Hey all, im hankering after an aquarium but im really struggling with the whole tropical v's marine debate. After alot of research it seems maybe i'd be better off going down the tropical route but just wondered are there any really colourful and diverse fish that can compare with the marine fish?

Many thanks

Have a look at malawi cichlids, not my cup of tea but a lot of very colourful fish, not too sure about the diverse bit though. Some other members will be able to help a lot more.

Personally I'd go for a planted freshwater tank, you can get loads of different fish, shrimp and snails that'd are colourful, diverse and intresting.

I wouldn't recommend marines to people new to the hobby, but it is do-able if you really want to. Another factor is of course the money - marines are a lot more expensive to set-up for and maintain, they also use a lot more electricity and there is debates about the environmental friendliness of live rock.

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personally i would start with tropical ,get used to water changes etc the whole routine .then after a while try marine .i say this because id rather mess up 30 quids worth rather than 300 quid for example.but if u read up and are dedicated then why not try marine , but you have to be patient with marine you cant buy an instant reef

Thanks for the reply Rob.
I'v kind of already ruled out the marine due to the cost and amount of care they require as opposed to the other varieties but with each visit to the local aquariums the colours of the marine facinate me every time.

For Trops that might rival marines for colour, I'd agree with mbuna, again, not my cup of tea either, but you also have some colourful Central American cichlids, such as salvini, rainbow cichlids, various Cryptoheros species etc to name but a few. But then again, all dependant on the size of tank.

having kept tropicals , and marines for many years(off and on) I personally think you will be hard pressed to beat the angel fish for grace and beauty. Especially the marble and laced variety , There are many beautiful tropical fish out there and if I was you ,I would go to all the local fish stores and have a good look while your tank is maturing,(ps dont get tempted to add to many fish to soon as your new system will take a long time to fully mature.)

Thanks to everyone for the replies im off to my local supplier tomorrow to order my tank and set up so im sure i'll be a regular on here over the coming months

ok, just a quick update. The tanks set up with heater, lights, filters and water. I went for an Aqua-one 620t aquarium and the two parts of the lid are a bit of a pain when it comes to access into the tank. It houses the filter and lights and comes in two pieces but is joined by all the leads so you need to be like an octopus to lift the lid in place. Anyhow thats done and all seems to be running well so tomorrow means a trip to get some plants-woohoo!! just cant wait to be able to start adding the fish now.

oh and i'v got an Elite submersible heater but due to the lip around the top of the tank i cant quite get it to sit high enough to get the water level where id like it. Does anyone know if this heater is totally submersible? The packaging is quite vague so i dont want to take any sort of risk and fry myself and my fish (when i get them)

Yes you can fully submerge an elite submersible heater (clues in the word submersible ,lol ) seriously though got some myself and thier fine fully submerged. If still in any doubt Type in elite submersible heaters on google and you'll see that you can there