Freshwater vs Saltwater fish, which one do you like better?

[PYRU]

Theres no contest to me.

 

[DrownedFishonFire]

My favorite fish personality wise definitely is the blenny/gobies of different kinds so def brackish/saltwater gets my vote.

However I do only keep freshwater due to the cost / ease of maintence even if I have expensive pleco/catfish in my tank it's because it's easier for me to work with what water I have in my home. Not what water parameters I have to mess around to keep the tank stable every water change.

 

[PYRU]

In all seriousness if I'm being honest with myself I could of done 2 of the same size tanks in fresh. Now fish are less expensive by a good bit & I can just go get them locally. Fresh I have to find then get shipped.

The rodi system, powerheads, skimmer, turf scrubber, & mixing station is what added up. The scrubber is worth its weight in gold though.

I did it for my dream fish an emporer angel.

 

[Deadeye]

Ever since I got my reef, everyone who visits is only interested in the 13.5 gallon reef, and not my multiple fw tanks totaling over 10 times its gallonage...

 

[Joshuakahan]

Ever since I got my reef, everyone who visits is only interested in the 13.5 gallon reef, and not my multiple fw tanks totaling over 10 times its gallonage...

I’ve noticed people not in the hobby always like a reef, and novices too. It’s seems like more experienced keepers either like both or freshwater. Maybe it’s because we pay closer attention to details and appreciate all the subtle nuances in a nice tank.

 

[Yuki-Rihwa]

I love both SW and FW setup, I do keep both SW & FW tanks.
FOWLR tank is pretty much same as FW but added salt for marine species.
Coral rift tank is more complicated because I have to monitor all the elements in water to keep thing stable, it's easy to make mistake and ruin entire tank in matter of few hours.
I do love marine fish species over FW fish species because of bright coloration in most marine species, and from time to time I found something that I did not add to the tank myself, where is come from? It's always a question mark for me

 

[Joshuakahan]

I love both SW and FW setup, I do keep both SW & FW tanks.
FOWLR tank is pretty much same as FW but added salt for marine species.
Coral rift tank is more complicated because I have to monitor all the elements in water to keep thing stable, it's easy to make mistake and ruin entire tank in matter of few hours.
I do love marine fish species over FW fish species because of bright coloration in most marine species, and from time to time I found something that I did not add to the tank myself, where is come from? It's always a question mark for me

Hitchhikers are one of my favorite things about salt. When I had mine , I bought 65lbs of rock out of a reef that was up for 10 years. I was always discovering cool new critters

 

[Sunofthebeach]

I keep both and find I like freshwater for the larger predators (Arowana, Piranhas, snakeheads etc) and their feeding habits/just watching larger fish.

But saltwater wins in my opinion for mid to smaller set ups. Marine fish are very personable and in general seem to be more intelligent and have better appearances. There is also always so much going on in saltwater system, even a small one. I dont keep corals or anything, but collecting rocks or seaweed off the beach and adding them to my tank, you just see life explode seemingly from no where. There is always something moving somewhere.
I havent added anything new to my tank for over a month now, and this week I discovered sea slugs, and had two mussels attach themselves to my back wall (I dont remember adding muscle either). I didnt even realise mussels and clams could walk as fast as they did until you see this happening. and the antics/activity of crabs is always entertaining. I have about 11 in my tank now (that I can see) ranging from bigger stone crabs to smaller filter feeders that sit atop the rocks.

I always assumed SW to be more time consuming/expensive/difficult which I have found not to be the case. My SW is less maintenance than my freshwater. But this may be because I keep fish and the above mentioned stuff only. I think with corals it is a whole different ball game and can get expensive/time consuming.
I tried corals before, but I find the above a bit more interactive and interesting. Although I have enjoyed my anemone and clownfish tanks. I dont think anyone cannot enjoy those.

I would love to see that tank of yours. I agree with everything you mentioned.

 

[jjohnwm]

I would love to get back into saltwater, if only for a smallish tank. As much as I love freshwater, I can't imagine a more attractive display than a 20 or 30 gallon marine tank with lots of rock, plenty of invertebrates and with a Royal Gramma as a centerpiece, and perhaps a couple of small gobies.

But...what to do with the water? I believe in changing water a lot; just don't like the idea of dumping gallons of salt water into my backyard or pasture. Definitely not going into my sewage system either. I literally never use pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or any other "-cides" anywhere on my property, so the idea of a scorched-earth patch for marine water disposal just goes against the grain. Oh, well...saves me the money I would have spent on a marine tank, I suppose...

 

[Sunofthebeach]

I would love to get back into saltwater, if only for a smallish tank. As much as I love freshwater, I can't imagine a more attractive display than a 20 or 30 gallon marine tank with lots of rock, plenty of invertebrates and with a Royal Gramma as a centerpiece, and perhaps a couple of small gobies.

But...what to do with the water? I believe in changing water a lot; just don't like the idea of dumping gallons of salt water into my backyard or pasture. Definitely not going into my sewage system either. I literally never use pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or any other "-cides" anywhere on my property, so the idea of a scorched-earth patch for marine water disposal just goes against the grain. Oh, well...saves me the money I would have spent on a marine tank, I suppose...

No, changing water a lot is a myth in SW, unless you do hard stuff like challenging SPS. Actually you only need to do no more than 30% water change a month, assuming you have the protein skimmer. In my case I only do 10% wc/month on my 75gal and my corals are doing fine. And I have heavy stock. In my experiece water change is just to replenish the mineral loss that's used off by corals. Nitrate and Phosphate are all dealt by the live rock and skimmer.