What was your first aquarium like?

[biocubebrandon]

What was your first aquarium like?

What was the first fish and coral you had?

What type of tank was it?

How long have you been in the hobby?

How did you get into the hobby?

Where are you today with the hobby?

Have you gotten anyone else into the hobby?

My first fish tank was a betta and then my first saltwater tank was a 29 gallon biocube that I bought used on craigslist. It was from a family that did not want the tank anymore. It had two clownfish and my first coral I bought was a green star polyp. I set up that tank December 8th, 2016, now I have a red sea 525. My grandpa was in the hobby for over 20 years and he helped me get into the hobby. I since then got a friend in the hobby, I helped him set up a 16 gallon biocube which he has had running for over a year now.

 

[york1]

60g reef tank with pieced together metal halides, wet/dry with a spin bar, and a PIA skimmer.
Damsels, GSP and then an elegance that I murdered
Reef
on and off 30 years. I was 16 when I started my first reef tank
I got a job at a LFS when I started high school
More than I probably know.

 

[sharis100]

Started with a 20 gallon rectangle with metal halide lighting with under gravel filter sitting on the kitchen countertop at age 10 that slowly progressed over the years into multiple tanks all tied together on the kitchen countertop with rigged hob filtration - this was way back in the day when keeping Xenia was a big deal and anemones were expert etc.... my mother was a saint to put up with me

 

[Rickdareefa]

My answer is simple.
My first aquarium was a pathetic mess

 

[joeyprice]

55 gallon rectangle with predatory fish and an under gravel filter. Skimmers were all 6-8 feet tall. Eventually ditched the UG for a wet/dry. First fish were a Huma Trigger, Clarkii clown and a Snowflake Eel.
First reef was a 60g with a bunch of VHO bulbs and a couple filters (down draft skimmer, coil denitator and fluidized bed) i made when you could still buy 1/4 and 1/2" acrylic cheap. Moved clear across the country within a month or 2 of setting it up, so never really found out if any of that filtration worked worth a damn. I suspect no, as I had a lot to do with the execution.

 

[ichthyoid]

My first aquarium was one I inherited from my brother. A freshwater 15 gal with an aluminum frame (yes, they had those , under gravel filter, corner bubble up filter & incandescent lights.

I got into the hobby because my LFS, a man named Perry Fagan, set up a marine tank & I was in awe! (48 years ago, fwiw)

First fish was a Sargent Major. We couldn’t keep coral alive then, due to lack of adequate technology, lighting especially.

I’ve gotten lots of people into the hobby. Why? Are they still looking for me?

Today, I’m building a multi tank, multi environment ~130 gallon system, with separate display, frag & display refugium tanks (It’s taking forever!)

My first saltwater aquarium was a 55 gal with under gravel filter, AquaMaster Supreme HOB power filter, a Sanders (Germany) protein skimmer with lime wood air stone & 4 foot T-12 (yep!) lighting.

It was considered pretty much state of the art. Except, I couldn’t afford a UV sterilizer & it showed -