Possible 10G build.. first time salt water tank!!!

[DanS180]

Hi everyone,

So I have a 10G just sitting around right now with no plans for it so I was thinking of doing a salt water tank with a clown fish or 2. I've never done a SW tank so bare with me as I know nothing about doing one. :/

My main questions are
1. Would 2 clowns be okay in this size tank? If not, what else could I have? Recommendations??
2. What kind of filter would you recommend?
3. How much aquarium salt would I need?
4. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated

I'm not going to be doing this right away, just something I wanna start thinking about thanks in advance!!

 

[DanS180]

No one wants to help a SW newbie? :/

 

[Joe5688]

Hi everyone,

So I have a 10G just sitting around right now with no plans for it so I was thinking of doing a salt water tank with a clown fish or 2. I've never done a SW tank so bare with me as I know nothing about doing one. :/

My main questions are
1. Would 2 clowns be okay in this size tank? If not, what else could I have? Recommendations??
2. What kind of filter would you recommend?
3. How much aquarium salt would I need?
4. Any other advice would be greatly appreciated

I'm not going to be doing this right away, just something I wanna start thinking about thanks in advance!!

1. No they need a minimum of 20g
2. For filters you can just use lr and sand with some powerheads and weekly water changes
3. I would get the big 5g buckets so u don't have to go to the store all the time.
4. If u have never cycled a tank google it and make sure u do it properly.

 

[DanS180]

1. No they need a minimum of 20g
2. For filters you can just use lr and sand with some powerheads and weekly water changes
3. I would get the big 5g buckets so u don't have to go to the store all the time.
4. If u have never cycled a tank google it and make sure u do it properly.

I've been told I could do 1 clown in a 10g, but then again I know nothing about sw fish. If I get live rock and sand that skips getting a filter? And what other nice looking fish would u recommend for a 10G?

I have 2 freshwater tanks so I do know about cycling, I'm sure it might be a lil diff for salt water tho

 

[Mrc8858]

A 10 is small for even a single clown and I would not run a tank without a filter unless it was less then 10 gallons and was coral only. For that size tank I doubt you plan on ever doing a sump so I'd say get a powerhead and a HOB filter for circulation and filtration then youll need a test kit a refractometer (hydrometers are inaccurate and a 10g leaves no room for error) a bucket of salt. The more you buy the better price you get and will save you gas on trips for more salt. If you plan on mixing your own then you'll also need a Ro/Di cause tap water should not be used in SW. As for cycling its no different then a FW tank.

 

[DanS180]

A 10 is small for even a single clown and I would not run a tank without a filter unless it was less then 10 gallons and was coral only. For that size tank I doubt you plan on ever doing a sump so I'd say get a powerhead and a HOB filter for circulation and filtration then youll need a test kit a refractometer (hydrometers are inaccurate and a 10g leaves no room for error) a bucket of salt. The more you buy the better price you get and will save you gas on trips for more salt. If you plan on mixing your own then you'll also need a Ro/Di cause tap water should not be used in SW. As for cycling its no different then a FW tank.

Thank you! Just a few questions.

Ro/Di? I know its reverse osmosis but what's the Di?
And if this was your 10g tank what would you stock it with? I wanted something nice to look at, even if its just 1 fish, no shrimp or things like that

 

[Mrc8858]

De-ionization and if it were my 10 I would jam pack it with lps and maybe some kind of small goby

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

If you got an occy clown is COULD go in a 10. Im not going to reccomend it, but its far better then the typical yellow tang in the 30 gallon senario we always see.

 

[DanS180]

De-ionization and if it were my 10 I would jam pack it with lps and maybe some kind of small goby

Lps? Sorry lol like I said I'm oblivious

 

[DanS180]

If you got an occy clown is COULD go in a 10. Im not going to reccomend it, but its far better then the typical yellow tang in the 30 gallon senario we always see.

Yeah don't occy clowns only get like 2-2.5inches? If I got a clown, id be okay with just him in the tank, as it is my first salt water tank so I don't wanna go crazy with it and bite off more than I can chew

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

Ya occy clowns dont get very big. Ya if you get a clown start slow!

 

[DanS180]

Ya occy clowns dont get very big. Ya if you get a clown start slow!

what would u recommend to start off with equipment wise?

 

[DanS180]

And do black occys get any bigger??

 

[Mrc8858]

Lps- large polyp stony (brain corals and acans) sps-small polyp stony (acros and montiporas)

 

[CorallineAlgae]

I had a 10 gallon reef tank set up for about five years. I had about 25 lbs of live rock, a Skilter HOB filter with the built in protein skimmer run from an airstone, live sand and tons of soft corals. I had a single clown fish in it for the first four years and he was super healthy until he managed to jump out. My corals were xenia, toadstool leathers, mushrooms and assorted polyps. I had to sell about 15 xenia and toadstools to various LFS's because they were just everywhere.

Trust me, you can do it. The best thing to do is get a good book on mini-reefs (the idiots guide is great) BEFORE you start the tank. A Skilter filter works wonderfully for small reefs. It functions just like any other HOB filter but has a mini skimmer built inside of it. To get it to work quietly you have to use an air pump and fine airstone. Use live rock for biological filtration, consider keeping some plants for nutrient absorption, try Purigen and carbon for chemical filtration, 2 T8 tubes for fish only or 2 T5 tubes for corals and for salt you can use any brand and size container you like. RO water is a must but RO/DI is a little better. One fish is truly all you'll want to keep. You could have some hermits, snails and peppermint shrimp as well. Trust us here, one fish is fine. It is possible to have a second but it complicates the whole viability of the system, especially when you're new to saltwater. My 10 gallon was amazing and never had a single issue (wasn't my first tank though). It can certainly be done. Again, the best place to start is with a good book.

 

[DanS180]

I had a 10 gallon reef tank set up for about five years. I had about 25 lbs of live rock, a Skilter HOB filter with the built in protein skimmer run from an airstone, live sand and tons of soft corals. I had a single clown fish in it for the first four years and he was super healthy until he managed to jump out. My corals were xenia, toadstool leathers, mushrooms and assorted polyps. I had to sell about 15 xenia and toadstools to various LFS's because they were just everywhere.

Trust me, you can do it. The best thing to do is get a good book on mini-reefs (the idiots guide is great) BEFORE you start the tank. A Skilter filter works wonderfully for small reefs. It functions just like any other HOB filter but has a mini skimmer built inside of it. To get it to work quietly you have to use an air pump and fine airstone. Use live rock for biological filtration, consider keeping some plants for nutrient absorption, try Purigen and carbon for chemical filtration, 2 T8 tubes for fish only or 2 T5 tubes for corals and for salt you can use any brand and size container you like. RO water is a must but RO/DI is a little better. One fish is truly all you'll want to keep. You could have some hermits, snails and peppermint shrimp as well. Trust us here, one fish is fine. It is possible to have a second but it complicates the whole viability of the system, especially when you're new to saltwater. My 10 gallon was amazing and never had a single issue (wasn't my first tank though). It can certainly be done. Again, the best place to start is with a good book.

Wow thanks for your advice! I'll definitely look into getting a book and checking some things out

As far as a light goes, can I just buy a regular light and change out the bulbs or does it have to be a special set up? I know lights can get expensive so I'm not trying to go crazy for a 10g as oppose to going crazy for my 180G FW (of course I want that to look amazing, its my whole dining room wall lol)

And as far as Ro/Di, is that like premixed water?? If so can I get it at my LFS?

 

[Mrc8858]

Lighting depends if you want a reef or not. If its gonna be fowlr (fish only with live rock) then any lighting is fine.

 

[DanS180]

Lighting depends if you want a reef or not. If its gonna be fowlr (fish only with live rock) then any lighting is fine.

Well say I wanted a few small corals, what type of light/bulb would be best?

 

[Mrc8858]

With Softies and maybe some lps you could get away with a dual t5 Ho

 

[Rgillund]

There are a lot of good hang on back protein skimmers out there brand new for 200 or used for 50. Something like a cpr rumpus would be perfectb and handle all filter work