Salt water tank hard/easy????
- Thread starter pagan3252
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glenn
Guest
First off it will be easy if you love aquariums. It really isnt much more than i have seen some fresh water keepers do. Second do some reading on what needs to be done to keep saltwater fish. there is plenty of material out there. BBS, chatrooms, books, etc. Get well informed and dont be affraid to ask for help.
Glenn
Glenn
b_ball12_99
Member
At first it takes more time and effort and $$$ but as things get stable you are in good shape.
tanker newbie
Member
trey hit the nail right on the head, once you get used to it, and learn(first hand) of what to do and what not to it can be very easy, just 1 thing, be patient if you rush your bound to make mistakes, and just 1 more thing, if you have a question, or your not sure about something, ask, thats what this board is here for
nm reef
Active Member
I had kept fresh water for several years......this past winter I set up my first sw system......these folks are right......its very different and can be more expensive.....but I believe that after the initial set up and establishment of a well planed out system it is just as easy to maintain as fw........with one major exception.......rarely did I have fresh water fish die........recently I lost 2 very nice corals due to a heater malfunction....this loss was bad enough but could have totally devestated my entire reef...if not caught in time to prevent futher damage......some tragic crashes can occur that I never experienced with fw set ups
saltwater4me
Member
Saltwater is just a little harder, and a lot more expensive. After a while you get a hang of it and it gets easy.
guppie
Member
I have done both for over 25 years, they are about the same, I think the biggest diference, is you need to take it slow in s/w, where in f/w you just through the fish in a everything takes care of it self. You still have to do water changes in both I guess the biggest diference would be when you loose of fish in s/w it hurts more in the pocket. Good Luck
K
krustytheclownfish
Guest
I think everyone else already pretty much summed up the similarities and differences between to two setups. Just a few things though. Stabilization is important in SW. Big changes affect SW fish more then their FW counterparts, such as temp. and salinity. You need to keep things stable. Also, a lot of people ask about stocking. It seems many people want to cram more fish then there are gallons in a tank. You MAY be able to get away with this in FW, you WON'T in SW. Go slow, ask questions, and read, read, read. SW can be very rewarding, but also can be very frustrating because of problems that can mostly be avoided if a little research is done beforehand. Good luck and welcome.
jimi
Active Member
Well, The number one thing you need to do is read as much as possible and use good advice. Patience is very important. I dont think saltwater can be considered easy compared to freshwater. There are so many variables. Live rock, fish, inverts, skimmers, r/o units, lighting, u/v,wet/drys and dreaded diseases. Ick in saltwater is alot harder to get rid of then freshwater depending on whats in your tank. Not to mention if you lose any live stock its not just a couple of dollars. This hobby is very expensive compared to fresh. Once your tank is stable it is pretty easy to keep as long as you do what you are suppose to like not overcrowd, not overfeed, keep your water clean, RESIST impulse buying , quarentine all new fish and the list goes on. Im not trying to discourage you,I love this hobby, but read and use what you have read or you will be sorry.