Those who don't do freshwater tanks, why?

[dani5]

Ahh this seems to be an off-topic controversial post, but I'll try anyway.

Recently I've been to my LFS and they just updated their freshwater stock with many planted tanks. They look so dang stunning! I really mean it. The aquascape looks so natural and I admit my eyes were drawn to it even more than reef tanks. They really look like underwater gardens.

So I was wondering, those who don't want to do fw tanks, or maybe dislike them, why? I mean look at them, I bet they can rival the best reef tanks. Ok sorry I might sound a bit stupid. But you get the idea. :/

 

[Acros]

A great fresh water tank is as hard to maintain as a reef tank. Why not get that reef tank and gawk at corals all day.

 

[Fezbearer]

I went back and forth between fresh and saltwater. I figure if I do another tank it will be a freshwater.

 

[leighla wolf]

Saltwater tanks have smelly components like food and if not maintained correctly the water...Freshwater tanks also have an odor ...all the time....even when maintained correctly....take it from someone who started with freshwater and moved to salt. Also, most of the really cool fish that are freshwater....like the elephant nose fish or even the corydora (both of which are pretty common at any lfs).... are/can be demanding and finicky about parameters as saltwater tanks....plus, lifespans on freshwater fish are pretty short and it’s common to see saltwater livestock 20+ years old. below are some links that will show pics for those not associated with freshwater the species I was referring to as well as a video on the art of freshwater scape tanks. . P.s. freshwater planted tanks meant for visual appreciation with livestock such as shrimp are a whole other ballpark and really something quite gorgeous:

Elephant Nose: Tropical Fish for Freshwater Aquariums

m.liveaquaria.com

Focus on commonly kept Corydoras

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

 

[GrapevineReefs]

The freshwater side is it’s own animal you can get sucked into an equally addictive and expensive hobby on the freshwater side. Discus and exotic plecos i pay hundreds of dollars for fry and thousands on breeding pairs. Planted shrimp tanks are a think of beauty I got a bunch of em

. The main difference in my experience is generally that you can get away with a bit more in freshwater in terms of ball parking things and there is far less to worry about in regards to water chemistry. There is an art to getting some species of fish to spawn that’s where my hobby is. Breeding projects with discus, killifish, bettas, plecos etc. are a blast I have over 50 freshwater tanks going at any given time along with the reef tanks. Not everyone has the space I do but it’s it’s own lot of fun for sure!!

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

those who don't want to do fw tanks, or maybe dislike them, why? I mean look at them, I bet they can rival the best reef tanks.

Freshwater has never appealed to me, looking at the few photos that were shared in this thread does absolutely nothing for me. When I look at them all I can think of is, "Algae is out of control!! you gotta get your nutrients down!!" hehe

In all honesty, I don't see the beauty in it when you compare it to a colorful reef tank. When I walk into a fish store with stunning freshwater planted tanks, I just go.... "Meh".

 

[Viking_Reefing]

I’ve had 20+ years of experience of keeping FW but the standard planted tanks with tetras and discus has never that appealing to me, I just find that boring and not challenging enough.
What I mostly focused on the last 10 years or so was large predators, mainly predatory characins (African tiger fish, vampire tetras etc, wolf fish) and some different arowanas.

I would love to also have a 1000L+ FW tank with a group of hydrocynus vittatus and a couple of leopoldi stingrays in addition to my reef. Unfortunately the fact that I’m already have a 500L reef tank plus a separate room for the sump will most likely earn me a punch in the face or a divorce if I were to bring that up

 

[mindme]

I had a "high tech" planted tank. Only 20 gallons and it was a pain even at that size. I didn't go "high tech" because it was planned, it just ended up that way because of algae and other issues.

It is way more maintenance than a reef tank. Everything grows fast, so it's constant trimming. You see those stunning photos, but what you don't see are all the other days when you've just trimmed so the plants are stubbed down further. Or you don't see when it gets overgrown.

But those photo days were very nice while they lasted.

With a reef tank, things move slower but also look good all the time.

