Can it be done in a 10g tank?

[ltj2489]

Hey everyone, I have a 30g FO SW tank and love it. I just cleaned out a 10g tank I have and would love to turn it into a "mini" marine tank with some Clowns, LR, and an anemone or two....

Can this be done and what would i need in terms of a current an d lighting? I have the filters, heaters, etc, so my only concerns are A) Whether it can be done and B) What types of lighting / powerhead I will need.

Thanks!
- J

[ChilDawg]

Clowns are a little too large for a 10g.

[Boogiechillin]

An anemone definitely wouldn't be a good idea in a 10g tank unless you have a strong track record of keeping them alive in bigger tanks. It's hard enough when water quality is stable, but the fluctuations of a smaller tank make it much harder.

I would suggest looking into smaller fish and some soft corals - nanotanks are fun, but you just have to accept their limitations to be successful in the long run.

[kreblak]

Yes, it can be done, but watch out for two things: evaporation and temperature fluctuations.

With SW, when the tank water evaporates, it leaves behind the salt, which raises the specific gravity in the tank. This is bad. In a small tank, care must be taken to replenish evaporated water daily.

The temperature can be controlled with a heater, but take care not to place the tank near a window or an A/C vent. A sunbeam can over heat 10 gallons pretty quickly.

[ltj2489]

Great advice! I have been very successful at keeping my levels stable in my 30G tank so I'm willing to take on that challenge....

I guess that leaves the question of what lighting do I need other than the standard flourescent lamp that came w/the tank? Also, can you use crushed coral with anemones or do you need live sand?

[gcvt]

If you don't already have a hospital/quarantine tank to support the 30g, the new 10g would work very nicely for that ;)

If you decide to go with a nano setup...
Do you have an anemone in the 30g? If you've never kept an anemone before, I would also strongly suggest against trying it in a 10g tank. Anemones require absolutely stable, pristine water conditions and a very well established tank.

[Corax]

Originally posted by ChilDawg
Clowns are a little too large for a 10g.


Nah, a couple percs or skunks would be fine. Just don't get Maroon or Tomato clowns, those do get big.

[ltj2489]

I was thinking about a couple percs and a couple clarkii....

Never kept an anemone before, but hey there's a first time for everything right? :-)

** So, what would everyone recommend I get for lighting?? Do I need to build a custom hood, or can you buy them already loaded with the appropriate bulbs?

[ChilDawg]

Originally posted by Corax
Nah, a couple percs or skunks would be fine. Just don't get Maroon or Tomato clowns, those do get big.

I was leaning toward the ones that I had seen most commonly, but thanks for reminding me that the others are around and that the perculas are a little smaller than the others (didn't know...)

[VoodooChild]

Two pairs of clowns is a bit much. I'd stick with one or the other. As for lighting for an anemone, something strong. I'll let someone else fill in here, but expect to hand over alot of $$$.

[dcallen]

Hi,

As far as lighting goes I would suggest a single metal halide lamp, unless you are going with lower light anenomes, in which case a think a power compact would probably do the trick. I may be wrong but I think 4-5 watts of lighting per gallon would be very good for anenomes and clams as well should you decide to try clams later on. I really wouldn't recommend over two fish in the 10 gallon tank. Good luck. :)

[mogurnda]

Percs or ocellaris would be fine. Clarkii get way too big for a 10.
Never kept an anemone before, but hey there's a first time for everything right? This concerns me. Host anemones are tough to keep, even the "easy" ones. There are people who do it in a nano, but I wouldn't do it on your first try. Clowns will use other things, like toadstool leathers or mushrooms, as surrogate hosts, and these would be a better first try because they are much, much easier. Cheaper anemones, such as condylactis don't work very well for a variety of reasons. I would strongly suggest soft coral or mushrooms as a first try, for the sake of your wallet (they do fine under PC lights), and for the health of the animal. JMO.

[Corax]

Originally posted by ltj2489
I was thinking about a couple percs and a couple clarkii....

Never kept an anemone before, but hey there's a first time for everything right? :-)

** So, what would everyone recommend I get for lighting?? Do I need to build a custom hood, or can you buy them already loaded with the appropriate bulbs?

