  SALTWATER AQUARIUM BASICS; Fish, Nano, ReefInformation included : • Nano Reefs • Filtration • Live Rock, Including Berlin Method • Lighting • Test Kits • Water Chemistry • UV Sterilization • Common Algae • Proper fish feeding, including species specific diets • Starter to Advanced Fish/Invertebrate Suggestions • Fish and Invertebrate Introduction • Poisonous Marine Animals • Marine Ich Treatment • Marine Oodinium Treatment • Summary including Saltwater Set-up Suggestion/Diagram 
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 By Carl Strohmeyer This article is for basic to advanced information and resources intended for a marine fish aquarium (FOWLR and Nano Reefs), although not as much an advanced marine reef aquarium. They are based on my experience of keeping and professionally maintaining marine fish (and reef) aquariums for over 29 years with one of the largest aquarium maintenance companies in Los Angeles, California, where most of my marine and freshwater customers had been with other services and had regular losses of their fish until we were referred to them. Also note that there is new studies and products available regularly, I will try and update and expand this article on a regular basis. Please note that due to new information and methods being developed, that there is no one best way to set up a marine/reef aquarium, so I would be cautious of anyone who states as such (in my experience these persons are generally closed minded to new research which generally makes their opinions less than helpful in keeping a healthy marine aquarium) NANO REEFS (& Basic Aquarium Overview):  First, a small aquarium such as a Nano Reef can be difficult for a beginner, as many problems can accelerate in an aquarium this small. For this reason I recommend a first marine aquarium to be at least 40 gallons (although I know of many an aquarist who have started this way and have done great!) That said, for Nano reefs much of this basic information applies. A UV sterilizer is still a good idea (although not essential) if it can be fitted to your Nano reef (a small internal filter such as a "Via Aqua 305 Internal Filter" connected to a compact UV works well) * Another popular and simple Nano Reef set up is with an aquarium with a built-in Wet-Dry filter such as the "Complete Dream Aquarium". This type aquarium is simple and functional as a Nano Reef. Make sure you keep the polycarbonate cover over the lights clean to allow proper UVA transmission. With this style aquarium you can still add a separate internal filter with a small UV Sterilizer, or you could even divert the water return to the Sterilizer. *Cured live rock is a must and can used to substitute bio balls as well (break up the CURED live rock into 1” fragments for this). You can also add live rock fragments in canister filter, wet/dry even HOB. I have also used live sand (in a nylon) bag to an Aqua Clear filter or similar for a simple Nano Filter.  *A fine #00 sand with a ½” layer of #3 sand on top works best in my opinion for cleaning and de-nitrification. *Water changes and regular checks of water parameters are a must (do not forget to check alkali reserve, the same as KH in FW). Water parameters change more rapidly in a Nano aquarium. *Two power compact light, changed every six months and cleaned regularly in between. They should be one daylight and one actinic or two 50/50. Please read on for more expanded information (for all marine aquariums): [1] FILTRATION; Good filtration is a must for a successful marine aquarium. There are many different filters available too. I recommend a filtration turnover rate of 4 times tank volume per hour (combined all filters) minimum, however your in tank circulation (counting power heads, air stones, etc.) should be OVER 8 times per hour. Filtration is also performed by Live Rock, so please read more in the section about the Berlin Method (Live Rock) further down in this article. *Canister filters are good for their capacity, but can become Nitrate factories if not rinsed very regularly. I do not recommend Fluvals due to their poor impeller design. Via Aqua. Eheim, Jebo, and Magnum are the ones I recommend. To improve on the “nitrate factory” aspect of these filters, I prefer to add volumes of cure live rock crumbles/rubble or volcanic rock to my canister filters. For higher flow rates I recommend larger crumbles (to provide less penetration of oxygen into the live rock so as to insure anaerobic bacterial growth). 