Great Informative video. I think freshwater and saltwater are about the same in difficulty as far as the fish go. It's when you start adding corals is when saltwater gets hard.

You make some great points Scott. I started out on the freshwater side and I agree with you that the costs involved with saltwater far exceed most freshwater set ups. Buying good equipment from the start is important for both

I keep both and trust me growing red plants successfully is not easy . There's definitely more test parameters with salt but it's just as hard to get freshwater right for the plants and fish you're keeping .

If saltwater was that hard, you wouldn't find anything saltwater related in places like Petco.

i had both a saltwater tank and a freshwater tank, i had to give up 1 due to money struggles, so i gave up my freshwater, i found it harder to keep clean & expensive to feed. i find saltwater easier, much easier & cheaper to feed, & i know more about the ocean than what i go about a river.

Great video. Here is where I think I disagree a little. I think what makes saltwater much harder is DISEASE. In my experience saltwater fish are much harder to acclimate. I have lost so many saltwater fish to uronema, ich, velvet, black ich. HLLE, flukes and worms have also plagued me. Never really had these issues with freshwater. Not even close. But maybe I am just in over my head.

Explaination is on point, i decided to invest on salt water because i love corals they're beautiful compared to high maintenance fresh water landscapes

I loved the video! Thanks so much! Been a passionate fresh water aquarist since 6th grade, year 2003 or so but then stopped for some years. Now thinking of getting the salt water stuff. Searching for info before making a decision, this helps A LOT! You're awesome at explaining and I have much clearer vision now of what salt water aquarium is about - it used to be such a mystery for me. There wasn't much info when I was a kid so thank you:)

You're right! Once you've experienced both fresh and saltwater you see that it all comes down to the animals and plants that you're keeping that makes both hobbies have the same difficulties. Fish only systems are cheaper in both hobbies. I was told that saltwater was hard 20 years ago and now a year into the hobby it's about the same as freshwater. Saltwater have more animals to buy than freshwater but they cost more. I can go to a nearby lake and bring home some good hardy fish to keep as pets, going to the ocean would take more effort and diving to bring home some fish. I like both hobbies and saltwater is something new for me, I've been keeping different species of freshwater fish for 30 years since I was 7. There's more freshwater fish that get along with their own kind than saltwater fish in an aquarium. I'm still sorting out saltwater fish till I find a way to have a nice community tank that play different roles in different levels of my tank. Both hobbies are beautiful whether you have a freshwater aquarium with nice driftwood and plants to resemble a natural body of freshwater to having colorful corals just like the ocean. I say both are easy, it all depends on how technical you go with it. I have all of the hi tech equipment for saltwater but I still prefer my lo tech freshwater equipment and I use tap water.

Many more of the fish in the freshwater hobby are captive bred and much easier to keep. I have been in salt for a year and a half and am tired of it. Prices are going up, stock is limited, disease is much more of a pain. Going back to fresh.

Great! One thing that crossed my mind: the approach of supplying good quality freshwater (in case your tap water is bad) is basically the same as with saltwater. You use an RODI unit and than add minerals (not a salt mix but for instance shrimp mineral mix of discus mineral mix or plain KH+).

Freshwater aquarist here which never have tried saltwater - All what I can tell, is that you can build a freshwater aquarium just by putting water from your tap, straight into the tank just with an addition of a conditioner to get rid of the Chlorine: this make things far easier, you don't even have to bother about getting your salt quantity right; just, you have to select fish which can live in the type of water you get. I myself actually run my tank on a mixture of 50% osmosis and 50% tap water because there's a wider range of fish living in "soft" waters, and still it isn't nearly as costly as a system as it would be for a marine (expecially a reef) aquarium. Still, I previously ran it on pure tap water and even have bred platys, so I still think things are easier on the freshwater side. But if someone has time and money, choice is up to him/her. I'd say it actually isn't always easier with freshwater, but it's... easier to keep it easy.

Also depending on the types of corals makes it harder. Also cleanup crews affect what you can choose in the tank as fish and makes the complexity higher. Choices of fish are more complicated.

*When the gill says his dialogue I will be like* What ? Aquarium is made for caring for fishes...... YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I SACRIFICE!!!!!

Amazing video again Scott. I agree with most of the ideas and you nailed it. I’m in no position to argue with someone as experient as you but I’ll give my impressions anyway. I would say keeping a FO is very close to keeping a fresh water. Keeping a soft coral tank is kindda close to keeping a planted. Keeping a hardcore SPS tank IMO is much harder, because there are so many parameters to keep, the corals are incredibly unforgiving, it requires a big amount of study and experience and such an incredible amount of high end and expensive equipment to help succeed, for that reasons I think in this case it would be impossible to compare... There’s another small thing about fish: among the most devastating diseases I believe ich is on top, they are completely different diseases for FW and SW, but have in mind the treatment: - for FW you raise the tank temperature; - for a reef tank you remove every fish, treat with copper, monitor it’s levels, monitor ammonia on the new tank, what many times leads to a lot if not daily WC, wich involves all the water preparation work, and then go fallow 8-12 weeks, creating more problems because you just removed all the fish that were creating the nutrients, and after (many times) about 40 water changes you can have the tank back... man, I do not know fresh water problems with near that complexity to manage...

I definitely agree on mortality rate for fish. I've been in saltwater for a year longer than fresh (I started salty) and I have lost way more freshwater fish than saltwater fish. My saltwater fish have also lasted much longer than my freshwater fish have. I've also had a much easier time keeping an LPS reef tank than I have keeping plants.

