care. Fast forward some years and my mom is threatening to tear the tank down while I'm working at the local fish store, my response, I buy an absurd amount of live plants and discus and never hear a peep about again. Some years later someone moves and gives me his 45 gallon established and stocked fish only tank. Today I still have the planted discus tank, 150 gallon reef, and two 10 gal planted tanks WAY over populated with various breeding plecos, and a very understanding wife

 

[Spiffy]

I jumped right into saltwater in 2010, crashed the tank due to inexperience within 6 months, but restarted and maintained a new one to this day. I want to upgrade to a 120, but I don't know if the floor in my apartment can support that much weight.