Those who don't do freshwater tanks, why?

[jt8791]

I did freshwater for a year before salt and lost track of how many fish I went through. Bought most at petco, lots of bad decisions, getting bored and swapping the stock out and after the zebra lace angelfish pair that bred and destroyed my plants, I was tired of trimming plants. Couldn't keep cories alive, couldn't get rid of convict cichlids

I kept tossing around the idea of setting up a fw planted tank, rcs, nerites, wcmm and cpd but lost interest before I even started planning it and went right back into sw. Slowly getting myself setup, so far doing better on budget than my first sw tank and I have more equipment.

 

[Clownfish_Boy]

Way back in 1990 I switched from FW to SW and have not looked back over the years. But last week, my wife came home with a fishbowl, wanting a Betta to put in it. So now we are going to have a little FW again ! I took her to the Petsmart and let her select some gravel and a decoration for the bowl, and she will select a Betta to her liking tomorrow.

 

[Clownfish_Boy]

My first aquarium was a 10g FW when I was about ten years old. I had a couple of Blue Gouramis, a Swordtail, a Platy, a couple of fancy-tail Guppies, and a Plecostomus. No plants, just artificial decorations. The filtration was nothing but a bubble-up internal corner filter. The aquarium operated successfully for over a year, until it developed a leak (It was an old school metal-framed tank with a slate bottom), and I and my folks decided that an aquarium was just too much of a flood liability.

 

[Sharkbait19]

I’ve kept plenty of FW tanks and I love them just as much as reefs. In the past, the tanks have been all artificial, but I’ve recently begun my first planted tank, and let me tell you, plants can be just as, if not more, demanding as corals. They sure are gorgeous though! One thing I love about FW is that there seems to be much less disease threats than in ocean life.

 

[F i s h y]

Don't do fresh because I spend all my money on my reef lol...

I did freshwater in the 90s been considering a planted amazon biotope. There have been great advances in both freshwater and saltwater since I owned my first glass box.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Don't do fresh because I spend all my money on my reef lol...

Lol, +1 on that!
I used to put so much time and money into my freshwater tanks but I have given up much of that simply because of my tiny nano reef! I’m pretty sure my little Fluval 13.5 has just about totaled the cost of every freshwater tank I’ve owned, and that’s counting corals alone!

 

[fishlover1478]

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

and you can have every shade of brown without expensive lighting. I could set up a planted tank for the same cost as one sw lighting fixture

 

[Sharkbait19]

and you can have every shade of brown without expensive lighting. I could set up a planted tank for the same cost as one sw lighting fixture

I like to stick to stuff like ferns and anubias which require little to no special requirements. Just the stock lighting.

 

[fishlover1478]

I like to stick to stuff like ferns and anubias which require little to no special requirements. Just the stock lighting.

you should get some wendtii cryptocoryne give them 1 or 2 root tabs every couple months and they will do good. btw they melt back when you first get them so don't take them out if all the leaves die. give them 1-3 weeks and they will be back

 

[MaxTremors]

I originally started with fresh water 25 years ago, but switched over to saltwater after a couple years. For me, the biodiversity of a reef tank is just so much more interesting than any freshwater tank. I appreciate the beauty of a planted tank, but even the lost meticulously ‘scaped planted tank pales in comparison to a mature reef tank. I think if I had the time or some help maintaining, I would try doing a planted FW tank, but I could never do one in place of a reef tank, it would always be secondary to my reef tank(s). There are some FW species that are pretty interesting, but to keep them I’d need a massive tank or even a pond (like that Ohio fish rescue guy that has an indoor pool he’s converted into a FW pond). Anyway, for me reef aquaria is just more interesting and biodiverse (and beautiful).

