Jump to content
inTank Media Baskets

Nano-Reef.com 19th Birthday Celebration! 🎂


Christopher Marks

Recommended Posts

Christopher Marks

🎂 Join me in wishing the Nano-Reef Community a Happy 19th Birthday! 🎉

 

Today the Nano-Reef.com Community turns 19 years old, an amazing milestone for our website! Time sure flies by when you're having fun. ☺️

 

I'd like to thank all our incredible community members for your contributions to the group, for sharing your experiences with your aquariums and working tirelessly to help and support each other as hobbyists. Nano-Reef has been host to generations of hobbyists from across the world, I am endlessly amazed by the bonds and friendships forged here, the helpful guidance and assistance so many members share with others, and all the ingenious reef keeping solutions that have been discovered along the way. We really have created something special together.

 

As we all face hardships in light of the global pandemic and shelter in place orders, I am thankful that we have a little escape here on the web to keep in touch with each other. We'll all get through this time together! ❤️ 

 

To help celebrate this benchmark, I'd like to give away 19 Nano-Reef.com Logo Sticker Packs to 19 lucky community members!

 

For a chance to win, simply post here and share a personal memory from your time here on Nano-Reef, a funny moment, a past aquarium you miss, an old photo from years ago, you get the idea. I'll randomly draw 19 names from amongst the group who responds here in this thread by May 10, easy as that! 😉

 

I'll start things off by sharing a memory of mine, a photo of my second nano reef tank, housed in a tank that I hand built, a prototype build of a 15 gallon 'all-in-one' tank I briefly sold online under the brand Nano Reef Aquaria. It had a 12,000K 70w double-ended metal halide bulb over the top of it, a rare nano reef friendly high powered bulb!

 

front12-11-02.jpg

 

Thank you to everyone who has contributed your time, knowledge, experiences, questions and passion to the community throughout these past 19 years, you are the ones who make this community such a tremendous resource and support group for hobbyists all across the world! I also want to thank our incredible community sponsors who have supported us along the way, their support is what keeps the lights on and we wouldn't be here all these years later without their dedicated support! ❤️ 

 

Cheers to another great year my friends! 🍻 Thank you for choosing to share a little bit of your days here with all of us! ☺️

  • Like 22
  • Haha 1
  • Wow 1
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
mitten_reef

Here are the few I miss the most  
@markalot

 

@metrokat - FWIW Kat's featured macro tank on either reefbuilders or marinedepot is what introduced me to this forum, back in 2013 or so.  I know my profile says I didn't join til 2016, I was lurking for at least 2 years.    

 

@urbaneks

@teenyreef - if you haven't seen teeny's stuff....well, take a look at TOTM library.

 

@Scorched

 

probably more but these names jumped right in the front. 
 

@Christopher Marks, it’d be awesome if you could link to those guys tank threads for some of the new members to see their tanks. 

Edited by mitten_reef
I keep adding things and names :P
  • Like 6
Link to comment

HAPPY BORNDAY N-R !!!! 

 

I cannot believe this forum has been around for as long as it has and I cannot believe I have met the people I had. I have formed some good friendships here,and also made some enemies but nonetheless I love it here. 

 

 Thank you @Christopher Marks for what you have done,and what you keep doing. This forum is amazing. 

 

 This is not my greatest accomplishment,but I miss this tank. It was fun. 

20171121_164314.jpg

  • Like 8
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Thrassian Atoll

Dang, 19 years?!  Happy birthday Nano-Reef! Here’s a super old photo from 2011 that I actually found in my first tank thread.  This was a frag tank I setup and did a group zoa buy for the local KC club.  Had like 50 different zoas in there.  I was pretty new to the hobby at the time, but the local club back then was awesome.  Really felt like a community.  Anyways, I moved from Missouri for a number of years and when I got back the club was gone, nobody I remember from the hobby was still in the hobby and the community feel of the hobby here is long gone.  I don’t miss being that big of newbie, but I miss that time I had in the club.  
 

04011AA8-BC0D-4A6D-85AB-6C8D60C343B3.thumb.jpeg.1eb539a90a8e8fc09dda6fb3b9ee16ee.jpeg

  • Like 4
Link to comment

Happy Birthday Nano-Reef.com

 

19 years! Wow that’s quite the milestone.

 

Well I think my favourite memory would have to be winning tank of the month. It was such an honour and maybe my favourite moment in reefkeeping all together.

 

Also here’s a picture of the first tank I ever put together on NR way back in 2009. A pico that never really took off haha 2.5g with a 70w metal halide.... I was using a different handle back then

 

 

E72A6619-1A89-4835-80FA-677CDE8460EE.jpeg

  • Like 5
Link to comment

Keep it going Nano-Reef community!!

