Those who don't do freshwater tanks, why?

[Devaji]

for the people that are saying fw was annoying what do you mean? the only things I do for my tank is feed fish, 2 gallon water change every couple weeks, mess around with plants(trim leaves, move epiphytes,) add 2 squirts of fertilizer(aquarium co op easy green), gravel vac a little bit in the front. if you have a python water changer and choose fish that do well in your tap water it will be so much more fun and easy

I was kinda wondering the same.

IDK I dont have a FW planted tank yet so I cant say but I think I will enjoy trimming the plants + you can always select slow growers so your not trimming every week.

 

[LardLad]

cuz its boring.

 

[Lemon]

cuz its boring.

why do you think fw is boring? to easy?

 

[Sharkbait19]

cuz its boring.

In all fairness, all though there's less expense and color in FW tanks, I can name twice as many personable and cool FW fish than SW fish. Not to mention a lot of the cool FW are tangible and easy to keep, as opposed to many 'cool' or 'exciting' SW fish.

 

[LardLad]

In all fairness, all though there's less expense and color in FW tanks, I can name twice as many personable and cool FW fish than SW fish. Not to mention a lot of the cool FW are tangible and easy to keep, as opposed to many 'cool' or 'exciting' SW fish.

Ok. Im listening.

 

[LardLad]

why do you think fw is boring? to easy?

No no. Definitely not easy.

It's just that the only cool freshwater tanks that I see are ones that were scaped by Masters.
I feel like I'm really amazed when I see one of those. But they are so few and far between.
Plus 99% of the fresh water tanks I have seen are very stinky

 

[LardLad]

My first tank was a Figure 8 Puffer and Leopard Puffer tank.
Brackish I know.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Ok. Im listening.

Here is a list of some of the most rewarding and interactive FW fish. I’m sticking to ones that either don’t cost an arm and a leg or don’t have extremely special needs. This is based on my own knowledge and personal experience, as there are so many:

• Convict cichlid or any Amatitlania cichlids
• Any Amphilophus cichlid
• Blood parrot cichlid
• Flowerhorn cichlid
• Oscar cichlid
• Blue Acara cichlid
• Dovii cichlid
• Chocolate cichlid
• Jaguar cichlid
• Severum cichlid
• Peacock bass
  *This is a select few cichlids, the list just goes on, they’re practically dogs.
• Giant gourami
• Betta fish
• Red wolf fish
• Dwarf puffer fish (and pretty much every puffer, but obviously SW puffers are the same deal)
• Black piranha
• Any pacu species
• Arowana
• Goldfish
• Sunfish (basically cold water cichlids)
• Bichirs
• Spiny eels
• Knifefish
• Gymnothorax polyuranedon
• Pleco
• Gudgeon

Fish that may not be personable but are awesome and/or beautiful:

• Banded leporinus (x1000)
• Exodon tetra
• Red bellied piranha
• Redtail Barracuda
• Sailfin tetra
• Loaches
• Raphael catfish
• Redtail catfish (and other large cats)
• Corydoras
• Rainbowfish
• Livebearers (a lot more fun than they seem)
• Killifish

Some fish that are rare, expensive, or expert, that I’m not as acquainted or experienced with, but do know about:

• Aimara wolfish
• Snakehead fish (illegal in US, sadly)
• Asian arowana (same idea as snakehead)
• Rays
• Gulper catfish
• Pipefish
• Tigerfish

I don’t doubt that SW has its fair share of amazing fish. Color-wise, I’ll always go for SW, but for personality, and a true “wet-pet”, FW is more my cup of tea. There are certainly plenty of personable tangs, angels, and of course, damsels, but as far as commonplace fish goes, I see more options in FW, especially for those practical and non-expensive to keep and observe. As far as scaping goes, much like a reef, natural is always better. Only when they aren’t made up of plastic or fake decor is it truly a masterpiece. Obviously, SW would win in the fish category with sharks and giant groupers, but as far as practical fishkeeping goes, FW seems to offer more affordable and maintainable options. That’s just my two cents, being a long time freshwater guy, and relatively new reefer.

 

[Sharkbait19]

 

[LardLad]

Here is a list of some of the most rewarding and interactive FW fish. I’m sticking to ones that either don’t cost an arm and a leg or don’t have extremely special needs. This is based on my own knowledge and personal experience, as there are so many:

• Convict cichlid or any Amatitlania cichlids
• Any Amphilophus cichlid
• Blood parrot cichlid
• Flowerhorn cichlid
• Oscar cichlid
• Blue Acara cichlid
• Dovii cichlid
• Chocolate cichlid
• Jaguar cichlid
• Severum cichlid
• Peacock bass
  *This is a select few cichlids, the list just goes on, they’re practically dogs.
• Giant gourami
• Betta fish
• Red wolf fish
• Dwarf puffer fish (and pretty much every puffer, but obviously SW puffers are the same deal)
• Black piranha
• Any pacu species
• Arowana
• Goldfish
• Sunfish (basically cold water cichlids)
• Bichirs
• Spiny eels
• Knifefish
• Gymnothorax polyuranedon
• Pleco
• Gudgeon

