Well for me I got truly addicted way back when I was in high school. Seventeen years ago (hollys*** I'm old). My first tank was a 30 gal hex with a hang on the back bio wheel filter and one 175 watt MH with 2 90 rios powerheads. No sump, no skimmer. The tank was just 2 clowns and 6 line with a few softie corals like yellow polyps and Xenia. With this tank I really wasn't addicted it was just a tank that sat in my room at my parents house.
I got fully addicted when me and my girl got our own apt. I kept the 30 gal hex but added a sump. But what really got me hooked was the pet shop that was right across the street from our apartment. It was in highland and was called Tides N Tales(TnT). All they did was fish and reptiles. This shop had a full blown 8' 300 gallon sps tank in the back of the store. I would go there every day and just watch the corals grow. I still fill it was the sps to this day that got me addicted to this hobby. I ended up buying a 50 gal setup from them and went full sps. With 4 175 watt MH, asm g2 skimmer, chiller, the whole 9 yards.
I use to buy case orders from TnT. The cases were wild mini colonies of sps from Australia. I'd get them and acclimate. It was great the corals were pretty much always browned out when I'd get them. Then with in a few weeks they would start to color up and bam the colors. I loved watching corals turn colors in front of your eyes. That's what triply got me addicted was watching sps change colors in week. I still love to go to local shops and see if they have any browned out sps that they aren't trying to sell for some ridiculous amount and buying them to see if I can get it to color up.
There was no names and LE or tyree or designer name pieces. Believe it on not we use to call corals by there Latin names. It's kinda sad to see where the hobby has gone.
I got fully addicted when me and my girl got our own apt. I kept the 30 gal hex but added a sump. But what really got me hooked was the pet shop that was right across the street from our apartment. It was in highland and was called Tides N Tales(TnT). All they did was fish and reptiles. This shop had a full blown 8' 300 gallon sps tank in the back of the store. I would go there every day and just watch the corals grow. I still fill it was the sps to this day that got me addicted to this hobby. I ended up buying a 50 gal setup from them and went full sps. With 4 175 watt MH, asm g2 skimmer, chiller, the whole 9 yards.
I use to buy case orders from TnT. The cases were wild mini colonies of sps from Australia. I'd get them and acclimate. It was great the corals were pretty much always browned out when I'd get them. Then with in a few weeks they would start to color up and bam the colors. I loved watching corals turn colors in front of your eyes. That's what triply got me addicted was watching sps change colors in week. I still love to go to local shops and see if they have any browned out sps that they aren't trying to sell for some ridiculous amount and buying them to see if I can get it to color up.
There was no names and LE or tyree or designer name pieces. Believe it on not we use to call corals by there Latin names. It's kinda sad to see where the hobby has gone.