Salt Water Vs. Freshwater?

[robyngunston]

Hi there,

I currently have a freshwater tropical tank but I have always wanted to try a marine tropical tank as I think the fish are awesome.....could anybody explain how much extra equipment and work will be needed so that I know what I am getting myself into before I do.
Also......I was reading in one of my books that the minimum tank size for marine fish is 180l.....mine is only 54l so I assume that would mean I can't keep them?
Any info or advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[SkiFletch]

Stickies are good . I could write it all up, but its there in the pinned topics. YOu can keep fish in a 54L ~!0gal methinks but you'll be limited to 2 maybe 3 in a tank that size. You can however keep a lot of coral specemins in there or other types of invertebrates. Remember, the saltwater world isnt just limited to fish

Btw, a tank that size is considered a "nano" tank, so you'll also want to check out the nano section

 

[Chac]

A 54 is around 10g (UK), you could house 2 small fish ie Clowns, fire's etc.

One of the most important thing about a tank that size is stability - you will find you will need to pay closer attention to Water Level & Chemistry more so than in a larger tank

 

[Lynden]

A 54 is around 10g (UK), you could house 2 small fish ie Clowns, fire's etc.

One of the most important thing about a tank that size is stability - you will find you will need to pay closer attention to Water Level & Chemistry more so than in a larger tank

Bigger is always better in the marine world.

 

[Mr Miagi]

And as for the equipment/work side of things, check out some members Nano Journals. This should give you a good idea into what they spend, how much equipment they use, and how often they do maintenance.

 

[handsomeboy]

on the negative side...

saltwater aquariums=time*money.
money&time=(evil)^.5.
(evil)^.5*(evil)^.5=evil.
therefore saltwater aquariums=evil.

 

[Mr Miagi]

Saltwater:

Quite expensive
Very rewarding.
Beautiful aquascapes.
Greater diversity of corals, fish, macro algae, sponges, Inverts, etc.
More Life in the LR, LS and Sand Bed

Freshwater:

Cheaper
Boring, IE no life in the rocks, sand bed, etc
Only get to chose from Plants and Fish (And some shrimp).

Both hobbies are time consuming, so there is no difference there in that regard. Ive kept a planted 3fter and that was more work than my reef. It all boils down to what you enjoy, and how hard your willing to work to get it.

 

[Donya]

For fish, don't forget clown gobies! Small and not demanding on swimming space; also easiest to feed when the tank is small enough that you don't have to chase them around and when there is no competition for food.

saltwater aquariums=time*money.

Unless you build it in a tub with franken-filters and DIY stuff like I did, in which case:

salwater aquariums = (time*cheap) - pretty
(time*cheap) - pretty = pug ugly but cool to mess with and breakproof

But yeah I agree that you'll probably still wind up with all that being equal to evil...if nothing else because of the disposition of so many of the inverts you wind up with whether you want them or not. Big bristleworms + Aiptasia + crabs = evil incarnate. That is one of the big freshwater/saltwater differences that got me; the ecosystem is only semi-controlable. In a fw tank you know what is in there down to the last guppy fry, but in a sw tank strange stuff keeps popping out of the rockwork when you're not looking.

 

[robyngunston]

Stickies are good . I could write it all up, but its there in the pinned topics. YOu can keep fish in a 54L ~!0gal methinks but you'll be limited to 2 maybe 3 in a tank that size. You can however keep a lot of coral specemins in there or other types of invertebrates. Remember, the saltwater world isnt just limited to fish

Btw, a tank that size is considered a "nano" tank, so you'll also want to check out the nano section

Thanks SkiFletch!!


Thanks to all of you for your help!!

I was very disappointed when I thought my tank was too small.....but feeling a bit better now
I even thought about upgrading but unfortunately my tank is set into a wall so the size is pretty limited....I would love to have one four times the size but have no where to put it in my small UK flat

Thanks again!