What inspired you to get into the saltwater hobby ?

[Gumbies R Us]

I'd be curious to know how many new people got into the hobby when Finding Nemo came out. I know that is what also got me interested in it when I was a kid too

 

[vetteguy53081]

I'd be curious to know how many new people got into the hobby when Finding Nemo came out. I know that is what also got me interested in it when I was a kid too

There are stats on that
Can’t remember the source

 

[unchaotic]

My wife got a free 60g tank with 4 fish and some snails. She had no idea what she was doing and I quickly figured out that:

A. I needed to step in and save those fish (her first two additions died).
B. She was going to bankrupt us buying 5 gallons of Imagitarium saltwater at a time.

After I started taking over she quickly learned she was in way over her head. Now I do all the work and she just sits back and enjoys the tanks. Starting to think it was intentional ... like doing a bad job on laundry until someone else starts to do it.

 

[JCATL]

I let myself get suckered into a turtle tank with the agreement that I could "convert" said turtle tank to salt water once the turtles grew enough to be returned to our lake. I also knew that said turtle tank would be insufficient for salt water and a new setup would have to be purchased.

I've always wanted a salt water aquarium and we're over the top animal people. We've bred chameleons, snakes, dogs, cats, turtles, have a Koi pond, etc. There was really nowhere left to go but salt water.

Now my wife, who is a flower/plant grower by hobby, has discovered that corals are basically ocean flowers and has taken a serious interest in my hobby.

*rubs hands together* YES...YES... ALL PART OF THE PLAN.

 

[alain Bouchard]

I guess that would be my hate for money?
but more seriously, its the challenge and the beauty.

 

[cwerner]

I'm drawn to expensive, impractical hobbies.

Precision Rifle Series competition
PC gaming and building
Reef Tanks

I'm considering getting into crack to save money.

 

[NkSde]

I wanted to take care of an animal in the barracks and there was no specific rule for fish at the time.

 

[nuxx]

Had some freshwater tanks growing up.

Parent's always said saltwater would be too hard and too expensive.

When tanked came out my wife and I tried our hand at it LOL

Who knew years later I'd be working with @Eric Cohen

 

[mushrommy]

As title indicates. . . what inspired you to get into the saltwater hobby?

This hobby has changed over the last 3-4 decades with new technology, discovery of fish, Locally bred fish and corals types and fragging. There are many who have owned freshwater tanks and took the Leap, while there are some who went right to it.
OFTEN IT IS IMPULSE THAT LEADS US INTO THIS HOBBY.

For me, it was going to a pet store and seeing a tank of Blue devil damsels and I got hypnotized by all that vivid blue and knew I had to have a tank with these guys.
Little did I know they and Domino Damsels would be the worse fish one could have.

snorkeling in coral reefs.

 

[Eric Cohen]

I'd be curious to know how many new people got into the hobby when Finding Nemo came out. I know that is what also got me interested in it when I was a kid too

Finding Nemo definitely gave the industry a boost. Retailers weren't anywhere near ready for the surge of new hobbyists wanting a Nemo and Dory in their homes.....I actually was lucky enough to have been at the movie premier, and displayed a large touch-tank full of anemones and captive raised clownfish, as well as cleaner shrimps, starfish and some cat sharks. My daughters helped me that day, and we had so much fun introducing marine animals to Hollywood's elite. The movie Finding Nemo premiered in Hollywood with special guests only....mainly actors/acrtesses and their families. After the movie, everyone was invited to a big party across the street, where we had the touch tank on display. Really fun day. But to answer the question, I was inspired by my father Bob, who had one of the first Aquarium Retail Stores in Los Angeles that had a large selection of saltwater fish. We had aquariums all over our house, as well as ponds on the back yard set up to breed freshwater angelfish. My dad knew all the scientific names of the freshwater fish, and I knew one day, I would inspire to know the same...little did I know I would help grow today's largest marine wholesaler in the world. Very proud of that.

Im still very excited to help hobbyists with their aquarium livestock choices, and continue to ship livestock each week around the Country. Still learning and having a lot of fun. If you order from me, you get me as part of the package.

E

 

[Alexraptor]

Finding Nemo! Its an interesting story though.

I wanted a clownfish so bad after seeing the movie when I was a kid/teen, but my mom (god rest he soul) was a smart cookie.

She agreed to buy me the stuff I needed, IF and ONLY IF, I properly researched the subject first and stipulated the condition that I had to wait at least a full year. So she bought me the Bob Fenner's book, The Conscientious Marine Aquarist, which I spent all of 2004 poring over, before I finally took the plunge in the beginning of 2005. That book was my sole guide and bible that saw me through the first few years in the hobby, before I discovered online communities.

