What's Your History in the Hobby?

[Tyem]

lol

 

[griss]

I love those “sink or swim” kind of moments in life.

Thanks, you just brought back a good/traumatic memory with that phrase. When I was little my Dad and I swam out to the swimming dock in the middle of the cove at the Lake of the Ozarks. I was in arm floats. He took off my arm floats and tossed me off the dock. I learned to swim fast

I had FW tanks from grade school forward until I moved away after high school. Piranhas, Oscars, Loaches, anglers, the usual suspects for the 80s.

In high school I convinced the biology teacher to request a 90 SW that me and 2-3 others setup and maintained for 3 years.

Once I graduated from high school I setup a 75 in an apartment I had in Myrtle Beach. I also helped maintain (the maintenance company sucked) 3 big SW aquariums at the restaurant that I worked at for 2 years. The good old wet-dry days.

I did not have a tank for several years in the mid to late 90s, but was collecting equipment and got back in when we bought a house in ~2000 or so and have had my reef setup ever since.

lol, wet dry days

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

Yep, still talking about the tank.
She still holds interest in me & vice versa.

 

[BeanAnimal]

You call the wife "the tank"? Wow braver than me....

 

[Vinny Kreyling]

NO WAY JOSE!!
Besides she watches her weight.

 

[Hong Kong]

Even if i written well about my return after 30 years there is also some sweet water experience
with some guppies in late 80'.
As i lived all my childhood in time of Yugoslavia town Pula (now is under Croatia) on the coast of one of the most beautifull sea in Mediteranean
Adriatic sea (Jadransko more) and playing as children with half legs in sea with all crabs, smal fishes and fishing frequently love to the sea never
can be forgoten...
Than I transfered in Italy where I started my first Marine in 1995 read about in my first post please.
After few years 2005 in Slovenia purchased a second Marine Acrylic see photo but work called to
Dubai and Abu Dhabi and plan was stopped...if I remember well in 2005 this costed me 3500 Euro
than 2 years ago I asked again producer in Germany for similar one he put akward price 5000 Euro than
i send him to hell and ordered in Italy for not even 1000 Euro new acrylic that now assembling
1,5 mm Acrylic 130 cm long x 75 cm height x 60 cm wide.
here is some photos and many others you can find in my first post here.

First marine glass Sera original with stand in Italy 1995 + Arcadia MHi 150 W pendant + 2 neon Marine blue+ Iwaki 2 pumps
+ Askoll Tronic 2 pumps

2005 Second one Acrylic

And new one Acrylic renovating windows and waiting to be placed on top of this wall
where i need to add some 30 cm bricks for half wal that missing to be nice support.
of course concrete and some metal inside to keep together support under the aquarium
as Im on 11 floor and insurance is must. as you can see wall covered with towel will be
place for aquarium. Sunshine light ect I dont have issue as glass is 3-ple Stop sol, e-low
and if will be algae will add some curtains.

 

[nasek718]

Started with freshwater at 15. Went to college at 17 and left takes alone until 8 yrs later when I started a 55 gallon FW tank. Told myself if anything died I’d switch to SW. So 2 months later my spotted Pleco died and the next day I became a SW tank owner. Fast forward to Father’s Day 2004 I got a 125. Then it turned into a 180 drilled. 2 yrs later I started a maintenance and setup company and lost track on personal tanks. I’ve build everything from nanos to large shark tanks.

 

[shred5]

Can’t wait to see your build.

I miss Geo, great guy and great friend. I know he moved to Florida and bought a donut shop but lost touch. Have you kept in touch with him?

Funny, back in the old chat days, I’d always get confused because my family always called me Geo and he and I would be chatting at the same time

I miss the old IRC chat days. I always wonder if Epon and Phil are still there sometimes.

 

[T Diddy]

Started with freshwater at 15. Went to college at 17 and left takes alone until 8 yrs later when I started a 55 gallon FW tank. Told myself if anything died I’d switch to SW. So 2 months later my spotted Pleco died and the next day I became a SW tank owner. Fast forward to Father’s Day 2004 I got a 125. Then it turned into a 180 drilled. 2 yrs later I started a maintenance and setup company and lost track on personal tanks. I’ve build everything from nanos to large shark tanks.

It’s funny you mention that. To everyone’s amazement, the owner of the LFS where I worked didn’t have any personal aquatic pets at home. The display tanks at the store were his playground.

 

[ethangoldbergg]

I've started when I was a little boy around the age of 9-10. My dad bought me a betta in a fish bowl and I remember I was soo amazed by its color. Then I hooked up with the aquariums and started to get into the hobby as I grow up. Then I build many aquariums containing tetras, chiclids and goldfishes. I am also writing few of my experiences on a blog called Fish'n Care. Feel free to check!

 

[Paul B]

My old man was retired Air Force, so he meant exactly what he said. If I hadn't learned how to do testing, water changes, tank maintenance, etc. at a very young age I probably wouldn't be in the hobby today.

Yes, but like all old timer, successful reefers, He was very good at it and never quarantined. I guess he forgot to teach you that secret.

He was also a Patriot and not just an Old Timer.

 

[HumbleFish]

Yes, but like all old timer, successful reefers, He was very good at it and never quarantined. I guess he forgot to teach you that secret.

He was also a Patriot and not just an Old Timer.

I tried, Paul. I did exactly as he did, but my fish kept getting ich, velvet, etc. while his were perfectly fine. We bought fish from the same LFS, fed the same foods, same setup & filtration, etc. What can I say? Luck is a real thing, and luck is just not on my side. I learned that if I wanted healthy fish I would have to do it the hard way via quarantine. That is when I started having success, and my fish lived 10-15 years.

 

[Paul B]

Your Dad and myself know the secret.

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

Remember back to the eighties when my parents had an inwall display of five different tanks...135g in the center with 2 40s above and 2 40s below..all fresh water.. they are all planted tanks too full co2 system, was heaven... fast forward to 2021, graduated university, found the soon to be misses, bought a quaint little house, and remembered, man I used to love fish... started some googling, found reefcentral...never looked back.
Bought a 20g tank and a 15g tank...built a stand, drilled some holes in the glass, wired up an HQI light and bam. Just like that was addicted to mixed reef tanks...que up 2004, lots of trials, loads of errors, bountiful tribulations led to the sump exploding, flooding the bedroom, and my now wife's bitter resentment of the hobby...sold what I could, scrapped my pride and whatever else was left of the setup...
2007, in secret, off to the garage, a new plan is born. Born is my 5g Pico tank...man was she ticked, but grew to admire it...12 years later still going strong this little Pico, global 'catastrophe' emerges...2020 shear boredom, locked up, locked out. The gears start spinning again...I need something bigger..
Pet stores are essential...sick...I find my new 35g cube, custom build everything for it from sump to stand, lights and plumbing...I know have a much more enjoyable tank, just waiting for the next ah ha moment that leads to another tank...

 

[Reefing102]

Welcome back to the hobby

 

[griss]

Yes, welcome back and love hearing how people got in the hobby.