Who are you?

[shimmy_yaz]

Well I have been browsing the forums for a little while now and have come to kind of know a couple of you. I made a post about being unsure of names and what not and that got me thinking. Who are some of these people? So I thought I would start a thread for us to post a little bit about ourselves.

My name is Mike and I am 25 years old. I live in Millville (a small town 40 minutes south of Williamsport). I work as an Extrusion Supervisor for a plastics manufacturing company. ( http://www.kydex.com for those who care). I have had freshwater tanks all my life and have always been intrigued by the ocean. I started a FOWLR tank 2 years ago and had to get rid of it due to a move. I am currently in the process of setting up my 75 gallon reef and look forward to learning from, meeting, and fraggging with all of you.

 

[sassyfishy]

Great topic! I'll join in.

I'm Marlene and I'm 42 but sometimes act like I'm about 6. (Ok - so I like to have fun!) I live in Center Valley, having moved here from London, Ontario (Canada) just over a year ago. (Marriage to a US citizen will do that to you).

I'm enjoying my new life as a "suzy homemaker" after devoting many years to working in the medical field in various capacities including secretary, marketer, educational assistant, and optometric/ ophthalmic technician.

Due to some expected boredom from leaving the work force, I found myself with too much time on my hands - and started up several hobbies. Reef-keeping is one of them. (you think?) Hubby has also gotten interested in this hobby, so he's a BIG help to me each week when we do our water changes, etc.

Back home I kept and bred freshwater tropical fish for years. (At one point I had over 60 tanks in my fish room...yikes.) I also had a brief (two years or so) stint with a fish-only marine system back in the days where people used coral skeletons for deco and live rock was barely heard of.

So here I am.....next!!!

 

[shimmy_yaz]

Oh yes I also forgot to include that I am a full-time student at Pennsylvania College of Technology double majoring in Network Technology and Cisco Technology.

 

[shimmy_yaz]

Nice to meet you Marlene. I think it is interesting just knowing a little more abput the people I talk to. That is awesome that you have a big background in aquariums. I couldn't imagine having 60 tanks going at once. Heck just dump em all in a pool and u are set LOL.

 

[Fizz71]

I hope more people participate..it's a good thread idea.

My name really is Fizz and I'm 30+ (look at my ID and do the math if you really must know). Kevin works too, but I've been "Fizz" since kindergarten. I work for a consulting firm in Wyomissing developing business web sites, custom business applications and anything else PC related; I've been there about 7 years. I'm also an apprentice instructor at a martial arts school in Leesport; I've been there a little over 6 years.

I was born and raised in the Reading area, but spent 7 years in NJ (job related). I had a fish tank since as long as I can remember, starting off with freshwater--I remember the days of my dad bringing home a new fish from work every couple of months. I wanted a saltwater tank but they wouldn't let me have one because of the amount of work they could be..especially back in the 70s. Like most kids...once I moved out I did everything my parents wouldn't let me do. I had my first SW tank in the early 90's...and due to the lack of communities like RC I had some very unsuccessful smaller systems. I finally bit the bullet in 1994 and set up a 75g "the right way". I took a break when a change in jobs left me squatting at a friends house for a while before buying a new home and getting back into it.

My current system has been up for almost 3 years now. My tank is about 90% frags. I did have one crash a few months ago when a leak that was compensated by my top-off caused a slow decline of salinity. ...We live and learn.... Didn't lose any fish from it and I still have about 95% of my zoas, shrooms and rics so it wasn't a complete loss.

Anyway...without writing a book..I'll stop there.

Who's next?

--Fizz

 

[JonK]

I'll chime in.

My name is Jon and I'm 31 years old. I live in Germansville which is about 10 minutes north of Allentown off Route 309. I drive a tractor trailer for US Foodservice delivering food. I have 3 beautiful children Cassandra(10), Jonathan(7), and Nate(5) and a gorgeous wife that I don't know how I tricked into staying with me. :smokin:

My current tank is only a 20H. We are actually moving this weekend (3/26) from a townhouse to a single family home. I tore down my 90 a couple months ago in preparation for the move. I'll hopefully have it back up soon after the move. I always kept mostly soft corals with a few LPS.

Jon

 

[Bill King]

Ok here goes

I'm probably the senior member of NCPARS, now that Tag has left the hobby! I'll be 52 on Saturday,( any reef related presents will be fine).

Born & raised in Altoona, Try to find that on your map.
I have been a water treatment plant operator for the Altoona City Authority for 30 years.

My parents introduced me to fish keeping when I was very young. Tanks full of livebearers, tetras, & Angelfish.
I have bred many freshwater species, with the Anabantids, "Bubble nest builders" my favorite.

I have kept salt water fish since the early 70's. undergravel filters, dead coral heads, & barnicles for decorations. Wait till everything gets completely green with algae, then scrub & clean & start over.

My first "reef" was a 10 gal tank with a diy hood in 1989. I am still most proud of that tank. It was beautiful.