 

[Sharkbait19]

I originally started with fresh water 25 years ago, but switched over to saltwater after a couple years. For me, the biodiversity of a reef tank is just so much more interesting than any freshwater tank. I appreciate the beauty of a planted tank, but even the lost meticulously ‘scaped planted tank pales in comparison to a mature reef tank. I think if I had the time or some help maintaining, I would try doing a planted FW tank, but I could never do one in place of a reef tank, it would always be secondary to my reef tank(s). There are some FW species that are pretty interesting, but to keep them I’d need a massive tank or even a pond (like that Ohio fish rescue guy that has an indoor pool he’s converted into a FW pond). Anyway, for me reef aquaria is just more interesting and biodiverse (and beautiful).

I agree that there is more biodiversity in a reef. To me, however, the biodiversity is as bad a thing in reefs as it is a good thing. So many more diseases and pests in a reef than in any of my FW tanks.

I like to add freshwater amphipods (scuds) to my tanks as they add more cleanup and bioactivity.

 

[Sharkbait19]

you should get some wendtii cryptocoryne give them 1 or 2 root tabs every couple months and they will do good. btw they melt back when you first get them so don't take them out if all the leaves die. give them 1-3 weeks and they will be back

Interesting! I have a vallisneria and sword that I added root tabs to, and they’re melting back but are starting to sprout leaves, probably acclimating. Somehow I lost two anubias to rhizome rot, but it doesn’t seem to affect the others. Maybe it was their placement. Like corals, it’s all about experimentation and gaining experience.

 

[jackalexander]

I love the challenge of saltwater but some people just like ease, I think that’s why saltwater appeals to me the most. I’ve had fresh water tanks and I could literally not do a water change for 3+ months and everything would be fine. IMO there’s not a single fresh water fish that compares to any saltwater fish, a neon tetra comes nowhere near a banggai cardinal or a blue green chromis. I’m not hating on freshwater but I only walk into the FW section at my LFS because the salt is back there..

 

[landlubber]

i have a friend that put it best. his freshwater tank is like watching low resolution tv whereas saltwater is like 4k high-definition.
realistically i would say the reason i don't have both is due to expense, time and the goal of maintaining interests and not obsessions. too many tanks and it becomes work.

 

[UkiahTheTurtle]

Freshwater fish have no personality and complexity of movement.

they definitely have tons of personality I have 3 pea puffers who are like little dogs and follow me and I have a betta fish and she Is full of personality she always gets exited when I'm in front of the tank here is a youtube video I made of my pea puffers eating:

 

[Neros503]

I don't do freshwater because I spent all my money on reefing

 

[Sharkbait19]

they definitely have tons of personality I have 3 pea puffers who are like little dogs and follow me and I have a betta fish and she Is full of personality she always gets exited when I'm in front of the tank here is a youtube video I made of my pea puffers eating:

I love pea puffers! One of my favorite fish! I recently bought a group of three Amazon Puffers. They're fun and full of personality! IMO it's fish like those with tons of perosnality that rival reef fish, many of which are more focused on going about the rockwork than on me. FW fish seem much more adapted to the domestic life. I appreciate both for their own aspects though.

 

[Smarkow]

I loved my FW tank as a teenager. Which is not to say that a good FW tank is less challenging than a SW tank. Apples and Oranges, can’t compare, whatever.

The particular biology of corals and how slow growing/frustrating they can be... the challenge... the symbiosis... the applicability to modern public health crises... this keeps me salty!
I do wish there were more above water saltwater plants available for lagoon tanks aside from mangroves.

If I did go freshwater I would want to do Discus. There is more ease of verticality in FW tanks, which opens new aesthetics.

But I will probably never do freshwater again :/

 

[Smarkow]

I love pea puffers! One of my favorite fish! I recently bought a group of three Amazon Puffers. They're fun and full of personality! IMO it's fish like those with tons of perosnality that rival reef fish, many of which are more focused on going about the rockwork than on me. FW fish seem much more adapted to the domestic life. I appreciate both for their own aspects though.

 

[fish farmer]

I own property along a trout stream....does that count?

I have various minnow species, sculpins, brook, brown and rainbow trout. We saw a mink the other day. Occasionally there are beavers and other wildlife that move through my stream.