What does it take to have a saltwater fish tank?

I really like starfish, but I have to keep one in a saltwater tank to live. Idk, if I'll be able to handle the up keep of the saltwater tank.

Starfish like most invertebrates are even harder to keep than saltwater fish. However, that doesn't mean you couldn't do it. You should do a little research and see if you think you can do the up keep and want to spend the money for the equipment necessary.Research Reef tanks, Nano reef tanks, and what's called a "Fish only with live rock" or FOWLR tank, Except you'd be doing a Starfish with live rock. Upkeep is mixing up new salt water for 25%-30% of the tank every month or sowiping out the inside of the tankusing a siphon gravel cleaner to remove filth and water, ( only 30%)pouring in the new waterrinsing out some filter materials and cleaning gunk out of the pump(s)wiping down the lights and outside of the tankDone.

The previous answer is fairly accurate, but if you want a simple FOWLR tank with a good starfish, The Pet Place/That fish place is currently selling Bahama Stars, by far the easiest to keep for $12.99.The Salt Water Fish Shop has Chocolate Chip stars for about the same price. These are good reliable distributors. Dont get one from Petco. It may be half dead before you get it. These starfish are easy to feed and will eat pellets, pieces of shrimp, basically any meat or fish item that sinks to the bottom. It is only starfish whose care is usually rated Easy for beginners. it will need a 20 gallon tank without any of the extra accessories. Just a filter, heater, a light and a hydrometer to keep track of your salinity which should be between 1.021 and 1.025 for this animal. i use Instant Ocean sea salt. Get enough so you can do a 30% water change every 3 weeks. It needs a 20 gallon tank and can be kept with a few easy to keep salt water tropicals like clownfish and damsels. there is no need to investigate reef tanks which are difficult to maintain as this is a non-reef starfish that just wanders around the bottom of the tank. Crushed coral is the best thing to use as a substrate, as it buffers the water to keep your pH at 8.2-8.4, which is optimal for salt water.. Wash it under running water and stir it a lot for an hour or so as it contains a lot of dust.When you get the starfish, use the drip method to acclimate it to your water. that involves taking it and its water and putting them in a bucket, and slowly adding water from your tank with a hose or small cup until they are 50/50. After 20 minutes to 1/2 hour, it should be used enough to your water to put it in the tank. It may act withdrawn for a day or two, but as it gets totally used to the new conditions, it should come around nicely.I recommend you get an AquaClear 30 filter (the filter should be at least 50% above gallon capacity for salt water). It has to be cycled. The easiest way to do this is to get a good sized scoop of gravel from a established thriving tank, or a piece of filter media from one that has been set up for a while and throw it in your filter so the bacteria can spread and your tank cycles. You can cycle a tank in 3-5 weeks. It needs a source of ammonia to cycle- this can be a cheap fish like a Damsel. If you want to add the Starfish quickly, get some Bio-Spira. this product contains live nitrifying bacteria which will set up a cycle (they claim almost instantly). I'm a little more conservative and would add it for 2 days and then add your starfish aftyer you have 2 doses of Bio Spira in the water.. You need a 100-watt heater for a 20 gallon tank.The last thing you need is a test kit, you you make sure your water is clean and have an idea when a water change is due. I use instant Ocean Sea Salt. After you add the salt, wait a day and go to a good salt water pet shop and ask if they can test it for copper. It is essential when keeping invertebrates that there be no copper in your water. Good Luck!Note; The answer below mine thinks you want a live reef tank. A simple FOWLR tank does not require a pricey protein skimmer or expensive lighting. She is right- reef tanks cost a fortune, but you asked for a starfish tank, and I assumed some easy to care for fish, so as long as you keep your filter clean, you don't need all that stuff. By the way, you can also keep small crabs and hermit crabs in this setup fairly easily.

Saltwater tanks can actually be LESS maintenance, since the live rock and skimmer do a lot of the work for you. The live rock has nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria to maintain water quality, and the skimmer will remove organic pollutants. This means less water changes overall if the tank is properly stocked.Money is one thing you will need, and plenty of it. Marine tanks can be quite expensive, much more so than your average freshwater tank of the same size. You'll need to research the type of starfish you want to keep--some are much easier than others, as many starfish (mostly from the Fromia and Linckia genera) are unsuitable for most home aquaria, as they need a deep mature sand bed to survive and often die. These are also often the pretty ones.Also, ALL starfish must be acclimated for a minimum of and hour, usually more. They are extremely sensitive to even small changes in salinity, so you would need to research proper acclimation techniques as well as equipment needed and tank size requirements.