Owning a Saltwater Fish Tank Requires Planning and Care

Owning a mature saltwater fish tank was a great experience. The tank was a joy to watch as the fish would swim around and occasionally fight for territory. It was comical to see the clown fish dart aggressively at other fish that swam past his anemone. As the aquarium lights went out in the evening, the tank began to teem with indescribable life forms that would crawl about and many were almost microscopic.

My husband and I decided to move from Southern California to Arizona, but that left us faced with a tough decision. We had to sell our beloved fishy friends and various inhabitants due to the risks involved in transporting them. Transferring every coral and fish would be a challenge. The fish and corals would need to be kept in buckets of water with a heater maintaining a constant temperature. Saltwater fish are sensitive to fluctuations in temperature and therefore, react poorly with sickness that can lead to death. The time and preparation involved would be immense and the need for a large vehicle to accommodate everything would be a necessity.

Overall, set up of a fish tank in Arizona is more costly and access to quality fish is not as good since they are shipped from overseas to Los Angeles, then to Arizona which is more travel for an already stressed out fish. The fish may be more apt to get sick as well. The buying power in California is much better and the Salt Water Fish stores in Arizona charge more for the fish and corals due to the additional shipping to get them to Arizona and the higher mortality rate. So if you reside near the coastal waters where the shipments are delivered, you are more likely to get better prices.