 

My very first Nano-Reef was made around 2004.  It was this tiny 5.5 seen below.  I DIYed almost everything.  It was lit with screw in light bulbs that were actual 50 white / 50 actinic.  It ran for about a year and then crashed when I went to college.   My last year of college in 2007 I brought it with and set it up in an apartment as just a clownfish tank.  It stayed like that for about 4-5 years (With the exact same clownfish seen below)

 

At some point the coral itch came back and that set off the cascade of events that lead to the first 12 gallon long pictured with the old nano.

 

post-7400-1329377698_thumb.jpg

 

March 2012 - So even though I upgraded my tank a few years back the full 12g long timeline is now over 8 years.

POwbL.jpg&key=ca5c60a38ee986d7125b19d59f

 

  • Like 10
Link to comment

Wow 19 years! Happy birthday Nano-Reef! 🥳 Thanks CM for creating such an amazing community. I have made some wonderful reefing friends through NR!

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums

It was July 30, 2005 when JBJ ruled the world of nano's!  It was a time to push the limits of stock PC florescent with T5 bulbs and the 03 actinics, remember them? I was a hobbyist by heart when I first joined and then bitten by the reef bug, I became an addict in this exotic world.  I am honored to be saying happy birthday to a site that has given back so much more than I have been able to contribute!  Opening up Micro-Reefs LLC in California in 2012 and then re-opening it in Florida 2020 as Micro-Reefs Aquariums, will forever be etched in the wold of this site, for that alone I salute all of you who have been part of this magnificent sharing community with all the reefers I have come to love and respect!

 

Here is a blast from the past with the tank that started it all, JBJ 12 gallon cube, pushing the limits of small.....  Thank you Christoper Marks, for all you have done for all of us!

 

  

JBJ 12 gallon.jpg

  • Like 8
  • Wow 2
Link to comment

Happy bday nano reef

 

My tank from 2009

70w metal halide, 24g aquapod, sadly I never had coral in this tank and had to sell it when I moved.

362984502.jpg

 

One of my current tanks is still using a 70w metal halide, it was another 24g aqua pod until it started leaking, but now it’s the biocube 29 which I have to say I like a lot better I can actually fit my hand in the back chambers.

414373917.jpg

  • Like 5
Link to comment

Happy Birthday Nano-Reef! I was so green when I came on here, and I've learned so much. I still have a long way to go. My first tank, a 5 gallon cylinder proved too much for me to handle, but I wish I could get it back now

imageproxy_php.jpeg.54e9ecbead4e92244844687475c43140.jpeg

  • Like 6
Link to comment
sam_the_reefer

Happy B-Day Nano-Reef! I don't have "real-people-friends" on here. But I remember the old site theme! I also remember how this community came together when Jeremai passed away. 😞 To this day, I still read (and re-read) his posts on how to take tank shots.

  • Like 3
  • Sad 2
Link to comment
SURVEYMAN46123

Happy Birthday Nano-Reef!

 

There is a lot I could say, but I will do my best to keep it simple.   I don't recall exactly when I found nano-reef.   It was most likely a slow day at the office watching Youtube videos about tanks and decided to start researching.    A google image search led me here because of @teenyreef and his IM Nuvo 10.   His tank was the first nano that really gave me the confidence that I could have a nice tank of my own.   However I lurked, asked a ton of questions, and did a ton of research before I even put water into my tank.   I hoped to once be noticed like his tank, but was completely floored when I was featured as the Nano Reef of the Month in May of 2018.   A lot of changes have happened since then, but I keep rolling on!

 

 

This forum has been such a great wealth of information and encouragement over the 3 years of having my tank up and running.   I have been asked many times through my Instagram on how to set up a tank, etc., and I always point them in this direction.     This is the best place to get all the information you need for little tanks like ours.

 

Outside of tanks, I've gained some friendships for life.   I also received some memories I will never forget with my oldest child because of some generous members here.   Those members played a part in helping my daughter realize a dream of hers of going to Tokyo, and I just happened to be able to tag along.   I'm forever grateful to those members!

 

Thank you for the kind words @Ratvan   I want to also thank, @Cannedfish@Lawnman, @WV Reefer, @DSFIRSTSLTWATER ,@banasophia, @Sancho, @gone_PHiSHin, @SeaFurn, @dferrari13, @frahny, @TatorTaco, @Rory282, @Tamberav, and @HarryPotter for all of the inspiration, knowledge, and laughs.   

 

I of course I want to thank @Christopher Marks for giving all of us a wonderful place to learn, share, and make friends.   Without him none of us would have as beautiful tanks as we have now or planning to have.

 

Oh lastly I need to share a photo of the tank that started it all for me:

 

fts.thumb.jpg.4936b468fc7ffce5cad88c9cfa8ad8cc.jpg

 

  • Like 17
  • Thanks 2
Link to comment

Happy Birthday NR

 Thank You Chris for this wonderful forum. Thanks to all the members new and old timers. This forum has always been my favorite place to talk and learn about reef tanks. Thanks to all the members who took time to help me and others. Thanks for all the wonderful tank journals and TOTM that shared so much of their experiences good and bad and I am so glad that many of the members are still here. Here a just a few that I honestly miss. C est ma, Lanani, Stealhealr, Mr. Fosi, Jeremai, and Albert Thiel.  Congratulations Chris!

