What got you in to this hobby? How long have you been doing it?

[Dearth]

I've been in the hobby/job for 2 years now but feels much longer. I got into SW via a friend who nudged me into the hobby and I fell into the empty wallet syndrome and haven't looked back since.

I have definitely had my share of ups and downs and have been tempted on more than one occasion to throw in the towel when I have lost a prized coral or fish, tank die off and several other things but in terms of reefing I am still a pup in the hobby compared to those that have persevered for 10, 15 and 20+ years and my hats off to those people as they were the pioneers of modern SW systems. They are a big reason why I stay in the hobby many of them have faced total tank kills, catastrophic failures, extreme pricing of equipment and many other things yet they are still here and going strong.

If they lived through all their issues I think I can too and maybe just maybe I can have a tank that will rival theirs one day.

[straightrazorguy]

I had a freshwater tank for years, and then got out of a hobby. My girfriend nudged me into getting a saltwater tank a year and a half ago. Now I am am totally hooked! Not to mention broke...

[Aquattro]

First tank was 20 years ago. Live rock was almost $20/lb. It always had coral on it. I used to feed my aptaisia pieces of krill, no idea what they were. Internet was just starting to have pics, if you could figure out how to view them. Newsgroups were about the only online support forum. MH hadn't really caught on yet. Protein skimmers were catching on, if you could find the lime wood airstones. Successes were few and far between.
I became pretty good at this by year 10, could grow frags like crazy. Sold lots. Hobby has evolved to the point where I just want a nice display. I won't sell frags anymore, trimmings will be given to LFS or tossed. I'm scheduling a big purge to get rid of the crates of equipment hoarded over the last 20 years. I predict another 5 years, then I'm done. New hobby will be surfing

[kien]

Since 2002. Maybe 2003. It's all a blur now. I totally sucked at it back then. Trying to grow SPS in a nutrient rich tank with compact fluorescent lights LOL. Those wood block skimmers were a royal pain. I did take a break from the hobby for a few years which was actually really good for me. I really missed it during my hiatus and really wanted to get back into it which told me that this hobby was for me. So then I came back and now I'm a lifer. Come hell or high water (which did happen btw).

[Reef Pilot]

Been into it since the summer of 2010, when we bought a house with a saltwater tank already in place. Been a fun ride, and still a challenge at times. But fully enjoy it, and really appreciate the natural beauty it adds to our kitchen.

Get tired sometimes, though, with the constant work of cleaning glass, algae, skimmers, etc. Tried to automate as much as possible, and that has certainly helped. But also worry a bit when we are away (often for a week or more). Power outages are my biggest fear.

[TimT]

My first tank was in the late 70's. A 27 gallon with an undergravel filter with dolomite and crushed oyster shell as substrate. Airstones in the lift tubes as powerheads weren't around yet. Lost the tank due to the Ebo Jaeger heater cooking it to 95°f. Tank cooled and then fish broke out with ick. Mom secretly added some IO salt mix directly to the tank as the fish looked sick. Needless to say total wipe out. Got into freshwater and then into Killifish and then back into saltwater in the mid 80's. Late 80's I was commercially culturing Cauplerpa paspaloides. I was also growing some wild looking green, blue and magenta Rhodactis. I would trade them to Petland in Langley for fish and supplies. In 1996 I was in Vietnam(Nha Trang) discussing with the Director of Fisheries about how to use aquaculture to retrain fishermen for a new livelihood. They had over fished the fish stocks to beyond recovery. 3 years later I quit the Aid organization and transitioned into SeaCare full time. SeaCare is actually an acronym for Sustainable Economic Advancement through Coral And Reef Enhancement. It was initially started as a platform to directly sell farmed corals/seahorses from Vietnam. That is why Seacare uses a .org address. It's been an interesting journey!!!

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by TimT

SeaCare is actually an acronym for Sustainable Economic Advancement through Coral And Reef Enhancement. It was initially started as a platform to directly sell farmed corals/seahorses from Vietnam. That is why Seacare uses a .org address. It's been an interesting journey!!!

Cool. I didn't know that!