Saltwater vs freshwater

[Radiation91]

This could start a huge debate but I'm willing to try!

I've always been fascinated by corals and I decided to join the fishkeeping hobby with a Freshwater tank because it's cheaper and supposedly easier. Now that I've got experience... I'm looking towards a coral tank.

So, I'm calling on you fellow Reefers to share your experiences!

Which is best... Saltwater or Freshwater?
Pros and cons of each?

I look forward to seeing what you all think!

Rad91

[toothybugs]

I used to think freshwater was just awesome, til I was working at my petshop and a guy said "just try setting a small salt tank up, bet you money you don't go back."

That was over 8 years ago.

That first 20 crashed (my tank babysitter flaked out on me), so I stripped it and set it up for fresh again.

A month later it had salt water back in it.



And now I'm a chemist. Fresh just doesn't have anything for me anymore.



Fresh was fun because (I thought) it was simple and straight to the core of the fishkeeping hobby. But at the same time, I thrive on problem solving. Now I need the chemistry issues and challenges of a reef to keep me involved.

[tripdad]

I don't know if your going to get a fair polling on a website devoted to reefing? Maybe try an aquarium site. I can't speak for everyone but I relate better to "marine" environments.

[soulpatch]

Give me a year to truly answer this. HA HA. I am just getting into salt coming from fresh. I still have a large planted DT in my living room that I love though.

I think both have a certain beauty though. Corals and the colorful fish in salt are mind boggling but yet a great planted tank with shoals of fish are equally mesmorizing. Heck I used to think Neons were a joke till I had 50+ of them shoaling through my plants. I had a smaller biotube with archer fish who would shoot water to get their food I stuck to the back walls.

I wouldnt say either is easier then the other. You need to dose and monitor lighting for a planted freshwater much like you need to do for a coral tank. both need QT and fish acclimated. Temperature is imperative as is water chemistry. The biggest difference I can think about though is the stability of the tank and the fact I can use faucet water for my freshwater fish.

For stability I can throw a battery air pump into my freshwater tanks to keep things alive when power goes out. The temp can drop considerably and everything will survive. Same can not be as easily said for a salt tank. If that tank drops to 55 degrees you are losing things.

Though this is a reason I have a massive generator now too. The wife does complain that I turn off the space heater so I can power up everything for the fish tanks....

[EDJFA]

I was going to say that you do know you're on ReefCentral, right? How many freshwater reefs are there out there.

I have seen some very cool freshwater tanks, but the coolest tanks out there are hands down saltwater.

With that said, I think for the average person who just simply likes to look at fish, a freshwater tank is hard to beat. It's simple, no real need for anything fancy like skimmers, controllers, sumps, RODI systems, or super expensive lighting. The fish are cheaper and easy to get. We had a 30-40g freshwater tank growing up and I thought it was the awesome.

There are so many variations on each version, though. Planted tanks are as intricate as our reef tanks. Biotope tanks, brackish tanks, FOWLRs,...I could go on. I have a friend who wants to try keeping trout in a really long aquarium. He's going to have to figure out how to keep the current flowing at an insane rate to mimic a river.

I'd agree that one isn't necessarily better than the other.

I do believe that people don't give this hobby enough thought before jumping in. How many times have we heard the stories about the people walking out of Petco with a 20g tank, a bucket of salt, some Prime, and a Yellow Tang? Way too many. I'm sure there are tons of stories on the freshwater sites where the noobs completely screwed up their tank from the get go. I wish more people would at least read a web page before they go out and buy Nemo for their 5 yr old.

[mmn]

I like apples, but I like oranges better.

[IgnatiusRath]

Love both, but honestly I don't think I'll ever keep much for fresh again. I do have a small planted tank, but it's low maintenance and largely still up because I like the water sound in my bedroom. Nothing like what I used to keep for fresh. Just too much difference in the life that goes on in a reef compared to a fresh tank.

[soulpatch]

Originally Posted by EDJFA

It's simple, no real need for anything fancy like skimmers, controllers, sumps, RODI systems, or super expensive lighting. The fish are cheaper and easy to get.

I would argue that. If you went with a fish only salt tank and compare that to a fish only fresh tank both need minimal equipment.

To compare a reef tank you would need to look at a planted tank and those have very similar equipment needs...

[IgnatiusRath]

Originally Posted by mmn

I like apples, but I like oranges better.

+1

[soulpatch]

Originally Posted by IgnatiusRath

Just too much difference in the life that goes on in a reef compared to a fresh tank.

That right there is why I am starting a reef tank. Seeing the corals interacting with the rest adds another layer that I dont currently have with my planted tanks.

[d2mini]

I love to look at freshwater planted tanks, there as some insanely creative and beautiful ones out there.
But for me, nothing beats a saltwater reef tank just because it never gets boring! There is always new things to see/discover, new challenges, new coral to buy (or grow and sell/share), etc. The actual keeping of a freshwater tank is so boring in comparison. To me.