I am still a very "low tech" reefer. NO & VHO lighting, HOT skimmers, Kalk the only additive I use. 10% water change every 4-6 weeks. Of course I don't try to grow those colored sticks (acros), I like the LPS & softies, movement & textures & colors & the weird little critters that live in & on my substrate give me plenty of enjoyment.

I have bred Bangia Cardinals, & sea horses.....bred, so far not "raised". I think I am moving more in that direction with my hobby. I'll let you all know when I am overrun with tank raised babies.

Thanks for reading
Bill

 

[Critter]

My name is Dori... lol ok, let me see if I can type this up so it makes some sence and not just rambalings...

My name is Chris (Critter is a family nickname), raised in Dunmore, and live out near Lake Wallenpaupack (which is about 20 minutes east of Dunmore/Scranton)... 41 this June... Work for a financial institution. I've been working with PC's since 1987 and before that I used Atari and Apple. At this point, I get more enjoyment out of doing plumbing, electrical wiring and carpentry...
I have an awsome wife (married 15 years) and 5 year old son. We've been in our house for 10 years and over that time I've been remodeling our basement. Here is a pic of my tank in the basement. The little bi-fold door is the access to the tank. One day I had a vision for this spot to have a tank.. and I had a 55, so I put it in. The tank was originally FW but after a year my wife and I decided it was time to try Salt.

When we moved in this basement had 3 light bulbs and was all concrete block. I'm very proud of what i've done with it. The tank has been up for almost 4 years, and its stable to the point I'm going to try and build up on its contents. Thanks.

 

[dweakl01]

Well, I'm not an NCPARS member but I post on here enough, so here goes...

My name is Darin, I'm 32 and I live in York with my wife Inken and my son Jahn. I am originally from West Virginia.

For the past 2 years, I've worked at a medical device manufacturing comany in Baltimore, doing database work, etc. Prior to that, I worked for 3 years in Louisville, KY as a computer programmer for a health care company. Before Louisville, I spent 3 years in WV going to college. And prior to that, I spent 4 years in the Army in Germany, as a Blackhawk crewchief.

I've been keeping saltwater tanks since 1997 and started reefing about 2 years ago.

I have to give a huge thanks to my wife who has been very patient and accepting of my "tank time" and the money I've spent on it. (without her, I'd be single and have enough money to buy more corals!!!)

Anyway, that's about it. I'm always open to meeting new reefers, so if you're gonna be in the neighborhood, PM me and drop by.

-Darin

 

[Mishap]

I'm not a NCPARS member either, but I just found these forums and have been browsing here alot. So without further adieu....

My name is Matt (But I usually go by Tatty). I'm 20, which I guess makes me the youngin of this forum. I live in Sinking Spring, about 10 minutes from Reading. I currently work as an assistant manager of my LFS in Shillington. I started working there in high school and was immediately drawn to the beauty of marine aquaria.

So after about a year of researching and helping maintain the store's system, I started my own tank. I chose a 30g AGA (36x12x18) tank. Had I known how captivating and interesting reefing is, I wish I would have gone bigger from the start. It's been up and running since Feb of 2005 and is doing very well in my opinion.

I'm also enrolled at RACC getting my general eds done. Once these are done I plan to transfer to a University to major in Marine Biology.

120 Gallon in wall is in the works, so Tang Police be nice! We're finishing our basement and I will be putting a 120 in the wall of the family room. So look for my walk through thread in a few months!


Matt

I look forward to meeting some of you at TFP's Anniversary Sale!

 

[lawmary]

Hi, My name is Mary Miller. I'm 44 and I joined NCPARS last fall at the Hegins swap. I have always loved salt water fish. I actually had a 55 GL. tank in college back in the early 80's in Boston. My panther grouper "Phil Lay" lasted the longest, almost a year. Before that growing up I had freshwater fish and at one time had about 10 tanks in my room. I love the ocean and took Oceanography and Marine Biology in college, and then at law school I took admiralty law and wrote a paper on who gets to keep things brought up from the Titanic, which had just been located by Bob Ballard. I wanted to be an admiralty lawyer but I ended up clerking for a judge for two years and then working in Philadelphia doing litigation.

About two years ago I finally got enough courage up to try scuba diving. When my husband Jack saw how happy I was swimming with the fish, he decided to surprise me with a salt water tank. So, for Christmas 2004 I got a tank and over the next few months Rick Pucharella (RickyFins) came and set up that tank for me. He did a great job. There are pictures of it on my gallery. Corals are all new to me so that has been the biggest learning curve.

The judge I clerked for kept his office in Pottsville, so that is how I came to Schuylkill County and met my husband who owned a textile business. I have three boys ages 12, 10 and 9. I am not practicing law right now but I have a landscaping and garden retail business, here is the website: www.the-garden-shoppe.com. I run the business along with a business partner and this is our 8th year.