4-5 centimeters is what I have generally used in live rock rubble size. For more about canister filters, please see this article: "Aquarium Filtration." *Wet/Dry filters are good, but usually are poor mechanical filters. The bio ball media in them also should be rinsed regularly in de-chlorinated water to prevent a buildup of organic material, increasing nitrates (I prefer to use broken cured live rock or volcanic rock pieces instead of bio balls). Common Wet/Dry systems are what are considered open loop systems which employs a sump (as compared to a closed loop that has no open sump). *Protein Skimmers employ a chamber with a column of fine bubbles. Surface tension attracts organic waste to the bubbles & carries it through the column (this is called foam fractionation); then it is "skimmed" into a collection cup  Let me add one point about protein skimmers that often riles up the reef keeping police and that is that although protein skimmers are a useful tool in marine and reef aquariums, they are not essential. Many Skimmers abilities are often over rated (especially some of the older models and styles still being used), as I have kept dozens of marine aquariums with and without them and excellent results in the marine/reef aquariums without them, HOWEVER that said they are still a useful tool and will state that keeping an advanced reef tank is much easier when a Protein Skimmer is employed. Often problems I have seen with aquarists using Protein skimmers is that they are not set up and running properly so the cup is collecting foam. Also many aquarists will not empty the cup frequently enough which then makes the skimmer useless. If you choose to have advanced level marine aquarium, please look carefully at the Skimmer you purchase and make all the adjustment necessary once set up for proper foam refraction. The Professional V2 Skimmer is a quality protein skimmer incorporating a patented venture injection system which optimizes the perfect mixture of fine air bubbles and water and ensures intensive, efficient skimming and the removal of proteins and other harmful toxins (waste) from the aquarium. There are good Skimmers also available as well as many “dogs” that are often still quite expensive. Finally as to Skimmers, since they work via foam refraction on organic proteins in the water, they will not collect much foam in a new marine aquarium, so do not get discouraged if yours does not in the first few weeks after initial setup. A unique filter for aquariums 60 gallons or less is the Via Aqua Multi Filter , this filter is a combination HOB, Protein Skimmer and UV Sterilizer. And an even more simple skimmer with a pre-filter (no UV) for 20 gallon or less is the Rio Nano Skimmer both these filters can be used in the Berlin Method, either directly with a small amount of broken live rock inside the filter or indirectly as one part of the system. Neither of these skimmers are high end skmmers, however they are good for beginners or small aquariums (under 60 gal.) For MUCH more information about Protein Skimmers (including types), please see this NEW article in Aquarium Answers: "Aquarium Protein Skimmers" *Sump systems with live rock, plants, and sponge filters work well. The live rock is excellent for aerobic filtration (ammonia and nitrite removal) and anaerobic filtration (nitrate removal). The live plants and green algae are good for nitrogen fixing and phosphate removal. The sponge filter is a simple to clean aerobic bio-filter and mechanical filter (although make sure and rinse the sponge regularly or it can become a nitrate factory).  *Hang on back filters (HOB) are very limited for saltwater aquariums, but can be used too, especially if combined with other bio filters. Internal filters are also limited, but once again are good combined with others or used as above. Be careful with some of the claims by many in the aquarium hobby about bio wheels, although they do work; no where near to what the hype say and are only marginal marine filters, please see this article: Do Bio Wheels really work . If you have a small marine aquarium (under 20 gallons) the Via Aqua M200 is popular among aquarium service pros would be a good choice due its surface skimmer feature and bio grid (although a secondary filter such as power head, sponge, etc. is still advised). With many HOB filters, including the VitaLife, I remove the grid and add live rock crumbles, volcanic rock or similar for better de-nitrification (Nitrate removal). *Ecosystem mud filtration is effective for nitrate removal (due to the large colonies of anaerobic bacteria), they can be simpler to use than a protein Skimmer in my opinion (although they do work, I believe they are over hyped for fish aquaria). The Rio Nano Skimmer is a very simple Protein Skimmer with a small pre-filter cartridge Unfortunately there are many stores pushing these systems