nano tank

[ajaguilar]

I have a couple of freshwater tanks a 10 gal and 20 gal but am basically new to the aquarium world. i do love inverts including shrimps, snail crabs, insects etc

reading this forum it appears that its relatively easy to have a slat water 10 gal tank with just inverts? is that true?

al

[carey]

I wouldnt say its easy, but it's not so hard, if done correctly it can work out.

[ajaguilar]

Carey,

It was actually some of your comments on other threads that make me think its not so hard as I have always imagined. Maybe I will start with brine shrimp in a 2 gallon bucket to get a feel for it. Or is that a bad idea?

[carey]

Hmm I wouldnt really think that can help much lol. no offense!

It is harder the smaller the tank. My 4g pico was alot of work, just as much if not more so than my 125g tank! lol You have to keep up on your top offs when the water evaporates so you dont cause a huge salinity increase or decrease. Also have to test it frequently in the beginning, one little bit of ammonia can cause a huge spike in such a small body of water.

And the stocking of a 10g is bit sketchy as it's really not enough room for a clown let alone a pair. I would keep maybe 3 micro fish in that size tank and go crazy with inverts and corals. Check out this link Aquarium Fish: Tropical Freshwater Fish and Saltwater Fish for Home Aquariums and go to the marine section and on the left will be an option for nano fish. Most of the fish in there will be ok in a 10g. While youre looking at that you might wanna check out the crabs, shrimp etc....Give you some ideas on what you're going to want.

[ajaguilar]

Carey,
Thanks for all the info. I am still considering trying a salt tank with just little inverts. I will continue learning for now.


Al

[carey]

Good luck with what ever route you choose!

[joy13]

There are some neat invertebrates that will work well in a small tank. Setting it up isn't the difficult part it is the upkeep on a small tank. The smaller the tank the faster bad things can happen. In a small tank keeping it topped off will be made easier with an ATO I have them on my tanks and it makes a big difference when it comes to keeping them stable.

Do you plan on keeping coral as well or just more crabs, shrimps and snails?

Here is a great book for quick reference Saltwater Aquarium Fish: Pocket Expert Guide Series Marine Fishes, Invertebrates, & Reef Aquarium I actually keep all 3 in my car. It has helped me from getting something then regretting it later on.

[ajaguilar]

I was thinking of just doing a small test with like brine shrimp. However it sounds like that maybe a bad idea. my thought was just to get a glimpse of what it takes to maintain a salt water tank without killing much.
Ultimately if i got serious, i would love to have sea anemones, brittle stars, and maybe small crabs and/or shrimp. I am thinking coral would be very hard to keep alive.

[ajaguilar]

btw i have heard of ATO (auto top-off) but never used or seen one until 5 minutes ago, i just looked it on the internet. I an very low tech with my freshwater aquariom