10 Gallon Tank 10 gal reef tank

[kammeraad]

My son got a 10 gal kit at a yard sale. Dad said he can do salt water this time so now he wants a reef set up. is this to small any suggestions on a easy set up with a couple of fish (maybe a clown?) and some easy coral? we've had a fresh water tank for about 4 years over 3 moves (different states) the occupants have changed over that time and we've tried planting it in the past. I'm not sure if I'm ready to commit to salt water if i need to get a lot of specialized equipment. we have not quarantined in the past but he also got a 20 gal turtle tank and i thought i could use that for quarantine until we get turtle? do you quarantine coral?
trying to do the research before making commitments to the kids but a lot of the info i.ve found so far is contradictory

 

[Ghelfaire]

Yes quarantine the corals
I wouldn't do a pair of clowns but you might be able to get away with a couple of smaller fish. Liveaquaria.com is a good place to look, their tank sizes seem accurate. Invertebrates or just corals would probably work better.
Yes you'll need some extra equipment.
Proper lights
Live rock
Salt
Test kits specifically for saltwater tanks
Hydrometer to test salt

Good luck! I'm sure more experienced people will chime in on anything I've forgotten

 

[Jesterrace]

My son got a 10 gal kit at a yard sale. Dad said he can do salt water this time so now he wants a reef set up. is this to small any suggestions on a easy set up with a couple of fish (maybe a clown?) and some easy coral? we've had a fresh water tank for about 4 years over 3 moves (different states) the occupants have changed over that time and we've tried planting it in the past. I'm not sure if I'm ready to commit to salt water if i need to get a lot of specialized equipment. we have not quarantined in the past but he also got a 20 gal turtle tank and i thought i could use that for quarantine until we get turtle? do you quarantine coral?
trying to do the research before making commitments to the kids but a lot of the info i.ve found so far is contradictory

It's possible but it does require freqent maintenance (it will need to be topped up with fresh RODI Water daily since water evaporates but salt doesn't).

Some will disagree with me but I would say an RODI water source is a must for reef tanks. So either something like an Aquatic Life RO Buddie (Runs about $60) to make your own RODI water or if you have a good local fish store, you can pick up RODI Water and RODI/Salt pre-mixed from them. Generally it's cheaper in the long run to do your own system but you might find it less hassle for a tank of that size to simply buy it ready to go.

Refractometer NOT Hydrometer is the way to go to measure salinity levels as they are much more consistent when calibrated. You can get this one from Amazon for less than $20 shipped:

https://www.amazon.com/Refractomete...words=ATC+Refractometer&qid=1618274309&sr=8-4

A magnetic backed powerhead to create flow (something in the 180-240gph is all that is needed)

For coral you need decent lighting. A Pair of ABI PAR38 bulbs would do the job but plan on spending around $70-$90 total on them with fixtures included in the cost.

10lbs of dry rock as it becomes live but costs a fair bit less than live rock and will become live with bacteria as the tank completes the cycle, it just takes longer than live rock. This is your biofilter in a saltwater tank so it is definitely a must.

A standard HOB Filter would be fine with the aforementioned setup.

 

[fish 321]

Hipagero aquaknight is a good loght for arpund 60 bucks. I have a 10 gallon nano with a pair of clowns and soft coral, lps coral, and sps.

 

[kammeraad]

I have an under sink RO system that I got for my fresh water tank will that work?
do i need a clean up crew or will that be too much?
maybe one clown and some shrimp?

Hipagero aquaknight is a good loght for arpund 60 bucks. I have a 10 gallon nano with a pair of clowns and soft coral, lps coral, and sps.

what kind of clowns are they?

 

[justinwhitening]

My son got a 10 gal kit at a yard sale. Dad said he can do salt water this time so now he wants a reef set up. is this to small any suggestions on a easy set up with a couple of fish (maybe a clown?) and some easy coral? we've had a fresh water tank for about 4 years over 3 moves (different states) the occupants have changed over that time and we've tried planting it in the past. I'm not sure if I'm ready to commit to salt water if i need to get a lot of specialized equipment. we have not quarantined in the past but he also got a 20 gal turtle tank and i thought i could use that for quarantine until we get turtle? do you quarantine coral?
trying to do the research before making commitments to the kids but a lot of the info i.ve found so far is contradictory

I just began a 10-gallon reef tank about 2 months ago. A pair of clownfish, in my opinion, is a great starting choice. Not aggressive fish, beautiful colors, and will be active all the time. They may be a little aggressive in the beginning months, attempting to pair, but usually, it doesn't get to the point where one kills the other. My clowns are still trying to pair I'm pretty sure, but no torn fins, cuts, or anything.

Pipe Organ Coral is pretty easy corals to start off with. All they need are clean water and some live phytoplankton. You can usually buy those in your local fish store, but you can also find them online as well. You can also try feather dusters. They are technically invertebrates, but they also really just need clean water and live phytoplankton. It is very recommended that you quarantine your corals, even though I would say it is not mandatory.