as the end all of filtration, and they are not. They are a good part of a system, but should not be the only part. Good mechanical, other types of bio filtration and especially germicidal filtration are also important. *Power Heads along with wave makers (for more high tech reef tanks) are an excellent addition (& IMO a necessary addition when live rock is used as a major source of bio filtration) as these can add valuable cross currents and can be directed in ways that make for tidal zone like circulation. Many such as Via Aqua 1300 have small sponges too and this is a size that fits many saltwater tanks well. The ReSun 2 & 2A are also good choices with Mag-drives and ceramic impellers. Another popular brand although not quite as reliable in my opinion is the Rio (there are many other power heads now available that are excellent too). The Power Sweep by ZooMed has not had a good track record from my experience and is under powered. I am also not real keen on the reliability of Aqua Clear and Marineland Power Heads (I know many have used these later two brands with success, however IMO these are dinosaurs in technology and I have literally used 100s and have seen what they can and cannot do). The Via Aqua 1300 or better, the Via Aqua 2600 (or even 3300) are also useful for sumps or inline applications such as the one pictured here at this site: “Water Return Manifold” (sometimes referred to as closed loop system, although this is not my definition, a better definition is just that a water return manifold). *Wave makers can be a good idea if you have sensitive corals that live in tidal zones. I have not had good luck with oscillating power heads, I recommend electronic wave monitors that you plug your power heads into. If you use one of these devices make sure and use a quality power head that will restart as many of the power heads available (Aqua Clear, Marineland) have a poor track record from my experience. The Via Aqua and ReSun are excellent for this application. If you do not have these sensitive coral, simply having a few well placed power heads at different angles will do the trick. Here is a link for these controllers (not our site) : WaveMaster Pro  *Propeller Pumps are gaining popularity, mostly in high tech reef tanks (these pumps usually cost over $300) as they deliver high flow, low heat, and efficient. Propeller pumps install easily onto any aquarium with a glass or acrylic thickness that is ¾" and below. Propeller pumps use magnetic force to transmit energy through the aquarium wall, which results in a better over all flow inside the aquarium compared to the more laminar flow of power heads. Please see my full Aquarium Filtration article for MUCH more information about filters: "Aquarium Filtration." OR this article for several entry level as well as advanced Marine (Saltwater) Filtration system set up suggestions: “Saltwater Aquarium Set Up Suggestions” MORE ABOUT LIVE ROCK AND THE BERLIN FILTER METHOD:  The Berlin Filter method as I apply it is the use of cured live rock in the tank and in sumps or HOB filters. This method is extremely effective for fish and reef (including Nano Reef), especially when combined with one or more other filters such as a mud filter, protein skimmer, or even a fluidized filter. The advantage here is the colonies of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, as well as the many creatures and coralline algae that are housed in the live rock. I generally recommend 1-2 pounds of live rock per gallon. The Berlin filter Method is also used in closed loop systems similar to wet/dry filter systems, except without the sump Another similar aspect to “Live Rock” is “Live Sand”, although I have to part ways with the fad as to the live part (not the sand part), most of the packaged live sand I have tested is not all that live, especially as to aerobic nitrifying bacteria as this bacteria cannot live long in a sealed bag, this part is a gimmick IMO, if you can get sand out of a functioning saltwater aquarium that is altogether different. Back to sand, I highly recommend a deep sand bed of AT LEAST 3 inches of #00 oolite sized coral sand (NOT Playground sand which is NOT at all the same in chemical composition!). I recommend a layer of #3 crushed coral on top of this sand for improved nitrification and better waste control, not to mention easier vacuuming. More about live rock: Make sure it is cured, many stores sell live rock right after it comes to them, and this is not cured live rock. Live rock arrives to the stores wrapped in newspaper and mostly dead by this time, it takes up to 6 weeks to fully cure live rock. Fully cured live rock has the benefit of containing aerobic and anaerobic bacteria; the later helps convert nitrates to nitrogen which is released harmlessly into the atmosphere. Cured live rock also contains many “creatures”, many of which are both interesting and beneficial. You may also create your own using rock high in calcium carbonate (coralline rock), or even dead coral skeletons by placing them under healthy cured live rock for a couple of months in a healthy aquarium (reef set ups are best for this). It is important to use very porous rock for the proper benefits of live rock (this is great for preserving the reefs as well since you are not depleting reefs for your aquarium!).  