- Location
- Long Island
Before I launch into my life story 
and the path that led me to Manhattan Reefs, I just want to say I've been overwelmed by the friendliness and generosity of the members here -- all the more remarkable for the fact that there's no screening process for membership (I've run a dog breed mailing list since '98 and weeding out all the "crazies-on-line" has been a full time job!).
I've been lurking here since October. And I should have introduced myself right after the Fall Swap Meet. I had a great time there and learned a ton from a lot of people -- but I'll do a separate post on that.
I'm 68, have been a tropical fish hobbyist since I was about 12 years old (minus a couple of 10 year periods when I was busy with other things).
Over the years, I abhorred the salt water end of the hobby for its MESSINESS! Every tank I ever saw had crusty salt all over the place... on the adjacent walls, on the rim, the canopy/hood, the filter, the electric wires... everywhere!
So, how did I suddenly get interested in SW and find my way to MR? For 30 years I've belonged to a club called the Long Island Killifish Association -- of course we're talking about FW tropical killies, not the local SW ones used for bait! Although those guys are in the same family: Cyprinodontidae.
So, in September of '08, a few of the guys, "just for the fun of it," decided to go seining on the south shore of L.I. for the saltwater tropicals that get swept up here during the Summer months by the Gulf Stream. Some of the guys had tanks cycled and ready for fish, but I did not -- remember, I was NOT interested in keeping saltwater -- I just tagged along for the fun of it and to take photos. The catch included Butterflyfish, Jacks, and local Pipefish, and... SEAHORSES!!!! Well! I can't tell you how smitten I was with these magical creatures! I vowed to be ready the following year with a cycled tank especially for Seahorses.
Fast forward a year later to September of '09. Ok, it gets complicated, but I'll try to summarize. This trip yielded a ton of tropicals, but only one Seahorse, and one of the other guys simply had to have it "for his wife" -- so I (disappointedly) agreed to let him have it. A few weeks later I went seining again with my wife and a visiting friend from Canada (a non-aquarist) who thought it would be a great adventure to go "Seahorse hunting!" And we managed to again catch only one (poor little guy had a stump tail, bitten by some predator no doubt). Meanwhile, the guy who took the first one also went collecting again by himself, and managed to catch a pair, and, so, he then gave me the one from the first trip! Whew! Anyway!... the bottom line is that I've had these two now for six months. They are both males, the first one was about twice the size of the second, but "little stumpy" has been slowly catching up in the six months he's been here. Their tankmates are two local Pipefish and a Mandarin Fish.
I started out with a 14gal Oceanic nano system, but soon realized it was too small, so, they are now in a Cardiff model aquarium made by Current -- it's kind of the curved version of their Solana model -- with self contained filtration and skimmer in the rear compartments. I plan to get a much larger tank very soon -- our (original Levitt) kitchen is being renovated and I want a room divider style large tank. (Hard to believe from a guy who hated those crusty saltwater tanks! This is a disease!!! LOL)
So, the ponies are my main interest, but, I figured being I now am maintaining two SW tanks, why not give live corals a go... and that led me to you guys... and then to the Fall Swap Meet... and through the generosity of the members here who are so welcoming to beginners, my first live corals at an extremely nominal cost! I also got some macro algae at the swap. My FW tanks have lots of live plants in them, and, now, so do my SW tanks. I know you reef purists don't do this, you put the plants in your sumps, but I really like them in the tank, and so do my ponies! Only problem is the stuff grows out of control -- I've given away a lot to my friends, but I've also had to simply throw out a lot. I'll bring a few bags to the swap to donate, as I got mine -- I'll also donate back to the beginners table frags of the corals I had success with -- I got five types, two grew like crazy (zenia and ricordia), one doing just ok (leather), and two not so well but still barely alive (a zoa and a green star).
Well, I knew this was going to be long, but not this long!!! Thanks for reading it, and I look forward to joining in the conversations now that I've finally introduced myself.
