Divided Aquarium - Saltwater/Freshwater

Ol' Sarge · Dec 15, 2020

Hello Everybody!

First post here, but have been a long time lurker.

I have been contemplating putting together a reef tank for quite some time, but have been keeping African Cichlids for many years. When I was browsing Coast to Coast Aquariums on Facebook I noticed that they had an interesting 96”x30”x48” Euro-Braced CTC Custom Aquarium that had a divider down the middle for a split system.

Is this advisable? I'm interested in a reef on one side and an African Cichlid freshwater OR planted Discus on the other side.

Thoughts? Am I crazy to think this would work?

Thanks for the feedback.

Peace River · Dec 15, 2020

Welcome to R2R!!! No, you're not crazy and this is an interesting idea. Others have tried similar setups and, to the best of what I know, have achieved mixed results. Because the lighting, filtration, and parameters are different, this can create challenges including salt creep and algae. This could work and if you want a project to experiment with then give it a try, but realize that experiments don't always go as planned!

DeniseAndy · Dec 15, 2020

I would say if you want them side by side, get two separate tanks and place side by side. I would worry too much about the temp, salt creep, flow needs, light needs, etc. Side by side gives a better barrier. Maybe have them side by side with a foot in between with some cool art or something. Just a thought.