I still keep paludariums, and I keep them really high humidity and I use the same plants. But the plants are above ground, I don't dose Co2 and high amounts of fertlizer and powerful lights etc. I'm about to turn my 25g reef cube(that is going into a 180g tank) into a poison dart frog tank/paludarium after the 180g build is done.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Freshwater, planted tanks...... every color of green you’ll ever want to see. (If green is your thing, I suppose.) lol.

 

[Auquanut]

I do both. They really are two very different ways to approach a box of water. I love them both, but can definitely see why people would prefer one over the other.

 

[Tamberav]

I think some of them are so gorgeous but while I can keep leopard wrasse and such, I struggle with FW fish when I tried lol

Salt has a lot of variety and I like planted macro salt tanks so I would probably just stick with that for plants.

 

[Bars]

I started with freshwater 12+ years ago, ranging from 'simple' biotope style to high tech planted tanks. Eventually had to sell the freshwater tank, as I didn't have the time, motivation or funds to give proper care for both the freshwater and reeftank.

The thing I loved about freshwater were the lower cost of stuff (I could just grab a bunch of rocks and twigs from a nearby stream or forest, even my backyard) and there was so much more room for error. Plants don't die as sudden as corals and when they do start to die, simply trimming them down and making sure the water is ok would usually be enough to get them going again. Plus plants aren't nearly as expensive as corals.

I like my reef tank a lot more though. 'Weird' rock structures like arches and 'towers' wouldn't look good in most freshwater setups, but it's one of my favorite parts of saltwater scaping. Sure, it's a struggle a lot of times, but I don't mind having to do some work again to get a pretty tank after all my freshwater years.

Please don't mind my picture spam, I never get to share these

 

[RC Corals]

Did freshwater for years and years... just... got... bored...

Finally made the jump to Saltwater that i'd been scared of for years and was shocked by how manageable it was. Now the only freshwater we have is one small long exotic shrimp tank.

 

[ScottR]

I’ve kept my fair share of FW tanks. Nothing fancy. But not too successful really. I guess because the cost invested wasn’t that great, I didn’t keep up with them too much. I’ve always been a SW nerd from an early age anyway so I’ve always been pulled towards SW. I do have lots of FW friends that turned salt and I have the hardest time talking them out of HOB and canister filters. Not to say they don’t work but the SW world is just not the same.

 

[Clownfish_Boy]

Went to saltwater in 1990, never looked back, and don't want to. In general, freshwater fish are so plain when compared to beautiful saltwater fish.

 

[MichaelReefer]

I have both.

 

[nashvillian]

Freshwater fish have no personality and complexity of movement.

 

[vlangel]

I started with freshwater 12+ years ago, ranging from 'simple' biotope style to high tech planted tanks. Eventually had to sell the freshwater tank, as I didn't have the time, motivation or funds to give proper care for both the freshwater and reeftank.

The thing I loved about freshwater were the lower cost of stuff (I could just grab a bunch of rocks and twigs from a nearby stream or forest, even my backyard) and there was so much more room for error. Plants don't die as sudden as corals and when they do start to die, simply trimming them down and making sure the water is ok would usually be enough to get them going again. Plus plants aren't nearly as expensive as corals.

I like my reef tank a lot more though. 'Weird' rock structures like arches and 'towers' wouldn't look good in most freshwater setups, but it's one of my favorite parts of saltwater scaping. Sure, it's a struggle a lot of times, but I don't mind having to do some work again to get a pretty tank after all my freshwater years.

Please don't mind my picture spam, I never get to share these

Hey, I liked those pics and I think they have their own appeal.

 

[Wee Mad Arthur]

I have both, 24G reef and a 24G Freshwater.

Waiting for the recently planted dwarf grass to spread. Houses Red Fin Colombian tetras, dwarf gourami, peppered Corys and Nerite snails. There’s a lot more choice when it comes to freshwater fish. Lots are compatible and lots won’t outgrow small tanks. Can’t say I prefer one tank over the other, I just enjoy both of them.

 

[WVNed]

I think it is because I am not really into plants.