The percs would work, but Clarkii can reach 4-6" (females) and that simply isn't appropirate for a 10 (or a 30 for that matter) Percs, false percs, black percs, skunks would all be fine in that size tank, but yer only gonna be able to keep one pair at most. Clowns are scrappy little critters, and they will protect whatever turf they decide is their own.

As for lighting, I would suggest one Powerquad bulb (96w in a 9"x18" space) in a simple box enclosure. Add a small fan cuz it get's pretty warm. You should, however, not even THINK about adding an anemone to that tank until it has been up and running for at least 6 months to a year with PERFECTLY stable conditions.

You will also need some sort of top off system for the tank cuz that light is gonna jack up your evaporation. That anemone won't tolerate the SG changes and will die pretty quickly.. I personally use a Kent doser which is little more than a jug and an IV dripper.

[Boogiechillin]

Agreed w/ Corax. It will be a struggle to avoid too much evaporation with a PC fixture; it will be nearly impossible to do so with MH. I personally believe that the PC will be inadquate lighting for most anemones that would reliably host a perc anyway, which only further suggests that you should pass on this until you have more experience and/or a bigger tank to dedicate to this effort.

[Corax]

I actually disagree slightly. The powerquad bulb puts 96 watts into a very compact location. I run dual powerquads on my 55 which has a BTA in and it is doing MUCH better than it ever did while under the halides. Put that over a 10g tank and the same SHOULD occur cuz my BTA only really benefits from one of the bulbs. IMHO, the powerquad is the ultimate bulb for a compact situation. It is a 50/50 bulb, so you get a very nice look to the tank too... I do agree that doing anemones in a 10 is not a great idea though =)

[ltj2489]

So it sounds like anemones are a bad idea for now, I can live with that. I didn't realize that various of species of soft corals could also host clowns....I think I'll go that route.

Right now I am leaning towards the 2x36w PC fixture for sale on ahsupply.com. I've heard great things about that fixture when 1 actinic bulb is put in with one 10k bulb. Should be sufficient lighting for what I want to do, and hopefully will not cause rapid evaporation.

[Corax]

Originally posted by ltj2489
So it sounds like anemones are a bad idea for now, I can live with that. I didn't realize that various of species of soft corals could also host clowns....I think I'll go that route.

Right now I am leaning towards the 2x36w PC fixture for sale on ahsupply.com. I've heard great things about that fixture when 1 actinic bulb is put in with one 10k bulb. Should be sufficient lighting for what I want to do, and hopefully will not cause rapid evaporation.

What you are describing is known as a 50/50 bulb. Half daylight (10k) and half actinic. The Powerquad I've talked about is just that, but in one bulb that consists of 4 tubes. You can go either way, but the 2x36 kit has less overall output. Bulb costs are about the same (2x36 = 2 bulbs, $20 eah, Powerquad = 1 bulb, $49) and both are good for about a year. So I guess it comes down to how bright ya want it and how much ya wanna spend. 72w vs 96w, $103 ($62.99 for the kit plus bulbs, so add $40) vs $110 (bulb included.) Yeah, I did all this research when I was redoing my hood for the 55 =) Personally, I went with the extra wattage and I've loved it. As far as the heat goes, the 2x36 isn't gonna be much, if any, cooler. Both get pretty warm and will require a little fan on a 10 or else yer gonna go above 85*...

Btw, a clown doesn't require a living host and will take to just about anything. I've got a friend with a Maroon clown that "lives" in a plastic plant. My own Maroon clown "lives" in a hole she has dug out in the sand. My Tomato clowns have it made though... They migrate from host to host, including a big fat BTA and 3 different feather dusters. My small tomato will make his bed in a paticular tuft of the Bryopsis in my tank..

[ChilDawg]

Originally posted by Corax
else yer gonna go above 85*...

I just imagined this to be like a warranty...I was looking for the exception clause at the bottom before I realized that that meant degrees!

[mogurnda]

a clown doesn't require a living host and will take to just about anything Or nothing. Some clowns never take a host. My male CB ocellaris hangs in a macroalgae at night; the big female will rub the toadstool, but seems to have little interest in snuggling with anything.

[ChilDawg]

That's true, but the generalization seems to be a good one when it comes to WC clowns. Luckily, we aren't seeing very many of those any more, as anemones come to rely on clowns to survive in the wild!