Freshwater vs. Saltwater

[mistergerardob]

I was in the lfs the other day, and a group of people was looking to the saltwater fish. They started to talk about how expensive the fish were, one of them said: " fifty dollars!!!, that is too much!!, what if it dies and there it goes fifty dollars to the trash".
When I was kid, I had some freshwater fish, they didn't last too long, (part because my skills keeping fish were bad).
Now I have a 80 gallon tank with six fish, my clownfish have almost 9 months in it, and it looks very heathly.
I have the idea that if you do your homework saltwater fish can last for a long time.

The question is Who lives longer saltwater fish or frehwater fish?
What give more for you money?

[tk1360]

While I have no evidence on the longevity of saltwater fish I know I spend more time with them than my freshwater. They are definitely more fun to watch and overall I would say the price difference between goldfish and even clownfish is directly proportional to the enjoyment you can derive from them. Heck my yellow clown goby who was 6 bucks is still fun to watch!!

Also on the other side of the argument my friend keep cichlids and has spent just as much, if not more, as I have for fish.

[K9]

Well, IMO marine fish give you more for the money. Their beauty is beyond compare, not to mention the numerous species who have wonderful personalities to boot.

I've read that some angel fish can live upwards of 20 years. I've also seen some FW species that can live quite long as well.

[mistergerardob]

For people that keep saltwater and freshwater I want to hear the experience, How old are their fish?

[markzfishn1]

I have 4 saltwater fish and an eel that I've had for 3 years now. They are still not even fully grown yet, so I think I'll have them for a while longer.

[darkwolf29a]

I have had more freshwater fish than I can count over the years. Hence my need to get into saltwater. IMO, saltwater fish are more colorful, even though you can get some cool looking freshwater fish.

What you don't see, and I tried to find is the FW alternative to a coral, sponge, and such things.

I, currently, have 3 Tiger Barbs, 1 Pantom Neon Tetra, and a crawfish. The Crawfish is extremely interesting to watch, but the others are, well, boring. Since they can't interact with their natural world...*shrugs*

I am in the process of building a 55 gallon tank that should be more fun to watch than TV. LOL And, honestly, with all the DIY stuff you can do for saltwater...I'm hooked.

[murfman]

I was paying close to SW prices for some of the cichlids I was keeping. If I am going to spend that much, it might as well be on SW and corals.

[mistergerardob]

Yes you are right darkwolf29a, it is not just the fish but also the coral that made the saltwater so cool.

[MSU Fan]

For FW, few fish live as long, or even can live as long, as gold fish (especially koi). A common goldfish can put in up to 45 years, whereas I believe the oldest living Koi (in Japan) was/is over 200 years old.

without splitting hairs on what is a fish/what isn't a fish, some of the corals that have grown on the barrier reef in Australia must be hundreds of years old because of their size.

[mistergerardob]

I did not know that about the gold fish, that is a long time.
Is any saltwater fish that can live that long?

[alexb518]

IMO, freshwater fish are worthless. If you have angels or neon tetras, they're ridiculously boring to look at. and if you have cichlids, though fun to watch, they're always beat up with missing scales and chewed up fins.

[drummereef]

You do realize you are asking this on a reef message board, right? :D I bet if you asked the same question on The Planted Tank's forum you'd get quite a different response. ;) But, my vote goes to saltwater. Beauty is hard to beat, imo.

[draculos]

i think freshwater isnt as good as saltwater becuase saltwater is Buetiful.

[Slphappy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9573622#post9573622 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drummereef
You do realize you are asking this on a reef message board, right? :D I bet if you asked the same question on The Planted Tank's forum you'd get quite a different response. ;) But, my vote goes to saltwater. Beauty is hard to beat, imo.

So true... I have a planted tank with angels and killi I will never part with. My wife and I love it. It's also (if I say so myself) a very beautiful tank.

I also think that reef tanks are awesome looking. But to compare reef with FW is like apples and oranges... I think they are both beautiful for their own reasons. I've seen absolutely stunning tanks in both camps (as well as some very ugly ones :rolleyes: ).

Just my opinion... Take it for what it's worth...

[Lion_Babe]

My SW fish way outlive my FW to a point. It all depends on the type of fish you have. You cannot compare SW and FW.

[an411]

The thing that got me interested in SW versus FW is the fact that FW is virtually effortless to keep fish. Were Saltwater is sort of a challenge when you first get into the hobby at least for me it is. LOL Tons to learn

[mistergerardob]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9573622#post9573622 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drummereef
You do realize you are asking this on a reef message board, right? :D I bet if you asked the same question on The Planted Tank's forum you'd get quite a different response. ;) But, my vote goes to saltwater. Beauty is hard to beat, imo.