[mandarin_goby]

I love both, so I can't choose one over the other. I've had freshwater for 20+ years and salt for almost 3....they each have their challenges. I've never used CO2 in a FW tank before, but I just bought a 75 gallon set up with CO2 - I'm really excited I also have an 8 gallon rimless shrimp set up - I just graduated from basic cherry shrimp to the fancier crystal shrimp - I never get bored!

The reef is fascinating to me...I love the colors and movement while the FW planted is more serene - something to suit every mood. Nothing more peaceful than watching a school of neons swimming through a densely planted tank. FW is like a little water garden for me - I get lost in pruning leaves and rearranging plants.

FW *can* be cheaper than salt, unless you get Eheim filters (my favorite) and a really nice light fixture, but good ol' Aquaclear filters work great...I tried cheap with salt and regretted it (Koralia nano pumps and Odyssea lights - what a waste of $$).

FW planted will always have my heart, but reefing has totally sucked me in also, for different reasons.

Reefing is more challenging for sure - certain corals can't touch others and others grow out of control (xenia), so it has a whole new set of challenges I'm embracing but I love seeing everything thrive. I love the interaction between critters like my pistol shrimp and hi-fin goby, sexy shrimp and their maxi-mini and the clown with her bubbletip nem - just fascinating to watch.

[Timfish]

Reef tanks will accrue more value faster just with basic maintnenace.

[Radiation91]

Originally Posted by tripdad

I don't know if your going to get a fair polling on a website devoted to reefing?

Originally Posted by EDJFA

I was going to say that you do know you're on ReefCentral, right? How many freshwater reefs are there out there.

There's always a bigger plan in place Look past the obvious

On ReefCentral: 22 to SW and 0 to FW, so far.
On other freshwater forums: 5 to SW and 25 to FW, that's 20% to SW.

"once you go reef, you never go leaf" haha I couldn't resist writing that! And it's not an accurate statement either, based on your comments It's more accurate to say that reefers tend not to vote FW whereas FW's will sometimes vote for SW. Interesting!

Well, I've enjoyed reading this thread! and the FW forums too for that matter... It's shown some common themes which I'll collate here.

Reasons for FW

• SW tanks all look the same
• FW tanks are much cheaper
• Without an automated system, SW tanks are always on your mind
• There is much more flexibility with the aquascaping of FW. (similar to point 1 with slight differences apparently)
• You can buy cheap and still get great results
• Very low maintenance - getting a sitter for your tank is much easier.
• FW looks fresher than SW - interpret that however you wish!

A few people prefer FW purely because they've had a bad experience with SW and given up on it.

Reasons for SW

• FW tanks all look the same - green/red leaves, usually following the rules of aquascaping (contrasting against bullet 1 in the FW list)
• SW tanks are dynamic - moving corals like pulsing xenia and anemones etc
• SW corals/fauna have luminous and vibrant colors (due to lighting?)
• Lots of enjoyment setting up a reef system and equipment
• Relationships between fauna and surroundings, fauna and each other, corals with other corals
• Greater variation with types of creatures
• Better viewing in the evening/nighttime. FW moonlights can't be too strong whereas SW can have fairly strong nightlights running.
• The challenge!

Well... that was fun!

Obviously this list isn't exhaustive and is based on common opinions. It's been quite an insight and hopefully newcomers will find it useful!

[Dmorty217]

Originally Posted by Radiation91

This could start a huge debate but I'm willing to try!

I've always been fascinated by corals and I decided to join the fishkeeping hobby with a Freshwater tank because it's cheaper and supposedly easier. Now that I've got experience... I'm looking towards a coral tank.

So, I'm calling on you fellow Reefers to share your experiences!

Which is best... Saltwater or Freshwater?
Pros and cons of each?

I look forward to seeing what you all think!

Rad91

This isn't how you get your posts up by asking rhetorical on a forum you just joined. This is called Reef Central so what do you think the response is going to be? Notice how there isn't anyone on here asking freshwater questions?

[phenom5]

Originally Posted by d2mini

I love to look at freshwater planted tanks, there as some insanely creative and beautiful ones out there.
But for me, nothing beats a saltwater reef tank just because it never gets boring! There is always new things to see/discover, new challenges, new coral to buy (or grow and sell/share), etc. The actual keeping of a freshwater tank is so boring in comparison. To me.

+1

Dennis pretty much hit the nail on the head. Hell, at this point reef tanks don't really keep my interest unless it's SPS.

[W1ngz]

You're going to get biased results on a reef forum... but...
I started fish a year ago and ended up with 2 freshwater tanks, one planted. In July I scored a free 75 gallon tank and stand. I could have saved a ton of cash had I turned it into a monster planted tank. It would be a lot less time consuming and easier to arrange vacations, since a planted tank could get by perfectly well with an automatic feeder for a week, or even 2.

