Cons
Before you go off and buy your live rock, consider the following cons of saltwater aquariums:
- Larger tanks required
- Need to deal with more sophisticated water chemistry
- Marine fish are more sensitive to water chemistry
- Costs more than freshwater
- Environmental issues more complicated with saltwater fish
First of all, marine fish usually require larger tanks than freshwater fish. For example, experts suggest that you provide at least two square feet of surface area for one inch of a saltwater fish. Generally speaking, a freshwater fish can get along with one square feet per inch of fish. While you might be able to start a freshwater aquarium with a 10-gallon tank, most experts recommend that you go no smaller than 30-40 gallons for a saltwater tank (while on the other extreme, there are saltwater nano-tanks which are under 30 gallons and saltwater pico-tanks which are under 1 gallon!)
As if freshwater fish owners don't have enough to worry about with their tank water, if you want to keep saltwater fish, you better sit down and get more knowledgeable on the subject. Besides worrying about the temperature, oxygen levels, pH, nitrogen levels, and phosphate level, you'll now need to keep an eye on the saltwater mix. People with saltwater tanks usually have to monitor the specific gravity to make sure that the saltwater density is just right. Besides the salinity, you'll need to watch the oxygen level as well. That's because saltwater doesn't hold as much oxygen as freshwater so you'll probably need more aeration.
Marine fish are usually more sensitive to problems with the water chemistry than fresh water fish. This is because out in the big blue ocean, conditions are usually quite stable. Freshwater fish are a little more used to fluctuating conditions. Saltwater fish don't have that kind of tolerance because they haven't had to develop it. Their fishbowl is so huge that they've never had to worry about nitrite levels before. But if you keep them at home, you'll need to monitor aquarium chemical levels.
Overall, due to how they are harvested (usually caught in the wild), marine fish cost more. Fish stockers are having more success with farming saltwater fish but for the most part, these fish must be caught in the wild in tropical warm waters and then transferred to your fish store.
Finally, due to the fact that most of the elements that go into a saltwater tank (fish, plants, live rock, substrate), must be harvested from the wild, the environmental impact is larger than the footprint we leave with freshwater aquariums. There are issues with how some fish and invertebrates are collected in the wild (reef destruction and fish dying as part of the supply distribution, for example), and aquarists need to be responsible in supporting sustainable practices.
Overall, the decision to start a saltwater aquarium probably has less to do with practical matters (because let's face it, a saltwater tank is harder and more expensive to maintain than a freshwater tank) and more to do with what you want and just gotta have. As long as you're up to the challenge, you'll find more than plenty to put into your tank nowadays. The problem today isn't finding saltwater fish but deciding what will go into your tank before you max it out. Especially with the Internet, you should be more confident then ever that if you face problems, you'll be able to get help with your tank. Good luck!
References
If you are interested in learning more about saltwater aquariums, you may find the following sites useful:
Doctors Foster and Smith - sell saltwater fish, live rock, invertebrates, and plants as well as aquarium supplies. They have two separate sites for selling live fish:
LiveAquaria.com and eTropicals.com (fish and invertebrates from the Caribbean only).
WebWebMedia - offers all kinds of information to those interested in saltwater tanks
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