[HeatherL]

Hi everyone. I am new here, and just recently purchased a 75 gallon tank. I am so excited to get it started, but I am still on the fence if I should start with fresh water, or if I can go right to salt. Long term goal is salt, thats why I bought the tank. Any advise for me? Is it possible to be a beginner & have a salt water tank work? Thanks in advance for any help

Heather

[rlcline76]

We started with freshwater years ago. Right now my freshwater tank is my hospital tank. Someone out there might disagree with me, but if you plan on using that tank for salt later on, clean out all of your equipment uber well, mainly if you ever have to copper treat for ich.

But, if you start saltwater and go fresh, I believe you will need a new tank and equipment.

Something to think about, on top of what everything is going to cost you!

Becky

[jpmwjm]

I had up to nine FW tanks setup at one time, and have been working with FW tanks for about 15 years. I must say I loved working with the different freshwater fish over the years. I recently started a SW tank about a month ago. I have loved getting it set up. If you start with FW you will still have to learn SW again. I say if SW is really what you want go with it. Just take it slow, get all the right equipment, research, research, research, and utilize this site to the fullest. There are alot of very experienced reef keepers here that will get you started on the right foot.

[kylebower224]

i love freshwater tanks, but i don't think I'd be able to ever do a SW tank, at least until I'm 30 because i don't think i have the discipline to maintain a well kept SW tank =\

[boba40]

i agree with jpmwjm,i too had freshwater for a while.i decided[really my wife]to go salt,we have only been at this for a month and i find it highly addictive.research the hobby don't just jump into it.the cost difference between the two is an eye opener,but the reward can be one awesome tank.good luck with whatever you do.

[Taras1]

My wife has a freshwater angelfish tank and is happy. I have a reef tank and we both love it. IMHO the variety of animals, especially the invertebrates makes for a more interesting ecosystem. However, cost is just a piece of the puzzle. Research, research and more research is the key to a successful marine aquarium. Before you decide, read Fenner's The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: A Common Sense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists , a really good book for both beginners and intermediate aquarists. It's about $25 and a great investment before spending the money it takes to set up and maintain a marine aquarium.

PS: This site is a great source of information as well. Read the "Stickies" that the staff have posted.

[Rainman69]

Keeping 2 sw and 1 freshwater tanks. I can can say if I could keep only one it would be fresh. Far less work far less money. I can easily waste hours staring into any of them.

[IceMan]

not me... guess i'm burnt out on FW, kept them 16 years, now have an african cichlid tank a community fresh and a SWRT. after the SW i could drain both FW tonight (if not for my wife) not even in the same cat. in my opinion. but it does add up to good experience.

[Ganrin]

Just my opinion, If you are set on salt being your long term goal, start with salt from the begining.

[dori9941]

I started 3 years ago with fw. In 6 months I had fw and brackish. After about a week of being a member here, I was sure and went all salt. untill it broke my fw tank had been turned into a snail and brime shrimp for the puffer. If you know you will stay in the hobby, you have a lot of help here. my tanks owe a lot to these people and this site.

some thing to think about it is easy to convert to salt; but can be hard to get the salt off if you change your mind.
if you don't know much you will lose less money and fish doing FW. rushing into this is the main reason IMO people quit. they loose fish and don't think thry can do it. This site will tell you what you need and have a pretty nice response time too!

There is no longer a FW tank in my house!!!!!! I have 5 tanks. I'm making a lot of changes rifgt now and it would be usless listing the tanks lol

[dori9941]

Originally Posted by boba40

i agree with jpmwjm,i too had freshwater for a while.i decided[really my wife]to go salt,we have only been at this for a month and i find it highly addictive.research the hobby don't just jump into it.the cost difference between the two is an eye opener,but the reward can be one awesome tank.good luck with whatever you do.

