re: Fresh Water VS Salt Water Aquarium

I disagree completely with those saying salt is more difficult and more expensive. For a fish only setup the added cost is salt and a hydrometer. That's about it. Damsels and the like are not expensive. Having said that I will admit that experience is a large part of leveling that field. I'd say for young kids go fresh. Plenty of cichlid species out there that are wonderfully colored like saltwater species. Some are pretty darn hard to kill to so there's that.

Order some sea monkeys. $3.50 from the back of Mad Magazine.

Get a freshwater and stock it with oscars. Your kids will love watching them eat.

Freshwater with a snapping turtle. Hours of fun.

we had a garfish for a while that fricker would javelin right out of the tank chasing a goldfish.

My wife has recently got into keeping fish and it is a lot more work than I thought it would be. She has 3 different freshwater tanks from 20 gal up to 135 gal. And the small tank requires much more maintenance as far as water changes and all that. It was pretty expensive to get started too because there's a lot more to it than buy tank, fill with water, and throw in fish.

It's really dumb imo, but she enjoys it. And it stinks to high heaven right before the water needs to be changed out. The brine shrimp that some of the fish eat smell fricking horrible.

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Fresh is much much easier to maintain

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my setup has a sump. Also live sand and live rock turns any waste into nitrates that is easily removed by water changes once it gets in levels high enough. My water changes are about 25% once every 2-3 months. That's it. That's all I have to do besides putting supplements for my corals into my top off bucket which is also automatic.

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I was considering salt water because the fish options are really cool, but don’t know anything about them.

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Saltwater tanks are not great for beginners and those who will not closely monitor the water chemistry.

My recommendation would be to start with a small beta or goldfish aquarium.

If you want a community tank, then you need to buy the biggest aquarium that you can afford/fit in your space. My recommendation is 29 gallons or larger.

When selecting fish, don’t do so until after allowing the filter to run for several days with a bacterial starter. Then look at the upper range for the desired fishs’ lengths to account for 1” of fish per gallon.

Make sure you buy a water chemistry test kit, tap water conditioning solution to remove chlorine, and the bacterial starter. Other equipment needed are a siphon with gravel vacuum and two 5 gallon buckets for water changes. After you get tired of this setup you can upgrade to a python siphon that hooks up to a faucet.

Make sure your aquarium starter kit includes the following: heater, light, and filter. You also need an appropriate stand for your size tank. Other equipment such as a protein skimmer are needed for saltwater.

I had a freshwater tank and put a crawfish in it along with some goldfish and algae-eaters. Damn thing lived for 8 years and would feed on tablets or any of the fish should they get sick.

Freshwater. Particularly if it is YOUR first tank, as well as the kid's.
I've had both over the years. Saltwater was the most interesting/rewarding/maddening. I had my tanks during the days when "live rocks" were still sold. Those were the most amazing things, and you never knew what would come out of them.
We dumped alot of money into the saltwater setup, especially early on. Regardless which route you go, study up on what it is you are trying to do. Try your best to find a GOOD local fish/aquarium place. A local/private place will generally have better knowledge and understanding. They are more likely to help you or at least direct you where to find help.
I haven't had a tank in years, but am thinking about getting another. These days it is much easier to find info than it was when I first started keeping tanks.