POLL: Once you go salt, you never go back?
- Thread starter Pandora
- Start date
MiddletonMark
Premium Member
I started with fresh, my wife kept the reef.
Then I took over the reef + upgraded.
Then I changed my FW planted to a reef, but kept a couple FW fish in the bedroom tank.
Recently took down the last FW tank ... and actually slowly moving towards less SW systems [have 4 tanks running, currently ...]
For me, one I went reef, I got consumed.
Then again, in the future, with kids/more duties ... might end up enjoying the ease of FW.
Then I took over the reef + upgraded.
Then I changed my FW planted to a reef, but kept a couple FW fish in the bedroom tank.
Recently took down the last FW tank ... and actually slowly moving towards less SW systems [have 4 tanks running, currently ...]
For me, one I went reef, I got consumed.
Then again, in the future, with kids/more duties ... might end up enjoying the ease of FW.
geekreef_05
New member
lol, totally one sided poll.
Freshwater tanks gross me out. Ive got no problem dunking my arms into my reef, but if I have to put a finger into a freshwater tank it gives me shivers.
And I had freshwater tanks as a kid. Did the classic 10 gallon goldfish thing. Then after high school I went into reefin'!
Freshwater tanks gross me out. Ive got no problem dunking my arms into my reef, but if I have to put a finger into a freshwater tank it gives me shivers.
And I had freshwater tanks as a kid. Did the classic 10 gallon goldfish thing. Then after high school I went into reefin'!
Pandora
Premium Member
geek: How is it one sided? Just curious which percentage are interested in both still. I'm sure I'd get a different perspective from a site that focused on FW, but that's ok. And why does putting a finger in FW give you the shivers out of curiosity?
I find it a little grosser to go in the SW tank, because you have to wash off your arms of the salt if you don't wear gloves (which I admit I don't always stick to). More things in there that can sting/harm you, too.
And from the perspective of 50/50, what kind of FW still interests you? For me, it's aquascaping the planted tanks, which I find almost as challenging (and use the same types of lights) as reefs.
I find it a little grosser to go in the SW tank, because you have to wash off your arms of the salt if you don't wear gloves (which I admit I don't always stick to). More things in there that can sting/harm you, too.
And from the perspective of 50/50, what kind of FW still interests you? For me, it's aquascaping the planted tanks, which I find almost as challenging (and use the same types of lights) as reefs.
Ti
New member
It all depends.
I've made really nice freshwater planted african cichlid tanks.
Peacock cichlids look better than some salt water fish.
I definately won't say once you go salt you never go back.
It's also to easier to have more fish in a fresh tank than it is in salt.
pros and cns to both sal and fresh.
I've made really nice freshwater planted african cichlid tanks.
Peacock cichlids look better than some salt water fish.
I definately won't say once you go salt you never go back.
It's also to easier to have more fish in a fresh tank than it is in salt.
pros and cns to both sal and fresh.
Kogo
In Memoriam
there are so many different aquatic creatures that hold my interest, i dont think i could ever have just one system.
african cichlids (mbuna & utaka), discus, dwarf cichlids, morimids, polypterus, fw eels, labrinth fish, schooling tetras, low light planted, high light planted, outdoor ponds, exotic koi, tank buster south americans, large predators, rare plecostomas, exotic catfish, aquatic reptiles, the list could go on all day and my salt water list could be just as long
soft coral, LPS, SPS, clams, anenomies, gorgonians, inverts, grazers, plankton feeders, predators, tidal animals, cephalopods, cold water, etc...
perhaps in the future well even have deep ocean presurized and thermal vent biomes.
i just could never pick a favorite.
african cichlids (mbuna & utaka), discus, dwarf cichlids, morimids, polypterus, fw eels, labrinth fish, schooling tetras, low light planted, high light planted, outdoor ponds, exotic koi, tank buster south americans, large predators, rare plecostomas, exotic catfish, aquatic reptiles, the list could go on all day and my salt water list could be just as long
soft coral, LPS, SPS, clams, anenomies, gorgonians, inverts, grazers, plankton feeders, predators, tidal animals, cephalopods, cold water, etc...
perhaps in the future well even have deep ocean presurized and thermal vent biomes.
i just could never pick a favorite.