One other suggestion as to live rock, is to soak and “swish” your rock around in a bucket of de-chlorinated freshwater for 5 minutes. This has worked well for me and kills Oodinium pathogens and many (not all) creatures such polychaete worms (AKA Bristleworms) will fall out for your removal. Creatures you want to keep that fall out during this process can be simply placed back into the main aquarium. This has worked well for me over the years at minimizing disease risk and introduction of undesirables. A method I prefer is to break the live rock into smaller chunks and place these in back mounted wet/dry filters (such as the Dream Aquarium), canister filters or even remove the filter media from an Aqua Clear 500 or similar HOB Filter and instead use these 1-2” live rock pieces, this can make for a simple application of the Berlin Filter Method. Volcanic rock can also work well in the above mentioned filters due to its porous nature. More on Nitrate Removal Filtration; (A) As mentioned above, Mud filters can be very useful for Nitrate removal as are deep sand beds or even a DIY deep sand bed “filter” in which you can use a bucket or another small aquarium; For a picture and better description of this idea, please follow this link: DIY Deep Sand Bucket/Tank For a Mud Filter (and diagram) please see my article "AQUARIUM FILTRATION; UGF, HOB, Sponge, Internal, Canister, Wet/Dry, Fluidized Bed, Mud, Germicidal, and Protein Skimmer Filters." (B) Also as mentioned above; a lot of cured live rock is extremely helpful for nitrate removal, this should also be used as live rock crumbles in wet/dry or similar filters in place of bio balls which tend to promote high nitrates. Volcanic Rock can be substituted for live rock crumbles/scrap.  (C) Plants or green algae (such as Caulerpa algae) in aquarium or Refugium/Mud Filter.(D) Protein Skimmers; these devices remove protein based organics before entering the nitrogen cycle, thus never allowing nitrates to form (IMO, a protein skimmer by itself will not solve high nitrate problems) (E) Pre-Filters such as ATIs "Filter Max" on filter intakes; these are easily rinsed and remove organic matter before it can go thru the nitrogen cycle. (F) Improved cleaning methods such as where by as much decomposing organics are removed. The use of re-circulating micron power cleaning vacuums such as the Aquarium Cleaning Machine is very useful, especially in tanks without deep sand beds. (G) Metal Halide lighting. I know this seems off subject, but I have found that Metal Halide lighting helps with nitrate levels, even when other filters are poor. This may be due in part to improved algae/plant growth and redox. For MUCH more about high nitrates, PLEASE see this article: "The Aquarium Nitrogen cycle", especially the section about nitrate removal. [2] LIGHTING; A 10,000 K Daylight bulb is a start, better would be a 50/50 daylight/ 420 nm actinic bulb, or better yet would be one of each. For more advanced reef keeping you will need to consider the power compacts (such as the VHO), the T-2 or T-5, the Metal Halide, the even newer LED or SHO bulbs. For more lighting info, please see this article: “AQUARIUM LIGHTING, Kelvin, Nanometers and more.” Also please note that for fish only or fish with some invertebrates such as Arrow Crabs, lighting is not as important a factor, however if you plan to have anemones, soft coral and especially hard corals, good lighting is a MAJOR factor in their success! Also not that although the 3-5 watt per gallon rule is a reasonable starting point, this is an archaic rule of thumb as there are so many other factors that are also important such as lumens per watt, tank depth, and more. Again PLEASE read the above article for more about lighting! Also do not inadvertently block your light by having dirty salt covered bulbs, or even by placing a glass top between your lights and aquarium water. A glass top is OK for most fish (although still not the best as they still do better with more UV light, in part due to an improved Redox