What Got You Into The Hobby? - Page 2

major stare · 12/07/2014, 01:33 PM

In was about 12yrs old. Dad had Koi and at the garden centre one day I bought a tank and two goldfish.
From there a bigger tank with more fish, then tropical fish, then oddball tropical and finally discus.

When I turned 22, I moved to my own/first house and started marine for a few years.

Then a break for a few years until 10yrs ago I got back into marines.

I am now 44yrs old.

DragRacinGramps · 12/07/2014, 02:00 PM

I've kept freshwater tanks for years, and going into the lfs seeing the salt water fish and corals over the years it was just a natural progression. I still keep a 70g freshwater planted system along with the 75g mixed reef that I just set up a few months ago. I had a reef system that I gave away to friends about 7 years ago and I regretted giving that away almost immediately. I had to take a medical retirement just over 5 years ago from the FD which I worked at for 23 years so I had to find things to spend my time on. As you can see from my screen name I'm into drag racing in the summer months, well when the racing season ends I was looking for something to keep me busy in the winter months and this year it finally hit me again, yep a reef system, and I'm loving it! I have to have hobbies that challenge my brain a little bit and both of my major hobbies do just that, not to mention they are both HUGE MONEY PITS, oh well most good things aren't cheap!!!!!

Rob6311 · 12/07/2014, 03:09 PM

I think my love of sea life began around the age of 8 or 9 when my mom and a few of her friends took me on vacation to the U.S virgin island of St. John. I remember trying to swim my butt off trying to just touch a juvenile sea turtle, and I remember I was just inches away from touching it but I could not swim any more, and it was really cool just looking up at it trying to touch it because it stayed close to the surface. And then one of the times we went snorkeling I remember coming around a corner and coming face to face with a "huge" barracuda (lol it seemed big back then but it wasn't that big maybe 10 inches), and on the same day I also chased around a little royal gramma, and also at one point I just looked down and there were 2 big eagle Rays right below me, and I thought swimming with all these cool animals was really really cool and now I have my own part of the ocean in my house

Outrigger Reef · 12/07/2014, 09:08 PM

Move in to our new house 2-1/2 years ago and my pool table wouldn't fit. Needed something for the man cave and here I am.

kmbyrnes · 12/08/2014, 06:49 AM

My name is Kevin and I am a reefaholic.
My wife and I always admired the beautiful tanks we'd see in restaurants and stores, and talked about getting one for years. I has zero fish keeping experience. I only remembered my friend's dismal failures in the late 70's.
In summer of 2013, we were on vacation and happened into a reef store in CA. Talked to a great guy there who said things were much different now than the 70's.
Came home from vacation and went to an LFS to get 'talked out of' a reef tank. Instead we got a 12g nano.
2 Weeks later I bought my 110 setup off Craigslist. Last month we added a 125 FOWLR.
Last week the nano cam down, because we were both neglecting it. The inhabitants are dong fine in the other tanks.
Unfortunately(?), we are now planning a 300+ gallon room divider.

12/07/2014, 01:33 PM	#26
major stare Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nottingham UK Posts: 95	In was about 12yrs old. Dad had Koi and at the garden centre one day I bought a tank and two goldfish. From there a bigger tank with more fish, then tropical fish, then oddball tropical and finally discus. When I turned 22, I moved to my own/first house and started marine for a few years. Then a break for a few years until 10yrs ago I got back into marines. I am now 44yrs old. __________________ Jon

12/08/2014, 06:49 AM	#30
kmbyrnes Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Mesa AZ Posts: 2,055	My name is Kevin and I am a reefaholic. My wife and I always admired the beautiful tanks we'd see in restaurants and stores, and talked about getting one for years. I has zero fish keeping experience. I only remembered my friend's dismal failures in the late 70's. In summer of 2013, we were on vacation and happened into a reef store in CA. Talked to a great guy there who said things were much different now than the 70's. Came home from vacation and went to an LFS to get 'talked out of' a reef tank. Instead we got a 12g nano. 2 Weeks later I bought my 110 setup off Craigslist. Last month we added a 125 FOWLR. Last week the nano cam down, because we were both neglecting it. The inhabitants are dong fine in the other tanks. Unfortunately(?), we are now planning a 300+ gallon room divider. __________________ 125g Mixed Reef 5/26/2015; 350 Butterfly Dominated FOWLR 11/26/2015 - 11/17/20217 & 07/31/18 to ??? ; 100g Mixed Reef 11/16/2013 to 06/16/2017 Current Tank Info: Too small

12/07/2014, 02:00 PM	#27
DragRacinGramps Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: S.E. MI Posts: 152	I've kept freshwater tanks for years, and going into the lfs seeing the salt water fish and corals over the years it was just a natural progression. I still keep a 70g freshwater planted system along with the 75g mixed reef that I just set up a few months ago. I had a reef system that I gave away to friends about 7 years ago and I regretted giving that away almost immediately. I had to take a medical retirement just over 5 years ago from the FD which I worked at for 23 years so I had to find things to spend my time on. As you can see from my screen name I'm into drag racing in the summer months, well when the racing season ends I was looking for something to keep me busy in the winter months and this year it finally hit me again, yep a reef system, and I'm loving it! I have to have hobbies that challenge my brain a little bit and both of my major hobbies do just that, not to mention they are both HUGE MONEY PITS, oh well most good things aren't cheap!!!!!

12/07/2014, 03:09 PM	#28
Rob6311 Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 704	I think my love of sea life began around the age of 8 or 9 when my mom and a few of her friends took me on vacation to the U.S virgin island of St. John. I remember trying to swim my butt off trying to just touch a juvenile sea turtle, and I remember I was just inches away from touching it but I could not swim any more, and it was really cool just looking up at it trying to touch it because it stayed close to the surface. And then one of the times we went snorkeling I remember coming around a corner and coming face to face with a "huge" barracuda (lol it seemed big back then but it wasn't that big maybe 10 inches), and on the same day I also chased around a little royal gramma, and also at one point I just looked down and there were 2 big eagle Rays right below me, and I thought swimming with all these cool animals was really really cool and now I have my own part of the ocean in my house

12/07/2014, 09:08 PM	#29
Outrigger Reef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Mentor, OH Posts: 196	Move in to our new house 2-1/2 years ago and my pool table wouldn't fit. Needed something for the man cave and here I am.