R2R Fresh Water???

[Johnd651]

I'm going to be a little downer and maybe a bit pompous here but .....

We are the pinnacle of the aquarium hobby. Having FW tanks all my life from goldfish, to native species I caught in the creek and even a large mouth bass there is really no comparison. I had a FW tank with literally 85 different fish in it. It's "too" easy.

The only things I can think of for discussion for R2R members would be fish compatibility and maybe C02 dosing?

Sorry but ... not.

I gotta say that is not a fair assessment. There's a lot of different areas, almost similar to reefs. Aquascaping, planted, cold/tropical species, inverts, etc. Overall water quality is easier in FW, but there is a lot of different routes to go with it.

 

[Ben's Pico Reefing]

Could call the site or section fresH2O
Pronounced fresh two oh

 

[twentyleagues]

I'm going to be a little downer and maybe a bit pompous here but .....

We are the pinnacle of the aquarium hobby. Having FW tanks all my life from goldfish, to native species I caught in the creek and even a large mouth bass there is really no comparison. I had a FW tank with literally 85 different fish in it. It's "too" easy.

The only things I can think of for discussion for R2R members would be fish compatibility and maybe C02 dosing?

Sorry but ... not.

I see this has been somewhat addressed already. I am at work and get busy from time to time so it sometimes takes me 30-60mins to actually post a reply. lol
But over all thats a pretty narrow view. Sure guppies, goldfish, a lot of the standard south amer. cichlids, something you catch in a lake or stream near by these are all pretty easy in the grand scheme. My Tanganyika tank takes almost as much testing as any reef tank. Ever try breeding Erpetoichthys calabaricus or ropefish? Only been done a handful of times and the fry didnt survive. I have 15 at least 5 females of breeding age and 3 males of breeding age, rest are too young. They hit breeding age around 10 years of age and most dont live that long in captivity. I have had the oldest 8 for 14 years. There are plenty of other things that make it just as challenging as reef keeping. Try matching water parameters during dry season and changing it to rainy season to get certain fish to breed. I could go on but that could take forever with the techs that keep interrupting my hobby talk!

 

[Reef Wizard]

You guys talking about the reasons lol I just like fish

 

[Ben's Pico Reefing]

Quick little logo. lol Font can be changed but just idea. or even Fresh2Brackish

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Quick little logo. lol Font can be changed but just idea. or even Fresh2Brackish

I like it!

 

[Fish Fan]

I'm going to be a little downer and maybe a bit pompous here but .....

We are the pinnacle of the aquarium hobby. Having FW tanks all my life from goldfish, to native species I caught in the creek and even a large mouth bass there is really no comparison. I had a FW tank with literally 85 different fish in it. It's "too" easy.

The only things I can think of for discussion for R2R members would be fish compatibility and maybe C02 dosing?

Sorry but ... not.

I was going to leave this alone, but I can't lol!

Respectfully, none of the fish you've mentioned - goldfish, whatever you found in your local creek, and large mouth bass - are difficult fish to keep. But, there's definitely plenty of challenging freshwater fish and systems to keep.

There's A LOT to talk about with freshwater, and the proof of that is that freshwater forums do exists. My main purpose for starting this thread was to question the "Reef2Reef Fresh" selection in my account settings. And, that furthermore I would personally enjoy a freshwater subforum if they were considering one. Seems like a lot of other R2R members feel the same way.

Off the top of my head, I'd say things worth discussing in freshwater would included:

• Planted tanks and plant care (including CO2 injection, as you mentioned)
• Shrimp tanks, shrimp breeding (<<the "hottest" trend in freshwater, with aspects rivaling reef tank care)
• Other freshwater inverts (Thai Micro Crabs, "Lobsters", snails, etc.)
• Freshwater aquascaping techniques and DIY rockwalls etc.
• Tanks that look like miniature forests or mountain scapes
• Fish breeding and fry rearing
• Predator/Monster fish; Arowanas, Gars, Big Cats, etc.
• Brackish systems
• Discus tanks
• Freshwater stingrays
• All the Cichlids have a huge following
• Goldfish and Koi deserve a spot
• Conservation
• Just sharing and enjoying each other's tanks on a forum I really like :)

While I generally agree that a "typical" marine tank is more complicated than a "typical" freshwater tank, I would say there's almost an unlimited amount of topics for freshwater discussion. Some people take freshwater very seriously, and would happily debate the very finer points of the hobby. Some people have no interest in going saltwater (gasp!).

 

[Fish Fan]

I gotta say that is not a fair assessment. There's a lot of different areas, almost similar to reefs. Aquascaping, planted, cold/tropical species, inverts, etc. Overall water quality is easier in FW, but there is a lot of different routes to go with it.

Sorry, just saw this after I posted the above. Right on though!

