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.

These three types are a great way to begin. But you will eventually want to add other varieties of tropical fish. Consider basslets, wrasses, hawk and grammas to complement your tropical fish tank. Some difficult ones to keep, and therefore avoid, are mandarin, certain eels, butterfly fish and seahorses.