Converting my tropical tank into marine?

Question

Hi. At the moment I have a 28L square aqua one tank, which I was thinking about turning into a marine tank.

How much extra effort and money would that be? I'd like live coral in it.

Also, any ideal fish to put in? I want a mixture, as colourful as possible :)

Ps. I don't have any fish at the moment

Answer 1

i have the same tank, and that's too small for a marine tank really.
unless you have extensive experience in marine of course. any tank under 15 US gallons is considered a Nano tank, and your tank is about 7 US gallons. keeping the marine conditions stable in that small a space is very awkward and takes a lot of time and management. And will be too small for pretty much any marine fish.

you may also have trouble with that tank when it comes to fitting skimmers as the lid is on a hinge. the light that comes with it is too weak for most corals, and upgrading due to the lid size would be very difficult.

if you're intent on having marine you could have an invert tank i guess with some of the smaller hermits or some shrimp.

Answer 2

Unfortunately, small tanks like these are suited for only about 2-3 species of marine fish, and only one could be kept in the tank at a time. Saltwater fish are more aggressive/territorial than freshwater community fish, they have personalitles more like African cichlids. Even members of the same species often don't get along except in very large tanks. Even "smallish" species like ocellaris and percula clowns (the "Nemo" types) should have a minimum of around 80 liters. The types you could keep are a smaller clown or shrimp goby or a firefish.

Corals would be all right as long as the lighting is adequate (you could keep more types if your lighting system is a HQI than a compact fluorescent). You could keep some reef-safe invertebrates in the tank, and these are often interesting to watch themselves. Snails, hermit crabs, porcelain crabs, or a pistol shrimp (especially if you can find one with a shrimp goby which will share the same burrow) are all good possibilities. There are other shrimp and crabs, but you'll need to use caution choosing them - some will pick at coral polyps and others will ear small fish.

Items you'd need beyond the tank itself (which should already include light, filter, and heater) are live rock (for biological filtration and a place to display the corals - you want to stack this so there are "caves" where the fish and inverts can hide and so that maximum water can flow through the rock) and a carbonate/aragonite substrate to help buffer the pH. This website shows some of the types available and what fish/inverts are suited (as far as burrowing): http://www.caribsea.com/pages/products/dry_aragonite.html

You'll also need the sea salt mix and a hydrometer to measure for proper salt concentration.

I'd also recommend a good book of keeping saltwater aquaria and lots of research before you start. Despite the popularity of nanotanks, these aren't the best way for beginners to start. The smaller size is very limiting on what you can keep, plus the small water volume creates the chance for water quality, chemistry, and temperature to change too rapidly for most marine organisms.

If you'd want to try an intermediate route first, try adding some male guppies to your present set-up, then slowly increasing your salt concentration over the course of a few weeks. Guppies are capable of living in full saltwater conditions, are colorful, and are more peaceful than saltwater fish you're likely to find - not to mention they'll probably be less expensive. By keeping all males, you get the benefit of more color, and not having to worry about fry (I currently have a breeding trio in saltwater).

Answer 3

Believe it or not salt water tanks are not that much harder to care for and the fish tend to be more hearty. I was very leary at first too. Your local pet store will tell you what all you need but from personal experience you will have to break down the tank. You should get live sand/stone for the base for coral. The pet store will have live sand and salt mixure. Let the tank stand a couple of days once everything has been added. You will also need a different type of filter system for a salt water tank. They are about the same price as a fresh water tank filter. Most pet suppliers suggest adding one fish at a time because they are so expensive and it takes so long to get everything just right in the new biosphere.

Good luck.. it really isn't as bad as you think.