Freshwater vs. Saltwater Aquariums in SA:

I’m deciding between a freshwater and saltwater aquarium and want to hear your thoughts!

My priorities:

1. Low maintenance: Easy to manage with SA’s water quality challenges (e.g., algae blooms, tap water hardness).
   
   
2. Cost: Balancing initial setup and long-term expenses (e.g., salt, equipment).
   
   
3. Local availability: Fish species and gear in SA
   

 

I would say go with African cichlids if you're new. They're forgiving and give the marine vibe. And fairly low maintenance

 

Everything is more expensive for marine tanks:

 

You can do it cheaper through guys like reef critters in terms of fish(hope its safe to say here since its not a freshwater company) . But yeah equipment you cant avoid

 

So I am in a similar boat currently. I can only get a tank around 100L , and I've kept so many freshwater community fish and our local options for dwarf cichlids and oddballs are quite limited but the jump to salt is that much harder. But Ive done a decent amount of research so here's my thoughts:

1. Maintenance: Freshwater is easy as most fish are bred in captivity; they are much more durable and so even hard water is do-able. Buying an RO machine for Marine and harder-to-keep fresh species isn't too expensive, but it's the salt and/or chemicals you need to add that ramp up fast. Its a balancing act when adding chemicals and this may also make it harder for you to go away and trust someone to look after a tank. If you want corals in your tank you are also going to have to put a lot of effort into setting up the chemicals and getting a good balance. Sure fancy equipment helps (for both) but you cant cheat water changes in the beginning. In terms of going on long trips , getting someone to look after a saltwater tank can be difficult. Its easier to instruct someone to fix an issue with a freshwater than salt , besides the chemistry , some saltwater fish have unusual feeding requirements.

2. Cost: Im sure you've done some research and obviously, salt is a lot more expensive. The issue with salt is that even if you can set it up for cheap , the salt and chemicals required to maintain the tank are expensive and there isn't a lot of cheap Asian products to substitute it.
>Fish: The irony is that expensive salt water actually feel like a positive aspect of the hobby. As you'll have less fish in a salt water tank , you'll appreciate the few you have more than a school of tetras in a freshwater tank. Freshwater fish can obviously be expensive , especially with plecos and odball fish.
>Equipment: Saltwater tanks above like 50L really need a lot of things , you need some sort of a skimmer , a top up box and wave pumps. For freshwater you can get away with an air filter and as you scale a cannister filter or big internal filter. For both the ultimate goal is a sump.
> Maintenance and food: Fancy freshwater tanks may need chemicals for plant growth and water stability but are mostly not needed; water declorinator is the only thing you really need. In a small salt tank you need salt and probably some other chemicals if you want corals - which are slightly more expensive than freshwater equivalent chemicals. Fish food (good quality) has gotten expensive for both so you can cut corners but bagged fish food is pricey for both - and becomes tricky if you get hard-to-keep saltwater fish that require copods and other live foods.

3. Local availability: From what I've seen , this is saltwater's biggest positive. Ive seen fish in stores and on lists in the saltwater section that even people in the US have on wishlists. Its mostly because fish are wild caught on the salt side and you need less fish to fill a bag. Sadly a lot of the fish brought in that are rare on the salt side are for expert keepers anyway so its probably best not to go chasing those right away. For fresh you wont see most of the rarer fish since they arent brought into SA due to low demand - like any business, no one wants to sit with expensive stock for months. The breeding scene for rare fish in terms of freshwater isn't really there anymore (from what I've experienced and I heard its declined from even 10 years ago) . You will always find your bread-and-butter fish for both fresh water and salt - clownfish , bettas , tetras , oscars , cleaner wrasse etc. Also all equipment is easily available , custom sumps are the only thing harder to get built since the market isn't that big.

Go saltwater if you're rolling in cash and you want to impress guests, but be prepared to learn to adjust as there is a much steeper curve. Fresh water is always reliable as unless your lost or doing something risky , you don't have to worry about too much and things are cheaper and easier to replace. Perhaps go saltwater if you hit a wall with freshwater as someday it might not give you the challenge you are seeking.

 

I want a marine setup for one reason, and one reason only.