Carol Shenkenberger wrote in a message to Garry Stahl:
 CS> Naw, too much trouble to go 'salt'.  I dont want the hassles.      
I see your point, but I have an easy way of doing it.  I use a 10 to 20 
gallon aquarium, and fill it with a couple of pails of seawater that I 
collect at the beach (helps to live beside the ocean).  Then my daughter and 
I go "tidepooling" and catch things like hermit crabs, sculpin fish, sea 
anenomes, etc.  I don't use a heater (they don't need it), just an 
"airstone".  The cooler tank means it takes longer for algae to develope 
(less maintenance), and you can top up the tank with fresh water (the salt 
doesn't evaporate).
I fed everything I've had in the tank frozen brine shrimp, that I purchased 
from the aquarium shop, and everything lived without harm.  Some favourites 
were a small black eel with an irredescent dorsal fin, some small colorful 
shrimp (lasted over 3 years although I went a year without seeing them!) a 
hermit crab that was a real character, and the sculpins.
Another benefit to this kind of tank, the fish are free.  Sampling of the 
tide pools should be performed responsibly, but other than that, it has been 
one of the best aquariums I have ever set up, and very educational for the 
young ones that help collect and raise the fish, etc.
Anyway, I've enjoyed the salt, and it was relatively easy.  Good fun too.
If you have kids it's really worthwhile, and can be a good learning 
experience.
Bye for now.
 --Doug 
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