So how did you get started in saltwater?

[DEERE G]

The hobby did take a backseat for a while in the mid 90's due to my other addiction at the time... I got into building competition SPL car audio systems. My tank did get a little neglected at the time but not forgotten.

 

[ghuffer]

I can remember exactly when it became inevitable. I was at the doctor's office with my mother and there in the waiting room was this amazing tank full of colorful fish. As a 7 year old I said "Mom I want some of those for our fish tank". She explained that we had a fresh water tank which was lost on a 7 year old. Then the years passed and I continued to ask for saltwater and the explanation turned into "You'd have to be crazy to spend that much on a fish. Finally I got my own place with the wife. I said"Honey I want a saltwater fish" She replied "Ok". Little did she know that Saltwater is the most addicting thing on the planet. So I got a 29 gal that I am slowing building into a reef tank. Some day I think she want me to go to Saltwater Rehab. 125 - 150 gal I'm on my way. Oh and isn't my mom proud I'm the crazy guy buying the expensive fish.

 

[boozerell]

I always wanted to get into saltwater, but thought it was too hard. I had freshwater, but really wanted to go with saltwater. My oldest daughter came home from school and said they had a saltwater tank in their science class. I figured if high school kids could manage not to kill a tank, I had a chance.
Eileen

 

[serpentman]

I was bit by the bug while vacationing in FL as a kid in the early 80's. I would spend every day at the beach wrestling up critters and trying to keep them alive in buckets of saltwater. Since I never had an ocean handy, I kept FW tanks until I graduated high school. Went away to college to study marine biology and set my first SW tank up my Freshman year. Was fascinated with invertebrate zoology and leaned more towards the "creepy crawlys". Graduated with a degree in Marine Bio. Wasn't ready to go on for a masters so I got an unrelated job locally. Money was good so I settled down with wife and family. Took a hiatus while my kids were infants ~2000. Jumped back in around 2005 and found virtually everything I had used previously was completely obsolete. One day will retire somewhere near the ocean....sigh

 

[smmscott]

I got a free 75 gallon tank and the book saltwater for dummies. I always wanted one because I thought freshwater was boring and easy.

 

[MMOORE0324]

Awesome stories everyone, keep em' coming!

 

[lowman31]

My dad had freshwater tanks while I was growing up. Then when I was 10 or so I had my own 30 gallon freshwater tank. I kept everything from guppies to cichlids to pirahna. Not all at the same time of course. I had these tanks all the way through my first bachelors degree. After I graduated, I took my psych degree and bartended as well as worked aqt Petcetra in Bay Village. While there I learned that saltwater was not that scary and used my discount and payroll deduct to get a 30 gallon tank which I first put damsels in. It is now almost ten years later and I am up to a 90 gallon mixed reef and am planning to set up a 240 rimless soon. I love this stuff. This was a great idea, I like reading everyone's stories.

 

[sbin]

Raised and bred discus 15 years ago and lost the passion when a hobby became a money losing part-time job.A few months ago my wife setup an old 40 tank as planted FW.Checking out the LFS for plants caused a relapse and I dragged a craigslist 125g deal home febuary, Joined C-sea, ruined the family budget and had the privilege of viewing several members tanks and the pleasure of taking home a few frags.
Bud, Sean, Ben, Tony, Wayne, Ken and everyone else thanks for the help.Hope to return the favor and pass it on to other new members..

 

[MeVsTheWorld]

Like so many others, I started in freshwater a long time ago. I had the African cichlid tanks, oscars, catfish, snakeheads. Mostly all the mean stuff. I liked tossing frogs and mice in the tanks watching life take place. So of course I wanted a lionfish, once the LFS started up saltwater tanks. I always heard they were for rich ppl and were really hard to keep. So, under the direction of my LFS I bought a undergravel filter, crushed coral/shell, 1 blue damsel and let the cycle begin. The rest was history. I had the tank setup for almost 3yrs with great success (no cpu, A LOT of trips to the library for books, I think I've skimmed/read almost all of them, still don't have a clue ) then life stepped in and I took it down in 03'. This past November my wife and I were sittin around BS'ing and SHE said, why don't you start up a saltwater tank again. I told her, she had better be serious because once I start forget about it. It was like she gave me An official Red Ryder carbine action two-hundred shot range model air rifle. Now I'm a card carrying of member of C-SEA:strooper:


