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Does this seem overcrowded?

2K views 28 replies 7 participants last post by  idgorres 
#1 ·
Ok, so I'm new to saltwater, and I think I'm gonna get a 10 gallon aquarium. (I know, it's small to start out with, but I'm going to try. If you want to help me with setting it up please give me some advice at my post under the nano tanks forum. Sorry, this is only my second post, so I couldn't post a link.)

So, my stocking ideas are:
-2 SMALL ocellaris clownfish
-1 firefish goby
-1 Arrow crab or 1 decorator crab. I'm leaning toward the decorator just because of how cool it is.
-1 sexy anemone shrimp or a peppermint shrimp
-A snail or two
-Some feather dusters
-Some type of anemone
-Some types of coral (Possibly bubble coral, frogspawn, etc.)
-And obviously live rock, but I'm not sure if that counts as livestock

So, if I had all of that, would it be really cramped? I realize that the clownfish would probably outgrow the tank, but if i went down to 1 of them would he be ok in there at full size? I could also knock off the goby and the snail/snails if necessary. Thanks for your advice!

P.S this livestock selection is different from the one in my other thread, in case that confuses anyone. I would prefer this one, as it has more stuff, but I could go with the other one if I had to! :fish:
 
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#3 ·
They is no rule of thumb. That is useless in this hobby.

Though some may disagree, I feel that a 10 gallon is too small for clownfish. The only fish I would put in a 10 gallon would be gobies and firefish. JMO.

And arrow and decorator crabs are not reef safe.
 
#4 ·
Ok, thanks you guys, but could I fit all of that in a 20 gallon? And really, I wouldn't even be able to fit one ocellaris clown in a 10 gallon? At my LFS they have them in 10's, but then again they're trying to make money off of them, not give them a comfortable home. Anyway would that fit in a 20 gallon? Or could I replace the clowns with two firefish in a 10 gallon? Thanks to both of you for your advice! Oh and do you guys think it's a bad idea to start in saltwater with a 10 gallon? :fish:
 
#6 ·
I just gave you my personal opinion and if you read up on stocking tanks there are general rules to follow that do apply to saltwater and freshwater. Most people don't follow these rules and that's why you see so many tanks that are over stocked,stocked with fish that need a bigger tank or species that just don't go together. The longer your in the hobby and maintain a tank you will learn what works for you and your tank. There's many if different approaches to taking care of a tank and many people use different ones. Do lots of reading on stocking tanks,tank care etc and I'm sure you will do just fine. Keep us posted on your progress its always fun to keep up with.
 
#9 ·
There really aren't any rules that apply to stocking in SW. It all depends on the fish and how territorial they are. Maybe in freshwater, but thats a whole different story.

And OP, you could easily do 2 clowns and a firefish in a 20 gallon.
 
#7 ·
I would go with the 20 personally. you have more opportunity to grow with the tank. 2 clowns in a 10 wouldn't be the best down the road for sure, and 1 may push it.
I would also vote against the Nem, as your first tank I would not start off with it for sure, and I do not think a 10 would be sufficient for it.

If you could only go with a 10 id say a goby, fire fish combo. here is a list of Nano fish
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/...m?c=15+2124&s=ts&count=24&start=25&page_num=2

but about half are for 20+ gallons. Even the website trying to make money says OC Clowns for 20+. I bet you would be more happy with a bigger tank, because once you get going, you will get addicted and just want more ;-)
 
#17 ·
It comes down to two things... how much work you want to do and how much work you can afford.

I would not personally have two clowns and a goby in a 10g. I would be just as worried about a hypoxic even (low oxygen) as anything. Basically, it comes down to the fishload, the bacteria load (uses the most O2) and the gas/water surface area. Also, the amount of water changes would be significant (for the volume). Can you do that bioload, yes. Would I do that bioload, no.

:)
 
#21 ·
Wow, that got intense fast! Lol

Anyway, I think that I'll either upgrade to a 20 ans stick with those fish, or I'll stay with a 10 and go with firefish instead. And no one really answered my question if its doable for me to start in saltwater with a nano. FutureDoc you sort of did and said that it would be hard with the water changes, but that was about the bioload. So could I do it? The people at my LFS said it would be hard to maintain the water parameters in a 10 or a 20, and that I might need an auto top off system. What do you guys think? Thanks! :fish:
 
#26 ·
Check out the "nano jam" (linked in my sig below). It has a lot of good small builds and gives a good variety of nano-methods.

I only run ATO on my "big tanks" My smaller tanks are topped off manually. It only get tricky if you are out of town for a few days.

I personally started off with a 20L. Good tank size all around.

And yes, it is the "bioload" that really drives the difficulty. More fish, more "problems". I have not kept fish (for long) in my 7.5g tank and it requires very little work for me.
 
#22 ·
you can do a saltwater setup no matter the size honestly. But with the smaller the tank the bigger chance of something going wrong. With bigger tanks if something is not going right it takes longer for it to really be a problem. i.e. salinity evaporation nitrates bioload. In small set ups it may take the smallest thing to really hurt the tank. I would go 20 gallon as in a 10 you could do it, but as I stated you are very limited and as most people go, once you get it going you will not want to stop. Good luck on your reef, and post updates on what you decide! This is a fun hobby and getting more is always fun, trust me! I have a 44G and it just is not enough, and I am going to double up and go 90G :-D
 
#23 ·
Ok. Thanks drewhiggs! I think I'll go with a 20, because it seems easier and I really wanted a clownfish! Anyway, I'm gonna have to wait awhile to buy the stuff because we're going on vacation soon and I want to be there while it's cycling. Maybe it'll be a summer project. Lol. Thanks! :fish:
 
#28 ·
If you would want to start to work on it now, you could build a sump and overflow. This will be very helpful for a reef tank, and you will get to work on it now, without constant work on it day to day. It is not too hard to do, and there is a bunch of information n here and all over the internet
 
#29 ·
I would, but I can't right now. Like I said, I'm going on vacation now, and anyway I need to save up a little bit more money to buy all of the equipment. Lol. Thanks though. I'll keep the sump idea and the overflow idea in mind. :D
 
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