10 gal SW tank help, how do i start out?

F

firecrackers

Registered Member
Sep 14, 2005
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hey, ive really been interested in SW tanks, they look so cool, ive had a 20 gallon FW tank for about a year now, with a small 10 gallon tank i use to use for green anole lizards. Anyways the lizards are besides the point my dad had always frowned upon a saltwater tank because my mom and him had a 50 gallon or so tank before i was born, he said it is a lot of work and can be very costly. So my question is that is starting a 10 gallon SW tank going to be extremely hard to keep up? What do i need thats special to SW tanks, and since the tank is so small what can it house? i was thinking a clown fish or 2 and maybe something else but im not really sure, i just wanted to know the price i will be looking at, i have a filter but im not sure if its meant for saltwater fish. What does it take to keep a small SW tank up and running? Thanks in advance for answering all my questions in advance

P.S. any good ideas for coral reef? bedding? fish to have? anything like setup advice would also be really helpful
 
Honestly, for a first time setup, my biggest recommendation would be to go with something bigger than 10 gallons. Small tanks are much harder to stabilize and maintain, because the low volume of water. For simple things like nitrogen cycle, it's tough--when you add in maintaining a stable salinity, you're talking lots more attention.

Beyond that: you have to decide what you want and build around it. This is much easier than building a tank and then trying to fit something into it. Basics: Live rock and sand will provide biological filtration, critters provide mechanical filtration. Very little chemical filtration is needed in a basic setup, but you do need power heads for water movement, and a sump will help increase volume and provide a location for equipment and heaters. For stocking--one clown (an oscellaris or percula, the others will be too sensitive or get too large). 2 gumdrop gobies (different colors). Shrimp and snails would be good as well.
 
is it hard to maintain a anemone for the clown fish? how long should my setup take like get the live rock and sand and add saltwater then wait 2 weeks or so to put in certain fish? what are some good starter fish besides clown fish?
 
Yes, anenomes are very challenging to keep alive. The tank will need to cycle--you will have to test for ammonia and nitrites , and wait until they are both 0 before adding any animals. Fish can go in sooner than corals and inverts. There's no such thing as a 'starter' fish IMO--if you don't want it, don't get it, no matter how hardy or easy it is to keep. Clowns tend to be fairly hardythough, so you're lucky there.
 
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