Curiosity kills the cat, what makes people want to start a reef tank?

[fishybizzness]

My current tank!

 

[samnaz]

I’ve been obsessed with everything ocean related since I can remember. It’s crazy though, I only got into aquariums and reefkeeping about 2 years ago.

I decided to go back to college and took a biology class, best decision of my life maybe! I was writing a paper about coral reef ecology, specifically symbiosis among the reef. A search on google lead me to the Tank of he month page on nano-reef.

I remember it like yesterday, one of the most beautiful sites I ever laid eyes upon. I was absolutely blown away at the incredible tiny reefs in peoples homes and honestly couldn’t believe my eyes but had to write a paper so I bookmarked the page for later.

Crazy thing is, I remembered to check my bookmarks later on, which I literally never ever do! Started my first tank shortly after that.... And the rest is history!

 

[Why-Me]

Same here been into all things ocean related since I can remember but just recently got into the hobby. Maybe living 1,500 mi from each ocean has something to do with it?

 

[Littlemikey]

For me it’s various things I’ve always been fascinated by growing plant life and had a love for marine animals. I started with fresh water and a friend had finished his salt. What really fascinated me was watching every documentary available on Netflix about the worlds oceans and reefs. Sadly with every amazing reef documentary came one about climate change and the devastation of the worlds corals bleaching if you have seen this one then you know which film I speak of. I had a moment and thought I may never have an opportunity to actually dive and see a reef in my lifetime. What a better way to learn about the reef ecosystem then to start your own. In the process I have brought friends on board helping them start their adventures.

 

[Rockit]

My wife and I couldn't agree on any FW fish.
I like, and have always kept aggressive species.... she calls them "gladiator tanks".
She wanted peaceful. Almost 100% of the fish she liked were SW.
We now have SW. Initially the plan was FOWLR..... that changed almost instantly.

 

[Booger McMoron]

I retired from drag racing motorcycles. My wife said I was too grumpy and needed something to keep me busy. Poof! She bought a 125g tank and now I’m in the hobby. New to saltwater, but so far so good.

 

[Clownfish2]

I have always been fascinated with aquatic life. Growing up in FL when I was a kid, I would collect tadpoles and minnows from ponds in a mason jar. Then I had freshwater tanks. When visiting relatives in Arkansas, I would collect crayfish and bring them back to FL. Some would survive if I didn’t overfeed them during the car ride home from Arkansas.

When I was 15ish my uncle gave me his 55 gallon tank as a Christmas gift to become saltwater. My most favorite place to begin driving to was the local fish store as well as Barnes and Noble book store to buy marine fish books.

Today I have a 110 gallon in a condo and plan to go bigger when I transition to a house.

 

[Dragon52]

Wow I’m so glad things are working out for @Eggpaul you will have to post some pics. In regards to trading @Mkus it would be nice to trade with friends, I just don’t know many here where I live.

@Dragon52 when I get some time I will go through your build thread. It will be exciting to see all that you have done and accomplished so far. How do like the new change?

I like it because now I have a YH Jawfish living happily with a bonded pr of Wheeler's gobies & their shrimp friend. lol

 

[76fishman]

I’ve been fish keeping with my dad since I was maybe 7 or 8, he had been fishkeeping since late 80s early 90s. We had a 125 when we lived overseas in Jakarta, Indonesia, a freshwater tank solely for a green arowana and a small freshwater tank in our garage.
Livestock was dirt cheap there due to ease of acces and good exchange rates for the dollar.

Whenever we travelled, I always wanted to go to aquariums. Seeing these microcosms of what the big blue looked like made me want to be a marine biologist at an early age. I didn’t end up pursuing that route but I got a scuba license so I can see the vast underwater world for myself.

Being in the fishkeeping hobby with my dad is really great. Almost like clockwork, we go to the LFS together on the weekends, like we have been for 10+ years now and it’s something we’ve created a strong bond through.

 

[jason.kennedy.98478]

That tank with its little lion fish is what started it all

 

[Oldsalt01]

In 1970 I was stationed in Norfolk VA. That summer my then- wife and I moved to the Chesapeake Bay and I decided to try an experiment. We set up a 20g tank, put about 10# of beach sand in and for the next 6 months I would haul a 5 gallon bucket of Bay water once a week the one block to our house. We had a stock hood with a gro-lux flouro bulb and some bleached coral we got somewhere. We stocked it with Glass Shrimp, Silver Sides and baby Atlantic Spadefish I netted in one of the estuaries as well as a baby Horseshoe Crab I caught at the beach. I deployed to the Mediterranean that December so everything went back into the bay, but from then on I was hooked. My smallest tank is my present 14g BC but have kept them up to 125g. They may have a hole in the top to throw money into, but I love them just the same. I can spend hours sitting in front of mine just watching my critters.

 

[SallyWho]

I just spent a solid half hour reading through this whole thread. I love all these stories! I'll share my own, even though I haven't started my build yet. I was 10 years old when my parents bought me a 10g freshwater tank to shut me up- I'd been begging for a fish tank for almost a year. I kept basic community fish and loved it, but had to give it up when I left for college- luckily, my AP biology teacher took the tank for her classroom. Fast forward to being a recent college grad. I'd been struggling with serious mental health issues for several years, and graduated in 2008 when the economy sharted, so I was stressed to the balls (which is a real trick, let me tell you, because I'm a woman), unemployed, and generally in a bad place. Someone on facebook tagged me in a livestream of some coral reef somewhere. I remember sitting mesmerized at my computer in my cheap, shady apartment, with a bowl of ramen noodles to which I'd added baby carrots and some cheese (my only meal that day- this particular memory is that clear), watching coral sway and insanely colorful fish swim around. For a few precious minutes, it gave me a sense of peace, nearly enough to make me cry. I began obsessively searching out videos of coral reefs, which led me to the youtube rabbit hole of reef tanks. I knew I had to get one, but when you live hand-to-mouth, you know it won't be any time soon. So I studied. I've spent the last 8 years gorging on youtube to learn everything I could about reef tanks, and haunting R2R. Watching relaxing videos of reef tanks still helps me manage my mental illness, which is much improved. Now, 8 years later, I've moved to another state, gotten a good job in a new career field, bought a house last year, and am within a month or so of getting my first tank. I can't wait to start my own build thread on here, and to see if I have what it takes to do real reefing hands-on, instead of just "book learning!" If it's anything like I've imagined it, I'm going to be in this hobby for as long as I can afford it.

 

[BryanD]

The challenge. After keeping freshwater for about 13 years, I tried a reef tank in my late 20's. 30 years later, still going at it!