One of the biggest questions you will have to answer when getting a fish tank is which type of water will you get. Will you keep it normal with freshwater, or will you venture out and be different with a saltwater fish tank. As you are probably aware, the type of water you choose will have a big influence on what options you have for types of fish.

While there are certainly advantages for having a freshwater or saltwater fish tank, it is no secret that a saltwater fish tank requires more maintenance. That will be the topic of today’s discussion, as we answer whether saltwater fish tank are hard to take care of.

Are saltwater fish tanks hard to take care of?

Yes, saltwater fish tanks are hard to take care of. The main reason saltwater fish tanks are harder to care for is because saltwater fish are more sensitive to water chemistry than fresh water fish. This is because saltwater fish are used to living in the ocean which usually has a very stable water chemistry that never changes. On the other side, freshwater fish live in smaller bodies of water that are more susceptible to change, and thus they have evolved to adjust to these changes. 

Below are the main reasons why saltwater fish tanks are hard to take care of:

Salinity

The most important aspect of water chemistry when it comes to a saltwater tank is the salinity. Salinity refers to the salt content in water. Specifically, it means salt parts per 1000 parts of water. The ocean usually has a salinity of around 35 parts per 1000. Since this is a saltwater fish’s natural habitat, you should try to keep the salinity of your tank as close to 35. This means you must regularly test the water salinity at least once a week. You can measure it with a refractometer. 

Size

Saltwater fish typically need more space to live. Most fish experts recommend that you have at least a 30 gallon tank if you plan on having a saltwater aquarium. A bigger tank inevitably means more maintenance, as you need to do more water changes and there is more surface area to clean. If you want a large tank, you should check out my article on the best saltwater fish for a 90 gallon tank. 

Oxygen

Saltwater fish tanks are also hard to take care of because they can’t hold as much oxygen as a freshwater tank. In order to account for this, you must check the oxygen levels of your tank more frequently. If you notice that your water has low oxygen levels, then you should buy an aeration system for your tank. An aeration system creates bubbles in your tank which in turn will increase oxygen levels. 

Deterioration 

As you are probably well aware, salt causes objects to deteriorate faster. This means your fish tank ornaments will need to be cleaned and scrubbed more frequently in order to prevent their deterioration.