Learn the arguments for choosing to set-up either a freshwater or saltwater aquarium.
People often wonder whether they should setup a freshwater or a saltwater aquarium. They have probably heard pretty convincing opinions on both sides of the argument (and yes, everyone has their own preference) which can make it hard to choose. I currently have both kinds of aquariums so I thought it would be useful to discuss the key differences between the two setups so people could better judge for themselves which one fits them better. This article is not meant to sway you one way or the other as I fully realize that each person has their own preference. Instead, it is meant as an overall view of their similarities and differences.
I do want to clarify one common misconception before we start. Many people seem to think that freshwater aquariums are for beginners and then when they get enough experience, they move onto saltwater. While it may generally be true that saltwater aquariums tend to require more expertise, there are plenty of very experienced freshwater hobbyist who simply choose to stay in the freshwater realm. Besides, there are numerous freshwater setups that can provide just as much of a challenge as a saltwater setup.
Different Types of Aquariums
While we are generally breaking down the types of aquariums you can choose into two large categories – freshwater or saltwater – there are actually subcategories within each of these. These subcategories have a huge impact on aspects of your tank such as cost and maintenance.
For freshwater, some of the subcategories include:
- Planted tanks
- Biotope tanks
- Cichlid tanks (African or New World)
- Brackish tanks
- Predator tanks
- Etc.
For saltwater, there are three main subcategories:
- Fish-only tanks
- Fish-only with live rock tanks (FOWLR)
- Reef tanks
Throughout the article, I will point to how these subcategories impacts your experience within the freshwater or saltwater world.
Cost
The thing that most people think of when they think about the main differences between freshwater and saltwater is cost. There is a common perception that saltwater aquariums cost a good deal more than freshwater ones. To be quite honest, this is generally the case. Saltwater fish tend to be more expensive. Saltwater tanks tends to take additional equipment. Corals can add significantly to the cost. All of these things need to be considered, but do realize that cost is relative.
For example, a reef tank is probably going to be the most expensive of the saltwater aquariums. Therefore, if you wanted to keep the cost more in-line with a freshwater tank, you could setup a fish-only or FOWLR tank. You could also do DIY projects for much of the additional equipment required for saltwater or you could skip this equipment altogether as some people do (the recent push for nano-tanks has shown to some people that things such as skimmers or sumps are not required in all cases).
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