help non camera person buy a little better

[Tampico96]

So I did a light upgrade on one of my tanks today and tried to take some photos of it. My main money draining hobby is reefing. I only ever really used the use the camera for birthdays and such. Its a crappy casio exilim. A rusty old pinto compared to what people are using. I did set it up on a tripod and set the timer so there was no camera shake when I pressed the button. So knowing what I have, is there anything used to look for that would be in the $200-400. Most posts have $1000+ budgets, but since I am such a camera noob, i'd rather take some smaller steps. Any suggestions?

here are the shots I got. Crappy.

 

[Tampico96]

I can buy this from somebody at work for $200. Any thoughts?

DSLR-A100H A100 Camera Body and 18-75mm Zoom lens

 

[BowieReefer84]

Two suggestions if you don't mind a point and shoot:

1. Panasonic Lumix
2. Canon S95

 

[jimmy_beaner]

First thing, attempt to get some good white balance. Light will "fall off" with increasing amounts of water between camera and subject. Try to get as much light as you can on those subjects so you can get better shots (faster shutter speed, lower ISO). DSLRs really help out a lot, but you may not wish to spend that much on them (even though they will function at birthdays and what not). My "fish setup" is a Canon T2i ($800), Canon 100mm f/2.8L Macro ($900), 580EXII flash ($500)... but the only reason the pics won't turn out is because of my lack of ability, not the equipment. Plus, I use it for more than just fish pics.