Another difference is that a lot of the most hardcore freshwater fishkeepers focus on breeding fish can focus on just a few species to keep and master the care of.

I'd have to somewhat disagree with your statement about adjusting pH for different freshwater fish. Unless you are buying wild caught fish, most of the fish you buy at stores (even Discus) are raised in farms with a fairly high pH and hardness. I've bought Discus from a store near me in the past, and they would tell me to be sure my pH is in the 7.5-8.2 range when I purchased the fish for example.

Great vid this has helped a lot. When I get a house we are going saltwater baby.

Spot on! Keel it up the good work, sir.

Good information 👍 I'm starting my first aquarium but still deciding what I want to do. Had my tank for a week and haven't even decide on gravel 😅 looking forward to learning more on your channel!

I'm loving the new background it's like a breath of fresh air keep the awesome videos rolling looking forward to see what you're going to do to advance your KZfaq channel because Wayne from Wayne's Fish World cool dude but he's nowhere to be found close to 40,000 Subs oh well life happens anyway hope you're having a fantastic weekend

Only freshwater fish I keep is Fancy goldfish, they are super easy

I was thinking about getting a nice aquarium until I watched this...lol

Ok I’m an experienced fresh water fish keeper that wants to dive into salt water. I need to do my research and start looking for easy coral and fish.

There are easy fish in both sw and fw. I would say the average sw setup is more difficult than the average fw. That isn't to say there are not setups in fw that are more difficult than some sw but on average that is not the case.

after hearing 2 minutes of the video im sticking to freshwater

Hey Scott couldn't agree more fresh soft water low pH tanks are trouble to keep stability in pH crashes at a blink of an eye

I think fresh water is harded due to the different ph and water requirement. I can run out to any fish store and get any saltwater fish and mix and match as long as they eat and qt is fine they live. I started both fresh and saltwater at the same time 5 years ago. I have a reef tank now because i couldn't keep freshwater alive. But i am planing on make a 40gallon planted tank because of everything the reef tank tought me lol.

You add the minerals with freshwater tanks. Brightwell seachem all have the additives for use with RO/DI. It’s aquarium keeping you can enjoy both. Freshwater plants are way cheaper. An while you can get melting of some plants when they are adjusting to a new tank. They do not STN or RTN like SPS. From a stess stand point my freshwater nature aquarium is free of the stress of my reef tank.

Thank you for this great video

I like his hair reminds me of Alfalfa

Underrated good video

I think your spot on.

I somewhat agree. But saltwater is way harder. The majority of plants are stupid easy to grow, and if you stock your tank with a whole lot of plants then you don’t need any type of filter. And I stress way more about my one big reef tank that I put a lot of time and money into on a regular basis, than I do with 4 freshwater tanks. The only downside that I have seen with freshwater over salt is that salt is more rewarding. Regardless, great video.

Won't arctic fish be easier then tropical fish since you gotta keep the water cold?

Where can I get LED shelves?

The corals is when the money starts. Kessil a160= $300

Saltwater is nice to look at. But I do like tropical better. You can get nice fish in tropical fish tanks.

Another Great Video!

Hi, do you grow macroalgae? I would like to send you a LED grow light to test, is it okay？

I my opinion there is no difference except making the saltwater once they are setup. The problem with saltwater is you can fall into the trap of thinking you need all the equipment. If you are constant and clean with you water changes in either You can be successful. The absolute biggest problem with salt however is the $$$$$ 😏 Again though fresh can be just as expensive if you want it a certain way

Agreed 100 percent.

Very agreed with ya Scott take care :)

What do you think are the easiest soft corals?

Their might be both easy but I prefer freshwater fish cause saltwater needs better filtration while in freshwater fish I only need a cheap set up not that cheap but enough for example if I had 50 or 35 gallon all I need is a 2 sponge filter, airpump with double air connector, two airlines,and a heater and just add some plants and black substrate plus my uncle had a saltwater water fish one day he's out town and forget to have a water change so he made me do it however I've messed up a little the water become cloudy I didn't know that he just change water 25% and while I always do to may fish tank is 50% and i didn't manage to add the proper amount of salt good thing he's not mad because he forgot that I have only fresh water while he had saltwater and he knows I don't have any experience on saltwater 🤣 And for does gonna say you know that I knew that I don't have any experience on saltwater why did I still helped him well he's aquarium water change schedule it's have been past for 3 days he's worried that the ammonia is rising and if I was in his position I would freak out to

And saltwater reef system needs tons of test kits n addictives they don't come cheap. basically u have to know ur water chemistry all the time especially with corals either it's a hit or miss. Besides that u need plenty of equipment to run a reef saltwater tank however saltwater fish only system can get away with expensive lighting and tons of addictives.

Honestly I hate my planted freshwater system I am going to convert it to a saltwater fish only system

Cost cost cost

ABSOLUTLEY NOT, freshwater are easier to get going but saltwater is a lot easier to maintain once going

play at 1.25 speed

Not for beginners. You assume we understand your terms and a basic level of expertise that I don't yet have.

I don’t think one of them are easier but I’m used to saltwater.

In my opinion fresh water is harder because the fish get diseases easier and I can’t stop growing algae in fresh water tanks

HI SCOTT ANDERSON!!!

Are you in co?

Yes extremely

If the wife and/or the wallet can handel the investment i say go with salt :)

Yes they are but uglier 😂