By Sarah Whitman
Senior Staff Writer
For members of the Tampa Bay Reef Club, in-home saltwater fish tanks are more than a hobby. Members work to create a living, ever changing world within their tanks.
“I like how everything in the tank has a purpose,” member Pedro Carrillo said. “Saltwater tanks are special. Not everybody has them and to make them work, you have to put time into it.”
The Tampa Bay Reef Club meets monthly with 175 members coming from all over the Tampa Bay Area. Carrillo, who lives in Wesley Chapel, joined the club six years ago but has been building tanks since 1995.
“I love the colors,” he said. “We have a 150 gallon wall tank and it is the main attraction in our house. I joined the reef club to learn from all the members, so I could make my tank even better.”
Susan Ingold, present of the Tampa Bay Reef Club, spends countless hours a week working on her 300-gallon tank, but she wasn’t always an expert on marine life. She went to her first club meeting in 2006 knowing very little. She had never considered starting a tank. Seeing what others had done changed her mind.
“I went to one meeting and I’ve been hooked ever since,” she said. “I’m hooked on the beauty, the never-ending need to learn and what it’s like to watch the animals grow.”
Ingold said she enjoys being part of a club because it helps her keep up to date on the latest and best in saltwater aquarium news. Reef club meetings are often held at her home in Lutz, where she has a variety of fish and corals on display. Not all members attend every meeting, so she is able to host events. She invites everyone to bring photos and books to share.
“We talk about new techniques and we learn from each others experiences,” she said. “We have fun. That’s what we do.”
Member Tom White said the club is great for anyone captivated by life under the sea. “I’ve always been interested in anything and everything that comes from the ocean,” he said. “Even as a small child, I was fascinated.”
White began keeping tanks 30 years ago. Today, he has a 375-gallon tank built into the wall of his home in Weeki Wache.
“Tanks make it possible to watch things grow that normally you wouldn’t be able to see,” White said. “It gives you insight into what it’s like under the water.”
Behind White’s tank is a room he calls the fish room. In it, he houses equipment and two smaller tanks, one for growing plant life and the other for coral fragments, called frags by enthusiasts. In time, frags will re-grow. Club members trade them to add variety to personal tanks.
According to Ingold, properly maintaining a saltwater aquarium requires some knowledge of marine science.
“It’s a good thing to ask questions and read articles,” she said. “There is always something to learn.”
Certain fish and corals can live together. Others cannot coexist. Without proper knowledge, fish may turn on each other, or corals can die. Many people mistake corals for plants, but they are actual living marine organisms belonging to the group anthozoa. Some are soft and some a hard. Some fish are accustomed to living with specific corals, like clown fish.
“Clowns are hosts to anemoe,” Carillo said. “Everyone knows about clown fish because of Nemo.”
Ingold has more fish in her tank than coral. She is most proud of her 3-year-old Moorish Idle, Gill. He is black, white and yellow striped.
“For a fish, he has survived a long time,” she said. “I love my fish. I’m more of a fish person than a coral person but I like flowing, soft corals.”
White’s favorite fish is the Anthia, a small orange fish that swim in schools.
“It’s beautiful,” he said. “Usually, if you see a picture of corals, you see Anthia.”
New members are always welcome into the Tampa Bay Reef Club. The next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 20 at a member’s home in New Port Richey. Club fees are $25. Visit www.tampabayreefclub.org.
