10 gallon risks

[The Gillman]

I have had a 10 gallon saltwater tank up and running for a little over two weeks.This is basically a trial run for me as i have two larger freshwater tanks well established.I know this tank is not satisfactory(size) but i just wanted to get my feet wet-so to speak.Included are about 25 lbs lr,crushed coral,a small amount of live sand,1 false percula clown,1 fire goby,1 royal gamma,1 skunk cleaner shrimp and a few snails and crabs. The water came from my sons tanks and i am running two hang on cartridge type filters.The lr is almost over the brown algae cycle.I guess my main questions are can this small of a system flourish and what type of problems will i encounter when transplanting to a larger tank?The fish all seem really healthy and i dont plan on adding anymore to this tank.

 

[steve r]

as system that size can do very well with close attention to SG and other water parameters. my concern would be the bio load. 3 fish in a 10g is very heavy. i am planning on a absolute max of 4 fish in my 29g with 60lbs LR 40lbs LS and a 10g sump. and one of my fish stays very small ( less than 2" )

my advice would be pick one fish and make sure you keep your tank topped off to maintain a constant SG

good luck
steve r

 

[ellisz]

If this has been up and running for only 2 weeks, I would be concerned the tank has not cycled yet. If the LR and substrate are new then the beneficial bacteria will not be present. This will be bad with the fish load you have.

 

[XXFirefighter]

your also going t o run into problems with yoru crushed coral... unless you clean it VERY WELL every week your going to have issues !

 

[RMPD109]

I wanted to second the comment on CC substrate. Unless siphoned like mentioned above you will have a large buildup of detritus. This will lead to high nitrates.

 

[EL Diablo]

IMO you added too many fish and added them too soon,

2 weeks isnt very long to have a proper cycle and deal with the bio load in the tank.

Have you been testing the water?

Look out for an ammonia spike that will be dangerous for the fish.

Also I'd get rid of the CC and switch to sand. CC is a nitrate maker


Good Luck.

 

[ellisz]

I like sand better myself but CC is not a death sentence. If this it is just a FO tank then it could work but you will need to siphon it especially since your water volume is low. I had a 38 gal with CC running for over 7 years. Only had 2 fish though.

 

[noobtank]

I had a ten gallon tank with almost that same setup and I had no problems. I had a yellow watchman, firefish goby, and a peppermint shrimp. Oh, and some miscellaneous crabs and snails. I had that set up from January til octoberish...then i transported them into a 30 gallon. The only thing I can think of that you will have a problem with is water evaporation. The only thing I am concerned about is how fast you put the fish in there. I waited 1 and a half months for to put my fish in my tank.