Fish that may not be personable but are awesome and/or beautiful:

• Banded leporinus (x1000)
• Exodon tetra
• Red bellied piranha
• Redtail Barracuda
• Sailfin tetra
• Loaches
• Raphael catfish
• Redtail catfish (and other large cats)
• Corydoras
• Rainbowfish
• Livebearers (a lot more fun than they seem)
• Killifish

Some fish that are rare, expensive, or expert, that I’m not as acquainted or experienced with, but do know about:

• Aimara wolfish
• Snakehead fish (illegal in US, sadly)
• Asian arowana (same idea as snakehead)
• Rays
• Gulper catfish
• Pipefish
• Tigerfish

I don’t doubt that SW has its fair share of amazing fish. Color-wise, I’ll always go for SW, but for personality, and a true “wet-pet”, FW is more my cup of tea. There are certainly plenty of personable tangs, angels, and of course, damsels, but as far as commonplace fish goes, I see more options in FW, especially for those practical and non-expensive to keep and observe. As far as scaping goes, much like a reef, natural is always better. Only when they aren’t made up of plastic or fake decor is it truly a masterpiece. Obviously, SW would win in the fish category with sharks and giant groupers, but as far as practical fishkeeping goes, FW seems to offer more affordable and maintainable options. That’s just my two cents, being a long time freshwater guy, and relatively new reefer.

Wow. That was a lot of work.
Now im gonna check it out.
Intrigued

 

[Subnautica]

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.

I agree with you on that. However, I believe the more biodiversity the more immune your fish will become. @Paul B wrote about this a while ago and I agree with him, though I could be very wrong haha

 

[Sharkbait19]

Wow. That was a lot of work.
Now im gonna check it out.
Intrigued

Glad to hear!

 

[Subnautica]

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 :/

Oh Discus is arguably more difficult than most reef in my opinion.they require pristine water and you can't really have much of plants.

 

[MaxTremors]

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.

For me, the pests and hitchhikers are part of what makes reef keeping so interesting. I set up a new tank recently, and was devastated at the prospect of having to use dry rock. I looked and looked and couldn’t find any live rock online or locally at any of the lfs’s, and ended up buying some of the caribsea ‘life rock’. But then I found some maricultured fiji rock at Petco of all places. It was still artificial, but was covered in copepods, amphipods, brittle stars, asterina stars, bristle worms, feather duster worms, baby cerith snails, and most importantly, bacteria, but it at least had some life on it. So I bought around 5lbs of it and used it to seed the other rock already in the tank. And now months later you can’t really tell the difference between the two.

klAnyway, my point is that while pests can be annoying, I wouldn’t want it any other way, seeing what kind of life pops up is part of what makes this hobby so interesting. To me a tank without real live rock, or at least seeded with real live rock isn’t a reef tank.

 

[Sharkbait19]

For me, the pests and hitchhikers are part of what makes reef keeping so interesting. I set up a new tank recently, and was devastated at the prospect of having to use dry rock. I looked and looked and couldn’t find any live rock online or locally at any of the lfs’s, and ended up buying some of the caribsea ‘life rock’. But then I found some maricultured fiji rock at Petco of all places. It was still artificial, but was covered in copepods, amphipods, brittle stars, asterina stars, bristle worms, feather duster worms, baby cerith snails, and most importantly, bacteria, but it at least had some life on it. So I bought around 5lbs of it and used it to seed the other rock already in the tank. And now months later you can’t really tell the difference between the two.

klAnyway, my point is that while pests can be annoying, I wouldn’t want it any other way, seeing what kind of life pops up is part of what makes this hobby so interesting. To me a tank without real live rock, or at least seeded with real live rock isn’t a reef tank.

Very true!

 

[Fish_Sticks]

green

 

[Lemon]

green

you don't like green?

 

[TexanReefer]

The only freshwater "tanks" that appeal to me are outdoor ponds.

 

[Fish_Sticks]

you don't like green?

An all green planted tank with some brown wood seems like a missed opportunity. Ive seen some beautiful planted tanks with red, orange, yellow folaige. Makes a really nice composition.

Imo its like having a reef of only green corals lol

 

[Lemon]

An all green planted tank with some brown wood seems like a missed opportunity. Ive seen some beautiful planted tanks with red, orange, yellow folaige. Makes a really nice composition.

Imo its like having a reef of only green corals lol

I've been meaning to get some red/redish plants but then I started saving for a reef tank. so I haven't bought any new plants recently