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Saltwater Aquariums for Beginners
Did you ever wonder
why those beautiful fish tanks you see in the movies
look so much better than your freshwater tank?
The answer lies in the fish! Saltwater
or marine aquariums are made to house tropical fish
that you find around reefs in the ocean. These fish
come in shapes sizes and colors that make a dramatic
impact. The freshwater fish simply cannot compete with
these natural beauties.
If you want these same gorgeous fish
in your living room, you can setup and maintain a saltwater
tank with only a bit more effort than your freshwater
tank. They key is to choose hardy fish that will last
as saltwater fish are much more fragile and more expensive
than their freshwater counterparts.
Some hardy fish you may want to consider
for a saltwater tank include damsels, mollies and clownfish.
Damsels are probably the most hardy
fish and should certainly be considered for a new tank
as well as for beginners. These fish are fairly inexpensive,
are not finicky eaters and can withstand poor water
conditions better than any other marine fish. Although
they are not the most colorful of fish, they are certainly
your best bet until you become experienced and have
a stable tank. The only caveat is that some can be aggressive
so you should limit yourself to 2 per tank.
Mollies, the same fish that you use
in freshwater tanks, can be acclimated to salt water
tanks and are quite hardy. These fish are very inexpensive
and a great way to start off your marine tank. If you
buy mollies in the pet store from a freshwater tank,
acclimate them by dripping salt water into the bag over
a period of 8 hours or so - removing excess water when
the bag gets too full and slowly increasing the salinity.
While damsels and mollies may not be
the most beautiful fish, the clownfish is certainly
a colorful and interesting fish for your tank. These
fish are fairly hardy but a bit more difficult to acclimate
to a tank so you may not want to use them as starter
fish. Clownfish are territorial but will only be aggressive
with other clowns and are good for a community tank.
Although clowns do like to live around a seas anemone,
the will do fine without one which is good for the beginner
since the anemone is fairly difficult to keep.
While starting off your tank with these
3 types of fish can be fun and exciting, you will eventually
want to move on to other fish. Other fish you may want
to try include hawk fishes, grammas, dotty backs, wrasses
and basslets. The fish that are more difficult to keep
and should probably be avoided include seahorses, butterfly
fish, blue ribbon eels, stonefish, and mandarin fish.
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