My mother never allowed me to have any pets while growing up. So when I moved out of the dorms my sophmore year at the university, I spent around $300 setting up a nice freshwater tank. At the time, I thought that was a lot of $$$ for a tank, and didn't know that saltwater existed. As I was looking to stock my aquarium with fish, I made the mistake of walking into a saltwater fish store. A year later I tore down the freshwater, started a saltwater tank, and never looked back.
javajaws
Premium Member
I've always done SW, but while waiting for my live rock to cook in my latest tank I started up my first FW planted tank. I figured I had the CO2 hanging around, so why not? Its very relaxing to look at all the greenery in a planted tank. I keep telling my wife that my acro garden will look better one day though!
Pandora
Premium Member
zuki I think that's what he meant also, but my take on it is just what percentage of people with an interest in SW *also* still stick with FW for other reasons. Like I said, I know this ratio would be a lot different if I went to say, aquahobby.com or one of the more FW based sites, but I was curious about RC's population (I obviously didn't expect it to be mostly 50/50 
). Was asked about some of this by a small petcare newsletter that emailed me through my site. The stats are pretty much what I expected so far...
Wiskey, that's a great looking planted tank. Here's one of mine, though it's taken a bit sideways because of the cat:
Some of my favorites are Takashi Amano's natural world aquariums. I think a lot of SW tanks are gorgeous, don't get me wrong, but just showing that FW tanks aren't just about those clunky 10 gallon tanks with goldfish or bettas and a little plastic treasure chest blowing bubbles in them!
). Was asked about some of this by a small petcare newsletter that emailed me through my site. The stats are pretty much what I expected so far...Wiskey, that's a great looking planted tank. Here's one of mine, though it's taken a bit sideways because of the cat:
Some of my favorites are Takashi Amano's natural world aquariums. I think a lot of SW tanks are gorgeous, don't get me wrong, but just showing that FW tanks aren't just about those clunky 10 gallon tanks with goldfish or bettas and a little plastic treasure chest blowing bubbles in them!
blange3
Brewer and Reefer
I've had both for sometime now, although I'm 75% reef and 25% fresh at the moment. Just started converting my 46 g freshwater bowfront to live plants. It gets a couple of hours direct sun so I couldn't resist.
Pandora and Wiskey, great looking tanks. Are you using CO2 supplementation?
Wiskey, do phosphates bind to the gravel bed??
Pandora and Wiskey, great looking tanks. Are you using CO2 supplementation?
Wiskey, do phosphates bind to the gravel bed??
AllenFord_SC
New member
http://www.plantedtank.net/imageh/images/49/125.11.30.04.JPG
this is hop's planted tank(hope he doesn't mind me posting it. It is one of the more beautiful planted tanks I have seen in a while. Here is a link to his thread:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=623983&perpage=25&pagenumber=1
this is hop's planted tank(hope he doesn't mind me posting it. It is one of the more beautiful planted tanks I have seen in a while. Here is a link to his thread:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=623983&perpage=25&pagenumber=1
Wiskey
New member
For me, yes,... I maintain around 10PPM CO2 daytime and it swings to about 20PPM at night (no ph controler).
Wiskey, do phosphates bind to the gravel bed??
LOL, that is one of the funnyist things I have read in a very long time.
To answer your question, yes that is the point. Under the gravel there is potting soil, it contains tons of nutreants more than the plants would need for a very long time (like 50 years+) as bacteria desolve it, in anrobic conditions, nutreants become taken up by the bacteria. Plants releace O2 from their roots, which causes a seperate anarobic/arobic transistion where the bacteria give up their stored meatles/phospate, this makes these nutreants available to the plants roots. Not only that but when it is fresh, rotting organic material creats CO2 for the plants.