  • Like 5
Link to comment

Hooray for birthdays! I hope this year is even better than the last. 🥳

 

I owe more than I can say to this community and there are so many memories that I feel would be appropriate to share, but the most vivid of them is the moment I discovered what a "biotope" was and instantly decided that I needed to have one of my own. That happened at the tail end of 2018, when I stumbled upon @yardboy's TOTM article from way back in September 2008:

 

 

I don't think yardboy is around anymore so I've never actually talked with him at all, but his simple and beautiful tank has been an inspiration to me. That system was the one that set me on the path I've followed in this hobby for the past year and a half, and without the archive of incredible tanks here on N-R I would never have found it.

 

I think it's really incredible how this community allows people to reach across time like that and influence the lives and choices of those who come many years down the line. I've absorbed a ton of advice, guidance, and level-headed wisdom during my time here, and I really can't thank everyone enough. Here's to another good year, N-R! 🍻

  • Like 7
Link to comment
NaturallyKait

Wow, 19 years! I joined here in 2011 and planned to start a reef then but life got in the way and it got put on a back burner. Last year it finally happened though and now a year later we’ve even upgraded to a bigger tank. I couldn’t have done it without Nano Reef, everywhere else I looked back in 2011 made it sound impossible to do a saltwater tank less than 75g and I don’t have space for that. 

  • Like 5
Link to comment

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANO REEF!!! May you finally get that pony you have always wanted. 

 

 

Without getting all mushy, I will poorly compose a few quick things. First, and most obvious this site is a great resource, tool, and most importantly, a great community. I doubt I would have gotten into reefing in the first place, my tank gotten to where it is (good or bad?), or continued to reef for this long without the site and the great people that frequent it. My first experience with NR was early 2017. To set the scene: I had just set up a planted tank for my office, and reminiscing about my youth, was considering a saltwater tank for home. It was approximately 2am in the morning, and due to a crazy allergy attack I was sitting on the couch perusing the internet (my weak carpetbagging constitution is no match for the Big Easy's mold demons). At that point I found NR and more specifically I found @teenyreef tank, and my bank account has never been the same. Since that time I have learned an immense amount about the hobby, mastered the art of killing high priced frags, fallen in love with tail-spot blennies, made some great friends, and had a myriad of tank ups and downs. Obviously, the high was being honored with tank of the month (though I'm putting you on notice TOTM January 2021...) and the low was about a month later when it all came tumbling down, a year out I realize that it is all part of the experience. 

 

 I'll end by thanking @Christopher Marks for the immense amount of, largely thankless, work he puts in dealing with us clowns, by thanking all the fellow community members, past and present, for creating and maintaining a wonderful environment, and by leaving this early picture of my 10 gallon of chaos featuring the OG Blenwood.

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NR!

 

FTS 10.17.17

  • Like 8
Link to comment
SliceGolfer

Happy Birthday Nano-Reef

 

Thank you Chris and the entire community for building an amazing resource for anyone getting into the small reef game. This site was such an inspiration for me back when I started. At the time, there weren't any fish stores or others in my local community I could talk to about reef keeping on a small scale. I had a buddy who had a 5 gallon FOWLR on his desk at the office, and was like, cool I gotta do that! I started with saltwater back in 1986, reef keeping in 1990. Nano reefing in 2003. I wish I could find my original username to see what type of silly questions and newb posts I made back then.

 

Back when I started I had a JBJ NanoCube DX 12 gallon tank. I recall ordering from NanoTuners because the tank was modded with 72w of PC Compact lighting. I thought I would be able to keep anything. This was back in 2003.

 

jbj12gallondx.jpg.8a1debe909a54473725987be0468e080.jpg

 

Because we can't just have one tank, I built a 5.5g nano, tonga branch rock, 70w 10k MH light in self made hood, lots of softies, and Xenia. Oh man, Xenia! It moved, it pulsed. So cool! I made this video back in 2005. I knew nothing of sound tracks or overlaying music, so we got the buzz of an open mic in this classic.

 

My inspiration hails back to the first "Tank of the Month" selection, JDSabin1.  Jeff (as I knew him) was a co-worker of mine, on the same floor, in the same office, at the same company. While Jeff and I spoke many times, I had no idea he was addicted to reef keeping. His 20g long with two MH pendants was what I strived for. I still think of it as a great build for the time. I wish I knew where he got his livestock from because there weren't any LFSs in the area that stocked anything like this.

Thanks again @Christopher Marks for your vision and ongoing effort. You are a pioneer!

  • Like 8
Link to comment
  • Christopher Marks unpinned this topic

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...