George
--
*************************
Full fathom five thy father lies,
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
--Ariels's song from The Tempest by Wm Shakespeare
and the path that led me to Manhattan Reefs, I just want to say I've been overwelmed by the friendliness and generosity of the members here -- all the more remarkable for the fact that there's no screening process for membership (I've run a dog breed mailing list since '98 and weeding out all the "crazies-on-line" has been a full time job!). I've been lurking here since October. And I should have introduced myself right after the Fall Swap Meet. I had a great time there and learned a ton from a lot of people -- but I'll do a separate post on that.
I'm 68, have been a tropical fish hobbyist since I was about 12 years old (minus a couple of 10 year periods when I was busy with other things).
Over the years, I abhorred the salt water end of the hobby for its MESSINESS! Every tank I ever saw had crusty salt all over the place... on the adjacent walls, on the rim, the canopy/hood, the filter, the electric wires... everywhere!
So, how did I suddenly get interested in SW and find my way to MR? For 30 years I've belonged to a club called the Long Island Killifish Association -- of course we're talking about FW tropical killies, not the local SW ones used for bait! Although those guys are in the same family: Cyprinodontidae.
So, in September of '08, a few of the guys, "just for the fun of it," decided to go seining on the south shore of L.I. for the saltwater tropicals that get swept up here during the Summer months by the Gulf Stream. Some of the guys had tanks cycled and ready for fish, but I did not -- remember, I was NOT interested in keeping saltwater -- I just tagged along for the fun of it and to take photos. The catch included Butterflyfish, Jacks, and local Pipefish, and... SEAHORSES!!!! Well! I can't tell you how smitten I was with these magical creatures! I vowed to be ready the following year with a cycled tank especially for Seahorses.
Fast forward a year later to September of '09. Ok, it gets complicated, but I'll try to summarize. This trip yielded a ton of tropicals, but only one Seahorse, and one of the other guys simply had to have it "for his wife" -- so I (disappointedly) agreed to let him have it. A few weeks later I went seining again with my wife and a visiting friend from Canada (a non-aquarist) who thought it would be a great adventure to go "Seahorse hunting!" And we managed to again catch only one (poor little guy had a stump tail, bitten by some predator no doubt). Meanwhile, the guy who took the first one also went collecting again by himself, and managed to catch a pair, and, so, he then gave me the one from the first trip! Whew! Anyway!... the bottom line is that I've had these two now for six months. They are both males, the first one was about twice the size of the second, but "little stumpy" has been slowly catching up in the six months he's been here. Their tankmates are two local Pipefish and a Mandarin Fish.
I started out with a 14gal Oceanic nano system, but soon realized it was too small, so, they are now in a Cardiff model aquarium made by Current -- it's kind of the curved version of their Solana model -- with self contained filtration and skimmer in the rear compartments. I plan to get a much larger tank very soon -- our (original Levitt) kitchen is being renovated and I want a room divider style large tank. (Hard to believe from a guy who hated those crusty saltwater tanks! This is a disease!!! LOL)
So, the ponies are my main interest, but, I figured being I now am maintaining two SW tanks, why not give live corals a go... and that led me to you guys... and then to the Fall Swap Meet... and through the generosity of the members here who are so welcoming to beginners, my first live corals at an extremely nominal cost! I also got some macro algae at the swap. My FW tanks have lots of live plants in them, and, now, so do my SW tanks. I know you reef purists don't do this, you put the plants in your sumps, but I really like them in the tank, and so do my ponies! Only problem is the stuff grows out of control -- I've given away a lot to my friends, but I've also had to simply throw out a lot. I'll bring a few bags to the swap to donate, as I got mine -- I'll also donate back to the beginners table frags of the corals I had success with -- I got five types, two grew like crazy (zenia and ricordia), one doing just ok (leather), and two not so well but still barely alive (a zoa and a green star).
Well, I knew this was going to be long, but not this long!!! Thanks for reading it, and I look forward to joining in the conversations now that I've finally introduced myself.
George
--
*************************
Full fathom five thy father lies,
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
--Ariels's song from The Tempest by Wm Shakespeare
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