*GAREEF*
Valuable Member
I’m new here but so far really enjoy this site.
I’ve been keeping aquariums since I was a child.
My father always had nice planted aquarium with angel fish and I started my first community fresh water in my bedroom, when I was around 7 years old. I still remember the aquarium and the different fish I kept in it.
I grew up in Ventura, California and started surfing at a very young age, always living within blocks of a beach. I did a lot of rock fishing as a child and was always fascinated with the rock anemones and vast amounts of marine fauna I could find in the harbor of Ventura Keys.
Fast forward to 18, I had moved to the Sierra Nevada mountains and graduated high school and started a job at a Petco in Chico, CA, in 1996, while in a junior college full time. This is when I began keeping and maintaining saltwater aquariums and got in deep very quickly. This had then turned into a full time job and after two years of college, I had met my amazing wife. At this time I moved on to a more advanced store that specialized in saltwater reef aquaria.
I had many clients throughout the years since.
Installing and managing many types of aquariums and ponds.
Fast forward to March 2002 and I joined the Army. Ar this point my wife and I had two children and the Army moved us to Germany, where I got to see some of the most amazing aquariums in the world and even taking a week long trip to the Monaco Aquarium.
I started a 90 gallon corner reef tank in Germany and purchased most of my corals in a few amazing shops Nuremberg.
Then I was deployed to Iraq for thirteen months.
I was mostly a gunner on a combat patrol team doing QRF, escorts and recon.
I’ve been through many explosions and have had a brain injury.
Shortly after returning from Iraq I started having some serious health issues but continued with reefing and eventually moved to GA as my wife was in the Air Force.
We have lived here off and on but mostly on in Georgia ever since.
8 years ago I got out of the hobby all together.
Became an alcoholic and began having mental health problems. Years of treatment and sobriety and I’ve gotten back into reef keeping and it’s really helped my mood and overall well being.
Still dealing with health problems but I’m addressing them rather than ignoring them.
I love watching my corals and looking at other peoples tanks and enjoy the conversations so far.
Thank you for allowing me to join and I look forward to some good times around here.
I’ve been keeping aquariums since I was a child.
My father always had nice planted aquarium with angel fish and I started my first community fresh water in my bedroom, when I was around 7 years old. I still remember the aquarium and the different fish I kept in it.
I grew up in Ventura, California and started surfing at a very young age, always living within blocks of a beach. I did a lot of rock fishing as a child and was always fascinated with the rock anemones and vast amounts of marine fauna I could find in the harbor of Ventura Keys.
Fast forward to 18, I had moved to the Sierra Nevada mountains and graduated high school and started a job at a Petco in Chico, CA, in 1996, while in a junior college full time. This is when I began keeping and maintaining saltwater aquariums and got in deep very quickly. This had then turned into a full time job and after two years of college, I had met my amazing wife. At this time I moved on to a more advanced store that specialized in saltwater reef aquaria.
I had many clients throughout the years since.
Installing and managing many types of aquariums and ponds.
Fast forward to March 2002 and I joined the Army. Ar this point my wife and I had two children and the Army moved us to Germany, where I got to see some of the most amazing aquariums in the world and even taking a week long trip to the Monaco Aquarium.
I started a 90 gallon corner reef tank in Germany and purchased most of my corals in a few amazing shops Nuremberg.
Then I was deployed to Iraq for thirteen months.
I was mostly a gunner on a combat patrol team doing QRF, escorts and recon.
I’ve been through many explosions and have had a brain injury.
Shortly after returning from Iraq I started having some serious health issues but continued with reefing and eventually moved to GA as my wife was in the Air Force.
We have lived here off and on but mostly on in Georgia ever since.
8 years ago I got out of the hobby all together.
Became an alcoholic and began having mental health problems. Years of treatment and sobriety and I’ve gotten back into reef keeping and it’s really helped my mood and overall well being.
Still dealing with health problems but I’m addressing them rather than ignoring them.
I love watching my corals and looking at other peoples tanks and enjoy the conversations so far.
Thank you for allowing me to join and I look forward to some good times around here.