Alopatic chemicals that the plants releace makes it very hard for algae to grow, plus the plants leaves will take up all the nutreants available in the water colum very fast, to a point. The real trick is making sure that nutreants are not dosed, or releaced from the soil too fast for the plants.
The rule of thumb for a planted tank is, as long as you have tuns of plant growth, you won't have algae.
That is why I always said a crashed DSB would be perfect for a marine planted tank.
Thanks for all the complements,
Whiskey
pnsnowboard
New member
i have a 90 fresh and 90 salt but i like my saltwater a lot more a lot more
Pandora
Premium Member
I used to have a DIY CO2 injector (yeast reactor), but I stopped because honestly the plants were growing too fast and I got sick of trimming them back every 2-3 days. I now just work on retaining CO2, which happens when you lower the surface splash (filter inlet under the surface) and just have your normal bioload of fish.
I have no soil in mine, just I guess what you would call a "DGB" (well, duh, with gravel) In total about 5" in the front sloping to 8" in the back. The heating is provided through an undergravel heating system, which stimulates the roots. Fertilized with low phosphate plant tabs.
To Wiskey: have you ever had problems/concerns with the soil under your gravel? I've heard about this technique, but not a lot recently... I know it works, but the thought of a crash makes me nervous, too. In some ways, it's kind of like the idea behind a plenum.
I have no soil in mine, just I guess what you would call a "DGB" (well, duh, with gravel
) In total about 5" in the front sloping to 8" in the back. The heating is provided through an undergravel heating system, which stimulates the roots. Fertilized with low phosphate plant tabs.To Wiskey: have you ever had problems/concerns with the soil under your gravel? I've heard about this technique, but not a lot recently... I know it works, but the thought of a crash makes me nervous, too. In some ways, it's kind of like the idea behind a plenum.
blange3
Brewer and Reefer
Wiskey, glad I gave you a chuckle! Thanks for the detailed explanation. It was an unexpected bonus. But having lurked in all the DSB/BB threads for some time, I was just going for a laugh!
Pandora, I have a MGB and do all the wrong things for CO2 conservation; primarily a 36" bubble wand that looks way too cool to give up. No treasure chests though!
I'm getting decent growth so far, so I'm just collecting food for thought. I shudder at the thought of having to keep up with another board though, I love RC!!
Pandora, I have a MGB and do all the wrong things for CO2 conservation; primarily a 36" bubble wand that looks way too cool to give up. No treasure chests though!
I'm getting decent growth so far, so I'm just collecting food for thought. I shudder at the thought of having to keep up with another board though, I love RC!!
Mrs.kbmdale
New member
We started with 10g FW, ended up with Mollies mostly. My husband thought is was cool that the mollies gave live birth.
Then hubby got curious about salt, so started with a 10g, then upgraded to a 20gL. Then he was given a new 29g, but we didn't wanna transfer the 20 so we put the mollies in it. THEN he found out that the Mollies could be acclimated to saltwater, oh god, so he did that. Then the 20 got upgraded to a 30gL, then just finished upgrading that to a 75g. We still have -for the moment- the 29g Mollie breeding tank. However, that's out the door here real soon because I'm tired of having 2 tanks in my bedroom (there isn't anywhere else in the house to safely put it).
Don't see us going back to FW ever, I like my reef
Brianna:rollface:
Then hubby got curious about salt, so started with a 10g, then upgraded to a 20gL. Then he was given a new 29g, but we didn't wanna transfer the 20 so we put the mollies in it. THEN he found out that the Mollies could be acclimated to saltwater, oh god, so he did that. Then the 20 got upgraded to a 30gL, then just finished upgrading that to a 75g. We still have -for the moment- the 29g Mollie breeding tank. However, that's out the door here real soon because I'm tired of having 2 tanks in my bedroom (there isn't anywhere else in the house to safely put it).
Don't see us going back to FW ever, I like my reef
Brianna:rollface:
