would greatly appreciate help with my 10g

[kathleen55]

okay so im really wanting to turn my empty 10g into a sw tank. i have a few questions though.
- what fish/inverts could i keep? how many fish? and how many inverts?
- what is the purpose of live rock?
- how would i do water changes (with salt and everything)
- do i need special lighting for corals and things? if so,where could i get that?
- what kind of coral could i have?
thank you so much! any advice/tips appreciated

 

[scubasteve03]

Maby just a few small fish because of the small bioload

Live rock is what hold and grows your benafical bacteria. Its a must in a reef tank

When doing a water change you do us salt water mix but in a tank that small not a huge one I would say 2 to 4 gal should be good.

As far as coral your options arnt as limated just keep in mind that stock lights cant feed most high light corals so just check with your lfs for specs on what you want.

Cant wait to see your system come together.

 

[carey]

Yep, a few small fish would work, but not a pair of clownfish for example, tank is too small. You could do a clown and maybe a goby...or maybe a goby and a blenny. Theres not much limit on inverts, you could have a few snails, hermit crabs and some shrimp too.

As far as coral it would dictated by what type of lighting you have. There are some cheap options for lights that would work on a 10g, but not many. Let me know if you are interested and I'll post some links.

 

[catfishcrazy8]

i don't know what basically anything about swbut if i could id get a little lionfish. mmmhhhmm thats what i would get. but i cant. so yeah. youd probably be best sticking to salt water mollies, i mean ive never had them but how much differnt can they be from freshwater mollies? which i have breed. and now have about 30 of. where do i put them! but i digress. so if you get a lionfish then good for you and if you dont then good for you. ^_^

 

[kathleen55]

Maby just a few small fish because of the small bioload

Live rock is what hold and grows your benafical bacteria. Its a must in a reef tank

When doing a water change you do us salt water mix but in a tank that small not a huge one I would say 2 to 4 gal should be good.

As far as coral your options arnt as limated just keep in mind that stock lights cant feed most high light corals so just check with your lfs for specs on what you want.

Cant wait to see your system come together.

okay thanks! i still have lots of researching to do

 

[kathleen55]

Yep, a few small fish would work, but not a pair of clownfish for example, tank is too small. You could do a clown and maybe a goby...or maybe a goby and a blenny. Theres not much limit on inverts, you could have a few snails, hermit crabs and some shrimp too.

As far as coral it would dictated by what type of lighting you have. There are some cheap options for lights that would work on a 10g, but not many. Let me know if you are interested and I'll post some links.

yes im definitly interested in corals. for stocking i was thinking a blue neon goby, a citrus goby, and a firefish.with some shrimp, snails and hermits. what blennys could i have? because then i would probably stock it with a blenny, and a goby and firefish. if i could. thanks!

 

[carey]

Have you checked out Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums ? They have a whole section of nano fish to choose from and can give you an idea of what can or can't work.

 

[kathleen55]

ooh okay thanks!

 

[carey]

It's a great site I use it everyday. Only problem is now you'll see soo many fish you won't know what to pick! lol

 

[curiousclam120]

Picking fish is really fun! I would say for corals, depends on how much $ you want to spend. If you want alot of soft corals or mushrooms, most are okay with low, cheap light, from there it gets a little harder. Some SPS don't need as much lighting as others, but since they are light-loving stony small polyped corals they will require alot more light. Thats a little advanced though. Also, do you have an equipment list? What kind of filtration or flow will you have...if any? Research and patience is the best thing when "diving" into this hobby! Will be following, keep us updated.

 

[kathleen55]

well im getting my cousins old 10g tank so i have to see what filter she gave me. im at my dads house right now and im going camping tomorrow so i wont be getting any fish for a week or so. i also have to cycle it. but that should be fast because she already used the tank and filter right?

 

[carey]

Not necessarily....it could take a couple weeks to cycle even with established media. What are your plans for the live rock? Is the tank up and running now at your cousins? If so, you may just get a mini cycle from the live rock being moved and exposed to air.

 

[kathleen55]

Not necessarily....it could take a couple weeks to cycle even with established media. What are your plans for the live rock? Is the tank up and running now at your cousins? If so, you may just get a mini cycle from the live rock being moved and exposed to air.

no, its at my moms house running now without salt though. i havnt purchased the live rock yet

 

[carey]

Ahh, then you probably will have to cycle with the live rock and maybe another ammonia source. If theres no saltwater I woudln't think the bacteria can survive. Don;t quote me on that though! LOL

have you read the articles on here about fishless cycling for the sw tank?
heres the link

Cycle your salt tank

Good luck!!

 

[kathleen55]

okay good to know and ill check that out. thanks!

 

[Flake]

If the tank isn't salted, you'll just kill the live rock.

Sw and fw have different kinds of bacteria

 

[kathleen55]

If the tank isn't salted, you'll just kill the live rock.

Sw and fw have different kinds of bacteria

the rock nor the salt isnt in there yet. i just got the idea of it being a sw tank a few days ago and im still researching. im also thinging of waiting to do sw untill i get a larger tank

 

[carey]

A larger tank would be a great place to start, it gives you more leeway if mistakes happen plus you can get more fish and corals. The 10g will limit your to 2-3 fish max. And no clown pairs in a 10g :-(

Let us know what you end up doing. Theres several other articles here that may be useful to you in setting up a salt tank, like the article about live rock.

Articles

 

[curiousclam120]

well you can always start a nano, see how that goes and convert it to a larger tank. I would recommend getting a little larger of a tank because it is easier for beginners. This is why: if you had your 10 gallon tank and you made a tiny mistake it could throw off the whole balance of the tank, whereas you have a little more room to make mistakes in a larger tank. Either way, both are awesome.

 

[curiousclam120]

lol we thought of the same thing