I did for My husband. He wants a nemo tank and It's taken 2 years to convence him the puffer is not going in there. those are my fav. puffers, but it would eat all, lol

[Jeremy0322]

I am starting with Saltwater, i had a freshwater tank when I was about 5, and then tried a saltwater tank when I was 12, which was really bad. I am trying again and am off to a good start I would think. People say there is such a big difference between the two that I do not really know what you would gain out of starting fresh. Go salt, take it slow, and start saving money now. Good Luck

[bnhaus]

Go with the Saltwater. Just take it slow.

Ask lots of questions and begin your trial and error.

When you get it right, it's priceless.

[pogodzib]

With all of the improvements made with technology and methodology, I don't think saltwater tanks are that much more difficult than freshwater tanks anymore. 10-15 years ago, saltwater tanks were much more difficult. As long as you set things up correctly, I don't know why any beginner can't suceed with a saltwater tank. The key though is to set it up corecly and not try to do everything cheaply. As you will find out, saltwater tanks are much more costly because of the equipment and livestock costs. To setup a 75 gal saltwater tank correctly, it will cost around $800+ livestock more than a freshwater setup ($250 - skimmer, $250+++ Live Rock, $75 - substrate, $100 circulation pumps, $20+++ - sump, $20 salt, $100 RO unit, lights, heater, test kits, etc...). For a FW tank, the only peice of equipment that is needed that isn't used in both a FW and SW tank would be a power filter ($60). If cost is an issue, go freshwater. If cost isn't an issue, go saltwater. BTW - You can save some money on the SW costs by buying used equipment, but there are also some prices listed that may be much higher depending on where you buy your stuff). I hope I didn't scare you away from saltwater by breaking down the costs. Once things get setup and going, the costs to keep the system running aren't that much higher (unless your tank becomes a reef setup) and alot of the costs can be recouped when upgrading equipment or selling the setup. When selling a FW setup, only a little bit of the cost gets recouped.

[Cern]

Fw is good to get your feet wet but it doesn't help all that much. Having kept freshwater for 20 years I'll say it is as complex or simple as you want it to be. You can "get away" with ignorance in fw for much longer if not the entire duration. Compared to sw where lack of research or initiative can cost you severely. I'd say read up on reef keeping for a month or more if you lose interest in that time you will have saved yourself some money. If you are still into it despite not having spent anything other than time think about starting a sw tank. You will at least be somewhat informed and you can make some better decisions on how to actually get started.

Sw is much more expensive during the setup but throwing money at the tank does not make it fool proof. Your desire to learn about the hobby will be the biggest investment you can make and in the long run save you quite a bit of cash/headache. If you have the resources to start a sw tank and are willing to commit to learning I see no reason not to start one. It's by no means "impossible" but it never ends. Hope that doesn't put you off because it's a wonderful hobby.

[Marine1]

GO saltwater!!!!! It is well worth the money and effort. Like others have said.....take it slow, do tons of research, and ask lots of questions. There is a much better variety of fish and inverts in SW.

I would suggest starting with a Fish Only With Live Rock (FOWLR) tank and ease into corals if corals are what you want in the long run. BE PATIENT setting up the tank. Before you start decide what type of fish you will want (compatibility is somewhat difficult in SW tanks) and go from there. Don't skimp out on a skimmer (get one rated for many more gallons than your tank) - that is one of the most important pieces of equipment for SW. Wait 6-8 weeks before adding fish (this is one of the hardest parts). We've all lost fish because of lack of patience.

Good luck deciding. GO SW!!!!! You won't regret it.

[Ross87]

I believe saltwater is DEFINITLY more interesting than fresh water.

The best thing you can do to succeed is research, research, research: and if your looking online, don't settle for the first answer you come across. The more you know, the better chances of success.

You also want to consider how much a saltwater tank costs and the amount of care it may need. In a book I read it at "Aquarium Husbandry."

The rewards of having a saltwater tank are truly a gift (especially if you love the beach and ocean like me) and even more so if you decide to make it a reef aquarium.

[Jeremy0322]

He should have set up a poll for this one..lol

[dori9941]

Originally Posted by Jeremy0322

He should have set up a poll for this one..lol

I agree with you on that,lol