Beginner In Marine

[sam2793]

Hi

I am looking at getting into the Marine aquatics and would find it interesting!

I need advice though and thought I could get reliable and helpful advice here.

I want a smallish tank where I could have coral, a couple of crabs, starfish and maybe the odd other thing (still looking at what is available).
I quite like the look of the Nano's. Can I buy any old aquarium and put the required filters in or are Marine ones specially made?

I would also like to know if crabs and starfish are compatible with each other. What is good for beginners, etc. I wouldn't want to get many fish, maybe even none! Do crabs need a special sort of tank?

I already keep tropical fish and am familiar with. It is just the marine I am trying to gain knowledge on.

Sorry for all the questions but any help at all will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance

Sam

 

[Lynden]

Any "normal" tank will work. Usually for marine we use external filters only for refugiums (a growing area for algae; keeps it out of the main tank) and to hold chemical/mechanical media. Your main concern here will be lighting. Boosted fluorescents are the best option for a small tank. Secondly but equally important is flowrate, and a few powerheads will accomplish this satisfactorily.

Starfish are best left out of small tanks because they run out of natural food quickly. Some of the more carnivorous ones can be kept but they will eat corals, but the best echinoderms are brittle stars and sea urchins. They will get along with most crabs. Good choices in this department are any of the smaller ones. Plenty of diversity to be found in this area.

 

[sam2793]

http/www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/cat...L-450---new.gif

This is the sort of tank I'm after.

Could anyone with any information about Marine Creatures please help me.

I want things that don't eat coral, crabs, and that are suitable for this size tank.

 

[SkiFletch]

Well if I were you Sam, I'd have a look around larger fish retailers like liveaquaria.com or saltwaterfish.com. Both have some good selections of fish and some brief descriptions as to whether they're reef-safe or not. Might give you a good starting point to ask questions . Also are you in the US, UK, Austrailia, Canada, or perhaps other?