What is the difference between marine and tropical fish

The concentration of minerals in saltwater increases as the water evaporates. Preparing saltwater for partial water changes requires an appropriate size vessel , which adds to the maintenance time and related costs. If you have a large aquarium, you will also need a space to store this vessel, which will have to hold between 38 and 76 litres. Breeding fish If breeding fish is something you see yourself enjoying, then a freshwater aquarium is a better choice.

While some marine fish will certainly breed in an aquarium, the number of species is limited. Raising marine fish fry requires far more dedication than what is required for freshwater fish, since it is substantially more complex. For beginner hobbyists sold on marine aquariums, the reproduction of living coral colonies is an interesting and relatively simple option. It also helps protect the environment, since coral frags small coral colonies can be exchanged and sold, promoting coral reef conservation.

Stay Tuned! Get our newsletters now Exclusive offers Events and contests Advice and blog. Tropical freshwater fish are all different shapes and sizes. However they are still very colourful. The smaller tropical freshwater fish are generally not as long lived as marine fish. There are a few shrimps and crabs which you can keep with tropical fish, but these are often problematic in terms of what can be safely kept together.

They are often not very brightly coloured. Many have bold bright colouration, as if held by the tail and dipped in a pot of bright paint! Tropical marine aquariums can also house corals and other invertebrate life, also very colourful. Shrimps, Crabs, Tubeworms, Nudibranchs sea slugs and the like can all be kept with compatible marine fish. Tropical Marine Fish are all sorts of shapes and sizes.

As such, they cost a lot more money to install than a similar sized freshwater aquarium. Tropical marine aquariums also require much more maintenance to keep them happy and healthy.

Due to the diverse variation of native environments tropical fish come from, they have been able to adapt well to a range of conditions and are thus more able to deal with small environmental changes within the fish tank. Marine fish however, tend to come from a relatively unchanging environment in which the chemical balance and temperature is unlikely to vary by a large amount.

Due to this difference in origin, tropical fish and marine fish must each be approached in a different way and require a different level of care and attention. If you are thinking of converting your marine fish tank to a tropical fish tank, there are just a few stages to go through to ensure the safe changeover of your fish tank.

If you still have marine fish in your fish tank, these will of course need to be removed and re-homed in a suitable environment. Once the tank has been cleared completely, it must then be thoroughly cleaned to ensure any remains of the previous tank are removed.

If you have owned your marine tank for a number of years, it will be worth giving the tank a check over to ensure that all of the seals remain intact and solid before continuing. Whilst existing filters can be cleaned, it may be worth purchasing a new fish tank filter specifically for your new tropical fish tank to ensure any bacteria from the old tank has been removed. Whereas in saltwater aquariums, plants are hard to come by.

You can absolutely keep on top of algae and stop it spoiling your tank; you just need to be diligent with your maintenance. You will need to perform regular water changes and tank cleans, in addition to running a protein skimmer. However, it is true that saltwater aquariums do tend to grow more algae than freshwater aquariums.

Saltwater cannot hold the same amount of oxygen as freshwater. This is why people tend to accept that saltwater aquariums need to be bigger. I hope this article has helped debunk some of the myths that surround saltwater and freshwater aquariums. They just require a few slight changes and your saltwater aquarium will be up and running. However, you should bear in mind though that it is true saltwater tanks require more maintenance time, so you should plan accordingly.

Let us know in the comments section below which one was your favorite myth, or better yet share a new one with us…. Really great article I enjoyed reading it and agree with everything that is stated well written thank you definitely learned some new things. But thanks heaps for the article, would love to read more, if you could tell me where. This was awesome thank you! This was awesome to read becuase I have wanted to look into some saltwater tanks.

Can you do something on care for seahorses? My aunt has them and needs a home for them to go to becuase she has been diognosed with Alzheimers and constantly forgets how to take care of them. Hi Lillian, thanks for your message. We will certainly have a look at doing an article on seahorses. Thanks, Robert. Hi I have a friend who has a marine tank for sale, I bought a small tank for my tropical fish and would love her bigger one as I am loving seeing my fish.