As far as I can remember, I have always has this passion for aquatic life. My ol man used to keep dual 55gal tanks on a metal stand with nothing but monster fish in them (Oscars, Jewel Fish, Red Devils etc). Although they were pretty stagnant and very bland systems, (compared to our vibrant reef tanks) I would just stare off at them mindlessly for hours, becoming tone deaf to the outside world from the large corner blubbers placed in each tank. Looking back on this now, I realize that had a love for fish.
Before joining this club, I had just moved to Nj and decided that in our 1st home, I wanted to set up a nice aquarium for the house. Not familiar with this side of the hobby, and unsure on what the actual needs would be for the livestock, I settled on a 20L gal tank which i picked up from Petco. Not knowing much about Salt water, and not realizing there were such things as reef clubs, I essentially took the advice from any random article or LFS owner who (in my mind including the staff at Petco) seemed to know what he/she was talking about. This also meant buying almost everything related/un-related to saltwater that any employee pointed out to me.
After running this system and another for a while (with very little success) I came across Reef2Reef and pretty much just lurked on there for a while, absorbing vasts amounts of knowledge from fellow members on a series of topics. Eventually I mustered up the courage to poke my head out and introduce myself. It was from there @kschweer reached out to me, and after a little nudging, convinced me to join the New Jersey Reefers Club. From there it didn't take long for me to get hooked, the generosity from folks (but not limited to) @Karenvas2 (who gave me the tank that I'm currently running) @HerbieK @redfishbluefish (for basically hooking me up with frags that were bound for the trash can) but also the knowledge that came along with it kept me on. Seeing their display tanks in awe along with their complex (and not so complex) filtration systems, drove me to become more involved to learn more from others and become successful in this hobby.
Fast forwarding this a little bit, and now after a few years being a member, I would like to run for the Vice Presidents position in the New Jersey Reefers Club. With a strong President and BOD, I feel I can help bring this club back to its former glory, but with a slight twist. I do agree that we need to appreciate and respect all of the more veteran members, for the amount of work that has been placed in setting this up and keeping the club running, but I feel that as this hobby evolves, so must we as an organization. New reefers starting up have it alot easier now compared to a few years ago. With the advancement in aquariums systems and equipment technologies, some of the old methods and themes will slowly phase out and as a whole, we have to keep up with the times. If we all work together, and put our differences aside, we can accomplish alot in the club.
As your Vp, I promise to bring new ideas and concepts to the table, while still keeping in place our core, club integrity. In the end, it's not about being a board member, It's about the commitment to take on the extra work and as your Vp, I am willing to do.
-I am Marcus, and I approve this message
Before joining this club, I had just moved to Nj and decided that in our 1st home, I wanted to set up a nice aquarium for the house. Not familiar with this side of the hobby, and unsure on what the actual needs would be for the livestock, I settled on a 20L gal tank which i picked up from Petco. Not knowing much about Salt water, and not realizing there were such things as reef clubs, I essentially took the advice from any random article or LFS owner who (in my mind including the staff at Petco) seemed to know what he/she was talking about. This also meant buying almost everything related/un-related to saltwater that any employee pointed out to me.
After running this system and another for a while (with very little success) I came across Reef2Reef and pretty much just lurked on there for a while, absorbing vasts amounts of knowledge from fellow members on a series of topics. Eventually I mustered up the courage to poke my head out and introduce myself. It was from there @kschweer reached out to me, and after a little nudging, convinced me to join the New Jersey Reefers Club. From there it didn't take long for me to get hooked, the generosity from folks (but not limited to) @Karenvas2 (who gave me the tank that I'm currently running) @HerbieK @redfishbluefish (for basically hooking me up with frags that were bound for the trash can) but also the knowledge that came along with it kept me on. Seeing their display tanks in awe along with their complex (and not so complex) filtration systems, drove me to become more involved to learn more from others and become successful in this hobby.
Fast forwarding this a little bit, and now after a few years being a member, I would like to run for the Vice Presidents position in the New Jersey Reefers Club. With a strong President and BOD, I feel I can help bring this club back to its former glory, but with a slight twist. I do agree that we need to appreciate and respect all of the more veteran members, for the amount of work that has been placed in setting this up and keeping the club running, but I feel that as this hobby evolves, so must we as an organization. New reefers starting up have it alot easier now compared to a few years ago. With the advancement in aquariums systems and equipment technologies, some of the old methods and themes will slowly phase out and as a whole, we have to keep up with the times. If we all work together, and put our differences aside, we can accomplish alot in the club.
As your Vp, I promise to bring new ideas and concepts to the table, while still keeping in place our core, club integrity. In the end, it's not about being a board member, It's about the commitment to take on the extra work and as your Vp, I am willing to do.
-I am Marcus, and I approve this message