10 Gallon Saltwater?

I have recently become interested in starting a 10 gallon saltwater tank. It would be live rock only, no coral or anything. So I have a few questions: would one Clownfish work in a 10 gallon (no, not because of nemo...), and if not what else could I put in? Are there any inverts like starfish that would work? Also would I need a skimmer for a 10 gallon or would frequent water changes work?

 

I have recently become interested in starting a 10 gallon saltwater tank. It would be live rock only, no coral or anything. So I have a few questions: would one Clownfish work in a 10 gallon (no, not because of nemo...), and if not what else could I put in? Are there any inverts like starfish that would work? Also would I need a skimmer for a 10 gallon or would frequent water changes work?

Hi,
I think you could do a clownfish, but a small type, you don't need a skimmer but I would recommend a nano one, I have a 2.5 gallon reef with a protine skimmer. If you don't have one you will need to to loads more water changes, you could have some hermet crabs, I had 3 minI starfish come in on my live rock however I'm not sure on what they are, you could do some shrimp as well. Do you have a view to keeping coral or just want to keep it as a FOWLR?

Thanks,
Ethan

 

My star:

 

I have recently become interested in starting a 10 gallon saltwater tank. It would be live rock only, no coral or anything. So I have a few questions: would one Clownfish work in a 10 gallon (no, not because of nemo...), and if not what else could I put in? Are there any inverts like starfish that would work? Also would I need a skimmer for a 10 gallon or would frequent water changes work?

A 20 gallon is preferred by most but it can be done. I have a purple pseudochromis in an IM10. There are many options for inverts in a 10 gallon though, including some smaller starfish. A skimmer isn't necessary for a 10 gallon with weekly or biweekly water changes of 30% or more.

 

Yes I would want to keep it FOWLR, I can’t afford any nice lights or anything. I would just want the standard clownfish morph. I’ll see what inverts my (only) local saltwater store sells. I’m pretty sure they have the clownfish.

 

A pair of clownfish will work, I recommend it over a single fish. They do much better in pairs from my experience.

Protein skimmer isn't necessary, I've never used one on any of my saltwater tanks large or small.

 

Also jumping in here to say that it can be done, and you don't need a protein skimmer. Skimmers do help to cut down on water changes, but I don't use one either and regular water changes keep my 20 gallon tank clean and stable. 2 clowns is preferred, and you could do that if you pay attention to parameters, do regular water changes, and don't let nitrates or phosphates get out of range. All that said, if you can fit it, I can't recommend a 20 gallon long enough. It's a perfect beginner tank that opens up your stocking options because of the length. Lots of swim space. It's also fairly shallow, so easy to light if you ever want to transition to a reef tank.

 

Stick with one of the Captive Bred Occ varieties (Standard Occ is Nemo) and it will work with a 10 gallon tank. For a tank that small, don't bother with a Protein Skimmer as it will only buy you a few extra days between water changes and won't do much else for you.

 

If you are going to run a FOWLR tank, just grow macro algae in your display.
It'll help with absorbing excess nutrients and give your tank a little bio-diversity.

Macro algae to grow in the display that are decent looking and don't require high-lighting are: caulerpa and ulva algae