For equipment, all I have is a filter, powerhead, heater, and hydrometer. All of them are pretty much essential for saltwater, except powerhead. I just bought one to get more circulation throughout the tank to aerate it.

Let me know if you have questions.

 

[Jesterrace]

I have an under sink RO system that I got for my fresh water tank will that work?
do i need a clean up crew or will that be too much?
maybe one clown and some shrimp?


what kind of clowns are they?

RODI is best (ie 0 TDS Water source) but you could probably get by with a regular RO system. Certainly much better than just trying to do treated tapwater.

 

[kammeraad]

I'm thinking 2 ocellaris clowns
for coral i was looking at ricordea, hammer, pavona, duncan and zoanthids
these were listed as good for nano tanks and beginners,
would that be too much? first time doing saltwater let alone coral. maybe start with fowlr and add coral later?
would clowns be happy with just sand and rocks? i thought about an anemone (rock flower) but everything I'm seeing says 10 gal is too small.
would a goby and pistol shrimp work with that?
do coral count towards bioload?
can i use freshwater filter medium to help cycle my saltwater tank?

 

[justinwhitening]

I'm thinking 2 ocellaris clowns
for coral i was looking at ricordea, hammer, pavona, duncan and zoanthids
these were listed as good for nano tanks and beginners,
would that be too much? first time doing saltwater let alone coral. maybe start with fowlr and add coral later?
would clowns be happy with just sand and rocks? i thought about an anemone (rock flower) but everything I'm seeing says 10 gal is too small.
would a goby and pistol shrimp work with that?
do coral count towards bioload?
can i use freshwater filter medium to help cycle my saltwater tank?

Although I can't answer all of these questions, I have a few answers.

I started with fish only with live rock, and then I added a coral about 2 or 3 weeks in, so that is always an option. Clowns are happy with just about anything. Yes, they can live with just sand and rocks. You do not need an anemone. And yes, a 10 gallon is too small for any anemone I know of. A goby would work well with Clowns, and I plan on getting one soon.

 

[Jesterrace]

I'm thinking 2 ocellaris clowns
for coral i was looking at ricordea, hammer, pavona, duncan and zoanthids
these were listed as good for nano tanks and beginners,
would that be too much? first time doing saltwater let alone coral. maybe start with fowlr and add coral later?
would clowns be happy with just sand and rocks? i thought about an anemone (rock flower) but everything I'm seeing says 10 gal is too small.
would a goby and pistol shrimp work with that?
do coral count towards bioload?
can i use freshwater filter medium to help cycle my saltwater tank?

2 Ocellaris Clowns will work but might be a bit cramped long term. For Coral, be aware that Hammers can and will sting neighbors as they grow and about the only thing they play nice with are other Hammers and Frogspawns. Clowns will be fine with a fish only tank and you can start FOWLR (actually recommended for beginners). 'Nems will add more hassle factor than corals will and need well established tanks, they can also wander and sting corals, so if you decide to get one be prepared for those things. Coral don't really count towards bioload but they will consume nutrients in the water (so water changes and dosing of trace elements become more critical).

NO YOU CANNOT USE ESTABLISHED FRESHWATER MEDIA TO CYCLE A SALTWATER TANK. It will just die in saltwater and stall the cycle for you. Live Rock is your Biofilter and the shortcut method would be taking a piece of live rock from an established tank and transferring it directly to your tank.

 

[Corylover123]

Liveaquaria has sketchy tank sizes, if I were you I would get him started with a tank in a window so you don’t have to buy a expensive light, macroalgae and Xenia’s then some inverts like arrow crabs hermits shrimp then maybe like a watchman goby and a single clown or damsel. (Be sure to use live rock as dry rock doesn’t have any benefits to it. Nowadays with the long Shipping from Indonesia and stuff most of the bad things die. The only serious thing I know that came from live rock was a octopus on a forum. Most other stuff like polychates and hobbit worms are beneficia.) As you progress I would most likely mabye do some other fish maybe like a little angler and/or a small blenny. Make sure they take it slowly because salt takes time. Also use rodi and use crushed coral as substrate, you have to do more siphoning with crushed coral but the amount and biodiversity of microfauna you get out of it is amazing. +1 to the previous post. You don’t have to cycle saltwater if you use live rock because it has coralline algae, when you pick it Look for the most smelly gross covered in coralline and sponges and othee things as possible and you will be set. Clowns don’t work Very well in 10 and 20 is better but a single clown, dont do designer clowns. Do a wild one if you want more personality out of it. Clarkii is my favorite type. Be sure to dose elements and do water changes I’d say once a month 20% will work and then in the beginning do more and after a few months water changes will basically be useless. LA sometimes says fish need bigger/smaller tanks than they do

 

[kammeraad]

so we ended up putting 3 bala sharks in the 10 gallon (no they are not staying there they just need to grow up a bit so my pleco doesn't eat them...) We got a 38 gallon for salt water.. so now I'm back to the drawing board. thanks for all the advice i will take it into our adventure with saltwater