Possible 2 foot SW tank?

[cichlidboy]

Hello. I have always kept Freshwater fish, never marine...
I have a 2 foot (24"x14"x12") Freshwater tank with a spawning pair of convicts in that i am going to be getting rid of soon.
(i have 4 other freshwater tanks)
Now, due to my age, i cannot work, therefor have very little money..
So, if possible i would like to keep my heater and filters, rather than get new ones. Is that possible?
Also, i have been told that i do not need a protein skimmer if i do regular water changes...true?
Is there any marine fish that are cheap, and will go nicley in a 2 foot tank?
The tank currently has white slica sand that can be used for marine tanks also, so that does not need changing.
Can anyone suggest a stock list for me that is:
*Cheap*
Colourfull
Looks good
Entertaining
*Cheap*
See what im getting at?
Mez

 

[von_rahvin]

cheep and saltwater do not mix. you can have a saltwater tankthat size but it would be very very hard to keep for a beginner, i know there ae people who are out that who are successful in keeping small slatwater tanks but it make sit harder. you do not need a skimmer but you do need some kind of filtration, be it biological or mechanical, since you are poor get a biowheel, not a perfect solution but a cheaper way to get your feet wet so to speak. you are not going to bale to put as many fish as you are used to and also you need to add fish SLOWLY to a saltwater tank. good luck

 

[cichlidboy]

i already have filters, as i said..
i have a built in filter, a fluval 2, and a powerfilter with powerhead...
Mez <img src="graemlins//urrr.gif" border="0" alt="[urrr]" />

 

[mr . salty]

I hope you are not talking about an under gravel filter.They are not reccomended for saltwater setups.Plus they will not work with a sand substrate.Is this sand the same sand that was in the freshwater setup??If so you will NOT be able to use it at all.You will need new sand.The filter pads will also need to be replaced.And everything needs to be scrubbed down real good before you start setting it up.You could even soak everything in a very dilluted(weak) bleachwater solution.Then rinse eveything till no bleach cen be smelled...

 

[neutronics]

Its interesting that you brought up the question whether there is any marine fish that are cheap (compared to the freshwater fishes) because I can't really find any cheap marine fish here at my lfs except for the colourful but aggressive damsels and some wrasses like the yellow wrasse....
The rest of them are very expensive but unbelievably beautiful

 

[obatang]

the cheapest i know will probably be the clownfish htey are enteresting!

 

[whipple]

Damsels are cheap and you can get a few different colors of them, they are also pretty hardy and easy to keep, i do reccomend changing your sand $10.00 and new filter cartridges 8 bucks and you can get the damsels for $2.00 to $3.00 a piece then all you would need is salt and most LFS carry pre-mixed water but you will need to cycle the tank before adding stock