Novice needs help/advice

[A Blake]

I’ve recently been duped into buying a fish tank not suitable for marine fish although and am stuck with it after using it, it’s a 28L Aqua One 320 starter kit with heater and bottom filter and power head that shifts 400L a day… atm its setup for tropical but me and the Mrs would really like a couple of clown fish for the baby and err… us and im up for the challenge/project… (We plan to have 2 clown fish btw...)

Now we’re not going to buy any fish until its all fine, its not wise financially and its not fair on the fish, we’re a young couple with not a lot of free cash and a baby on the way and Marine tanks stuff seems to cost a fortune so im going to try and do this on a budget.

Eventually I’ve no doubt we’ll get a bigger tank but for now I really need to do what I can with what I’ve got, as I said money is a limitation, I’ve been talking with a long time friend, George who’s advised what I need but not being from the UK himself he’s not able to point me in the direction of good prices/sites and my trust in garden centre’s is shot…!!

Live or dead rock… I’ve got a small tank and don’t need much so I’ve been told so the 5kg stuff is a waste and wont be necessary.

Some way to turn the water to salt…

Some way to monitor the ph and other conditions?

I’m a complete novice and realize now I should have done more research, anyone that can help with advice, links to sites with prices or even donations of old equipment would be most welcome! I can really see this becoming a hobby and I'm not going to let this bad experiance put me off


Warm Regards
Andrew

 

[Sk8r]

Ditch the bottom filter. Read the two * threads at the top of this forum, where many of your answers lie.
Your biggest danger will be the glass in a light tank: the weight of sand and rock will stress it.
Light is another issue: some anemones take really strong [and expensive] light. It takes a month or so with live rock to get the biological filter set up [growing the bacteria] before you put in so much as a snail, let alone fish, and the fish you want must be put in a separate, bare tank for 4 weeks to be sure they don't break out in the two common clown disease, brook or ich. In that, they can be treated and cured. In your main tank, they would die, because you cannot treat the main tank. Ever.
You can buy used equipment on RC: look in the Used forum in the forum list.
You would have been better off buying a small Aquapod [unitary marine tank setup for less than 200 USD, which includes all equipment...which can stack up high in cost. The tank and rig you have bought would do quite well as the quarantine tank.
Read up in the * list and that will be a good start.