Saltwater or Freshwater

[emilbus]

i plan on getting another tank in the next couple of months but I'm not sure what i want to get. if i get a saltwater it will be a 75g corner tank, but if its a freshwater it will be a 75-100g.

my idea for the freshwater is kinda cool. at the bottom of the tank i will place about 2-3 inches of pebbles then place large rocks through out the tank that reaches to the middle of the tank making platforms outside of the water. then i will fill the tank only half way with water and add about 15 small fish, 10 mini turtles, and a few frogs along with live plants.

my idea for a saltwater isn't really anything too different or special but it will be a 75g corner tank with 4 inches of live sand and 150+ live rock. for my filtration ill buy a wet/dry and turn that into a fuge with an overflow connecting to a sump with a in sump skimmer. I'm not too sure what ill do about the lights yet but I'm sure they will be nice. I'm also not too sure what i will have as far as live stock.

either way i plan on putting my income tax check into one of these tanks i just have to figure out which one it will be.

[erikharrison]

biased. salt.

Octopus tank!

[copperband]

i like freshwater and saltwater they are hard to choose from right now i only have one saltwater reef tank but i have 3 freshwater tanks and a pond i think you should go with the freshwater it sounds awesome and you dont have to cycle for as long as you have to with saltwater

[txstateunivreefer]

i think it depends on the livestock that you have

[RayAllen]

It seems people either forget or just dont know about Brakish water. They are some of the most diverse and interesting water on the planet. Ive been in the Aquarium hobby now for about 10years not counting the aquariums I had as a child. Everytime I think I want a freshwater tank I set it up and it becaomes boring very quickly. What you are thinking about is very unique but so you know those mini turtles aka Red Ear sliders grow failry quickly and are messy. If I was to set up another tank that was non saltwater Id go brakish water (Places on the earth where saltwater and freshwater meet, usually swamps, mangroves and river mouths) and do a mangrove swamp tank with brakish puffers, archers, knife fish etc....... Makes for a very interesting tank and is more chanllenging than fresh water which would personally keep me interested.

[emilbus]

thanks Ray. i will check into the brakish water tanks as well as a few other options.

do yo uhave any pics of your freshwater tanks. Copperband?

[emilbus]

i found this site: http://badmanstropicalfish.com/brackish/brackish.html

i think im going to build towards the "Mangrove Swamp" tank. i must say, im kinda excited. its much different and does sound a little more tricky.

[RayAllen]

Some actually consider Brakish and planted aquarium to be just as difficult as keeping a saltwater reef.

[erikharrison]

planted tanks rock.
Look in the galleries on this site, they have some gorgeous F/W planted tanks that are just spectacular...
http://www.aquariumdesigngroup.com/

[emilbus]

man i cant make up my mind. i didnt realize how many different options there were. im really leaning towards a Paludarium tank, heres a link.

http://www.aquariumdesigngroup.com/

it looks like it might get a little exspenive though.

[coraline79]

I currently have one small 30 gallon saltwater setup w/ a 10 gallon sump, but I have 4 other freshwater aquariums, and I have to say I enjoy the saltwater more than all the others combined. I have been keeping freshwater for 20 years or so. My 60 gallon African Cichlid tank is the only one that I really enjoy other than the saltwater because it is really dificult to get teh right fish together so they don't constantly fight. Here is a pic of it:

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff255/joegen4e/Aquariums/cichlid603.jpg

[caferacermike]

No such thing as mini turtles. Baby turtles quickly become large turtles. I'd only consider keeping 1 turtle in a 100g.

[copperband]

you should go with brackish water they are awesome and their are some colorful ones

[tony]

if you do saltwater a 4" sandbed will likely cause you nothing but heartache.

[bigmoe21]

maybe you should do discus?

[jtrux]

No such thing as mini turtles. Baby turtles quickly become large turtles. I'd only consider keeping 1 turtle in a 100g.


I'm glad someone spoke up about these so called "mini turtles". They get big, are messy and honestly shouldn't even be sold as pets cuz not very many people care for them right.

[profntbtr]

get a paludarium and some poison dart frogs, frogs are cool.

[envy]

those mini turtles aka Red Ear sliders grow failry quickly and are messy.

you don't just have red ear sliders you could go with your musk turtles and won't grow any bigger than a palm about 4-5 inches but like any turtle messy

[envy]

i think your best bet to find them are at reptile expos or alamo exotics.

[emilbus]

i think im going to go with a paludarium tank. it mayb be a little pricey, but will be worth it in the end. im freaking starving so im gonna throw a munch then do a whole mess of reading. ill come back on later and let yall know what ive come up with as far as equipment, livestock, size of tank and prices. thanks for all the feed back, i didnt think so many would respond.

[erikharrison]

no octopus? :) www.tonmo.com (http://www.tonmo.com) watch the videos.... :)

[emilbus]

that little octopus was pretty cool, but i think im still going to go with the Paludarium tank. the 55g seems to be the perfect size to build the perfect habitat and the equipment wont be too much either.

Duetto filter: 20.00
Micro jet pump: 17.00
Heater: 15.00
Twin tube light: 80.00 (price could differ depending on what lights i go with)
Gravel: 17.00
Rockwork: 1.99 per pound
Driftwood: 5.00+
Peastone: 3.00
Planting mix: 6.00
ANIMALS: 60.00 (could be higher or lower, but 60.00 should be avarage)
PLANTS: 25.00

thats all just a basic price on the obivous equip. and live stock i will need. im sure im leaving out a few other things, but im sure it wont make too big of a difference. now i just need to find the perfect 55g and start collecting all my equip.

[envy]

maybe you should do discus?

heard they get boring cause they are just there not doing much but the color is nice your buddy told me that