# what is so cool about s/w tanks



## MR.FREEZ (Jan 26, 2004)

i seen quite a few pics now and was wondering what you guys like about em so

much? i know the fish are more colorful but seems like most fish that are kept are

smaller and less of em and most of the tank is coral or live rock what ever you

want to call it. it just seems like a lot more maintaince for that. dont get me

wrong they look great and all i was just wondering. are you able to put some

bigger fish in if theres less coral or do you have to wait awhile for the coral to

(mature) before putting in bigger or more fish?


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

MANTIS SHRIMP

AND TRIGGERFISH


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## thePACK (Jan 3, 2003)

saltwater is like the lamborgini of the fish hobby..beautiful but maintance can be a bitch..

reefs items and certain fish can not co-exist together..for fear that the fish may eat the coral.there are different types of setup in saltwater hobby.for example..there's your reef setup,you fowlr(fish only with live rock)setup and basic saltwater fish setup..just to name a few..just depends on the person that seting up tha tank and what they like and looking for...


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## blu liquid (Mar 4, 2004)

They look sik







. Maintainence yes I agree is a bitch. Yeah I thought the fish were small but your able to keep it a live long enough they can become as big as those Red Bellies. Well average adult size of a clownfish is like 5-6". I know most of them look small but its cheaper to buy them at that size. My clownfish (recently deceased) was only 2.5" and he was already $30. So the fish are not necessarily small.

The results of a well kept tank are worth it though.


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## Fallenangel0210 (Dec 15, 2003)

my favorite thing......the inverts. I wouldn't even mind at all having no fish. I love watching my corals and anenomes expand as the light brightens, my cleaner shrimp "cleaning" my fish, crabs hunting around, new growthes popping up on my liverock


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## Hoser98 (Dec 31, 2003)

I think the best thing about the salt water (although I don't have one, but I've got the salt water bite right now) is the wide selection of different fish out there, and how unique they can be. I mean, sure you can go and buy clown fish, but if you look around, you might find a cubefish, I could watch one of those funny little bastards swim around all day. Or even something as simple as a Algae Blenny, those things are funny as hell to watch.


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## Veganutz (Apr 9, 2004)

I agree with "thePack" It is a high roller hobby. It is totally worth it and the girls love it! Mine is in my bedroom and eventhough I am not much of a high roller having my salt water tank makes me feel like one. I love it.


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## Andrew (Mar 3, 2003)

This is what's so cool.............. for me at least

I purchased a 4lb rock for my tank 2 weeks ago.
I have stared at this rock on and off for two weeks. Almost everytime I look at it for a while I see something I didn't see before.
It even came with a mantis shrimp and a porcelain crab.
I have two worms I can't seem to identify, a bunch of cool sponges, some type of purple striped macro algae, rock anemones, etc. etc. 
All this from a single rock that is about 8"x8"x3" thick !
Now imagine a whole tank full of these rocks............


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

The really nice end of the marine hobby is that people with live rock and with reef systems especially, seem to really grasp the concept of an ecosystem, much more so than with fresh water aquaria....It starts out innocently enough, you fall in love with a particular fish or invert, possibly you live on the coast and catch something you wish to keep and watch at home...however it happens, once it does, you are generally hooked.

The invertebrates may be equal to my like and love of the sharks, but for me it is all about the ability to enjoy an environment that I being landlocked, can not delve into without serious drive time....


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## Jebus (Feb 29, 2004)

It's like having a underwater earth and you are god.


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## Jebus (Feb 29, 2004)

piranha45 said:


> MANTIS SHRIMP
> 
> AND TRIGGERFISH


 Those shrimp are crazy.


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## acestro (Jul 7, 2003)

I think you guys covered it pretty well.

Inverts in freshwater: not nearly as cool

Liverock in freshwater: ???

Color and behavior in freshwater: w/o cichlids, not a whole lot to compare


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## piranha45 (Apr 8, 2003)

acestro said:


> Color and behavior in freshwater: w/o cichlids, not a whole lot to compare


 cichlids themselves are not-so-distant descendants of marine fish right?


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## nitrofish (Jan 14, 2003)

another thing is that if your starting a saltwater tank to be "cool", your just not getting it.


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## acestro (Jul 7, 2003)

piranha45 said:


> acestro said:
> 
> 
> > Color and behavior in freshwater: w/o cichlids, not a whole lot to compare
> ...


 Yes! Closest relatives are believed to be damselfish. Maybe wrasses too (long story...)

Makes cichlids "secondary" freshwater fish (evolved from s/w ancestor)

Not bad P45!


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