Yes you are right!!
But I think the idea that a lot of people has is that saltwater is more expensive and difficult.
I'm not trying to make a discussion of what is more beautiful, since beauty is different for everybody.
the question is what gives you more for you money?
The criteria will be the longevity of the fish, the monthly cost, and the educational opportunities

[mistergerardob]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9573622#post9573622 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drummereef
You do realize you are asking this on a reef message board, right? :D I bet if you asked the same question on The Planted Tank's forum you'd get quite a different response. ;) But, my vote goes to saltwater. Beauty is hard to beat, imo.


Yes you are right!!
But I think the idea that a lot of people has is that saltwater is more expensive and difficult.
I'm not trying to make a discussion of what is more beautiful, since beauty is different for everybody.
the question is what gives you more for you money?
The criteria will be the longevity of the fish, the monthly cost, and the educational opportunities

[WaterKeeper]

Most of the SW fish we keep in the hobby have a life expectancy of around 10-14 years but some will live to well over 20. FW is harder to classify as some, like Killifish, only live a year while others, Koi were pointed out, can live long indeed.

I really don't think longevity has much to do with choosing one over the other however. The sheer beauty and majesty of SW fish brings most people into this hobby.

[mistergerardob]

Now is official, Waterkeeper in my thread!!! That means good knowledge found this thread.
:)

[mistergerardob]

By the way and out of the topic, if you are new in the hobby, Waterkeeper's thread about how to set a new tank is great and very funny.

[Lotus99]

I have many more FW tanks than SW tanks. I've only just gotten into SW tanks. I still love all my FW tanks. I have 9 of my 16 tanks planted, which, IMO, makes a big difference in both cost and enjoyment. I run "big" lights on most of my planted tanks. My electricity bill is already horrific.

One nice thing about FW tanks is that you can breed fish fairly easily, which adds a new dimension to the hobby. Hundreds of expectant little eyes are hard to resist. :)

I've gotten to a point in FW where I sell a few plants, shrimp and fish I've bred here and there, and cover some of the costs of food, etc.

Of course, saltwater is a whole new learning experience, and I think that's part of the fun. :)

[coyoteseven]

Originally posted by mistergerardob
I was in the lfs the other day, and a group of people was looking to the saltwater fish. They started to talk about how expensive the fish were, one of them said: " fifty dollars!!!, that is too much!!, what if it dies and there it goes fifty dollars to the trash"... ... ...
Obviously these people have never kept/bred discus where the price for a Pigeon Blood can run from $60 to $175 (or more), depending on its size, sex and lineage. Even a common blue can run $35-$40 for a fish the size of a US 50 cent coin at most LFS.

[zylumn]

Everything is alive in a SW tank, more to it than plants and fish.

[Eclectic Taste]

Price-wise, nothing compares to koi. Not uncommon to see $1000+ fish at a show, and $40-50 ones are looked down on as "cheapies" by koi afficianados. Not to mention the thousands you spend on building a proper koi pond.

Comparing aquarium fish, saltwater is to freshwater like chess is to checkers - really no comparison, other than glass boxes with water.

[loosecannon]

hi just thowt i would put my 2 cents in. i stared out in 2003 with 10 gal. guppy tank. than got a 30 gal for some lake mawis. than got a tank for some angles. i got bored with the fwtanks. and was going to take it all down. so i went to one of my lfs. to see what i could sell back to him. i walk by a tank and saw a manderin, the rest as you all know was. 1 2 no 3 salt reef tanks ago! p.s. i was born in the u. s. by luck. i was born in the north thanks you god! p. s. a smart man learns from his missakes and i learn from yours!

[Amphiprion]

I do way more maintenance, etc. on my freshwater planted tank--weekly 50-80% water changes, fertilize daily. Much more hectic. However, it is hard to argue with the results of a beautiful planted freshwater tank. IMHO, nicely executed ones (i.e. Amano style tanks) come close to the beauty of a reef tank. As far as fish survivability, I have much better luck with saltwater fish. I have never had a saltwater fish (not including ones that were given away) for less than 8 years at a time and they go upwards of 12 years for fish, even longer for inverts. Very few of my freshwater fish can boast such long lifespans, except for a few lemon tetras (Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis) and a Synodontis catfish (the latter of which is about 10 years old).

[WaterKeeper]

For those of you that are concerned that SW fish are not expensive enough, you might consider obtaining a Conspicillatus Angel. :D

[Wrench]

I love both my FW and SW tank for different reasons. I've got an Angel in my FW that is coming up on 12 years this April. He's survived 2 tank crashes, 3 different tanks and I don't know how many re-designs.