how did you get into this hobby?

On the road trip to Live Aquaria (which you all should make time to do one day...well worth the drive!), the conversation came up about how we got interested in aquatic critters and how it grew into the marine version.

There was a thread about it awhile back on RRVR too and it was fun to read how everyone got here.

My grandma bought me goldfish for my birthday sometime in my preteen years and many times brought me turtles that were freshly hatched I would keep for a time and then let go. I've had some kind of tank pretty much ever since then. Pete and Repete came to college with me in Bemidji years ago (I won't tell you how many years. ). Pete and Repete were little bullheads and they received a lot of attention from my college friends. Some time ago, I just got tired of the freshwater thing. I had dreamed of saltwater for years but never thought it was something I would actually do. Just before I made the move to salt, my brother was going to give me a 55 gallon tank. I figured if I got a tank that big, I would like it to be saltwater. My first setup in 2005 ended up being an ebay purchase. The tank cost me either $250 or $300, came from St. Cloud, and was a 55g with crushed coral, no skimmer and terrible lights and not even a mention of RODI! I'm glad most of you weren't around back then to see that tank before it came down! Somehow, even with that algae-growing setup, I still got hooked! Funny thing is, with some input from the LFS, I "upgraded" my lights to pc's! LOL If only I had known about clubs back then. The club has made the hobby so much more satisfying and I love the social aspect as well. So...that's my story.

How about you?

Cammie you have any pics of old setups?

My story :
New pet store in town set up a saltwater tank, absolute disaster of a tank but she had a lionfish, some yellow tangs, shrimp, it looked awesome. My first setup was a 58 gallon with a striplight over it, one piece of live rock, maroon clownfish, arrow crab, seaclone skimmer and an emperor 400 for filtration, I think there was an undergravel under my crushed coral too. Lol! That was 2005.

By 2006 I had a remora skimmer and pc's over my 33 long, had bought way more live rock and was venturing into the world of coral! The huge mushrooms had actually came on my original one piece of live rock and made it all this time.


I set up a couple more tanks, even got halides!

Well my story goes like this:

A friend and past coworker of mine had a saltwater tank. It was running with a HOB overflow and wet/dry system. He wanted some assistance building an overflow box and drilling the tank. Me never being in the hobby or reading anything saltwater said sure why not, drilling glass should be fun . We drilled the tank and build the overflow. I ran all the plumbing and then we moved the livestock back to the tank. I purchased the overflow and Wet/Dry from him along with another set of lights to use for a tank I bought.

About 6 months later I still had no tank and he wanted to upgrade. So I bought the tank I helped drill and helped him drill his new 125. I was the proud new owner of a Swiss cheese 75G tank . I set up the tank and learned along the way that a few things could have been improved, but it was a good starter tank. I bought T-5s when I set it up and an RODI unit as well.

First year of college at BSU, I couldn't have pets, so... got myself a fish tank. I had done many different types of other tanks, decided to upgrade and try for a salty. It had a fuzzy dwarf lionfish, a few damsels, and gsp

I am not able to find pictures. I think I have some old fashioned printed out ones though that I could scan in. They would be kinda funny!

Keep the stories comin'. Good stuff!

My story, back in the dinosaur days I had a large pond with a few plesisaurs (sp) in it. A herd of Apatasurus came along and drank it dry. The tribe ate the pleis, almost as good as pteradactyl (again sp).
As a kid I kept upteen goldfish and guppies. As a semiadult I had several 55 fresh water planted tanks, then changed to salt when I spotted a Volitan lion fish, apparently the scourge of the Caribbean, and a Hippo tang.
These were the days of underground filters, crushed coral and shop lights and lots of dead coral. I trained the lionfish to eat frozen fish. The others got live brine and flakes. Then the city changed the local water, and death in all tanks. It was immediate. Left the hobby after that.
Came back to planted tanks but our water is too hard.
Finally started a 20 gallon saltwater. It has two back filters, lots of live rock. Tons of small white tube worms and 'shrooms. Inhabitants are a yellow tang, yellow taill damsel, pair of orange nose black clown fish and a skunk shrimp. And led lights.
The club has helped immensely, but I still don't understand the drilled plumbing and sumps. Maybe this would be a good subject for a meeting?
Great topic, have a good day.

Well even tho I dont have a tank anymore I will chime in...LOL
I was at a pet store in Grand Forks and saw they had a 75g set up and I had always wanted a saltwater tank (never had a fresh) so I bought a 75g set-up and it just went from there, learned ALOT in the 10+ years I had a tank and met ALOT of great people. I started this forum in hopes to find a few more in the area that had tanks cause back then there was not to many, I was happy to see so many from the area find this site.