Most saltwater tropical fish are wild caught and are generally more colorful and larger than freshwater fish. They need more live foods and a more varied diet than freshwater fish. These factors, along with the higher costs of maintaining a saltwater tank, make the saltwater tropical fish hobby more expensive and less suited to beginners. 

For a beginner saltwater tank, you will need a tank, sand, a heater, salt mix, a hydrometer, a protein skimmer and a pH kit. If you are keeping fish only tank, standard fluorescent lighting will be fine. You can start the saltwater tank by introducing mollies or other brackish livebearing freshwater fish, but you will need to remove them once you’ve established more aggressive saltwater fish in the tank. Make sure the tank is properly cycled before introducing more fish.  If you are stepping up to the more difficult, fish and mobile invertebrates, or the most difficult, reef tank (live coral), you will need proper lighting.

Following are rough guidelines for types of fish to keep. Beginners should start with damsels and clownfish. The fewer fish in the tank, the better the chance of success.

Easy: Damsels, one pair of Clownfish

Average: Blennies, most Gobies, most Tangs, Hawkfish, Live Rock (rock taken from a reef system), shrimp and crabs.

Difficult: Wrasses, Triggerfish, Lionfish, Angelfish, Butterflies, Green & Spotted Mandarin Gobies, Achilles & Clown Tangs, Seahorses, Anemones, Corals, Clams, Octopi, Nudibranchs, Eels, Scooter Blennies, Goatfish, Anthias, Groupers, Moorish Idols, Pipefish, Soft Corals and Starfish.

Tim's Tropical Fish Information about freshwater and saltwater tropical fish, fish care, fish facts, compatibility and aquarium maintenance.