Were you in the freshwater hobby before reefing? If so, for how long before getting your first reef tank?

[Tinnerito]

I felt like asking a grins and giggles question for those who'd like to share. The title is the question, and I can't wait to hear the replies!! I've been keeping freshwater for 8 years since I was 7 years old, when I raised my first aquarium by myself, and still am doing freshwater to this day. Only started reefing February.

 

[ScottJ]

Fresh water on and off for 45 years. Started a Reef when Covid closed just about everything but the LFS. They had Evo 13.5's on sale. I think they saw me coming...

 

[JTP424]

I was in a cichlid club called capitalcichlids.org and got into breeding cichlids and catfish. Even tied for 3rd place in aca bap. (American cichlid association breeders awards program) oh and 28 tanks in a third floor 3 bedroom apartment... over 1k of freestanding water and a tank in every room and closet minus the bathroom

Sounds like you had another room you needed a tank in!

 

[AlyciaMarie]

No, unless you count the goldfish I won at the fair. If you count that, I was a freshwater hobbyist from 8-10 years old.

 

[Crabs McJones]

No, unless you count the goldfish I won at the fair. If you count that, I was a freshwater hobbyist from 8-10 years old.

Same, and they died, every time

 

[AlyciaMarie]

Same, and they died, every time

Mine actually lived longer than I anticipated!

 

[Crabs McJones]

Mine actually lived longer than I anticipated!

I think mine made it....maaaaybe a week? And if that I was doing good at that time

 

[Fenral]

I progressed from freshwater to discus from age 4 to 19. Around age 20, I switched one of my 120s to salt—then I had a reef tank for 6 years until the great crash of 2006...

 

[Jasonak]

Won a goldfish at the fair when I was like 7-8 years old they had a game throw a ping pong ball and get a goldfish. I was hooked since. Got my first job at a place called coral reef and got a salt water tank that was at 13 years old. Got into REEFING in my early 30s soffties, clams, went more towards SPS in my late 30s . Ive maintained a freshwater tank the whole time also. Although now my wife has taken over them. We have 120 fresh 30 fresh. 330 reef and 75 salt fish only. I just picked up a frag tank but will prob not set up till December when my life slows down a little. So to answer the actual question about 5 years from fresh to salt

 

[CHSUB]

Freshwater summer 1980, saltwater 1982. Still enjoy freshwater, seems to be more relaxing.

 

[Timfish]

I kept freshwater for 15 years before I set up my first saltwater system 38 years ago.

 

[AlyciaMarie]

What made everyone want to make the swap from fresh to salt? Or do both?

 

[TL1]

What made everyone want to make the swap from fresh to salt? Or do both?

Freshwater for 6 years before salt.

My dad had a 180gallon reef when I was growing up, so I always wanted to do salt. I knew enough about the fish I wanted to keep to know I didn't want a small tank, so ultimately the shift to salt was based on when I could afford a larger system!

I'm still itching to get a planted tank going again.

 

[Minifoot77]

Sounds like you had another room you needed a tank in!

Nah im good... still have most of the equipment tho if your looking for tanks

 

[MugenReef95]

1 year freshwater untill i found we can keep saltwater lol switched out completely to saltwater for 7 years now

 

[Timfish]

If I had more time, space and money I'd have a lot more freshwater. What made me want to keep saltwater initially were the bright colors of the fish. What's kept me captivated is the shear complexity of a marine reef ecosystem.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

No, unless you count the goldfish I won at the fair. If you count that, I was a freshwater hobbyist from 8-10 years old.

She forgot to mention that she kept the goldfish in her bathtub for 2 years, rock and all in there

 

[Tinnerito]

If I had more time, space and money I'd have a lot more freshwater. What made me want to keep saltwater initially were the bright colors of the fish. What's kept me captivated is the shear complexity of a marine reef ecosystem.

Same here. Space, time, and money are the three limiting factors of aquariums.

 

[Tinnerito]

What made everyone want to make the swap from fresh to salt? Or do both?

I've been obsessed with marine life since I was a little toddler, and last year I thought if I was going to work with marine aquaria for the majority of my life, then I have to start somewhere. And here I am.

 

[Tinnerito]

Same, and they died, every time

Those things never last long

 

[BigAl07]

I was literally born into (54 years ago yesterday, 10/24/1970) the Fresh Water Fish/Tank industry. When my parents brought me home from the hospital, my "bedroom" was being used to house/breed various GUPPIES! My earliest memories include racks of tanks loaded with various varieties of guppies as my father was dabbling with breeding mixed and fancy varieties.

I've always maintained some type of FW tank almost non-stop through the years and still have 2 FW (well 1 is FW fish and the other is a BioActive Habitat for Fire Bellied Toads/Tree Frogs but it has fish in it too) here at the house in addition to our Reef Tank.