How to/steps involved in turning a freshwater tank into a marine tank

Question

i know how complicated and difficult they can be, and i have done months of research. i will be tackling/mastering a planted tank before converting. i'm not yet ready, but i would like to know what i would have to do once i am ready. i know it's best not to start with a nano, but i've got a new 9g tank that would look great as a marine. it's an Aqua One AR-380. it has a wet/dry filter. of course the light would not be able to support coral, i just want fish (with live rock of course). i do have a heater already (currently cycling to be ready for a betta, and it has live plants, as i have spoken of earlier). what equipment would i need to get, how much live rock/sand (about an inch of sand?) can you give me simplified instructions? and i was thinking about (eventually) having two common clown fish, two neon gobies, a damsel, a cleaner shrimp and a hermit crab... but i'm pretty sure this would be way overstocked, lol. so, tell me what you recommend.

a big thankyou to anyone who even bothers to read the whole question :P

Answer 1

All the fish overstock the tank. The only livestock that can go in that small of a tank are invertebrates. You could try housing 1 Neon Cleaner Goby, but it'd be really hard.

Off the top of my head, the equipment you'll need is a filter, heater, lighting, hydrometer, test kits, and live rock/sand (1 lb. per gallon, more is better). Here's a link on what you'll need for a saltwater aquarium: http://www.aboutfishonline.com/articles/...

And here's some links on saltwater aquarium care:

http://www.saltwateraquariumguide.com/co...

http://www.epinions.com/content_43418666...

http://www.fishlore.com/SaltwaterBeginne...

http://www.bestfish.com/saltg.html

http://www.saltwater-aquarium.org/saltwa...

http://www.fish-tank-guide.com/saltwater...

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/articl...

http://www.saltwateraquariumguide.com/ma...

http://www.saltwateraquariumguide.com/ge...

E-mail me for any questions!

EDIT: Minimum. They can live in it, but they wouldn't be too happy in it.

If it were me, I wouldn't place a 4" max. size fish in a 9 gal. It just seems too cramped for the poor little fish.

And yes, the 18 gal seems like a better size to convert. Give your Betta his own planted 9 gal :)