i would like to start keeping saltwater tanks, but i'm way more interested in marine invertebrates than fish. would you recommend i start out with fish anyway, and then move on to inverts? in any case, what are some good inverts for beginners? i mean literally any kind of invert like sea stars shrimp anything
Saltwater inverts are super cool, and there are a lot to choose from.
If you want an invert only tank then go ahead and start with them, however they're generally sensitive to water quality so make sure to cycle the tank first, of course.
I'd do a 20 gallon at least, and after the tank has established itself you could do simple things like shrimp and crabs at first. Cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp, peppermint shrimp, etc. Even crabs like red legged hermits or emerald crabs.
Then once algae has grown you can add in algae eaters like snails, sea urchins (pin cushion urchins are cute/easy), and sea starts (chocolate chip sea stars are common!).
I would stay away from specialized animals like harlequin shrimp (only eat sea stars) or things that are predatory like sally lightfoot crabs or most species of hermits.
Eventually, in the future, you could ever do anemones or feather dusters!