Sarah runs the Northern Lights Aquatics blog. Here, she shares suggestions on what worked for her saltwater and freshwater aquariums.
My husband and I currently have one 55 gallon FOWLR tank which contains two percula clownfish and a couple of snails.
I also have 12 freshwater tanks running, so I'm much more familiar with freshwater fish.
We have more freshwater fish because it's easier to do water changes without mixing salt, and because it's a lot easier to buy freshwater fish in our area than it is to buy saltwater fish.
Freshwater fish also seem to be easier to acclimate to life in the aquarium, especially since the majority of our fish are captive bred, and we bought them from hobbyists who'd raised the fish and their parents themselves.
Freshwater Suggestions
If I was getting a new tank right now I'd want a couple of dwarf puffers. They're cute, fun to watch, and they are known to breed in captivity.
The only problem is that they need snails and frozen foods, and they won't usually eat flakes or pellets, so that makes feeding them more work.
For someone who wants easy to care for freshwater fish I'd recommend Australian Desert Gobies.
I currently have some, and they are tied with my Figure 8 Puffer for my favorite fish.
The Australian Desert Gobies can live in water from 40-100F, and they do fine with a little salt in the tank if you'd like to try a brackish tank.
My desert gobies have always been in freshwater, and they're doing fine.
The gobies are usually found on the bottom of the tank, hopping around because they can't swim well.
They also like to perch on the sides of the tank, or any furniture in the tanks.
They usually spawn in a cave, and the male will fan the eggs and chase after anything that gets to close to the cave.
Unfortunately, the gobies are also voracious fry eaters, so once the fry hatch they don't usually last long, unless they are put into another tank.
Another problem with these fish is that they are annuals, and usually only live for 12-18 months.
My adults died within a week of each other, and it was really hard.
Other than that they're great fish, easy to care for, and they're a lot of fun to watch.
You could also add a few more non aggressive fish to the tank if you didn't want a species only tank.
Saltwater Suggestions
For a saltwater tank I definitely suggest live rock and a sand bed.
The rock gives the fish a place to hide and it helps them feel more secure.
Since you already have a powersweeper I'd recommend some coral. There's apink birdsnest coral calling my name now.
Local aquarium societies, forums and other related groups often have coral frags for sale or trade if you have trouble finding them in local stores - the hobbyists will also give you a better price most of the time, and they should have a good idea on how to properly care for the coral as well.
If you're interested in fish in the reef tank I'm going to suggest clownfish.
I know almost everyone has one, but they're cute, and fun to watch as they wiggle around.
Even people who don't like fish, like clownfish, because of Finding Nemo.
It's also fun when to see children who are so excited when they see Nemo swimming around in your tank.
Equipment
We prefer Rena Cal Toplight Excel heaters.
We haven't had any trouble with any of these heaters so far, and we're slowly switching all of our old heaters to the Toplight.
It's nice that you can actually set your heater to a certain temperature instead of having to guess to get it where you want it.
Of course you still need to use a thermometer to double check the temperature, and make sure that the heater is set right.
Some people like the bio-wheels, and some don't, but we haven't had any trouble with them so far.
I have heard that if you use bio-wheels in a home where someone smokes it can cause problems for the fish, but I don't have experience with that myself.
The final thing that I have to say to anyone who's considering getting a new type of fish, or setting up a new tank is that it's important to do your research, but at the same time there are so many people with conflicting opinions and methods that it can get overwhelming.
When we were researching discus it got to the point where I just picked two articles that I thought were trustworthy, and followed the advice in them, because I was getting so confused by all the conflicting advice.
Good luck with your fish - I'm sure that you'll love them no matter what you get, and I can't wait to see what you decide to do with your tank.
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