Crazy to think, I've had reefs for 18 years, but I've been interested in the hobby for a full two decades now.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Finding Nemo definitely gave the industry a boost. Retailers weren't anywhere near ready for the surge of new hobbyists wanting a Nemo and Dory in their homes.....I actually was lucky enough to have been at the movie premier, and displayed a large touch-tank full of anemones and captive raised clownfish, as well as cleaner shrimps, starfish and some cat sharks. My daughters helped me that day, and we had so much fun introducing marine animals to Hollywood's elite. The movie Finding Nemo premiered in Hollywood with special guests only....mainly actors/acrtesses and their families. After the movie, everyone was invited to a big party across the street, where we had the touch tank on display. Really fun day. But to answer the question, I was inspired by my father Bob, who had one of the first Aquarium Retail Stores in Los Angeles that had a large selection of saltwater fish. We had aquariums all over our house, as well as ponds on the back yard set up to breed freshwater angelfish. My dad knew all the scientific names of the freshwater fish, and I knew one day, I would inspire to know the same...little did I know I would help grow today's largest marine wholesaler in the world. Very proud of that.

Im still very excited to help hobbyists with their aquarium livestock choices, and continue to ship livestock each week around the Country. Still learning and having a lot of fun. If you order from me, you get me as part of the package.

E

Enjoyable read

 

[bakbay]

My co-worker introduced me to freshwater (angelfish and African Ciclids) in the early 90s. I got bored and converted the tank into an aggressive FOWRL tank with moray eels, triggers, puffers, lion fish — that was cool! I went to a LFS and saw the most ****** softies tank during thr Y2K era and have been keeping corals since. I get bored easily so might go full circle and back to freshwater — koi ponds?

 

[Esox]

For me, it was going to a pet store and seeing a tank of Blue devil damsels and I got hypnotized by all that vivid blue and knew I had to have a tank with these guys.

Still love those pugnacious blue rascals. Dwarf seahorses were my first foray into marine tanks (mid '80s, ordered from the back of a Boys Life magazine), but I traded them in when I saw the damsels. The blue devil was my 1st and remains my favorite, even though I haven't had one since.

Once my family room is done, I'll be building an 8' fowlr, mostly for butterflies, but the last fish I'm gonna add will be a pair of blue damsels. Time to go back to my roots.

 

[00W]

My buddy asked me to be his best man-1988 or 89 I think it was. I traveled down from college and low and behold there was a 100 gallon tank in the now smallest living room I've ever been in.
Wow! Undergravel filter with crushed coral. I was hooked. Soon progressed to trickle filter and onwards. My buddy taught me how to fabricate everything and soon I was a goner!
Albert Theil and Martin Moe were big inspirations as was wet web media later on.
I also lived in the bay area and I had tons of resources.
Nothing like today. With everything being on line some things are easier other things harder but I am more hooked today than ever before.

 

[Roatan Reef]

Freshwater guy here for 18+ years....always loved saltwater, but thought it was too expensive and complicated to get into.

I've snorkeled and dived Roatan, the world's 2nd largest barrier reef, been to Bonaire, the Bahamas, Grand Cayman, USVI, you name it...always loved saltwater.

Fast Forward to 2022....we did the dam thing. Started out as a $2500 project...fast Forward, it's now well over $5k...for a 40B. Had lots of up and downs, lost many fish and coral, but now...it's banging!

I consider myself a master of Freshwater, have set up many friends and family tanks that have had great success, so I guess I needed a new challenge....and that it was. I watched 1000,s of videos read all the articles I could and thought it would be easy, but...not so fast my friend. I lost a lot in first 6 months. But patience, R2R, and learning paid off. My tank is doing amazing now. I have received much help from @vetteguy53081 , @Randy Holmes-Farley and others from the R2R community and have learned this hobby is not a quick thing!

..patience and perseverance are key, but the rewards are awesome!!

40B Saltwater with Tampa Bay Live Rock and Live Sand

125 South American Cichlid Tank

 

[Ly78]

1st time snorkelling in Bali some 20yrs back. It was enough to get me started. Had fowlr for 10+ years and got back in some 4years back and went with reef tank.

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

Just literally gave away 8heads of hammer today its all about the experience not the price

 

[parclife]

Mine started during covid, I got a 60 litre fresh tank. That obviously wasn’t big enough and it grew from there. The fresh tanks got bigger and one day I thought I’d try my hand at marine. Started with a Redsea max nano and again went bigger and bigger from that one. Didn’t think it would be this addictive though!

 

[Roatan Reef]

And lol...somebody call the Tang Police on me...have had a Bristletooth Tang for over 6 months now in a 40B, and he's doing great..went from yellow to his current color now, eats some algae off rock, but loves his daily feedings of frozen/dry foods.