Potential (ORP). I recommend using a Polycarbonate top (if a top is even required) as glass block more than 60% of beneficial UVB and UVA rays. Polycarbonate only blocks about 8-10% (provided it is kept clean). Most retailers specializing in plastics can custom cut you such a top from Polycarbonate. I got my Polycarbonate at Paragon Plastics in South El Monte, CA [3] TEST KITS; An ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, Hydrometer, and KH (alkalinity) test kit are all important. For reef aquariums a Calcium and Magnesium Test Kit are also highly recommended. For a more in depth article about Aquarium Test Kits, please follow this link: AQUARIUM TEST KITS; what they are used for and their importance. [4] WATER CHEMISTRY; Start with a good marine salt and mix it to a specific gravity of 1.019- 1.022 for fish. A specific gravity of 1.022- 1.025 is best for invertebrates. Be careful with too high or too low of a specific gravity as this can cause problems with proper osmotic function in fish (I have heard of persons being told to keep their marine fish at a specific gravity of 1.012 to prevent or treat disease, this is too low!) For more information about osmotic function in fish, please read this article: “How do fish drink; Proper osmotic function”. Use Reverse Osmosis (RO) water to top off with for evaporation to prevent potential buildup of nitrate or other elements from tap water or even well water. If tap water is used (which again I recommend avoiding), use water conditioners such as “Prime- (Removes ammonia, chlorine, chloramines, ammonia)” to neutralize the chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals. For much more about tap water please see this article: “What should I know about tap water for my aquarium? From Chlorine and Chloramines to Phosphates” Maintain: *Ammonia/nitrites; 0 *Nitrates; under 15-20 ppm *pH; 8.2 -8.4 *Alkalinity; (KH)- 250 ppm+ *Calcium ; 400 ppm *Redox Potential ; -300mV *Specific Gravity (Salinity); 1.019- 1.021 for fish; 1.022- 1.025 for invertebrates Be patient with the cycling process. There are several methods, but adding CURED live rock will help jump start this process. You can add small amounts of food every day before fish are added to help stimulate the formation of aerobic bacteria. For much more information about cycling, see this article: "Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle". Change water regularly especially in areas of waste accumulation, this will help maintain low nitrates. (see my blog "Reasons for aquarium cleaning"). TRACE AND MINOR ELEMENTS: This is VERY important, as many trace and minor elements are depleted by normal bio processes. Water changes are rarely enough to replenish normal depletion. Buffers such as Sea Chem Marine Buffer (adds sodium, magnesium, calcium, strontium, and potassium salts of carbonate, bicarbonate, chloride, sulfate, and borate) are important for maintaining a proper kH (alkalinity) and add many trace and minor elements as well. Many Buffering products available do not add both calcium and magnesium and they are BOTH necessary together for proper chemistry and fish health. It should be noted, that unlike freshwater fish which absorb the water around them, marine fish drink the water constantly, which affects their internal body chemistry to the surrounding water. When KH (alkalinity) is not an issue the use of straight trace elements such as Sea Chem Marine Trace Elements is another option. Bio available calcium is important to reef aquariums, Sea Chem Reef Calcium (adds bio-available polygluconate complexed calcium)  Kalkwasser is a popular method for pH stabilization and alkalinity however I personally do not recommend it for beginners. If Kalkwasser is added to your aquarium too fast it will be converted to carbonate ions which ties up Calcium your inhabitants need. With proper drip or vinegar methods it will convert to Bi-carbonates allowing for the necessary Calcium.If you plan to use Kalkwasser, I recommend reading my article in the section about Calcium: “The Importance of Calcium, Electrolytes, Magnesium, and KH in your Aquarium (Salt & Freshwater)” Or this outside article: Kalkwasser in Depth; http://www.reefscapes.net/articles/breefcase/kalkwasser.html Most of the coralline algae, which secrete calcium carbonate need not only bio available calcium but other trace elements in the proper balance which is why a complete buffer such as Sea Chem Marine Buffer should be used to adjust alkalinity. KH (or alkalinity as is called in marine aquariums) should be over 240 ppm (13 dKH). Normal bio processes such as the break down of nitrogenous wastes produce acids that constantly chip away