Saltwater or Freshwater for Your Fish Tank?

Written and verified by the lawyer Francisco María García

Last update: 21 December, 2022

Having fish doesn’t mean simply buying a bowl, pouring water on it and throwing them in! Keeping fish is a complex practice with specific knowledge and experience involved. In addition, one of the most important factors to consider is choosing the type of water for your fish tank.

First of all, the kind of water we’ll choose for the fish tank will depend on the kind of fish we want to have. The magnitude or size of the project we’re undertaking will also influence this. In addition, there are two types of fish tanks we can mention: freshwater and saltwater tanks.

The important thing here is to understand what the differences between both ecosystems are before you choose the type of water your aquarium will have.

Freshwater fish tank

These ecosystems are composed of warm water and little murkiness. Its own characteristics allow the maintenance of the aquatic climate using fairly simple instruments.

These aquariums or fish tanks can be smaller in size, as their fish are usually small in volume. Thus, a screen and a 36w filter will keep a medium-sized pond clean.

This certainly makes maintenance easier and cheaper. As a result, experts recommend this option for children and fishkeeping fanatics who are just starting out in the world of aquatics.

Other pros

The lighting needed in this ecosystem is low, so the electricity bill won’t be as high. The important thing here is to follow the water’s stabilization times when making the first filling. Thus, you won’t have to spend so much money on tests to measure its toxicity levels.

Although the fish are generally small, there are many species that are suitable for this alternative. The environmental conditions will facilitate the reproduction of both plants and our aquatic pets.

However, on the other hand, saltwater aquariums can be considered as a challenge for experts. Let’s see why.

Saltwater aquariums

Unlike the former, tropical aquariums require a lot of care and investment. They’ll also require a willingness to keep the environment effectively controlled. This is ideal for people with a lot of experience in the field.

To begin with, this ecosystem requires a tank that can hold at least 90 liters. This is for the intention of the ecosystem enduring the water conditions. Otherwise, the aquarium could break down.

In addition, a tropical aquarium will generate significant costs in electricity and lighting instruments. The entire water source must be covered equally.

Other challenges

For its maintenance, high-quality power filters will be needed as well as testing to constantly verify the water’s state. In addition, it’ll be necessary to have a large natural stone that can perform natural filtering tasks at the substrate level.

Specific plants will be required and the reproduction tasks will be much more complicated. It’s not that we shouldn’t look for this alternative. If deciding to work with it, we need only to be aware of the level of attention and investment needed for its maintenance.

In contrast, this ecosystem will allow for the establishment of corals and other animals that allow for attractive diversity in the fish tank. The fish will be able to be of great size and variety, although the size of the fish tank should always be taken into account for this matter.

Beware of summer

Saltwater aquariums are much more difficult to care for in the summer. Temperature rises evaporate the water more quickly. In addition, it’s easy for high levels of condensation to be generated in the room where the controlled ecosystem is located.

Any change affects both the salt levels and the internal density. During this season, the different types of tests to measure toxicity levels will be needed often. Nevertheless, we should also note the cleaning is sometimes challenging.

All of this will occur at times when people usually go on holidays and travel. The fish tend to jump out of their environment more, and someone will be required to take care of them while we are gone. Filling the water and providing food are two tasks that can’t (and shouldn’t) be taken lightly in this case.

Choosing the type of water for your fish tank

As you can see, choosing the type of water for your fish tank will depend on what you are willing to invest in regards to time, money, and effort.

As far as the most expert fish lovers are concerned, we must say that Europe is a territory that hasn’t explored tropical fishkeeping much. The opportunities in the field are endless, but you have to be very convinced of what you want to achieve. Therefore, choose the type of water for your aquarium wisely and take your time!

We hope you enjoyed today’s article and will feel inspired to make the right decision. Happy fish keeping!