Thanks, every1 has been awesome!!!!
:lol:I mean I got a $300 chalice frag for $10, this place rocks :lol:

 

[ScarabIII]

Serpentman my story is similar to yours. I love the water, fresh and salt. I grew up around a lake catching turtles and crayfish. Always loved the ocean. We vacation in the keys every winter and one day too we will live by the ocean. Saltwater aquarium is my way of staying close to the ocean in Ohio. During the summer we hang out on lake Erie in a boat.

Just watched a show on history channel last night saying that the great lakes where once salt water with coral reefs.

 

[adetamor]

story

story

Started out in a freshwater battle with a friend. We went back and forth with bigger better tanks, until I came across a deal I couldn't pass. $150 for a 75g tank, cherry stand and canopy, overflow, sump, skimmer, the whole package...and since then I have just been adding more and more...needless to say I won!

 

[camaro5026spd]

Had a ten gallon freshwater tank when i was really little with some gold fish i won from a fair that ended up turning into a 30 gallon fresh then by my teens my dad got me a 145 gallon and had that for a really long time with oscars and actually raised a cat fish i caught from lake erie and had bunch of angel fish which eventually started laying eggs and i successfully was able to hatch them after a while. then we ended up moving and after the move started high school and gained the interest in fixing and painting cars and the tanks ended up being a little neglected so they got shut down and my brother ended up getting the tanks. over the years i still always stopped into rms to look at all the fish and just started really getting interested in the salt water more and more till eventually took the leap and bought a 75 gallon and started saltwater about little over year and a half ago. it has been pretty successful and only have lost a few fish in the process. i just wish i would have found out about reef central and c-sea when i first started and saved my self some time and money with stuff i didn't need or shouldn't have done. i am now getting into reefs and boy is it addicting but after buying some corals i am slowly getting my girlfriend in the scene now i don't have to hear that im spending to much time with the stupid fish tank and she actually picked few of the corals that i requested for the swap. i don't think that i ever will get tired of saltwater and will be upgrading as soon as my search for a house is over

 

[cveverly]

Like most of you I migrated from fresh water to saltwater. My first saltwater was in the late 70's (pre live rock) and I have been back and forth a few times and even got completely out a couple years ago. Something always draws me back. Must be the allure of p!$$!ng money away. :lol:

At the peak of my sickness I had 11 saltwater tanks, I am now down to a manageable 3. One is a 65 gallon mostly fish and a couple softies, one is a 58 mixed reef and the other is a 10 gallon mushroom - zoa nano.

 

[BrunstuckyJoe]

I started out with a few guppies that a friend gave me....they reproduced like rabbits....I got a 10 and 20 gallon and started raising live bearers....then two tanks turned into about five....remember when all glass tanks came out and were the rage...had those ugly metal rimmed ones with the slate bottom...I got out of it for a while then started breeding angels.....I had a couple good pairs....and about eight tanks later....our basement was like a fish store.....I had thousands of baby angels that I sold.....I then got rid the the angels and dove into salt...I dumped all kinds of fish into a 55 gallon....anything that looked good at RMS, I bought...angels, lion fish, triggers, cowfish, boxfish....I mixed them all together.....needless to say, not a good idea. When we moved to Brunswick, I got rid of all the tanks, except two, a 10 and 20.....the granddaughter was bugging me a couple years ago when the movie finding nemo came out....I set up a 10 gallon freshwater for her....a couple neons and angel fish.....she kept bugging me about getting nemo and dorie for her tank...I told her they can't live in freshwater....we went to Hectors so I could explain how salt was different...I bought a 24 nano from amazon....so she could have nemo....she boss hogged me into getting dorie.....I said the nano was too small.....so now the 95 gal. bought used from a guy near here....some how I think we're not done yet. I need a third job.