Fresh or Saltwater Tank

[BrianNY]

Ahhhhhhhh, the kid in the candy store scenario. Quite a few of us have walked into the lfs and wanted everything we saw. LOL

My first SW tank was a 20 gallon long. I kept anemones and clown fish. I would not recommend anything smaller and larger would be better.

 

[TankGirl]

I agree with Brian that starting out in SW ought to be with the biggest tank you can afford. I have an empty 15 gal that I would love to set up as a nano SW setup (not really nano - that's supposed to be like under 5 gal's or something to be a true nano) but since I'd be new to SW I know it would be difficult, so I'd probably wait for a 55 to do it. My father-in-law kept a 35 gal for years as a fish-only SW setup and he did very well with it, as long as he was very careful about tank occupants.

 

[Devilishturtles]

I've kept both salt and fresh (fresh mainly, just started with salt) and I like FW more also. To put exactly how BrianNY said it, It's more gratifying. Watching your plants grow from little bulbs to plants with extravagant foliage. Watching that baby angelfish you bought, grow up to be king of the tank. There are lots of cool things about it.

Saltwater is gratifying as well. Watching what starts as an empty tank, grow up to be a little slice of the ocean.

Choose carefully. And if you do go Saltwater, start out with as big a tank as you can, as recommended. It's much easier to care for that way, and little flucuations have alot less of an impact on things. Buy some books also (I would have never been able to do anything in saltwater had it not been for books).

Good luck, and have fun. 8)

 

[Umberle]

I suppose I'll actually comment on the topic now I have FW 2gal which is about to become a QT/hospital tank and I just bought a 20 gal set up for about $60 (came with a hood(going have to replace I think), heater, whisper filter) which I'm planning to plant.

As much as I ooh and aaah over the SW tanks I just don't find them as personally interesting (yeah I know I'm a freak) and I don't think I'm every going to set one up. I'm not intimidated, although I should be, I just have too much I want to do with FW. When MTS develops...and it is :? I think I'll have a bunch of themed FW tanks surrounding me.

But coming to this conclusion was a matter of much reading and looking around and quite firmly leaving my credit card at home