What inspired you to get into the saltwater hobby ?

[Reefing102]

Had freshwater as a kid but what really got me going was Finding Nemo. I was 13 then. 20 years in the saltwater hobby later with 8 working for LFS’s and here we are

 

[Rusty_L_Shackleford]

My parents had a 10 gallon with some goldfish when i was little and i got hooked. Started saltwater after seeing them in the stores and started cleaning tanks at an lfs for store credit at 14. Always had tanks after that. 9 years ago i moved to hawaii to study marine biology and aquaculture at almost 30. Spent 8 years there and met my wife before being forced to leave. moved to sc and my wife bought me a tank for my birthday last year so i could get back in. She got over the sticker shock pretty quickly and loves the tank. Now we go on mini road trips on our days off to check out stores. She has the bug now. I bought her a planted tank for her birthday and were passivly shopping for another reef. One of us, one of us.

 

[dennis romano]

I had a 10 gallon freshwater as far back as I can remember in the 1960s. In seventh grade, my reading teacher gave me a National Geographic that had an article on reefs of the Florida Keys (still have the Geographic). There was a full page picture of a queen angel. Wow! A few days later, in Kazimirs Aquarium in Hackensack, NJ, there was one. Been hooked ever since. I started my first salt tank around 1972.

 

[Derrick0580]

About 25 years ago a friend was house sitting and I stopped in to hang out for a bit and the family had a couple saltwater tanks. I didn’t even know up until that point you could even keep reef fish in your home aquarium. But in the corner was a hex tank that housed a pair of clowns with a huge nem. That single tank is what really sparked my interest!

 

[KrisReef]

Well, I've read some of this thread and I remember snorkeling in Point Loma and netting fish out of the ocean that I tried to keep alive in a tank. Then I had fish tanks in my apartment that were bigger than the couch with oyster shell gravel on top of the UG filters with powerheads and a UV sterilizer made in San Diego by Aquanetics. I got divorced and after that I forget what happened so I suppose it will remain a mystery how I stumbled through life and had saltwater aquariums along the way.
What else was there to do?

 

[AydenLincoln]

I had always wanted a saltwater tank! I had freshwater tanks on and off for years and some of my fish in my last freshwater tank died so that’s when I decided to give it away and jump into saltwater. Over a year, multiple tanks, and debt later I’m still in love with it haha!

 

[xiongsy]

Finding Nemo

 

[killer2001]

I was young, probably sometime around the year 1999-2000, I went with my mom to visit one of her friends... Her friend was a cat breeder and her husband had saltwater and freshwater aquariums ALL over the house. I was completely immersed in the experience. I was there for hours looking at all the tanks and I quickly realized that freshwater did not interest me as much as saltwater did. Since then having a saltwater aquarium has been on my mind but life always got in the way. It wasn't until last year I finally decided to make the plunge instead of dreaming about it.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

I have many years of fresh water tanks. I took some time off from aquarium keeping and one day my wife got me a 75 for father's day. With in a year I was running 9 fresh water tanks. It had become to easy and I needed a challenge, so July of last year I started my first reef tank and now only have 3 fresh water, my 90 reef a fowlr and am building my first frag tank. You can say I'm an addict for fish keeping

 

[EliMelly]

Grew up watching Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Life, and always felt really at peace seeing what was under the water. Fast forward to teenage years, was using tons of psychedelics and drugs and went back to my childhood roots and rewatched all the David Attenborough ocean documentaries, but super high which was wild. The colors and life really blew my mind yet again. Fast forward a couple years later, still a child but have money which is not the best combo and here we are. Just getting started! Also have a baby boy and really want him to grow up around nature he already loves the tank!

 

[anabechara]

Don’t shun me but…..my wife wanted a Finding Nemo aquarium.

That was my son!
He asked for a clown for his third birthday. Hubby and I said yes.
Fish came home and they instantly became mine. This is the hobby I never knew I needed in my life!

 

[Mnc-icymidnight]

I watched a video of a reef on youtube (Can't remember who) and my mums friend was moving to Australia. They gave me there tank and I started keeping neon tetras and freshwater bettas. 3 years later (and a lot of badgering at my parents) I get to set up a reef in December. Not in yet, but nearly there!

 

[JasPR]

It's a journey, I started with damsels in 1973. Moved up steadily to a 600 gallon Plexiglass and 'invert tank' and stayed marine crazy until 1990. That lead to scuba diving all over the world. Slowing went crazy for high end koi for twenty years and now back to freshwater amazing planted aquaria - and two marine tanks ( a 440 gallon and a 180G gallon). It's been an adventure and a thing of obsession. Wouldn't have traded it for a million dollars ( which is probably 1/2 of what I spent on this hobby!)

 

[JasPR]

It's a journey, I started with damsels in 1973. Moved up steadily to a 600 gallon Plexiglass and 'invert tank' and stayed marine crazy until 1990. That lead to scuba diving all over the world. Slowing went crazy for high end koi for twenty years and now back to freshwater amazing planted aquaria - and two marine tanks ( a 440 gallon and a 180G gallon). It's been an adventure and a thing of obsession. Wouldn't have traded it for a million dollars ( which is probably 1/2 of what I spent on this hobby!)

 

[Propane]

I saw a Zoa.

 

[KKY]

Scuba diving! It made me want to be able to see it everyday, and so I take the ocean home

 

[Spicy Reef]

I read a lot of comics as a grade school kid... and that family of sea monkeys was always alluring...
when I hit 5th grade it was those little eco spheres - The dye was cast.

This dates me, but my profile spells it out

 

[secret_reefer337]

I am always fascinated by sea creatures, I remember growing up, we bring fish and saltwater from the sea and put it into out tank. I even once found an octopus and tried keeping it in my 10gal tank…that was when I am maybe 7 or 8 years old. On the early 90’s, I’ve got my first official saltwater tank.

 

[Katze]

Marine biology ! I'm currently aiming to be a marine biologist. But until then I only have the hobby which is very fun to do in my opinion.

 

[bigdaddydz]

Its just soo freakin interesting. legit a piece of the ocean in your home!