Need some help starting a 10gal tank

[luker78]

This is the equipment that I'm looking at right now....

Emperor 280 Power Filter
Penguin powerhead (probaly something like a 550)
20" Fluorescent with a blue tint.

Would the pump and powerhead create enough movement or should I maybe look for something more?

The other thing is, what do I put on the bottom? Aragonite or sand? I will be putting a large chunk of lr.

 

[LittlePuff]

That sounds like plenty of water movement to me. The fish and inverts that you want to keep will help you decide what substrate to use. Have you been researching them? You can find lots of info about their habits and your choices for substrate.



Kim

 

[Jermz79]

Filtration should be sufficient. You may want to get 2 smaller PH's instead of 1 bigger one. Maybe do like 2 MaxiJet 400's ...

http://www.aquariumguys.com/maxijet400.html


On the sand Aragonite is sand, it's known as Aragonite based sand ... it helps buffer the PH better than a silica based sand. Many people have used silica based in their tanks, I guess it's really a matter of personal preference.

Good luck, and remember with 10 gallon tanks the slightest change in anything could be detrimental.

 

[luker78]

Well, I did think of the type of fish I want to put into the tank. I'll probably have 2 clown fish, and some other type that will get along with them.

 

[LittlePuff]

You could also have a bare bottomed tank with live rock.


Kim

 

[haus]

2 clownfish + 1 other = overstocking. 10 gal is small ... firefish, goby, blenny, may be good, one clownfish may be reaching. Like Jermz79 said, little changes lead to big problems. Is this your first tank? Read up on things, and good luck with it.

 

[Deitta]

If you aren't totally hooked on the clown idea... Have you thought about a goby/pistol shrimp sybiosis? With a deep sand bed you could watch the two species working together which is a really cool site. My personal mission is to have this in my 6 gal. With a 10 gal you could have the symbiosis and a pepoermint shrimp....

 

[Konrade]

I know plenty of nano reefers who have 3 fish in their ten gallons.

 

[Hara]

I know plenty of nano reefers who have 3 fish in their ten gallons.

that may be so, whether it is good for the fish or not, is the issue. The answer to that depends on the type of fish, the type of tank set up and many factors. You cannot make blanket statements such as it is fine, or it isnt, unless you know all the facts.

Personally, I think 2 clowns and another fish is indeed, too much.

 

[afilter]

My advice is don't. Forget the 10g and upgrade to a nano cube for the money. You will spend just as much on the 10g with all the equipment. The cube has everything you need to include filtration and lighting. Here is what they look like:

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-JBJ-12gal-N...oryZ3212QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

They retail for $99-$149 depending on the model you get. There is also a 24g version as well.

Of course my recomendation would be to get as big a system as you can afford for a SW set up. If you want a nano though this is the way to go IMO.

Here is a link for appropriate fish for a nano as well.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=2124

Remeber 2-3 fish is going to be you max though plus several inverts and possibly coral down the road.

HTH,

 

[Guest]

The smaller your fish tank's water volume is, the quicker water parameters deteriorate. It's too much work for such a little tank. If you don't want to go too big, how's a 29G tank? I think those are somewhere in the $80 or something.

 

[flamingonhot]

most people on recommend a firefish/clownfish combo.

I used to have 3 fish,2 hermits,and one shrimp in my tank until my shrimp ate one of my fish.


You can try the 10 gallon but i highly recommend getting a bigger tank. Not because of the diffuculty, which i think people exaggerate a little too much to the point of annoyance, but because i guarantee you in 6 months you'll want a bigger tank and are gonna have to pay for the stuff again.

Look at me.. i started out with a ten gallon, in 2 months i wanted a 29 gallon, and now 1 and a half years later im setting up a 60 gallon for seahorses. Trust me when you keep sw fish you keep expanding i dont care what anybody says you keep adding and buying more tanks. A lot of the fish cant be kept together and youll always find something thats so tempting your gonna buy another tank just for it. And when its 3 or more tanks its not too cheap ecspecially with the cost of live rock.

If you do the 10 gallon i would highly recommend 1 clownfish and possibly 2 neon gobies with hermits and other clean up crews.

Just remember a 10 gallon is not as hard as it seems if you can keep up with water changes.

 

[Guest]

thanks for your expert advice flaminghot. Now, for the sake of not misleading a SW newbie, let's be real about the tendency of small tanks' parameters to deteriorate faster than larger tanks. I do water change once a month. I've had my tank for more than a year now. I've met people who have 20G SW FOWLRs and they end up water changing every 3 weeks.

Yes, your reasoning is not only valid, it's REAL. Everyone, including me, ends up wanting to have another SW tank. It's your opinion. However, I accept it as though it doesn't push me to the point of annoyance.

With that said, if you believe your 10G tank has enough water turnover to not cause for any concern, go ahead. With that said, you may just convert that 10G as either a refugium, or a QT tank. And maybe you can try a 55G-and-up sized tanks because there are affordable SW fish out there than may require you at least somewhere in the realm of 55G and up.

Good luck and welcome to the hobby! You'll find a lot of interesting articles and helpful topics in this website. It's my one-stop-shopping for SW tank knowledge. With that said, please do watch out for lucky gung-ho individuals who may mislead you with their careless demeanor in the hobby. For the amount of money spent in a SW hobby, doing it right the first time around is what saves you the time and money. Rest assured, you will surely enjoy the SW hobby.Cheers

 

[Guest]

I think that's plenty of water flow. What do you plan on keeping?

KG