Yes, the tank owner gets gold.
I think the current break down is 100% of grab for both the owner and the grabber, but the grabber gets an additional 200% bonus--and an additional 500g if the grabber is one of the first 5 to grab that tank
so, if the initial grab is 1,000 gold, the owner gets 1,000g and the player gets 3,000 (the 1,000g plus 2,000 more)
The new "lite" fish
are not booty grab fish and would not be good to start a booty grab tank.
Good starter fish for a BG aquarium are the cheaper minimonsters like lightning bugs, galoshes and walkers. The certainly don't pay as much as coatls and airsharks, but they can make for a good start.
If you are going to start an aquarium, be aware that what you get out f it depend on what you put into it. Getting involved in booty grab guilds (The Booty Prowling Panthers are
awesome) and playing other people's tanks and bumping their thread will help get your tank exposure. I've found the booty grab community to be the nicest, friendliest and most welcoming people on Gaia so it's not any hardship to play and chat among friends.
Good luck on your tank if you choose to make one!