Saltwater Or Stay Tropical?

[Meggie :)]

So for my last birthday present my parents said they'll buy me like a 70 or 90 gallon tank...somewhere in that range...and they also gave me a choice of freshwater or saltwater. My tank right now is going to my little sister when we move (along with the fish that are in there right now), which is also the time i'm getting my new tank; we are probably moving within the next few months. I am totally undecided about if i should get saltwater or freshwater....any input?

thanks!

 

[mark2109111]

My dad just went saltwater and he has no regrets. Then again he gets to see my 55 gallon discus tank without having to do any upkeep. He has a 55 gallon FOWLR tank now and enjoys it very much. It is very entertaining to watch his gobie which has paired up with his pistol shrimp in a symbiotic relationship. I asked my dad his input and he said it is very rewarding but the fish are much more difficult to find companions. You have to do a lot of research in order to have a health tank. I hope my input helped and good luck.

 

[drobbyb]

Freshwater fish are easy compared to saltwater in general. Saltwater is also inherently more expensive. Think of all the salt you have to add with EVERY water change, plus water conditioner unless you use RO which is also more expensive, plus all the extra equipment.

So if you have the time, patience and income it can be wonderful.

 

[Meggie :)]

thank you so much! yes my mom had a 55 gallon saltwater tank for a while and she loved it but she said it IS a lot more work..which i will enjoy doing anyway because i am an animal/fish person..haha I love my freshwater fish but i think that, since my little sister, she is 11, will be taking my tank, i will get to enjoy both and i know she will love them and be just as responsible for them as i do Your input DID help alot thank you! im pretty sure im going saltwater

 

[drobbyb]

Good luck with salties (I want to have a saltwater tank too, but my income won't allow it )

 

[Meggie :)]

thanks so much! hope you're able to get a saltwater in the near future

 

[clay]

i changed to saltwater 3 months ago. it is very addicting. . my only regret is that i have absolutely no interest in freshwater now. and be careful tank upgrades are hard to resist.

 

[fishy55599]

the fish arent much harder to keep, there isnt much extra to do-once it is set up all you do is change the water as you would anyway, clean the glass if it needs and now and then clean equipment, anybody can do it.

but it is expenssive, but you get a lot more out of it and there are more possibilities

i see you have already deiced saltwater anyway, so pop over to the marine section, you will get lots of help there

 

[Meggie :)]

thank you!

 

[Rogue4Fish]

I'd go for salt if you've already had fresh. If anything, just for a change!

I always go into my LFS and admire the saltwater fish and their stunning variety of colours. Maybe one day.....

 

[StandbySetting]

In all honesty I would stay freshwater, I find it so much more enjoyable, having kept both, the Salt water was the most challenging mentally, I had problem after problem due to isopods and pests coming on my live rock I lost the will to live and came back to freshwater, never regretted it, if you're looking for a new challenge then maybe planted tanks could be an option for you, or New World Cichlids, even Old World Cichlids, some of these fish pack the same amazing colours and personalities of Salt water fish, you just have to think outside of the box.

 

[KkAaNnEe]

I actually was gonna go salty last summer, I bought an RO unit, skimmer etc but bottled it. To be honest Im so glad I didnt set it up now, I mean the fish are stunning and so on, but I actually find there are more variety in freshwater, what with cichlids, planted, community tanks etc.

Like mentioned, if you have the three most important factors; Time, Money and Dedication, it can be great so go with it

 

[Meggie :)]

im still trying to decide a little. I'm leaning toward saltwater but i love my freshwater. like i said my sister is going to take my fresh water and the fish that are in it and she will take excellent care of it so ill still be able to enjoy it...my choices are upgrading to a nicer and bigger freshwater or getting a big saltwater...i have the time, love, dedication, and money, but its hard to switch from something i love so much..because i really wanted to get into breeding fish in my freshwater and getting a bigger tank would help me be able too; we could use the one my little sister is taking for a breeder tank to keep the fry in till we can move them out. But ive also heard that saltwater tanks are absolutely amazing and now im stuck between the two again haha i hope ill be able to decide soon

 

[fishguy2727]

One option is to upgrade your fw to the 75/90 and use the smaller tank for sw. The reason I recommend this is because in order to be successful with sw you have to do it right, which can be expensive. It is very important to do sw in as large a tank as possible AND small enough to afford to do it properly. I have had many clients and customers who get a big tank (either new or on craigslist) and then can't afford to buy enough live rock, good enough lighting, etc. So they end up with an underlit tanks with little rock (even worse since now any corals are even further from the weak light) and get discouraged fast.

I do also recommend going reef, or at least plan on doing it. It takes only a couple months to stock a fowlr, but you can be years into a reef and still find things to add.

IME corals are also easier than the fish. I, and most of my clients and customers, would rather spend $100 or more on a coral than $30 on a fish because there is less risk with the coral.

Even if you don't do a reef immediately, plan on doing it eventually. That means don't make decisions now based on it being FOWLR that you will have to undo later if you go reef. This would be things like adding certain fish that are not reef safe that you would have to get back out (which usually includes removing all the rock), certain types of filtration (like canisters), etc.

 

[KkAaNnEe]

Yeah i agree with above, if you get some t5s, soft cOrals are always an option like mushrooms and zoanthids etc