How Long In The Hobby??????

I started maintaining my own freshwater tank when I was 6. I said in freshwater till I was about 21. Going from Angels to Discus, and too African Cichlids. I bred them all and maintained several planted tanks.

I started my first marine aquarium in 1987. I got the idea from an old book in the library that recommended a naturally collected system as a cheap way into the hobby. So living in Tampa at the time I had my dad take to the beach. I kept that tank for two years and never really had much sucesss. I started back in in 1992 using my lawn mowing money to buy stuff. I did a lot of learning in those days on my own. Not to much in the way of published info. Never the less I read all I could find. In about 97' I discovered the reef newsgroup and from that day on I became actively involve in the advanced hobbiest portion. I'v been a part of multiple clubs and have even been an officer for the URSNY. I have attend the last 5 MACNA's. I've setup mulitple events in my local community with such speakers as Dr Sanjay Joshi, Anthony Calfo, Marc Levenson, and Mo Zooqi. I was on the board of director for the curation of my local zoos 560 gallon Reef tank. I have setup multiple systems and I regulary maintain several tanks current as a method of supplementing my hobby. In recent years I've toned things back as far as involvement to do things the interest me more. These include a long running project on foam refractionator effeciency and Complex Amino Acid dosing to replicate natural polyp hyper extension during feeding events. I still help many people in the area with there DIY projects and tank setups for fun and the enjoyment of others.

This hobby has held my attention completly since I was 6 and I can't imagine myself ever getting away from it. I believe that most people in reefkeeping are still pioneers in a young hobby and there is much to learn. The entire hobby in driven by designs and discoverys made by hobbiest. Remember that even the great minds started off with just a fish tank.

 

oh yeah i meant 8 months SW and about 3 years FW.

 

had an old 20 gal, but for some reason like the 10 gal better>>>>>it was the oinly size tank parent would let in room, lol

 

5 years fresh water + 3 months salt water ...

 

Newbs Unite!

 

wait a minute....im recreating Scotts Early Years.....i payed for my tank with lawn mowing money and had a freshie tank while i was even younger.....scary....

 

Worked for me. By the time you hit 30 you will be a ravenous reef geek. Completly obsessed. You'll mark MACNA on your calendar and travel to neighboring cities to see other geek's tanks.

 

hard to say, Like most I also started out with fresh water as a young tacker and could not get enough I had many a tank and after that started digging ponds and even had a few old bath tubs I had scored from the dump for goldfish.
Started working for a aquarium who were the leaders in the salt trade in my city, I eventualy fell to the allure of a marine tank. It seemed much easier back then water changes were with water collected from the reef and fish and coral were cheap as chips.
SO on off for maybee 15years Things sure seem alot more important now that product isnt at my door step anymore

 

:laughings:yelrotflm

 

Congrats on becoming a well established reef geek Scott...