In the beginning, there was Compuserv and Usenet

[BrianD]

Walking down memory lane...

My first exposure to any "internet" discussions of reef aquaria were old Compuserv usenet newsgroups and similar newsgroups hosted by a magazine (can't remember which one). From there, I found the largest bulletin board at the time, Aqualink (a bulletin board hosted by, but not directed by, an online aquaria supplier). Reefs.org was another very active board at the time. Reef Central was merely a future dream formed by three very active Aqualinkers.

The big players in online ordering included Flying Fish Express, Jeff's Exotic Fish and Harbor Aquatics. Premium Aquatics and Inland Aquatics were also around, and all three of the "Aquatics" were in driving distance for me (a good thing).

GARF was hotly debated among proponents and skeptics, and Sano was the miracle cure for all that ailed the marine aquarium.

Compact florescent lighting was the rage, with CF and VHO challenging metal halide for supremacy among reefers.

It was not uncommon for the biggest of the big names to post on Usenet sites. It was also one of the few hobbies where you could actually meet and talk with the legendary figures (Delbeek, Sprung, ect). Going to a MACNA or IMAC and seeing all of these people was a wonderful treat.

The times, they have a'changed.

[Vinny Kreyling]

You can still meet many @ a MACNA & be treated again.

[Misled]

In my 30+ years, I've met many. Sprung, Delbeek, Borneman, Moe. All have been a wealth of information to me. For me, in the beginning, it was Calfo. He worked at my LFS and took care of my FOWLR. I probably wouldn't have a reef if it wasn't for him.

[Anemone]

Yeah, Eric B and I used to moderate the Saltwater discussion board on AOL - all the way back in 1995/6 PM (pre-meth).

If there was just an Aqua Equalizer to fix all the things wrong in today's BB world...

Kevin

[homer1475]

Ahh the old AOL days... "You've got mail!" lol 28k modems, then if you got a 56k modem you were styling.



I was a member of the old AOL discussion boards back in 96.

[BrianD]

As was I. It was back when "local numbers" were a big deal in using AOL. If you didn't have one, you racked up (at least I did) huge long distance charges by not paying attention to how long you were online.

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by Anemone

Yeah, Eric B and I used to moderate the Saltwater discussion board on AOL - all the way back in 1995/6 PM (pre-meth).

If there was just an Aqua Equalizer to fix all the things wrong in today's BB world...

Kevin

Was it FAMA that had a newsgroup/discussion board? I can't remember now.

[liverock]

Was on Compuserve.....and the group was called Fishnet, moderated by Carly...who set the course for strict mods...ask me how I know....

We bumped heads more than once...

[BrianD]

My first shipment of live rock was from TBSW, in 1998.

[pscheel]

Harbor Aquatics was great. Loved going thru Gary's pools of live rock and handpicking them. My 90 gallon still is 100% Harbor Aquatics rock.

[BrianD]

That is awesome. I loved visiting with Gary and Joy back in the day.

[liverock]

Originally Posted by BrianD

My first shipment of live rock was from TBSW, in 1998.

I must be old!

[BrianD]

I'm surprised you don't remember. I probably called 50 times in the few days after I received the "Package". The saltwater thing (and cycling a tank) were completely new to me.

I remember I had quite the collection of pretty fearsome looking crabs

[Tastee]

Originally Posted by homer1475

Ahh the old AOL days... "You've got mail!" lol 28k modems, then if you got a 56k modem you were styling.

28K?

To paraphrase the Monty Python Crew, that’s ‘luxury’!

300 baud auto dial modem in 1987 (which is luxury in itself, at least no manual dial and handset cradle!) to connect to my University Unix server and complete my computer science assignments. 8 line by 80 character UTS20 emulation.

Connected to a Windows 3.1 PC XT (again luxury, at least not standard PC, could address 64 KB RAM). No HDD, two 5 1/4” FDDs, so I could boot from one and save data to the other.

Same modem to connect to various bulletin boards (predecessors of forums).



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[liverock]

Originally Posted by BrianD

I'm surprised you don't remember. I probably called 50 times in the few days after I received the "Package". The saltwater thing (and cycling a tank) were completely new to me.

I remember I had quite the collection of pretty fearsome looking crabs

Who could forget.....you?

[Misled]

Originally Posted by Tastee

28K?

14.4 Boca modem.

[Misled]

I should say, in the very beginning, my Commodore 64 had a little box you put the phone on. The dial-up was a call to NYC. Thought it was cool to send a message to a guy two towns over. Should have just called him. Would have been a lot cheaper.

[shred5]

Originally Posted by BrianD

Walking down memory lane...

My first exposure to any "internet" discussions of reef aquaria were old Compuserv usenet newsgroups and similar newsgroups hosted by a magazine (can't remember which one). From there, I found the largest bulletin board at the time, Aqualink (a bulletin board hosted by, but not directed by, an online aquaria supplier). Reefs.org was another very active board at the time. Reef Central was merely a future dream formed by three very active Aqualinkers.

The big players in online ordering included Flying Fish Express, Jeff's Exotic Fish and Harbor Aquatics. Premium Aquatics and Inland Aquatics were also around, and all three of the "Aquatics" were in driving distance for me (a good thing).