at your alkaline reserves, so alkalinity is important to monitor and maintain through water changes, buffers, and aragonite or similar sand/ crushed coral gravel. Complete diets will also add some trace and minor elements as well as water changes and aragonite substrates. Changing water regularly with a quality mix (preferably using RO or DI water to mix with it) will also add back depleted trace and minor elements. I find water changes for this reason alone more important in smaller aquariums in particular. Make sure and purchase a quality mix (of which there are many), a few suggestions are Instant Ocean (a popular quality product) or Tropic Marine (out of Germany, probably the best IMO). For more advanced reefs you may want or need to add separate elements such as Strontium, Iodine, Magnesium and Calcium. Make sure and test your water first if you think you need to add iodine and strontium in particular; this article gives the desired levels of these elements: “Aquarium Answers; Test Kits” . I have never found a need to add additional Calcium other than the methods outlined above; water Changes, Sea Chem Marine Buffer (which also contains strontium), & Sea Chem Reef Calcium , or Kalkwasser however some advanced aquarists prefer to use a Calcium Reactor If fish and other marine inhabitants do not have proper trace and minor elements, their health will suffer. I have been called to customers with Yellow Tangs with red streaks and sunken abdomens, the only treatment I did was add trace elements, adjust kH, change water, and improve the diet; and the fish recovered (often this can also be a sign of Vibrio and requires further treatment, please see this article for more information: Treatment and Identification of Aeromonas and Vibrio in Aquariums and Ponds Please read these two articles for further information about Alkalinity, osmoregulation, Calcium, trace elements and more: “THE IMPORTANCE OF CALCIUM, ELECTROLYTES, MAGNESIUM, AND KH IN YOUR AQUARIUM (Salt & Freshwater)” “How do Fish Drink; Proper Osmotic Function” [5] UV STERILIZATION; UV Sterilizers are in my opinion, not essential, but are VERY important. UV Sterilizers help with disease prevention and also help maintain a proper Redox Potential (oxidation properties of water). The Redox Potential is often overlooked by many aquarists. For more information please see my article about “Aquarium UV and Pond UV Sterilizers ” [6] FISH AND INVERTEBRATE INTRODUCTION:  The best way to acclimate your new fish, corals or other delicate marine inhabitants is to place your bag in a bucket, then open a VERY small area so as to insert an air line tube. Use this tube along with an in line Air line valve or clip (such as a clothes pin) so that you can adjust the drip. Start a siphon in this line and adjust this drip to about one drip per every 2-3 seconds (more or less). Let this drip run for about 1 hour minimum (Sometimes less for fish, often much longer for corals, anemones). It is also important to carefully open your bag as little as possible, otherwise you may have a “gassing out” effect that can drastically lower your pH in your bag containing your new arrivals which can shock and kill them. For fish quarantine or at least a dip or bath is also suggested for disease introduction/prevention, please see this article: “Aquarium Disease Prevention” [7] COMMON ALGAES:  Here are couple of commonly encountered algae in marine aquariums, especially with live rock. Both are forms of Caulerpa Algae, the top being grape Caulerpa while the bottom is the fast growing (and illegal in some states) taxifolia. However the taxifolia is an excellent source for food for many fish from Dwarf angels to tangs as well a great Nitrate Sponge[8] PROPER FISH FEEDING, including species specific diet; Do not over crowd a marine aquarium. The amount of fish depends on the aquarium surface area and the type of fish. My article “Basic Aquarium Principles” addresses this subject. Feed your marine fish according to the type of food they naturally eat in the wild. Aquatic based foods such as HBH Marine Flake or Spirulina 20 Flake are good generic fish foods for Tangs, angels, clown fish, etc. Many Fish need specific foods in their diet for long term health, here are just a few:  *Angels from the Genus “Pomacanthus” such as Emperor or Koran Angels also need sponge in their diet.  *Angels from the Genus “Centropyge” such as Flame Angels and Coral Beautys need marine algae in their diet.  *Butterfly Fish from the Genus “Chemon” such as Copperband Butterflies need small foods such as mysis shrimp, FD or frozen shrimp, and fresh or frozen clam. However, even though many will eat these foods in captivity, many butterflys only truly thrive with live coral to pick at and be at least a part of their diet.  *Trigger Fish from the Genus “Balistoides” such as Clown Triggerfish require Urchin in their diet. I will also note here that Triggers are generally very aggressive, so care is advised in placement with other tank mates (I have especially found Pink Tail and Undulatus Triggers to be "nasty").  *Mandarin Dragonets (also called Mandarin Gobies) These fish can be very hardy under the right conditions when starting with a healthy specimen which is feeding. They seem to be very resistant to parasitic diseases such as Ich, apparently due to their thick slime coating. Many Mandarins are kept under conditions in pet stores that cause them to slowly starve (I always sold mine out of reef tanks). Look for sunken bellies before purchasing a specimen. If possible, select a specimen that is eating frozen food. Feeding is the problem with Mandarins. Amphipods and copepods (small crustaceans that inhabit the sea floor) are the best diet for these fish if they can be cultured in small broken live rock piles. Some will take foods such as frozen brine shrimp and bloodworms. Here are a few feeding suggestions: • Try feeding roe, or fish eggs. These can be obtained at Asian markets under the name of flying fish eggs. They look like the orange little balls on sushi rolls. • Create a "pod pile" of small chunks of live rock in a corner. Pile the rubble up so fish cannot enter and spray the area with minute bits of food to herd the pods into the safety area to feed and reproduce. For more about copepods and other pods: “Pods, Delicious and Nutritious” Also from the author of this previous article, cultured ocean pods: Aquacultured Copepods for the Hobbyist Here is another article: Chocolate Chip Starfish: What is a Chocolate Chip Starfish? [9] STARTER FISH TO ADVANCED FISH & INHABITANTS: As for starter fish, this is where a good LFS comes in handy, they can help you decide based on what you want to achieve in an aquarium. Here are a few suggestions: *Yellow Tangs *Percula, Sebae, or Osellaris Clowns *Koran Angels *Spotted Hawkfish *Blue Hippo Tangs *Yellow Tail and Green Chromis Damsels (not as aggressive as many other damsels). *Pseudochromis such as the purple. *Royal Gramma Basslet *Coral, Dianna, or Spanish Hogfish Also most Groupers and Triggers as well as Volitan Lionfish are very hardy however these are aggressive fish that WILL grow. Most Hermit Crabs, Coral Banded Shrimp, and Arrow Crabs are hardy invertebrates  For a NEW article that has more about different beginner fish/inhabitants (also advanced fish/invertebrates), along with pictures, please see this article:"BASIC MARINE (Saltwater) TO ADVANCED FISH & INVERTEBRATES; Suggestions & Information for selection of your saltwater fish and other aquarium inhabitants" Please note that this article was just created on 10/22/07 and is a work in progress! [10] Poisonous Marine Pets; Foxface and Lionfish produce a neurotoxin that attacks the nervous system, so does the Stone Fish and the Blue Ring Octopus (as well as the Black Widow Spider). Each of these fish puts in different amounts, the Blue Ring the most. This is important to note as a second or third sting with neurotoxin can be life threatening (which a Blue Ring is very much so due to the concentrated amount injected. Foxface and Lionfish are not generally a danger though to the hobbyist, the best treatment is a hot compress of 50 C with baking soda. At this temperature tests have shown the poison to be denatured. Here are marine animals of note: Blue Ring Octopus: The strong neurotoxin interferes with the body's nervous system. The victim will immediately experience numbness of the mouth and tongue, blurring of vision, loss of touch, difficulty with speech and swallowing, and paralysis of the legs and nausea. If the victim does not receive medical treatment immediately, full paralysis may occur within minutes, followed by unconsciousness and death due to heart failure and lack of oxygen. There is no anti-venom for the poison from a blue-ringed octopus. It is usually necessary to perform continuous CPR on a victim until the effects of the venom have subsided. This may take several hours, but it may mean the difference between life or the death for the victim. For more about keeping a common brown Octopus as a pet, please read this article: “Octopus as Pets” Box Fish, Trunk fish, & Cowfish: When these fish are frightened or harassed, the fish in this family have the ability to release a fatal toxin from their bodies. They can kill every living thing in your aquarium, leaving you with an empty aquarium. Be careful when