Salwater or Freshwater?
- Thread starter Jun91
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
rich311k
Aquarium Advice Addict
Welcome to AA! Do what you want to do.
mfdrookie516
Aquarium Free - 2+ Years
Welcome. I agree with rich... ultimately, you're the one keeping the tank, so whatever makes you happy is what you should do.
BfishLpond78
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I agree that you should do what you want to do. Here was my biggest mistake, i went out and bought everything and didn't really have a game plan. You should in my opinion look through this site and get a feel for what people are doing, common problems, and what they have as far as equipment and live stock to get an idea what you're getting into as far as, set up, maintenance and ultimately money wise.
Do you want something small, do you wanna go big, community tanks, specific species, planted, fish only with live rock (FOWLR), reefs, corals...Obviously you probably know the list is endless. But if I had to do it all over again, I would start simple (depending on your experience level of course). Doing too much too soon can be frustrating.
But defiantly have a game solid gameplan, and don't rush it, great tanks are built over time, not in one shot. I've developed a great knowledge from reading random posts and asking questions. And i just joined in April.
Good luck and also, WELCOME TO AA!!!!
Do you want something small, do you wanna go big, community tanks, specific species, planted, fish only with live rock (FOWLR), reefs, corals...Obviously you probably know the list is endless. But if I had to do it all over again, I would start simple (depending on your experience level of course). Doing too much too soon can be frustrating.
But defiantly have a game solid gameplan, and don't rush it, great tanks are built over time, not in one shot. I've developed a great knowledge from reading random posts and asking questions. And i just joined in April.
Good luck and also, WELCOME TO AA!!!!
All great advice so far - and I agree - it comes down to what you like, what you feel comfortable with, and what your budget is. As far as cost, generally a SW a/o reef setup is going to be much more expensive than a freshwater setup, though it is just as easy to spend a bunch of cash on a high tech planted FW setup. The same goes for the level of care and involvement required, though if you are looking for simple, a FW community tank is generally the easiest to care for (though there is still regular maintenance involved). There are great fish species for FW and SW, so again it just comes down to what you want to do.
Dont listen to them guys. Go Saltwater. LOL. Just kidding. I agree just go with what you think you can handle and what you like. I used to think that Sw was harder but after seeing the FW and planted tanks on this site and reading the threads I`ve come to the realization that they are all the same work and same rewards. I do think that the fish and corals are more expensive in SW though. Like everyone said just pick what you think you would like.
How much time do you have to spend on taking care of the tank? How much space do you have for a tank? How much money do you have for upkeep and set up?
Saltwater takes a lot more time, money, and research. Research and find out which is what you are looking for. Fresh water is cheaper, has beautiful fish and plants. Saltwater is more expensive, has beautiful fish and invertebrates.
Starting either tank you will need a water test kit so you can cycle your tank properly.
Saltwater takes a lot more time, money, and research. Research and find out which is what you are looking for. Fresh water is cheaper, has beautiful fish and plants. Saltwater is more expensive, has beautiful fish and invertebrates.
Starting either tank you will need a water test kit so you can cycle your tank properly.
freshwater has awesome inverts too.
First off let me say thanks and that everyone is awfully nice on this forum and I thank you all for the advice and opinions. I do have time everyday to care for any setup i would have despite having a 7 week old son. Whatever I decide to do I know I will start off with a small tank and take it from there, but as suggested by some of you I will first continue to research and read thru some threads on the forum. Thanks again and I'm sure I'll be back.
BfishLpond78
Aquarium Advice FINatic
First off congrats on the new addition to the family, i'm sure whatever tank you go with will provide him hours of entertainment cause all little ones love the pretty colors and decorations. That's awesome.
This maybe only my experience and hopefully someone else will agree while bigger isn't always better in most situations, I feel when it comes to aquariums it is. I don't mean go out and get a 125gal from the get go. But I picked up a 36 gal bow front and I believe its a great tank to start with. Good amount of water where any water problem doesn't create a huge issue like a 10gal would. Give's you better options as far as stocking and decorations. But again it depends on your room availability and budget.
Either way let us know what you go with. Good Luck!!!
This maybe only my experience and hopefully someone else will agree while bigger isn't always better in most situations, I feel when it comes to aquariums it is. I don't mean go out and get a 125gal from the get go. But I picked up a 36 gal bow front and I believe its a great tank to start with. Good amount of water where any water problem doesn't create a huge issue like a 10gal would. Give's you better options as far as stocking and decorations. But again it depends on your room availability and budget.
Either way let us know what you go with. Good Luck!!!
