Your Own Freshwater or Salt Underwater World
I suggest using only R/O (reverse osmosis) water for either type of aquarium system. You can purchase your filtered water from your local pet store or you can buy your own R/O system. This is more crucial when dealing with salt water. I believe with some chlorine remover type products, depending on the water quality where you live, you may be able to get by using tap water for some fresh water fish. I would go for the better-filtered water myself, as water quality is the most important thing. Never use tap water in a marine aquarium.
Lighting is also a big difference between fresh and saltwater aquariums. Lighting for saltwater tanks is more expensive. Depending on what types of marine life you want to keep; the price of your lighting system for a marine tank can run between $300 - $500+ !! (Again in a fish-only tank the lighting does not have to be as intense)
As far as testing the water conditions, both fresh and salt water aquariums require test kits. There are more conditions to test for with salt water so the cost may be somewhat higher than with fresh water, but there is not a huge difference. You of course have to check the salinity with saltwater tanks, but you use a hydrometer to perform that simple test. A hydrometer is a one time very inexpensive purchase that does not require any special chemicals, etc.
Fish and Plants
There are many varieties of both fresh and saltwater fish. There is a great difference in the cost of fresh water versus marine fish. Saltwater fish are quite a bit more expensive than fresh water, but the colors are much more vibrant and exotic.
Most marine fish have to be caught where as many fresh water fish are able to be captive raised. (There are many concerns regarding the way marine fish are captured and the possible effects to the environment. I will not go into that here as that is a novel in itself!)
Both fresh water and marine aquariums have plants, though many stores do not carry a wide array of marine plants. They are very expensive and more difficult to harvest. Freshwater plants are fairly cheap and plentiful in the stores.
The different types of marine life also come with all levels of price tags. There is a much larger selection of marine life to choose from that
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