Is this possible?

[nickstanley995]

I wanted to try a saltwater tank but scared to buy all the stuff and kill all the fish. I have a spare ten gallon. Ive heard people have 10g FOWLR. Is that possible? I have a spare ten gallom. What would I all need? Or should I stay away lol

 

[woody390]

I would encourage you to have a go but not with a 10 gallon it's too small for much in saltwater IMO. If you could get a bigger tank thugh ....

 

[Damsel king]

For a fish only saltwater 10g you could probably set it up for $100 to $150. If you we hoping to go as far as coral the equipment will probably be about $300. For fish only I would get a standard 10g (a 20g filter wouldn't hurt, I quadruple the suggested filtration for my tank) backpack carbon filter, standard 10g heater, a standard 10g light fixture (the lighting is much more complicated if you want coral). A powerhead or two can help increase filtration. A protein skimmer is not needed for a fish only but I recommend one. I use a UV sterilizer, by TBH I don't really know completely what it does, hahaha. That is the basic stuff I would recommend. Keep in mind that you won't be able to keep very many fish, but if you had trouble choosing one, I would suggest a scooter blenny and some type of damsel.

 

[woody390]

A scooter in a tank that size? How is a tank that's size going to produce enough pods? The uv steriliser will kill free flowing parasites so isn't really required unless you want it. With a 10 you are limited to stock and you will need to keep a close eye for fluctuations in parameters as with less water there is less room for error imo

 

[Damsel king]

Yeah I forgot to mention that the smaller the tank, the easier it is for levels to spike. Seems to go agains logic but the bigger the tank, the easier it is to keep these levels under control.

About the scooter, my LFS sells scooters that can live off brine and if there was some chaetomorphia (I think that's the spelling) in the tank the pod population would be plenty to give the scooter something other than brine.

 

[bribo12]

Yeah I forgot to mention that the smaller the tank, the easier it is for levels to spike. Seems to go agains logic but the bigger the tank, the easier it is to keep these levels under control.

About the scooter, my LFS sells scooters that can live off brine and if there was some chaetomorphia (I think that's the spelling) in the tank the pod population would be plenty to give the scooter something other than brine.

I disagree with the second part of your statement. Scooter blennies are actually dragonets and feed almost exclusively off pods in the wild. A 10 gallon tank is way to small to successfully house enough pods for one long term. Brine shrimp isn't enough to keep a fish healthy long term and once it runs out of pods it will slowly starve. Just don't add a scooter blenny or mandarin, they already have a poor enough survival rate with experts trying to keep them. A beginner doesn't need this fish on their list.
Gobies would be a much better choice for a 10g and there are tons of cool inverts you could do with them.

 

[huma-huma]

I disagree with the second part of your statement. Scooter blennies are actually dragonets and feed almost exclusively off pods in the wild. A 10 gallon tank is way to small to successfully house enough pods for one long term. Brine shrimp isn't enough to keep a fish healthy long term and once it runs out of pods it will slowly starve. Just don't add a scooter blenny or mandarin, they already have a poor enough survival rate with experts trying to keep them. A beginner doesn't need this fish on their list.
Gobies would be a much better choice for a 10g and there are tons of cool inverts you could do with them.

+1. gobies are much easier to sustain and there are a good bit of options available. not saying a 10g isnt doable, however id really look into a 20g long or even a 29g. simply bumping up to one of those sizes will give you a few more options in stocking.

 

[carey]

I second the no scooter in a 10g. I had a scooter for a few years and it took at least a month to get him on prepared foods. they can also revert back to pods at any time and then what do you do? lol

Ihad my scooter in a 29g when he was small and I was training him to eat preapred then he went into a 60g where he lived happily for almost two years. They actually spend alot of time swimming around and hunting for food so a 10g isnt really a great idea.

I agree there are so many other small fish that can go into a 10g though, gobies and blennies mostly and they are some of my favorite fish.

 

[bettaowner]

I like scooters but they are dragonets. A pistol shrimp and goby could work if the sand bed is suitable

 

[nickstanley995]

Might use the 10g for something else lol. I didnt think it would be the best but heard people had success with It

 

[Tmar]

I just started in saltwater too. In a 10 gallon. Fish only with live rock right now and doing good. It has two clownfish and a small cleanup crew of 5 hermit crabs, 2 peppermint shrimp and about 4 snails or so...
I have a small 50 watt heater, a HOB filter (for a 20 gallon tank), a 110gph powerhead and about 16lbs of live rock. I use a 18" T8 bulb that I bought from walmart for $7.58 that is a 6500k for about 8-10 hours a day.
I cycled with no fish using pure ammonia and it took 21 days. Now I check every 3rd day for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and do a small 15% partial water change every time my nitrates are above 10. I keep the temperature at 78F and my sg is 1.024. I have the yucky brown diatoms that come after a tank cycles and I am loving it, it shows health. I have not yet decided if I want corals but if I do, it won't be for a while yet and it would only be easy ones like zoanthids and I would upgrade my lighting
Welcome to AA, I hope you go for it ... just go slow and it can be done!

 

[huma-huma]

I just started in saltwater too. In a 10 gallon. Fish only with live rock right now and doing good. It has two clownfish and a small cleanup crew of 5 hermit crabs, 2 peppermint shrimp and about 4 snails or so...
I have a small 50 watt heater, a HOB filter (for a 20 gallon tank), a 110gph powerhead and about 16lbs of live rock. I use a 18" T8 bulb that I bought from walmart for $7.58 that is a 6500k for about 8-10 hours a day.
I cycled with no fish using pure ammonia and it took 21 days. Now I check every 3rd day for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and do a small 15% partial water change every time my nitrates are above 10. I keep the temperature at 78F and my sg is 1.024. I have the yucky brown diatoms that come after a tank cycles and I am loving it, it shows health. I have not yet decided if I want corals but if I do, it won't be for a while yet and it would only be easy ones like zoanthids and I would upgrade my lighting
Welcome to AA, I hope you go for it ... just go slow and it can be done!

Everything you said is spot on, except the 2 clowns in a 10g. Id be weary putting a pair of clowns in a tank that small

 

[Mebbid]

Go as big as you can with a salt water tank and if you have to go with a small tank then add a refugium under it to increase the water volume. It will greatly help with your success in keeping a tank successfully.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Be careful of your stocking choices. A 10 gallon will fluctuate far more than a bigger tank will and it will do it more rapidly. Sensitive fish and certainly many corals will not tolerate this for very long. Advice already given is spot on.