Marine V Freshwater

[cleekdaFish]

so which 1 is better to have

marine setup is more expensive
freshwater is cheaper

marine has more colorful fishies
freshwater has less


personalities of fishies , dunno , but I think marine has more?

u can grow real plants in freshwater and marine no , i guess



so lets end the debate here... in this thread, which one is the best ??

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Freshwater!
Reasons:
just as colorful fish (depending on type)
cheaper (as said above)
easier to matinence
more personality IMO

 

[tnhowery]

Both have their ups and downs, but a marine reef has corals with some great colors you cant find in freshwater...I would say a big difference between the two is experience...Saltwater can be difficult to maintain, and expensive, freshwater can be much easier for a beginner and cheaper...a good start into the hobby.

TH

 

[PaPeRo]

I've had both and i think they're both equally great. Neither is better than the other, both have advantages disadvantages.

Things I like about marine setups.

1. It's more challenging
2. It has lots of color from fish/corals
3. Corals, liverock

Things I like about freshwater setups.

1. Easier and requres less work
2. Cheaper
3. Plants, wood

 

[timmystood]

I think a marine setup holds more of an appeal to most people because it is far more rewarding. However, that said, there a lot of people that are very happy with keeping tropicals alone.

Personally, I love the colours and variety of unusal species found within the marine hobby.

 

[dwarfgourami]

I just like the freshwater biotopes, imagining myself in a little creek in the jungle, jaguars purring overhead....
As far as I can tell, there is no limit to how much challenge a freshwater tank can present- it all depends on what you try to keep. You can make a real difference to the world in helping to breed rare or threatened species, and there is a lot of colour out there if you know where to look. I'll be staying with freshwater until I have explored all its possibilities- and I"m 42 already, so I expect that will take the rest of my lifespan.

 

[BigIan]

I like em both thats why i have bots

while the marine tank will grow various corals and has a huge diversity of life, such as tube worms, crabs shrimps loads of spoges alge that come in with the LR.
It also seems so static at times and a lot slower paced than fresh water tanks

ut i suppose i`m biast as i`m so involved with my hightec planted at the moment

 

[Miss Wiggle]

hmmm tricky, i really love the marine side of things at the moment, our tank's just starting to get going properly and it's really interesting. but if you don't like the science side of FW then marine really isn't for you. It all baffles me sometimes. Spent weeks and weeks just reading and researching and I still feel completely ignorant on so many things. That being said it's given me a much better understanding of our FW tanks.

For a nice low maintenance, easy relaxing tank then definately FW, yes there are plenty of ways you can make it challenging but you can also make it nice and easy! and I really love the look Ian's starting to get with his high tech planted, it's going to look stunning when it's done.

The marine's moving much much slower but I'm getting so excited and inspired by things. When it's done it's gonna be gorgeous

 

[PaPeRo]

For those who say marine setups are prettier you haven't seen these freshwater setups. One big disadvantage of marine setups is that you can't really do unique aquascapes like you can with freshwater. In reef tanks they all look the same with liverock and corals.

Just look at this one from one of the members here..simple yet pure art. Can't do that with a marine tank.

 

[lozronz]

Those are some stunning tanks!

MARINE- POSITIVE

More impressive inverts
They make me feel like I'm o holiday!
Clown fish- fascinate me for some reason.
The wow factor- lots of people keep tropical even those who just want them for purely decor, if you walk into a house and see marine you know they are seriously true to their cause!

NEGATIVE

Price
When they go wrong THEY GO WRONG
Lack of suppliers

TROPICAL- POSITIVE

The Plants
Sites like this and the masses of information and tips you can pick up off people
Oddball Fish
The themes and styles of tanks you create
Hardy fish due to being in the trade longer
Convenience

NEGATIVE

Harder to make stand out in a crowd
More likely to buy fish on a whim without research (possibly)
FAKE PLASTIC ANEMONIES- Why pretend??

... IMHO

 

[stang1]

Love those tanks, they're amazing!

 

[CFC]

If you want to spend fortunes on a load of rocks to create a tank that looks like any other reef tank then go with SW.

I preffer to spend my money on the livestock and keep fish which are not commonly kept by the majority of fish keepers.

£200 on a 25 kilos of rock that looks the same as your mates £200 worth of rock or £200 on a nice freshwater stingray or unusual catfish that no one else you know has one of, the choice is yours.