What Was Your First Tank, Do You Still Have It?

[Rmckoy]

First system was a 30 gal cube in the early 90’s I bought from a closing lfs
That tank is long gone and many upgrades have happened since that time

 

[j.falk]

My very first tank was a cheap 5 1/2 gallon flat back hex plastic aquarium from Walmart. I set it up and had freshwater fish in it the same day! I was excited! I set up my first tank all by myself...and then overnight all of the fish became covered in ich! I didn't know you had to have a heater for fish! Much less anything about water conditions! I was aquarium dumb back then. LOL

That was over 25 years ago. Since then I've learned way more about aquariums and keeping aquatic life than I care to admit. I started off with freshwater aquariums and after working at and helping manage a local aquarium store for 14 years I fell in love with saltwater. After that, I just can't go back to fresh. Freshwater fish are boring.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

30 gallon tank with a single reseal since '97 (think 20g long just slightly taller and wider). I'm still using it as a sump 26 years later (it SOMETIMES pays to have a packrat parent live in the same house for 50+ years, lol)

 

[DanATL]

My first salt tank, not reef, was in 1992. 55g with crushed coral over an under gravel filter and Eheim canister filter holding ceramic rings, floss, and chemipure. It had a 1 foot diameter bleached coral head from the LFS that served as home for damsels and a clown. That head is now a family room book shelf decoration. About 18 months later I moved and repurposed that tank as a reef with live rock stacked up the back wall, a sump with blue bio balls, air stone powered skimmer, and Lifeguard canister plumbed into the return line. I rigged up my own VHO tubes and ballast in the oak hood.

 

[MECOMI]

I started with a Biocube 32 about four years ago and upgraded to a second hand Red Sea Max S-500 two years ago when an LFS closed down.

The Biocube is still up today! Luckily i built the stand myself and added casters for moving locations if needed. The casters have been a game changer as the den i had it in could not fit both tanks. I wheeled it to the living room and its been running along ever since.

As a lot of beginner tanks i had some amazing early success that led to a bryopsis outbreak of epic proportions . I have vowed to keep up the fight and am just recently starting to turn the tide!

Later days,

B-Kind

 

[Aqua Man]

My first reef tank was started 9 years ago. It is a 20gl Tall and is still going to this day!

 

[Heather w]

First system was a 30 gal cube in the early 90’s I bought from a closing lfs















That tank is long gone and many upgrades have happened since that tim



Yes.a 75

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Yes. A














Yes. A 75. It crashed last year while while I was deathly ill, but were back

 

[Gumbies R Us]

My very first tank was a cheap 5 1/2 gallon flat back hex plastic aquarium from Walmart. I set it up and had freshwater fish in it the same day! I was excited! I set up my first tank all by myself...and then overnight all of the fish became covered in ich! I didn't know you had to have a heater for fish! Much less anything about water conditions! I was aquarium dumb back then. LOL

That was over 25 years ago. Since then I've learned way more about aquariums and keeping aquatic life than I care to admit. I started off with freshwater aquariums and after working at and helping manage a local aquarium store for 14 years I fell in love with saltwater. After that, I just can't go back to fresh. Freshwater fish are boring.

I honestly forgot Walmart even caries tanks haha

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I started with a Biocube 32 about four years ago and upgraded to a second hand Red Sea Max S-500 two years ago when an LFS closed down.

The Biocube is still up today! Luckily i built the stand myself and added casters for moving locations if needed. The casters have been a game changer as the den i had it in could not fit both tanks. I wheeled it to the living room and its been running along ever since.

As a lot of beginner tanks i had some amazing early success that led to a bryopsis outbreak of epic proportions . I have vowed to keep up the fight and am just recently starting to turn the tide!
View attachment 3095571

Later days,

B-Kind

Tank looks like it is still doing good!! Love your clown fish!

 

[Rmckoy]

Have you managed to rebuild ?
Let’s hope your health is a lot better .

 

[Salt Creep]

My first tank was one I bought off Craigslist that someone wanted to get rid of. It was a 29 gallon tank with a clarkii clown and a fire fish. I remember getting there thinking “cool! It already has coral growing!” Took it home and set it up only to very shortly after ID the coral as aiptasia once I figured out more about it I did a tear down and started over with dry rock. Another thing I learned is I will never ever get a clarkii clown again. I don’t still have the tank because I soon after switched to 40 breeders for a while. That was just over 10 years ago and I think I have come a long way since then… never stop learning though.

 

[Rmckoy]

My first tank was one I bought off Craigslist that someone wanted to get rid of. It was a 29 gallon tank with a clarkii clown and a fire fish. I remember getting there thinking “cool! It already has coral growing!” Took it home and set it up only to very shortly after ID the coral as aiptasia once I figured out more about it I did a tear down and started over with dry rock. Another thing I learned is I will never ever get a clarkii clown again. I don’t still have the tank because I soon after switched to 40 breeders for a while. That was just over 10 years ago and I think I have come a long way since then… never stop learning though.

I remember when I first started I bought a few live rocks from a lfs and picked specific ones because they had cool looking anemones on them .
Found out many years later in a completely different system those cool anemones were referred to as pests .

 

[Rmckoy]

My first tank was one I bought off Craigslist that someone wanted to get rid of. It was a 29 gallon tank with a clarkii clown and a fire fish. I remember getting there thinking “cool! It already has coral growing!” Took it home and set it up only to very shortly after ID the coral as aiptasia once I figured out more about it I did a tear down and started over with dry rock. Another thing I learned is I will never ever get a clarkii clown again. I don’t still have the tank because I soon after switched to 40 breeders for a while. That was just over 10 years ago and I think I have come a long way since then… never stop learning though.

Curious if their bite is worse than other smaller clowns .
I can say the pair of tomato clowns I had I called them cujo

 

[MECOMI]

Have you managed to rebuild ?
Let’s hope your health is a lot better .

Thank you for asking, and yes! It took almost two years of trying almost every natural/chemical option till i finally decided that rip cleaning was the only way. No animals would touch it and the chemicals seemed to just make it more resistant.

Below is the progress report, the fights not over, but the tank is finally healthy again:

Heyday,

The takeover,

Progress,

Current,

This is the way!

B-Kind

 

[Salt Creep]

Curious if their bite is worse than other smaller clowns .
I can say the pair of tomato clowns I had I called them cujo

I did only have that one so could have been a personality trait thing, but he was the meanest fish I have ever had.. to me anyway

 

[ca1ore]

First tank .... early 70's. First reef tank, 1992 .....

 

[TheNewGuy321]

20g. innovative marine. only a year in the hobby, I think I did alright...it runs so smoothly its hard to take it down. You can see my new Red Sea 350 in the background waiting for my attention.

 

[KING KONG]

My first tank was a small freshwater tank. The best thing about that I managed to breed many fishes. The problem was they were less active and lazy

Then, I had turtles(I know they r banned). The problem was that they developed skin infections and I hv to returned them back.

Then, I saw a sw tank and I saw that those fishes were really active and colourful! Then, I increased the size of my fw tank and made it a sw tank

 

[steveschuerger]

Just started about a year and a half ago. Biocube 16 gallon. Rapid upgrade to what I have now. Still use it for “boring” freshwater pea puffers. Makes a nice bedside decoration.

 

[JohnD4g]

I kept freshwater tanks as a kid, but my first saltwater tank was a 46 gallon bowfront from Petco. It started out as a FOWLR but eventually became a reef. Had it for several years with HOB skimmer and filter and T5 lights. Now I have a 120 gallon reef in our den and a 25 gallon reef in my home office. I learned a lot with that 46.