breytonhartge said:
Hi there, newbie needs some opinions. I am wanting to start a six foot tank, but cannot decide whether to go salt or fresh water... can the members of this forum give me some advice and some pros and cons... ?
Opinions and all help are much appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Well, a tank that big lends itself to saltwater. The larger the tank, the easier to maintain.
Pros of a saltwater - Very colorful fish and other critters and a large variety of them as well as corals and invertebrates.
Cons - Messy, more expensive and critters are more subject to water params. Takes longer to get set up and ready before you can put live creatures in it, at least 6 weeks for a full nitrogen cycle. You can speed it up a little by dropping a piece of shrimp in the tank once you get it to the proper salinity and pH. The shrimp will rot, stink but produce the necessary bacteria needed to start the cycle. Also buy lots of live rock, which is about $6 a pound at a good LFS. This will make it look more natural and provide filtration as well.
Freshwaters are cool too and they are easier to maintain. You don't have the mess as with saltwater as the saltwater evaporates, the salt remains and gets all over the tank. The neat thing is you can top off with regular water. You only add salt for water changes, which need to be more frequently for about the first year or so after setting it up. Freshwater fish are less expensive typically and are pretty too.
So the question you need to ask yourself is budget. How much are you willing to spend? If you have unlimited funds, then a saltwater tank of that size would be great. If you are limited, then you need to decide on the severity of the limitation. Also think about what a tank that size is sitting on, is it on the ground floor? If not, is the floor properly braced to hold up that weight. A gallon of water weighs about 8 pounds. Multiply that by the number of gallons, plus the weight of the aquarium itself (glass is heavy), the substrate (whether it be sand or rocks) plus any other rocks and/or decorations you add to it. Then your stand weight, tops, filters, etc. It gets real heavy.
Once you choose saltwater or freshwater, then decide what type of fish you want. That will decide your water params (i.e. pH) and whether you want to decorate as per the fish's natural habitat. That's what I prefer, but that's just me.
Hope this helps and gets you started. And the most important detail....
READ READ READ
Get a book on basic fishkeeping, read it
Then get another book on fishkeeping, read it
Read some of the forums here and the great advice given, and then read some more.
Patience is also key. Anything that happens fast in this hobby, is not good. Take it slow and easy and do it right the first time. Good luck.
