Is a Saltwater Aquarium or Freshwater Aquarium Best for your Home?
Saltwater Aquarium
When it comes to choosing between going with a saltwater aquarium or fresh water aquarium, there are a lot of different aspects of each that you need to take into consideration. In the end, it is all a matter of personal taste and what you are looking to get out of your aquarium. How much money you want to spend, how much time you need to put into maintenance, what type of fishes you want to have – all of these aspects need to be evaluated before you make your decision.
Here is a short look at the differences between owning saltwater and fresh water aquariums in San Antonio and a few comparisons that should be able to help you decide which option is best suited for you.
Compare - Saltwater Aquarium or Fresh Water Aquarium
Variety
When it comes to the kind of aquariums you can buy, fresh water aquariums do offer you more options. You have the option of brackish, biotope, planted, African tanks and several others when you decide to go freshwater. With saltwater aquariums you only have three options – reef tanks, fish-only and fish-only with live rock tanks. However, when picking out fishes, you get a much greater variety with a saltwater aquarium. If you are looking to breed fish, then freshwater aquariums have the edge.
Cost
This is the most important thing for most people – fitting the aquarium you want into your budget is what’s most important for would-be aquarium owners. If you look at it generally, saltwater aquariums are more expensive. The fish are usually more expensive, and you will usually need to buy more additional equipment if you are keeping a saltwater aquarium.
However, it should be noted that you can fit both great saltwater and fresh water aquariums into any budget; it just depends on what you want. Corals for saltwater ones can get expensive, but if you have a fish-only saltwater aquarium, there are probably a lot of people out there who have spent more on their freshwater aquariums than you have spent on your saltwater fish-only tank. It all depends on the level of customization you wish to put into the project. Another aspect to note when deciding is that lighting for saltwater aquarium is certainly more expensive.
Convenience
There are two things that you should consider when determining the level of convenience in owning an aquarium: the size and the ease of maintenance involved. Saltwater tanks are usually larger. You don’t see many owned by serious enthusiasts that are under 50 gallons. However, the rise in the popularity of nano-tanks has changed this recently, and there are plenty of people who now own 20 or 30 gallon saltwater aquariums. In the end, it all depends on what you want and how much room you have for your aquarium.
As far as maintenance goes, a saltwater aquarium does require effort when it comes to water changes because you have to mix the salt. Freshwater tanks are definitely easier to maintain, especially when it comes to setting up reefs and changing the water.
