View Full Version : question
fishdude
06-12-2003, 7:07 PM
Im thinking about startinga salt water tank along with my fresh water. So I was wondering, are salt water tanks hard to maintain compared to fresh water?
I don't think it's as difficult as many would have you believe. I've had my reef tank up and running for well over a year and I spend a lot more time maintaining my freshwater planted tank than I do my reef tank.
You do need to premix fresh saltwater for water changes and test for a few more things than you would on a freshwater tank, but other than that it's not much more difficult...especially a fish-only tank. Reef tanks, on the other hand, are more complicated and very expensive...but it's worth it :)
Here's a few beginner links worth checking out:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com
http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/sbegin.html
http://www.aquaticcritter.com/Saltwater/briefintroductiontosaltwateraquarium.htm
http://www.bestfish.com/saltg.html
http://www.saltreef.com/StarterSystems/fishonly.htm
http://www.reefcorner.com/reef%20keeping_101.htm
kreblak
06-12-2003, 10:40 PM
There is more to do in the beginning with SW, but once you are up and running, it is actually easier in my opinion. There is a lot more to learn than in FW, due mainly to the chemistry involved in how seawater interacts with fish and various metals, but once you know your basics it gets easy.
So the answer is no, SW isn't "harder" than FW... just more fun! ;)
Awestralian
06-13-2003, 2:37 AM
Just dont be scared by all the info out there.
Read up on saltwater, but dont let it overwhealm you.
OrionGirl
06-13-2003, 9:34 AM
I'm with gvct--I spend way more time on the planted FW tanks than on SW. The SW critters are more expensive, and setup for a reef means more money into lights (mostly--lighting for planted tanks can be equivalent).
fishdude
06-13-2003, 2:23 PM
thanks for lettin me know:)
Ray Pollett
06-13-2003, 3:01 PM
I agree, After tanks are up and running right, SW tanks take less time than a Planted Freshwater tank and are as easy.
Some good books to start reading are:
" Natural Reef Aquariums" by John Tullock
and
"The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert Fenner
Ray