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? 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? 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 ).

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? 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? 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.