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I heard once you set up saltwater tanks they are self sufficient.
that's a negative. there's 10% water changes every week or every other week and making sure your pH doesn't spike and kill off the tank. if you have corals then there's calcium additives that you have to add to the water on a weekly or biweekly basis. not to mention topping off the water in the tank every 2 days and trying to keep the salt off of your walls because it precipitates everywhere and ruins paint and any metal fixtures you may have nearby. salt aquariums are cool to look at but much better when they're someone else's problem to maintain.
I am upgrading the 55 gal tank at the office to a 135(probable size of first pic)this weekend. My Jaguar Cichlid got too big, about 15 inches, so I have to upgrade. He sort of has to live alone, because he tends to kill and eat whatever I put in with him. It is a lot less work to keep up a freshwater tank. The one at the house is a 45 gal that fits nicely in a corner, biggest one in there is a 10 inch Jack Dempsey.