switch to (gulp) freshwater?

[Jandree22]

Have any of you guys ever thought about or actually switched to FW in the past? I'm on the fence, one part of me is thinking I just spent all of this money, time, research, effort to get my reef up and running... and I do enjoy the colors, pride and exclusivity of owning a saltwater reef tank.

BUT, there are times where it seems like more work than hobby, we're actively trying to cut back on expenses for other stuff (be it savings or freed up "whatever" money), and sometimes it annoys me that I can't fill the tank with fish (like the whole 1"/per gallon rule of freshwater). It seems like there's less BS to deal with in FW too, less kinds of algae blooms, invasive hitchhikers, finiky demands. Plus the avatar over there is going to have its own set of demands to concentrate on.

The plan would be selling off everything, drilled tank and all, and replace with a new 75 and go sumpless to simplify. The Outer Orbit system would stay in case I ever got the itch for a reef in the future, plus I can just run the 4x T5's as daylights. Rock would go @ $2/lb and fish would go up for sale.

On a seperate point, have any of you ever done a planted tank, and how much of a PITA is that in itself? The whole balanced system mentality (lots o fish feeding CO2 and nutrients to plants) appeals to me. But again, not if I'm going to keep running halides or get back into a hassle mode.

Just thinking out loud for bounce back of ideas. I know it's gotta be my own call, but maybe some personal experiences would help my decision. I haven't touched FW for a good many years. For the record, the wife's vote is reef.

 

[trippkid]

Joel, the only thing I have done is set up a small tank for goldfish or something like that. Never done a planted tank with success, so can't really comment on that. I will say, at least for me, that the challenge just isn't there and is kind of boring, again this is just me but I think most of us enjoy most of the challenges we face with keeping reefs. I think you would miss it in short time. If your selling, let us know what you got to offer up. Talk to you again soon.
Matt

 

[sponger0]

i have a feshwater 55. all chiclids and it pretty much matains itself. i change the filter, top the water off, and do regular monthly water changes.

oh and i feed the fish. if youve done salt then freshwater is a breeze.

you just need a filter, 1lb gravel for 1 gallon water, heater and some water circulation (either a bubbler or power head.)

now getting into plants can be a pain. ive never done it but ive heard they can get stuck into the filters and clog the pump. same problems occur if you run an undergravel filter....which those are just a pain anyway

 

[Jandree22]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15423857#post15423857 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by trippkid
I think you would miss it in short time. If your selling, let us know what you got to offer up.

That's my one and only fear, and my wife's.

And of course, you guys would get first dibs on anything.

 

[NCNBilly]

I don't think you can go back... Personally, I'd rather not have a tank than do freshwater again.

 

[Elysia]

Planted freshwater tanks can be beautiful. But they are not easy. Or inexpensive. Sure, they aren't expensive like a really nice reef, but they aren't just an average freshwater tank, either. And while you have to worry about aggressiveness and perferred temperature and terrority when it comes to purchasing saltwater fish, you've got that whole additional dimension of perferred pH when you are trying to put together a freshwater community. Plus, many of the coolest freshwater fish aren't easy to come by (like the killies, who often have to be kept in species tanks anyway) and most of the colorful cichlids are either aggressive or can't be kept with plants.

That said, I do have some freshwater fish. You can find female bettas that are as brightly colored as the males, and they will live together in a community tank. Of course, they have a short life span. They may live two years total, and who knows how far into their life they are by the time you purchase them.

You are probably better off with your reef. Just don't make such demands of yourself that it must look a certain way or be up to a certain standard.

 

[sponger0]

yes it is true. freshwater plants can be a pain....but i have a 55 gallon with 5 chiclids but i so wont get rid of them. they are quite gorgeous fish...not as much as salt but they have definately colored out sincei got them. id post pics but who wants to see freah water fish here lol

 

[EllieSuz]

I got bored with freshwater and upgraded to a fully planted tank. Then I got bored with that. Once the reef tank was set up, the boredom disappeared for good. Don't be surprised if you switch to fresh and then regret it down the line.

 

[sponger0]

unlike the previous poster i would never get bored with my chiclids. very active and very observant to people near the tank. they even watch my cats

 

[Joe]

"they even watch my cats"

Yea, they're probably wondering how cats taste!!!

Joe

 

[sponger0]

i wouldnt doubt it. they eat eveyrthing else

 

[Jandree22]

another contributing factor that's p|ssing me off is my 2 month old Radiums, the one just suddenly shifted to a 12-14k color, the other is still 20k. swapped ballasts and the problem is the bulb, the glass is more browned than the 20k. w t f? always something...

 

[Jandree22]

thanks for the input everyone. I won't be getting out unless I'm 100% sure, which I'm no where near at this point, just throwing around ideas in my head at this point.

 

[lb013]

I am having the same thoughts, although I don't think I could go back to fresh. I am thinking of getting rid of the 125 and going to a small reef 30-40 gal or just selling it all. I have just lost interest, I never thought I would but it happened. I am just tired of the never ending something.

 

[volcom69]

Want more fish get a bigger skimmer lol, i just upgraded my skimmer to a Bubble king skimmer so i can feed more and have more fish. I wanted a skimmer to handle a higher bio load. I understand where sometimes this is not a hobby sometimes its a pita, especially with an all sps system. When one parm is out of whack, then your corals start to go ect ect ect. To answer your question though i agree with everyone else not really sure its worth having a FW tank, because you will probably just be back later with a reef tank.

 

[aushepherd]

Why don't you do like I do? Just keep the simple stuff, like the never dying shrooms or the ever growing kenyas. You can still keep a lot of different fish without having to worry about your params. as much. The only reason I have the simple stuff is because I have a lot of other things going on. Eventually, I'd like to get and keep better things, but that's a long time coming.
Another thing about Kenyas, newbees will buy them. And as fast as they produce, you should make a killing. lol

 

[Jandree22]

yeah maybe that's the problem is I'm too concerned with pushing the envelope. maybe it I think of it more as a fish setup with some easier LPS/rics/shrooms/etc. Right now everything (sps included) seems happy except for the acro's, which, are at least hanging on.

 

[Elysia]

Don't fall into the Bobby/Darin/Matt SPS trap! Join the easier dark side of reefing! Choose the LPS that love nutrients. Go to Maryland and net little fish that can live through anything. Don't believe me? I have a little fish from MD that someone gave me. Right now it is in a 20g long by itself. The salinity in that tank went so high, it couldn't be read by my meter. But the fish is still alive and kicking. Am I a horrible person for allowing that to happen? You bet. Absolutely horrible. But on the way to Matt's house for the meeting I did pull over to keep a snapping turtle from being run over. {I've got a headache again; I'm babbling.}

 

[Jandree22]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15430653#post15430653 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Elysia
Absolutely horrible. But on the way to Matt's house for the meeting I did pull over to keep a snapping turtle from being run over. {I've got a headache again; I'm babbling.}

You also held up a bank, hit a pedestrian in a crosswalk, and stole a lollypop from a kid... but hey you saved a snapping turtle from certain death so it's all good

:lol:

 

[Joe]

"I did pull over to keep a snapping turtle from being run over."

If you see a large one (dinner plate size or larger), run over it and PM me. I need one for soup.

Joe