This website dialog over the last month or so has been great because I've started to get to know some fellow local reefkeepers and NCPARS members. In fact, at the Anthony Calfo event I met CarlC, who it turns out is my neighbor and only lives a few miles away!

I will be at the TFP sale this weekend for one of the days, not sure which one yet, so I am looking forward to meeting some of you there!

Mary Miller

 

[shimmy_yaz]

Alright glad to see this thread come back to life. It has been really great getting to know a little more abou everyones background.

 

[spoon25]

hey shimmy, im still tryin to find myself.....so anything i may say about me will change by tommorrow....i think they call that bi-polor...hehe.l...lol

 

[spoon25]

hey shimmy, im still tryin to find myself.....so anything i may say about me will change by tommorrow....i think they call that bi-polor...hehe.l...lol.....ok well lets see i am a 28yr old male, living w/a girl of 2 children...whos your "daddy".......i am a felon-ex-convict...lol, a 3rd yr graduate penn college in associates general studies, i have an extensive automotive background, and a heavy xtreme car stereo which i used to enjoy until i went deaf....now my hobby includes learning about ocean creatures,meeting new people, traveling to frag meets and trying new things with my tanks....i used to work and make good money until i got hurt and they fired me so now i am just waiting around trying to get some work in the mean time, thinking about going back to school to finish up my major in biochemical engineering, weapons of mass destruction to be more specific...anything else i would be gladly to let anyone in on my life with a little more detail...lol..........

 

[shimmy_yaz]

You know spoon the more I read from you the more I would really like to meet and hang out with you just to try and see how that mind of yours works. LOL I am sure there is never a dull moment.

 

[NCNBilly]

I'm a lurking NCPARS member - haven't been around much lately.

My name is Bill (everyone calls me Billy) I'm 31. I work as a database analyst for the PA State Police, and a "professional" musician, and homebrewer. I got my first fish tank at 8 years old, and kept all sorts of FW. My first big tank was for my Blueberry Oscar, who lived nearly 8 years. When he went, I thought it was time to go to SW - so here I am. My 75 is now the display in a 120gallon system.

Most important lesson I've learned: "No honey, I didn't buy it. I traded it for some other crap I had laying around."

 

[Critter]

Mary, I'm not sure why but I never checked your website.. but, I got to say, its very well done. kudos.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7073671#post7073671 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lawmary
Hi, My name is Mary Miller. I'm 44 and I joined NCPARS last fall at the Hegins swap. I have always loved salt water fish. I actually had a 55 GL. tank in college back in the early 80's in Boston. My panther grouper "Phil Lay" lasted the longest, almost a year. Before that growing up I had freshwater fish and at one time had about 10 tanks in my room. I love the ocean and took Oceanography and Marine Biology in college, and then at law school I took admiralty law and wrote a paper on who gets to keep things brought up from the Titanic, which had just been located by Bob Ballard. I wanted to be an admiralty lawyer but I ended up clerking for a judge for two years and then working in Philadelphia doing litigation.

About two years ago I finally got enough courage up to try scuba diving. When my husband Jack saw how happy I was swimming with the fish, he decided to surprise me with a salt water tank. So, for Christmas 2004 I got a tank and over the next few months Rick Pucharella (RickyFins) came and set up that tank for me. He did a great job. There are pictures of it on my gallery. Corals are all new to me so that has been the biggest learning curve.

The judge I clerked for kept his office in Pottsville, so that is how I came to Schuylkill County and met my husband who owned a textile business. I have three boys ages 12, 10 and 9. I am not practicing law right now but I have a landscaping and garden retail business, here is the website: www.the-garden-shoppe.com. I run the business along with a business partner and this is our 8th year.

This website dialog over the last month or so has been great because I've started to get to know some fellow local reefkeepers and NCPARS members. In fact, at the Anthony Calfo event I met CarlC, who it turns out is my neighbor and only lives a few miles away!

I will be at the TFP sale this weekend for one of the days, not sure which one yet, so I am looking forward to meeting some of you there!

Mary Miller

 

[cinnamongirl]

Hello

My name is Vickie Clements, and I live in Altoona. Yes, Bill, I know where you live I'm quite the rookie in the reef field, but I've had fresh water tanks my entire life. My first attempt at SW started about 2 years ago with a 75aga. I now have added every gadget I can afford. I have a 46g seahorse tank thats been up for about 5 months and a 10g macro/jawfish tank. My next tank will be a 5g JBJ nano for a harlequin shrimp. I think

I'm 38 and have lived in Altoona since 1989. I'm the Executive Director at Computer Learning Network, and I'm currently enrolled in the MBA program at University of Phoenix, so between my tanks, my work, and my degree program, I have no life!

Nice to meet everyone!

Vickie

 

[tnyr5]

Anthony J Plasters, 22, Amateur pyrotechnician, Opera singer, Orchid grower, ex - HUB tank appointee, psu malcontent, and general mischeif maker for central PA