Fish only or Reef?????

[neo1013]

Are reef tanks much harder than a fish only. I love the look of reef tanks but dont want to start off with more than I can deal with.

[speccialj922]

id be lying if i said that reefs werent harder to maintain or more costly. muuuuuuuuch more costly. my suggestion would be to buy a book on reefs, and one on basic saltwater aquariums (if you dont already have one) and decide which is right for you. as a fellow student i can say that FO may be a better idea untill funds increase.

[Floater]

Personally I would rather have a nano tank as a reef than a big tank as a fish tank. Fish tend to get boring very quickly. I was talked into a fish tank and ended up tearing out everything the installer put in and re-did it myself as a reef.

Ihave to say I am much happier. But... you will spend at least twice what you think it will cost. :(

[aquaman67]

I'm just the opposite...I like the fish. To me the corals are boring. The just sit there sucking up calcium I have to keep dumping into my tank.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I tried it, but I'm a fish person. So you see, it's up to you.

If you want to deal with lights, keeping the water just so, then go reef. As long as you can see the fish, that's enough light. And they could care less if your calcium is below 400. And most fish can also handle more nitrates, so it your call...

Reefs can be rewarding, but harder isn't always better...

[Floater]

Ok, I should have been more specific.

I like inverts. They are far more interesting to me than fish. I just assume they go with reef tanks. I do find some corals to look cool. And everyone loves to come over and study all the small creatures running around in the rock.