Fresh or Salt water aquarium?

Question

I am getting 55 gallon aquarium. I just bought a 10 gallon that I have as a freshwater. I've had it a week and I really screwed up...but the fish are doing fine, so I am feeling a little more confident. I just basically want to know which kind of aquarium is easier to care for, and if I was to go with a saltwater aquarium, how much do nice looking fish and supplied cost monthly? Also, how much work goes into a salt water aquarium compared to freshwater?

Answer 1

i have a salt water tank and its hard you've only just started with fish and your having trouble with freshwater so don't go saltwater until your good at it, it costs tones it costed me $2,000 for what i wanted and the fresh supply of water from the ocean you constantly have to check water for nitrate levels ammonia pH and tones more don't do it until your ready by the sounds of it your not

Answer 2

I've had a saltwater aquarium for about 5 years and I don't think it's harder.Sure you do need a few extras but I feel it's worth it.As for testing the water my pet store does it for free.Good filters and power heads are a must and you need a gravity meter to make sure you have the salt level correct. Best fish to start with are damsels they are about $5 or $6.00.Very hardy and do well when your water is cycling in the first month. Also,you have to add fish slowly alot of these fish are sensitive to water changes and some of the fish can get very expensive.I started with freshwater too and a smaller tank and I find my 55 gallon salt water tank is easier after the first few months.

Answer 3

What do you mean by easier to take care of? Saltwater aquariums aren't harder to take care of once they are set up, but you might have to spend a little more time on maintenance. Also you have to mix your own "ocean water" you can't just add a few drops to tap water like for a freshwater tank. Plus the fish for a marine tank are prettier, but you will pay more so any mistakes will really be felt in the wallet. If you just started out, I would recommend hitting the Internet or going to a good book store and reading everything you can about both types of tanks and make a decision. Basically comes down to how much time and energy are you willing to put into the tank. Plus, if you want a really good marine aquarium I would go bigger than 55 gallons. That is just my opinion though. Good luck!

Answer 4

A saltwater or marine tank will be a bit more trouble to look after as you have to be careful about the salt levels. You will also need a few more pieces of equipment to maintain the tank (& for the life of me I can't remember what the little white floaty thing is) & basically it just costs more to keep it ticking over. A freshwater tropical tank just needs a good filter that can cope with the size of the tank & a heater big enough to keep the water at the right temperature. A good testing kit is essential to make sure that the pH , nitrite, ammonia & nitrate levels are all correct (we got a really good easy to use one off ebay). That's about it - just do your research, talk to fish shop staff & you should be fine. Once the inintial cycling of the tank has occurred it's pretty simple to do water changes & keep the fish happy & healthy. A friend of mine has a marine tank & often goes to the beach & takes huge buckets of saltwater home from there hehe. It's much easier for me to get the water out of the tap, use some water conditioner in it & dump it in the tank.

Answer 5

Stay with freshwater for a while, by the way you talk you still have A LOT to learn about them.

Salt water is very hard and very expensive. Most of the cheapest fish are around $10. They can be pretty weak as well.

I know a lot about fresh water fish. But even after knowing all that I'm still very uneasy about trying salt water yet.

So learn freshwater first or your gonna lose a lot of money and fish.

Answer 6

Oh boy, marine fishies are expensive, and extremely delicate when it comes to maintaining the tank. There are so many factors to consider in a saltwater tank, and lots of additional equipment to buy. Oh and did I mention the fish are expensive? I would recommend you use the 55g tank as a freshwater tank and try some African cichlids. They can be quite colorful just like marine fish, but they have WAY more personality. You have to remember that the larger the body of water (i.e.-tank) the more stable the environment will be biologically, so once you've cycled a 55g, it'll be very easy to maintain (much easier then a 10g)

Answer 7

I would start with a freshwater setup to start. This way you can learn the hobby, and begin to enjoy it! A Saltwater one to start might be discouraging because there is a lot more to maintain, and the equipment is different (not too mention the water changes require true Salt Water so this could be an effort that you may get sick off initially - and thus discouraging to you and the hobby).

Here - join these sites (they are free, and there are tons of great hobbyists out on them that are kind and always willing to help fellow hobbyists)...

Aquaria Central
http://www.aquariacentral.com

AquariumBoard
http://www.aquariumboard.com

Great sites - free to join the forums - and you will learn a ton!

Good luck!

Answer 8

Freshwater tanks are easier to care for and more resilient when it comes to errors. Saltwater allows for much more color and variety. Freshwater is usually FAR less expensive to set up and to stock.

Both types of tanks require water changes to remove build up of nutrients. Saltwater requires more frequent testing, IMO, because you must watch the salinity and the PH is of greater sensitivity than in freshwater tanks.

Whichever you choose to do please research carefully before doing it and learn about cycling your tank. Also please research which kinds of fish you want to keep.

Answer 9

for starters start with the freshwater tank first, then when you are sure that you have enough experience then move to saltwater, go with tropical freshwater tank with corys and livebearers and other kind of fish you like and do research online on the fish in stock that you like in the pet stores before you buy it

Answer 10

A salt water aquarium may be more expensive to start up because you need to buy a good filter, skimmer and you have to take care of the temperature. But the good thing is that you do not neet to change the water. All you ned to do is add in the water and throw away the filtered ones from the skimmer.

But it is advisable to have a bigger aquarium if you plan for salt water one because it effects the temperature, thus the life in it.