GARF was hotly debated among proponents and skeptics, and Sano was the miracle cure for all that ailed the marine aquarium.

Compact florescent lighting was the rage, with CF and VHO challenging metal halide for supremacy among reefers.

It was not uncommon for the biggest of the big names to post on Usenet sites. It was also one of the few hobbies where you could actually meet and talk with the legendary figures (Delbeek, Sprung, ect). Going to a MACNA or IMAC and seeing all of these people was a wonderful treat.

The times, they have a'changed.

Are you talking about fishnet on compuserv? It was around way before the internet through dial-up. I was on that as were allot of those that became authors over the years. Just a few I remember like Larry Jackson, Albert Theil, Julian Sprung, Dana Riddle, Steve Tyre, Charles Delbeek, Richard Harker, Bob Goemans and later Eric Bornemann and Ron Shimeck and the list goes on.
I was still using fishnet even after AOL bought them and I was on RC at the time... Those were epic debates and the round tables. I went back to save the round tables because they are the history of the hobby and fishnet was taken down.

[shred5]

Originally Posted by BrianD

That is awesome. I loved visiting with Gary and Joy back in the day.

Yea I spent a pretty good amount of time there after Gary passed at macna..
A bunch of my friends helped Joy out and I would tag along and help when I could..
I miss Gary from RC chat back in the day. He spent allot of time on there.
I know RC chat is still there on IRC but I have not logged onto it in a long time.

I think what I miss most about the hobby back then was it was more about the biology.
Now it is about fancy equipment and collector corals. So many tanks are over packed with little frags everywhere and all over the sanded.
The turn over in the hobby is insane now too. Most are in the hobby for a short period.

[Kevin Guthrie]

Mr. Peabody's wayback machine is departing the station... Going back...

rec.aquaria.marine.reefs sci.aquaria
T8 Actinics and daylight bulbs, and 4-foot skimmers driven with limewood airstones
Trickle filters with DLS and bioballs
Undergravel filters driven with airstones or with power heads that actually sat above water level and had cooling fans
Martin Moe's The Marine Aquarium Reference
Crushed oyster shell gravel
Piston air pumps
And oldest of all, from the '60s, Instant Ocean

And that's just the stuff I can still remember!

[BrianD]

^Awesome!

[BrianD]

One thing that always fascinates me is all of the "have to have" gadgets that are in the hobby now, yet as recently as 1994 (when The Reef Aquarium first was published) there were incredible reef tanks, with incredibly "unadvanced" technology. That book is what first convinced me to get into the hobby.

[sde1500]

Always cool seeing you geezers reminisce. :P

Makes you wonder how the hobby will look in another few decades. All the changes that have presented over the last few, advances in coral care, technology. Those gadgets that may or may not actually make things easier. Advanced knowledge in coral care. Whats next?

[liverock]

Back in the early 1980's....I collected the first 'live rock' that was sold.....was the same time the 'Berlin" system appeared....and the local wholesaler was Manila Aquatics...and he purchased the first live rock that came from Florida. After that live rock demand started and the rest is history!

[shred5]

Originally Posted by Anemone

Yeah, Eric B and I used to moderate the Saltwater discussion board on AOL - all the way back in 1995/6 PM (pre-meth).

If there was just an Aqua Equalizer to fix all the things wrong in today's BB world...

Kevin

Yea the auto Equalizer, the downfall of Bob Goemans..
I felt bad for him. He was a little bit of a Goof but he knew his stuff and he was such a nice guy and really cared about this hobby. He helped allot of people out. I think he really thought the thing worked because he would have done nothing to hurt the hobby.
Bob is the one who told me to get on fishnet.

Originally Posted by liverock

Back in the early 1980's....I collected the first 'live rock' that was sold.....was the same time the 'Berlin" system appeared....and the local wholesaler was Manila Aquatics...and he purchased the first live rock that came from Florida. After that live rock demand started and the rest is history!

My first live rock was from Hawaii. Then I had some Florida live rock that was really smooth and odd.
Then my LFS started bringing some other liver rock from Florida that was incredible with tons of Christmas tree worms, was amazing.
I remember when they banned liverock collecting in Florida, thought it might be the end the hobby and then Fiji picked up the slack.

Originally Posted by BrianD

One thing that always fascinates me is all of the "have to have" gadgets that are in the hobby now, yet as recently as 1994 (when The Reef Aquarium first was published) there were incredible reef tanks, with incredibly "unadvanced" technology. That book is what first convinced me to get into the hobby.

Yea my first reef tank started with a HOB filter and shortly after a wet dry filter, I was so excited to get a wetdry..
My wife at the time then bought me a 75 gallon tank so I ordered a new wet dry from DLS aquatics with a airsone skimmer. This was when skimmer just started to be readily available, again I was so existed.
A few years latter I remove the DLS from the wet dry section and a few years after that a lifereef skimmer with a Mazzei venturi. Oh yea before the Lifereef skimmer I had added a 4' air driven skimmer and ditched that tiny dls aqautics skimmer. I had luft air pumps driving air into that thing.
Honestly I do not think I ever topped that 75...

What year did Reefcentral start?