Brothers, it's funny. At risk of sounding like a hippy, 'what a long strange trip it's been.'
And I haven't even actually started yet!
This is a bit long-winded. Sorry.
So, I initially assumed I'd go with a freshwater set up because I read they require less maintenance and are cheaper to stock and run, generally, than saltwater. But then, while exploring further, I got exposed to the marine side of the hobby. I was mesmerized by the impossible colors, knocked-out by the outter-space strangeness of marine creatures. Nevertheless, I'd heard somewhere along the line that saltwater is for experts only. That one advances to saltwater only after first mastering freshwater aquaria.
Later, here and there, I read a conflicting POV: that keeping a FOWLR tank is really no more difficult than keeping a well-planted freshwater tank. Equipped with this nugget, I began planning for a saltwater set up. Not reef to start, but FOWLR with a eye on adding corals later. I continued to read. I visited a couple of all-saltwater B&Ms. I asked questions. I joined a forum called
Manhattan Reefs, I watched a dozen or more setup guides on YouTube, I got active on
The Official Asylum Reef Tank Thread, and I was even negotiating the purchase and delivery of a brand new 75-gallon reef-ready tank, when I suddenly decided to pull the saltwater E-brake.
Why?
There are a few reasons for this; in brief, what we all already knew, that saltwater is more demanding than fresh, the livestock more expensive, more exacting, the possibility of a tank "crash" more likely with saltwater, and also -- and this is big -- the issue of how to responsibly source tank inhabitants.
You do a few dozen Googles on tropical fish and you're bound to be confronted by the ethical dilemma of where livestock comes from. I've read arguments suggesting that captive-bred (most freshwater fish) doesn't necessarily mean ecologically sound. Likewise, not all wild-caught (most saltwater fish) are caught using reef-blasting explosives or cyanide. Having said that, I feel better about freshwater. I know not
all freshwater aquarium fish are farmed, but it's the majority, if you believe what I've been reading. It's difficult to truly know, of course. Which I find troubling. And "troubling" is antithetical to why I want to get into the hobby. Which brings me to my main point, personally speaking, regarding freshwater versus saltwater aquariums...
I think that for a short while I had lost sight of what attracted me to the idea of fishkeeping in the first place, that I find watching aquarium fish relaxing. That's what I hope to achieve with my tank. That's the objective. I want the successful keeping of my tank's inhabitants to be easy enough that care and maintenance don't impinge upon on that objective. I think that'll be easier to do with freshwater. What do you think?