Whats your best reefkeeping memory?

[kar93]

What is your best memory from when you first started out
ReefKeeping?

this may sound strange but mine is:

When i first got all of my equipment and i remember opening up a bucket of salt and getting that nice fresh smell of it:D

[DLANDINO]

every time I look in the display creates a new great memory. That is why this is such a great hobby, things change all the time sometimes by your hand, sometimes nature.

Good question to pose though.

[downhillbiker]

i love that i have everything set up perfect now, and am stocking the tank, getting new critters and watching them and their behaviors is the greatest.

[drparker]

The first time I realized truly how many diverse life forms were in there compared to my freshwater Cichlid tanks. Since then I've gotten rid of 7 Cichlid tanks and upgraded from a Nano to 75g and 60g reefs.

Got to love this addiction

[sk8rreefgeek]

Too many to list but...

seeing my lawnmower plop out onto the counter, then dropped on the floor, then 2 weeks not lookin so hot, to 1 year later and the dude is so fat and happy.

Coming home to all my fish/corals is always great

[homegrown]

Seeing a small child stare at the tank and ignore SpongeBob is one to remember, another was the sight of my maroon clown getting cozy with his BTA. Excellent thread!

[AdroitMind]

Coming home from my first frag swap and seeing like 10 bags temp acclimating in the tank. I had nothing to trade but all the locals who were there gave me so many frags that I felt like my tank went from bare rock to full blown reef over night. Now I get to give the same stuff to newbies as it grows out to pay it back, feels great!

[Just Jim]

When after months of searching I got my achilles tang.

[stingythingy45]

I think the first time my mother seen the tank.She pulled the ottoman close to it and just sat and stared into it.Then the comment"THIS IS AMAZING".
Now that ranks right up there.
Of coarse I replied,"oh this little thing I set up?".:rolleyes:

[lshark21]

My kids (9, 7, & 7) seeing the tank for the first time. They were so wide eyed it looked like Christmas morning for them.

[Poisonus Yeti]

Since I just completed setting up the tank I'd say my best memory so far is powering up the Tunze Powerheads and the brightness of the MH lamps.

[ConsultantERP]

Change, I always injoyed watching that coral encrust just a little more, or the toadstool leather open up big for the light, and the coraline algae slowly adding color to the rock, and all the little critters crawling across the rocks. My favorite is watching the Diamond Goby scoop up a mouthfull of sand and sift it out his gills. Or that lawnmower blenny attacking the magnetic glass cleaner while I clean the glass, I think he might be a bit territorial. And yes, that new metal halide at 14k, making my tank look just a little more colorful. There no end to this, oh yeah and ....................

[briangg57]

When I divided my RBTA because it was huge and after a year wouldn't split, I remember 6 weeks or so later looking into to the center of them and was amased at how they developed new fully formed mouths again. Isn't sea life amasing?:fish1:

[sdheath]

One night when my tank was a few months old, I noticed a blue flash of light coming from the tank. I turned to see what was on the TV that might have caused such a reflection, but the TV was off. I stared into the dark tank then I saw it again - A bioluminescent brittle star! My wife and I watched it put on a light show for the next 1/2 hour.

The star is still there, but no flashing since. I think it's comfortable where it is (been in the same hole in the same rock for almost a year now) so it no longer needs to use that particular defense mechanism.

[kfisc]

Memories of my little brother and I both getting into it back in about 1988/89- he had a friend who had just gotten his engineering degree and started a custom installation/lfs shop back in Indianapolis, and my brother came home with all this stuff- it was such a hoot! We live 900 miles apart, but still connect around tanks. Such fun!

[46FiatYamaha]

I was at a Petsmart buying a bucket of Instant Ocean and one of the employees asked me what kind of tank I had, and realized it was a salt water reef. He was amazed and started asking me questions about the biology, equipment, etc... Hopefully he has one now too.

[kar93]

These are great guys, Keep em comin:D

[drjuice28]

The first time I fired up my DIY canopy. All the MH, all the T-5 and one power strip plug. I knew it was an all or nothing, and it fired up so bright that my garage was brighter than the sunny day outside!

[tinmanny]

the thing I look forward to the most after my dog had to go chase squirrels in the sky is I still look forward to coming home to look into my tank and see what grew or what moved and just stare as I did when petting my baby because she thought I liked the tank more at times then I liked her I still miss her but the tank kind of keeps mr remembering and that feels good too

[Opes]

My best memory was setting up my own reef tank for the first time. I would sit in my room for hours and stare at my live rock. I was amazed at the stuff that would just appear!

[ACBlinky]

Ooo, fun thread! I have had a few great moments so far. I think the sweetest was when I brought home my first SW critter, acclimated it, and placed it into my brand new 'reef' (box of water and rocks). When it was still alive the next morning I realized for the first time that I was actually on my way to having a piece of the ocean in my home. Very exciting indeed! That pistol shrimp is still with us nearly three years later; he's moved from a 14g to a 21g, 30g, 65g and finally 90g and he's on his third goby, but nothing seems to phase him.

[useskaforevil]

back when my mom got me a microscope the cleveland clinic was just going to throw out and i spent a few hours just looking at a million different things in my tank i'd never seen before.

or the more simple one would be when my g/f asked me to show her how to setup a nano

[BangkokMatt]

The day I filled my new 150g and added the rock. It was a huge chunk of the ocean (at the time). Need a bigger one now though!!

[kar93]

These are gurd, Sorry about your dog tinmanny.

[briangg57]

The next time you learn a new word for the day, learn how to spell it. It is Gerd, and this is not:fun2:

[Jpergamo]

seeing my shared allyway between my house and my neighbors bright as day through the CLOSED blinds from my first DIY MH canopy im currently using. :)