Nano Tank - 10 Gallon

[nikkifro8994]

I'm looking at starting a 10 gallon salt tank for one Ocellaris Clownfish. I don't have room for a huge tank which would be better. I might be able to squeeze a 15 gallon, but that would require buying another tank which Mom may kill me for. 

 I am very diligent about monitoring water quality and doing consistent water changes. I have one that is almost done cycling for a dwarf puffer and some dwarf corries, but i don't want  to go that route again. I really want more of a challenge. The tank has an aquaclear 20 HOB filter and a 50W heater. What else do I need? I know that I need sand and rocks. Do I need plants too? I know absolutely nothing about salt so please don't abbreviate things.
Thanks!

 

[Donya]

Have a look here:
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/410541-marine-aquarium-faq/
 
Marine fish in small tanks is generally a bad idea. 10gal is REALLY small for a first marine tank even though it is a common size for freshwater. While you can fit several freshwater fish in a 10gal, that is really not good a good size for any marine fish for a first tank except for some of the really small fish like clown gobies. While some people do put marine fish like Ocellaris clowns in tanks this size, it is really not the best choice from the standpoint of both the animals' well-being and the stability of the system. I wouldn't advise a clownfish in a tank smaller than 20gal.

 

[techen]

I agree with Donya, of course I have clown fish and such in my tank am picking up my new tank that's atleast 100l to move them too and even that's still a nano.

 

[372xp]

It would appear clown fish are the neon tetras of the marine world!
Have I got any? Not yet, but its just a matter of time!

 

[Reeferbro]

Read through this;
http/www.warehouse-aquatics.co.uk/guides/marine-guides/setting-up-a-successful-marine-aquarium.html
You need to decide if you are going to do a fish-only-with-live-rock (fowlr) or a reef. Personally I would do a reef because there are very few fish that will live happily in a 10 gallon and it would be ( i didnt think i would ever say this but)........ slightly boring to have an fowlr. But for a reef you need better lights, a good skimmer, various supplements, test kits etc and although you need some of those things for an fowlr, keeping a reef costs alot more!
So do your DO YOUR RESEARCH! and decide what you want to do!

 

[VickyChaiTea]

Great input so far. I suggest making it an invert tank, with little crabs or shrimp! Corals are more challenging, but you can always add them later. Just start out with LR and shrimp for now.
 
And, obviously, research heavily. My first saltwater tank is a 10gal crab tank, actually. My crab has been very forgiving of my mistakes, mistakes that may have killed fish.

 

[Reeferbro]

Or just make it a mantis shrimp tank

 

[xXLeafeonXx]

Or just make it a mantis shrimp tank

Can't mantis shrimp crack a glass tank?
 

 

[Donya]

Can't mantis shrimp crack a glass tank?

 
I can't say this is a complete myth, but it is a greatly over-exaggerated phenomenon based on very rare instances. The smaller species are safe to keep in glass tanks since they just aren't strong enough to do the damage. For larger ones, like a large peacock mantis, it is a more legitimate concern although still pretty rare. Larger species also need bigger tanks (10gal is way too small for a peacock) and glass thickness increases with tank size, making it again much less likely that anything bad will happen. When glass-hammering is a problem, it is usually not the front panes either as most people worry about (unless you deliberately taunt the animal into it - plenty of youtube videos of this where the glass survives), but rather the bottom as they try to dig down. For added safety with large species, some people put an acrylic plate on the bottom of the tank for big mantis species to give them something to hit that isn't actually the tank bottom.

 

[xXLeafeonXx]

I'm looking at starting a 10 gallon salt tank for one Ocellaris Clownfish. I don't have room for a huge tank which would be better. I might be able to squeeze a 15 gallon, but that would require buying another tank which Mom may kill me for. 

 I am very diligent about monitoring water quality and doing consistent water changes. I have one that is almost done cycling for a dwarf puffer and some dwarf corries, but i don't want  to go that route again. I really want more of a challenge. The tank has an aquaclear 20 HOB filter and a 50W heater. What else do I need? I know that I need sand and rocks. Do I need plants too? I know absolutely nothing about salt so please don't abbreviate things.
Thanks!

I have a Ocellaris clown in a 10 gallon so far everythings good .

Read through this;
http/www.warehouse-aquatics.co.uk/guides/marine-guides/setting-up-a-successful-marine-aquarium.html
You need to decide if you are going to do a fish-only-with-live-rock (fowlr) or a reef. Personally I would do a reef because there are very few fish that will live happily in a 10 gallon and it would be ( i didnt think i would ever say this but)........ slightly boring to have an fowlr. But for a reef you need better lights, a good skimmer, various supplements, test kits etc and although you need some of those things for an fowlr, keeping a reef costs alot more!
So do your DO YOUR RESEARCH!

and decide what you want to do!

I don't have a skimmer and I have lots of coral green star polyp frogspawn and zoas. I don't use supplements either.

 

[nikkifro8994]

I have an ocellaris clown, a red hermit crab, and some turbo snails in a 10 gallon. I just set up a DIY Fuge made from an aquaclear 30 HOB filter. Hopefully that should keep my nitrates down. They were getting pretty high, over 40.

 

[CuriousOne]

I have an ocellaris clown, a red hermit crab, and some turbo snails in a 10 gallon. I just set up a DIY Fuge made from an aquaclear 30 HOB filter. Hopefully that should keep my nitrates down. They were getting pretty high, over 40.

Ohhhhh please tell me all the details and dumb them down... I'd love to set up a tank like this as my first salt!  I'm very hands on with my fresh water but want a ocellaris clown for my daughter (okay me)! 
 
When I read most salt water posts its all french to me... so as "dummies" version as you can thansk

 

[kiwi210]

I was going to reply to this with some advice but then I realized this was posted in summer of 2013 and I'm sure you have your tank started by now. My first saltwater was a 10 gallon with 1 clown and I had no problems other than some algae. How did your tank turn out?

 

[nikkifro8994]

I haven't been on in so long! I actually upgraded the clown and crab to a 29 gallon and added 3 blue hermits, a royal gramma, and a coral beauty. Sadly though, I have to break down this tank by next spring I'll be moving and won't be able to take it with me. I can take the 10 gallon that I'm currently cycling for a betta and some Pygmy Cory cats, but the 29 gallon just won't fit. I'll keep the tank and equipment and hopefully set it up again. My boyfriend wants a freshwater angelfish so I might convert this tank to fresh when I set it up again. I'll get back into salt eventually. I can't stay away forever!