Freshwater tropical aquariums are a great place to start in your fish keeping hobby. Colourful and natural, they provide an impressive visual whilst requiring a less demanding maintenance regime and lower operating costs.
However, if you were to go for a heavily planted freshwater aquarium for example, additional special lighting, fertilizers and carbon dioxide will be required and the costs can really add up fast. The livestock in freshwater aquaria are inhabitants from rivers, lakes and streams.
The combination of the earthy colours and sleek lines of freshwater fish and fauna can look particularly striking in a luxurious interior.
Freshwater inhabitants tend to be much hardier and generally less expensive than saltwater aquarium inhabitants. If any problems ever were to occur in the maintenance of the aquarium environment, freshwater creatures are more forgiving and less fragile than saltwater.
In the saltwater world, everything gets taken up a notch. The costs, the maintenance, the tank size, and the fish all require some additional effort. Saltwater tanks are not cheap, but buy the biggest tank you can afford if possible. This is important because without the right size or salt level, your fish will be unable to thrive.
Saltwater tanks also require more filtration. Filtration is the key to a healthy saltwater aquarium. There are three basic types of filtration: biological Live Rock , mechanical, and chemical.
If you choose to use a live rock filtration system, you will need a protein skimmer to remove dissolved waste. However, if this is your first saltwater tank, I recommend using a chemical or mechanical filtration system. A fish only environment will be the easiest to startup and the cheapest in comparison to reef tanks and fish with live rock environments. Even though saltwater tanks are more precarious to maintain and demand more responsibility, the rewards are much greater.
Saltwater fish may be more expensive, but when you see the level of variety you can achieve your jaw just may drop. Saltwater tanks offer much more color and beauty than freshwater tanks. A little. Understanding a few extra things about water chemistry is important to keeping a saltwater aquarium, but the basic principles of aquarium keeping are essentially the same for fresh and saltwater.
The key to success is to go slowly, read as much as you can and stay within your means. There are many different techniques and methods for success, but they don't all work for everyone all the time. Furthermore, mixing different bits and pieces of information can lead to unexpected results.
Seek out someone who has had success with saltwater aquariums and stick with that person for advice until you gain enough experience to venture off on your own. When it comes to buying fish and other critters, do your homework! Make sure you understand the needs and compatibility of all livestock before purchasing.
Quarantine all new livestock purchases before introducing them to your display tank to avoid introducing disease organisms. Start out with the largest aquarium and the best equipment you can afford. Nano tanks don't cost as much and they take up less space, but bigger aquariums are more stable and more forgiving of beginner mistakes. Don't skimp on your gear!
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