What got you into reefkeeping?

[banditpowdercoat]

I like being different. And I allways liked aquariums. Never liked fishing, but could watch tanks for hrs. About 10 years ago, I tried FW. jumped in, over stocked, etc etc. After a coulple years I gave it up. FW just were not that interesting after a while. Not as colorfull, and just plants. A few years ago I resurected my old tank. mainly for our daughter. I figured maybe she would get interested, and have a 'pet' or 20 LOL. Well, then I figured I was at a point in my life that maybe I could afford a marine tank(Boy, was I wrong LOL) But I soon after, found Canreef and the rest is history.

[Myka]

I started with freshwater when I was a kid. I went with my mom on various occasions to the library, and always checked out their fish section. I noticed the saltwater books, and started reading those. The Conscientious Marine Aquarist is one I remember specifically. I would special order my saltwater fish and inverts at my LFS because they only carried freshwater, but would order something for me if I picked it up when it arrived. I also went down to the US (closest saltwater LFS to me) and spent my babysitting money there. It just kinda went from there.

[justinl]

I got into reefing because I heard these grow ops could make you a bit of cash... boy was I wrong.

alright, so now that the mandatory reefer pun has been said and done with, the actual reason i got into this (and I am aware that a lot of people won't understand this) is because I wanted to keep a mantis shrimp. coolest bugs ever. maybe this'll help...

[mark]

As I said in this thread, was a trip to the Philippines.

[Ian]

OK so I was visiting my niece and we it was a crappy rainy day and we needed something to do. So she decided to watch a video. It was this cool movie about a clown fish and well it was actually animated you may have heard of it....Finding something I think was its name.........

K honestly I have had fresh water tanks for the better part if the last 25 years and they have always facinated me but SW seemed way to hard to do and way to costly. about a year and a half ago I got the itch again to try SW and started to read up. After reading and showing my wife everry pic. and article I found SHE finally told me to do something about it. So now I have a 30 gallon bio cube and am about to start a build of a 90 gallon plus sump system...and my wife......well she is just starting to realise how much this hobby can actually cost

[Doug]

Natural progression. Freshwater in the 70,s.....saltwater fish only in the 80,s....reefing in the 90,s.

[Skimmerking]

What got me into SW, Hmmmmmmmmmmm well my mom was always in to Fresh water tanks every where i used to help her all the time.. never thoguht about it we got a puppy from this store and it didnt work out. so i got credit and said hey a 10 gal what the heck..
cleaned and water change every week went retarded keeping it clean.
so 10 to a 40,52, 135, all fresh then started SALT WATER 1st tank 120 then back to Fresh 280 gal its was a cover up then 280 SALT,75 ,62, 170, 120, now 150 and that is it.

until I move to our victorian home once I figure out where in the city to move it will be a 36x36x24 CUBE...

[Leah]

When I was a kid my Dad was into freshwater. We had a huge basement and at one point we had over 30 tanks set up and running. It was my job to clean and catch the
babies. The latter was just sooo much fun. We then moved from North Van up to Whitehorse.....I left all my friend's on one condition, that I could set up a tank of my
own in my bedroom. We had one petstore in town and I loved going there. And at 16
I got my first job. And guess where..... I am still surprised my parents would even allow
it as I was A-1 in bring home stray aniamals. I even had a pet squirrel named, tiche
until my parent decided that it was not to cool for him to be running up and down my
mom's drapes~ Ha! Then after living in Hawaii for a couple of years, I thought it would
be cool to set up a saltwater tank. And the rest is well, history. It is such a wonder
to own these pieces of art. I just wish everyone could have the experience. I feel very
privledged as not everybody can afford to do this. Even through all the good and bad, I
can not believe what I have learned. How fortunate we are to be here. Opp's didn't
realize how much I wrote.

[Lance]

Back in the late 80's I was into freshwater for quite some time. I tried them all: community tanks, cichlid tanks, Africans, breeding, etc. Saltwater was just starting to take off at about that time and I was thinking of trying it out. But before I got a chance we took on a new business and between trying to get the business off the ground and babies that kept appearing I just didn't have the time for the hobby anymore. I gave away all my tanks and was away from the hobby for a long time. Then a couple of years ago my son got a FW tank and I got the itch again. But this time for SW. Now that I've experienced both I could never go back to FW again. This forum and the people on it make this hobby even more enjoyable.