 

[Fish Fan]

I see this has been somewhat addressed already. I am at work and get busy from time to time so it sometimes takes me 30-60mins to actually post a reply. lol
But over all thats a pretty narrow view. Sure guppies, goldfish, a lot of the standard south amer. cichlids, something you catch in a lake or stream near by these are all pretty easy in the grand scheme. My Tanganyika tank takes almost as much testing as any reef tank. Ever try breeding Erpetoichthys calabaricus or ropefish? Only been done a handful of times and the fry didnt survive. I have 15 at least 5 females of breeding age and 3 males of breeding age, rest are too young. They hit breeding age around 10 years of age and most dont live that long in captivity. I have had the oldest 8 for 14 years. There are plenty of other things that make it just as challenging as reef keeping. Try matching water parameters during dry season and changing it to rainy season to get certain fish to breed. I could go on but that could take forever with the techs that keep interrupting my hobby talk!

And again, sorry! I didn't see that you guys were on this lol! All good points!

 

[Cichlid Dad]

There is a lot you can do with fresh water you can't do in salt. For one, a side gig breeding is just one. There is a lot more to fresh water than buying a gold fish and a couple guppies and throwing them in a fish bowl. Shrimp for instance is it's own skill set, creating habitat specific aquariums. There are so many different environments to create and having multiple smaller tanks all different takes some work and knowledge. It's just a different skill set.

 

[Fish Fan]

There is a lot you can do with fresh water you can't do in salt. For one, a side gig breeding is just one. There is a lot more to fresh water than buying a gold fish and a couple guppies and throwing them in a fish bowl. Shrimp for instance is it's own skill set, creating habitat specific aquariums. There are so many different environments to create and having multiple smaller tanks all different takes some work and knowledge. It's just a different skill set.

If I could find the video I was randomly fed from YouTube the other day..... This guy and his wife had, I don't even know, but hundreds of 10 gallon shrimp tanks, all the hot varieties, and he was a very serious breeder and seller.

The video was largely a tour of his "fish room", which was really his whole house; he had tanks everywhere. I remember he said he looked one day and realized that all they had on the top of their fridge were cereal boxes. He took the cereal boxes out, and fit another seven 10 gallon shrimp tanks on his fridge lol! This is all because he's selling these shrimp, he's obviously making money, and he saw the tiny bit of real estate over his fridge as "unproductive space" lol!

I'd talk about that!

 

[kados]

River 2 River?!?

haha

Rivers 2 Rifts

 

[Fish Fan]

Rivers 2 Rifts

River to ocean! Bring freshwater right into salt lol!

 

[RichReef]

I was going to leave this alone, but I can't lol!

Respectfully, none of the fish you've mentioned - goldfish, whatever you found in your local creek, and large mouth bass - are difficult fish to keep. But, there's definitely plenty of challenging freshwater fish and systems to keep.

There's A LOT to talk about with freshwater, and the proof of that is that freshwater forums do exists. My main purpose for starting this thread was to question the "Reef2Reef Fresh" selection in my account settings. And, that furthermore I would personally enjoy a freshwater subforum if they were considering one. Seems like a lot of other R2R members feel the same way.

Off the top of my head, I'd say things worth discussing in freshwater would included:

• Planted tanks and plant care (including CO2 injection, as you mentioned)
• Shrimp tanks, shrimp breeding (<<the "hottest" trend in freshwater, with aspects rivaling reef tank care)
• Other freshwater inverts (Thai Micro Crabs, "Lobsters", snails, etc.)
• Freshwater aquascaping techniques and DIY rockwalls etc.
• Tanks that look like miniature forests or mountain scapes
• Fish breeding and fry rearing
• Predator/Monster fish; Arowanas, Gars, Big Cats, etc.
• Brackish systems
• Discus tanks
• Freshwater stingrays
• All the Cichlids have a huge following
• Goldfish and Koi deserve a spot
• Conservation
• Just sharing and enjoying each other's tanks on a forum I really like :)

While I generally agree that a "typical" marine tank is more complicated than a "typical" freshwater tank, I would say there's almost an unlimited amount of topics for freshwater discussion. Some people take freshwater very seriously, and would happily debate the very finer points of the hobby. Some people have no interest in going saltwater (gasp!).

I was just generalizing. Other than breeding there isn't anything above I have not done or had.

I do not remember a time in my life when there wasn't an aquarium in my home. My mistake here would be assuming that most of us with reef tanks have been through most of this considering it took me a lifetime to get there. I know there are a lot of topics but I was just making the point that most of us know most of these things already.

Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[Fish Fan]

I was just generalizing. Other than breeding there isn't anything above I have not done or had.

I do not remember a time in my life when there wasn't an aquarium in my home. My mistake here would be assuming that most of us with reef tanks have been through most of this considering it took me a lifetime to get there. I know there are a lot of topics but I was just making the point that most of us know most of these things already.

Maybe I'm wrong.

And my point would be that there are online forums for everything, including freshwater aquaria. It doesn't necessarily need to be a complex or challenging subject to warrant having a discussion about something.

I would argue that some freshwater tanks can be easily as advanced and challenging as marine systems. Not every freshwater tank is tap water, a HOB, and a few guppies. Take a look at some of the more delicate shrimp species today. Those dedicated aquarist are starting with RODI water, remineralizing it, they are testing the water for nitrates and phosphates, all while trying to selectively breed specific shrimp phenotypes. These keepers are experts in genetics too, which could be an entire forum right there.