I find myself often ignoring the planted tank now. It's beautiful, but... so is the 4' reef tank on the opposite wall. And much more varied in specimens and activity.

[adamv]

I started in fresh, but the colors and diversity in salt, plus the higher level of difficult and care is more rewarding/satisfying.

[Radiation91]

Originally Posted by Dmorty217

This isn't how you get your posts up by asking rhetorical on a forum you just joined. This is called Reef Central so what do you think the response is going to be? Notice how there isn't anyone on here asking freshwater questions?

wow. thanks. getting a negative vibe

1) I knew the thread would be biased but I wanted to compare how biased it was compared with FW forums. As I've mentioned, it seems that reefers stick to SW in the poll. But for FW forums, there's more diversity with the results. The comparison is what I was looking at. THAT is why I set up the poll. THAT's the big picture which I'm looking at and THAT's what I've written up for others to see.

2) I have no interest in getting my posts up... I'm interested in learning. Set my post count permanently to 0 if you have to.. I post to learn from others. Honestly, I've seen absolutely no reef tanks in person in a domestic setting, which is pretty unfortunate. They seem to be much more common in the USA from what I've seen (and yes I know this is a .com site but I'm speaking generally).

Back to the point... The only reef tanks I've seen are at my LFS and at tourist aquariums. Right now, this site/forum is my only real place of getting opinions and experiences from others. I'm only asking questions that would make for a good conversation with somebody. Frankly, the points been made from this poll have highlighted a whole range of things for me (and possibly others) to go away with and think about.

I've had a lot more questions that I haven't asked because they've already been mentioned elsewhere and I've found answers on those threads.

Thanks

[alton]

Freshwater = Boring
I think I had my first freshwater tank when I was 8? Raised my first batch of Jack Dempseys at 12.
Switched to Saltwater at 31. You can only have so much fun feeding Oscars Crawfish. Planted tanks look nice but are too easy, and therefore boring. I still take care of my wife's 5 gallon planted Betta tank.

[GilliganReef]

Originally Posted by Dmorty217

This isn't how you get your posts up by asking rhetorical on a forum you just joined. This is called Reef Central so what do you think the response is going to be? Notice how there isn't anyone on here asking freshwater questions?

Really? You had to reply with something like this? I thought the same thing, because this is a SW forum, but a lot of people here got started from FW. He’s just asking for advice which reefcentralers on this forum love to give. People who respond back like you. Make people like me hesitate on asking questions at all. Be polite.

[Mrramsey]

I guess you have to look at it like this...

Freshwater vs FOWLR vs Reef

I started freshwater then planted but I was never impressed in the fish and color choices.

There is a significant cost difference between Fresh and FOWLR but maintenance wise really no more or less. Reefing is different than both.

[jrp1588]

I ran FW tanks ever since I was 6 or 7 years old. In my teens, I dabbled with high light FW planted tanks with CO2 injection and angelfish breeding. Definitely a lot more instant gratification, plants grow WAY faster than coral, and I still miss breeding. I never quite figured out pruning though. After pruning, my plants would look like a hacked up mess. Availability of fish and supplies locally is very different for FW and SW. We only have 1 place in town that has a half decent fish selection in SW, and I have to drive almost an hour for coral.

I find SW fish to be much more interesting. Their behavior is a lot more unique from fish to fish. Most of them seem smarter. The only FW fish I ever owned that seemed to have half a brain were bettas and angel fish. I also find coral to be more interesting than plants, it seems more alive, and it grows in much more organically. I don't have to prune it into place.

[HiFidelity]

had a 10g FW planted tank, then a 5g planted Beta tank. Today it's salt or bust unless FW corals fall out of the sky

[Radiation91]

Originally Posted by GilliganReef

Really? You had to reply with something like this? I thought the same thing, because this is a SW forum, but a lot of people here got started from FW. He’s just asking for advice which reefcentralers on this forum love to give. People who respond back like you. Make people like me hesitate on asking questions at all. Be polite.

Thanks for the vote of confidence there Gilligan. I thought I might have misread what Dmorty was saying until you commented. Feeling better now

Originally Posted by Mrramsey

I guess you have to look at it like this...

Freshwater vs FOWLR vs Reef

I started freshwater then planted but I was never impressed in the fish and color choices.

There is a significant cost difference between Fresh and FOWLR but maintenance wise really no more or less. Reefing is different than both.

I'm not sure how, but I've never realised FOWLR was "Fish Only With Live Rock" until now. I thought it was a brand of tank like Red Sea

Also, like you, I am looking at the FW tanks and wishing they had more impressive colours. Don't get me wrong, my FW tanks look great but I'd like some colours other than green