Discus or Marine?

[Aquaman]

I have been eyeing the open space in the living room as a potential site for a second (6 foot) tank.  I currently have the smaller tropicals (neons, corys, mollies) in a 60 gallon tank.  I have been toying with the idea of starting a fish-only marine tank, to the extent of purchasing "Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies" and "The Complete Book on Marine Aquariums".

I have a couple of questions for you (lucky) people who have already set up marine fish-only tanks:
- How bad is "salt-creep" really? Does salt really get over everthing?
- Is maintenance much more difficult than freshwater?
- If you had the choice again, would you stick to salt-water, or would you go for Discus or other Cichlids?

Thanks!
???

 

[rdracer66]

I myself have never put together a salt water tank, but my last tank that i bought used a 125g was a salt water tank and i was making it a cichlid tank. I have to say it was a pain in my ass cleaning that took me a month of good hard work getting it totally clean and I found salt reminants everywhere !!!
so good luck to you on your new choice

Kurt

 

[colesea]

If you do not keep up with the salt creep, it becomes a chore, but if you maintain it clean every day and wipe it down all the time, it should not build up at all to problem levels.  Creep doesn't occure unless the sealent is starting to break down, so before you even put water in the tank, simply add a little extra silicon around your trim seals and that should help prevent some of it. Use splatter guards on every opening in your hood and you should not have salt everywhere (unless you spill some during mixing).

But salt creep is just one of those things you tolerate for the sake of the challenge and beauty of a marine tank. Marine tanks are not any easier or harder to maintain than a discus tank, or any other well designed and planted large tropical tank. Just like discus, every day maintance and utmost attention will keep your tank beautiful and fish healthy. Let yourself get lazy, and you're pretty screwed. With either discus or marine tanks, there is little margin of error.

If I had my choice, I would certainly do marine over discus. Discus just, never turned me on as a fish. Probably because I have yet to see an honest to healthy in the fin discus before.  Most of those in the LFS around here are not full color simply because they are under so much stress.  

Marine tanks simply require a certain "finess" about their maintance, extra dilligence, and lots of research. A properly done one is very easy to care for.
~~Colesea

 

[Aquaman]

Thanks, RD and Colesea.  This is going to be a difficult decision to make, but I guess I could have worse problems than trying to decide what to put in the tank  
I really enjoy my first tank with the smaller tropicals, but reckon it would probably be a waste to set up a second tank with the same type of fish.  

Regards.

 

[colesea]

Why? I would like a large tank with small tropicals darting about a forest of lush green foliage. A well-planted tank can be just as challenging as a marine one. I just, well, I just can't get plants to grow<G>.
~~Colesea

 

[keprydak]

I don't know which way you should go... I am the low budget fishkeeper since I live on practically no budget (well I'm just a kid, lol) and could never in a million year afford a salt tank. Although I was thinking about converting a freshwater into one... but still, I find that planted tanks are really quite serene, with the plants flowing and the little fish darting about in schools... Something I just don't see in marine tanks. Sure you could achieve it with anenomes and corals and stuff, but you wanted fish only... Some people of course have really stunning saltwater, but there are also the Takashi amano freshwaters... such a tough decision.

Go with freshwater buy some nice lights and grow a forest! And choose some different kinds of fish besides the community ones, if not discus... killifish, sa dwarfs, kribs, knifefish...