I too have been keeping freshwater tanks for over 40 years now. And that's how I know there's A LOT to talk about :)

But to each their own. If a freshwater subforum doesn't appeal to you, simply don't subscribe to it :winking-face:

 

[WvAquatics]

Discus are just as hard as a reef. Yes freshwater is less complex most of the time. But as posted above it does get pretty difficult as you work up in freshwater. I don't think we want a full forum. Just some categories for tank photos. Cichlid discussions. Maybe shrimp. We don't need emergency sick fish or anything in depth unless it takes off. Just a place we can dump photos and pass knowledge to each other. Like I said I will probably not have a freshwater after my Jack Dempsey dies. The 40g will probably end up being saltwater in no time haha

 

[Tonycass12]

I was going to leave this alone, but I can't lol!

Respectfully, none of the fish you've mentioned - goldfish, whatever you found in your local creek, and large mouth bass - are difficult fish to keep. But, there's definitely plenty of challenging freshwater fish and systems to keep.

There's A LOT to talk about with freshwater, and the proof of that is that freshwater forums do exists. My main purpose for starting this thread was to question the "Reef2Reef Fresh" selection in my account settings. And, that furthermore I would personally enjoy a freshwater subforum if they were considering one. Seems like a lot of other R2R members feel the same way.

Off the top of my head, I'd say things worth discussing in freshwater would included:

• Planted tanks and plant care (including CO2 injection, as you mentioned)
• Shrimp tanks, shrimp breeding (<<the "hottest" trend in freshwater, with aspects rivaling reef tank care)
• Other freshwater inverts (Thai Micro Crabs, "Lobsters", snails, etc.)
• Freshwater aquascaping techniques and DIY rockwalls etc.
• Tanks that look like miniature forests or mountain scapes
• Fish breeding and fry rearing
• Predator/Monster fish; Arowanas, Gars, Big Cats, etc.
• Brackish systems
• Discus tanks
• Freshwater stingrays
• All the Cichlids have a huge following
• Goldfish and Koi deserve a spot
• Conservation
• Just sharing and enjoying each other's tanks on a forum I really like :)

While I generally agree that a "typical" marine tank is more complicated than a "typical" freshwater tank, I would say there's almost an unlimited amount of topics for freshwater discussion. Some people take freshwater very seriously, and would happily debate the very finer points of the hobby. Some people have no interest in going saltwater (gasp!).

Add freshwater biotope to this as well. For a long time I've been wanting to do a lake michigan bookshelf tank, just a carpet of invasive quagga mussels on the bottom and a couple round gobies. Just acquired a chiller, maybe the sub forum will be set up before I get around to ordering the tank.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I think the main concern was that people did not want their R2R feeds mixed with salt and/or freshwater, which is valid, in my personal opinion. If (and that is a huge if; this is not a hint or tease in any form of the word, lol) R2R would have these two sections entirely separated.

Yeah, IIRC, the general worry was diluting the reef stuff and essentially eroding the point of the forum as it is now.

That said, the idea of a linked but entirely separate sibling site (i.e. a site that is its own forum setup just like Reef2Reef but with the only actual bridge/connection between them being something like an obvious "Reef2Reef" link to get here from there fast and a similar link to get from here to there) was floated at some point, and I know a lot of people were considering that a valid possibility, but I don't know how many would actually be interested - it could be something for the staff to put some feelers out about though.

I do agree that there are some valid concerns with just adding a freshwater forum to this forum directly (at least as far as things like the "Latest Posts," "Trending Threads," "What's New," etc. parts of it are concerned; people would want to have the freshwater kept out of the main parts of the site), but I could see something like a sibling site being a good idea. My personal concerns with making it like the "Lounge" are just the difficulty people would have in finding it if they wanted to use it and the fact that they wouldn't have separate sections for separate issues (so the posts would all run together and miss out on some of the major benefits of the subforums found on Reef2Reef).

 

[Devaji]

I would love a sub or its own site for FW planted discus etc.
i am actually about to turn my IM 200 pen. into a FW planted. never did one before so I am excited about it.
dont worry I still have a ref tank.

I find refers generally more helpful than the few FW sites I have been on. would of difference to me back was like what the heck.

 

[twentyleagues]

I would love a sub or its own site for FW planted discus etc.
i am actually about to turn my IM 200 pen. into a FW planted. never did one before so I am excited about it.
dont worry I still have a ref tank.

I find refers generally more helpful than the few FW sites I have been on. would of difference to me back was like what the heck.

Theres a whole thing that if you are coming from the reefing side of things you may not even realize. A lot of the freshwater world that have not had salt or reef tanks look at reefers as having an elitist attitude. Look at this thread and the other one about the same topic you can see why. So if you say I have this cool used to be reef tank I am thinking about doing plants in the planted forums are probably almost taking the attitude back "oh what are you doing here Slumming it?" "You dont Need our input you guys are way to cool for this." It's pretty dumb but does exist. Going back and forth so many times in my life and having success in all the aquatic realms and failures I have seen it both ways. I had some reef related people really tear into me for something random that I had happened to post about on youtube. I have also seen people on the monster fish tear up people for a small salt tank thinking those anglers are monsters.