mixing these fish in an aquarium (even with territorial fish such as Domino Damsels or Maroon Clownfish), unless you want to take the risk of possibly loosing everything. Although this has only happened once and was because I added the cowfish to an aquarium with very dominant fish. That said I have kept dozens of cowfish in mine and my clients aquariums with no problems. If these are fish you like to keep, I recommend a large, non aggressive aquarium with place to hide, and good filtration that may include carbon. [11] MARINE ICH (Cryptocaryon irritans) TREATMENT;  It is best to move your fish to a quarantine aquarium with sponge filter that can be seeded from your established aquarium. This hospital aquarium should also have no gravel and just enough décor to give the fish a place to hide. Try and keep this tank in the dark for the first 3-5 days of treatment Change 25% water daily using water from your main aquarium, thus performing water changes there too. MAKE SURE NO equipment from your hospital aquariums makes contact with your main aquarium (you can soak in a copper solution then rinse in scalding hot water). Your medication options starting with the strongest are: *Copper Sulfate kept at 25 ppm *Medicated Wonder Shell (Marine version) *Malachite Green The copper sulfate is your best bet, but this cannot be used in your main aquarium. A freshwater dip (pH adjusted to 8.2) combined with methylene blue for 3-5 minutes will also help. I recommend using the methylene blue at double strength for this dip. Do not place your fish in your main aquarium for 3 weeks. For more about Marine Ich, please read this article: Aquarium Ich: Cryptocaryon irritans treatment [12] MARINE OODINIUM (Amyloodinium Ocellatum); This disease (or infestation) is also called Coral Fish Disease and saltwater Velvet. Oodinium has been a fast moving killer in marine fish keeping for many years. Oodinium is a parasitic dinoflagellate which can infect and kill many species of saltwater fish. Similar to Crytptocaryon (Marine Ich and other external fish parasites, this Dinoflagellate is much more dangerous in the confines of an aquarium, especially a small overcrowded tank due to rapid re-infection. For my FULL article about Marine Oodinium, please read this article: MARINE OODINIUM (Amyloodinium Ocellatum) [13] SUMMARY; This article is aimed at giving out good, reliable and tested information to help the reader make informed choices (not just anecdotal as I have used many different methods in my maintenance business over the years and have tested the differences). However this article is not complete and I recommend reading the links provided here and other articles as well. I also apologize to my readers if I threw out a lot of information that has both pros and cons leaving one to wonder what is truly best, unfortunately there is not a one best way IMO and experience, however I will give some personal suggestions later in this summary based on my experience (again for those advanced aquarists, I realize there are other ways too). I strongly recommend reading our filtration article and UV Sterilization article, as these are often an area of controversy and misinformation; whether it be what a UV can or cannot do or the MUST have filters for marine keeping such as the Protein Skimmer (which are very useful, however if one applies the Berlin Method properly and adds good properly maintained filters such as a simple sponge filter or fluidized filter, you can test the results and find out they do help, but are NOT essential for marine fish in particular). That said, I not recommending against them either, just pointing out that there re many combinations that are often overlooked or are simply trashed out of hand without proper research (UVs, Sponge Filters, and Fluidized Filters fall into this category). Here is an article/diagram with one suggestion as to how to set up a saltwater aquarium, (please click on the picture for the full article and full size diagram):  "Saltwater Aquarium Set Up".This is a basic article, if you are interested in SW, please read/ask/learn as much as possible. Also find a good LFS with good advice. Avoid internet sites, LFS, and books that say their way is the only way; this usually is a bad indicator of closed mindedness that results in new research being ignored. Further information: "Aquarium Information". "Saltwater Aquarium Guide". For more aquarium information and articles (pond too), please visit this site:  Also check out this unique blog with some of best, most unique information on the internet: Aquarium (and Pond) Answers, please visit this site:   
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