Setting Up Ten Gallon Saltwater

so I want to get a saltwater tank and I think I’m going to start with a ten gallon and move up to a 32 gallon biocube

How’s this
2 clownfish
1 hermit crab
3 gobys

What kind of clownfish should I get and is this good

 

so I want to get a saltwater tank and I think I’m going to start with a ten gallon and move up to a 32 gallon biocube

How’s this
2 clownfish
1 hermit crab
3 gobys

What kind of clownfish should I get and is this good

You cannot fit that in a 10 gallon....at the most you might be able to do two clowns but even that is pushing it....if you know youbsee definetly getting the 32 cube you may be able to store them in there for a little while but I really don't see why you'd do a 10 gallon and then go to the 32...use the 10 gallon as a sump

 

So right off the bat I would say you could possibly do 2 clownfish and 1 goby, but there would be a good chance of one of the the clownfish dying and in a tank of that size one fish dying can crash it. You really can’t get too many gobies because they tend to become territorial and it’s just not enough space for 2 to work it out( unless you got a yellow watchman and a fire fish because they live in different zones of the tank). You could have more hermit crabs but stick to the small scarlet reefs. Snails are a must and depending on your lighting you could even get some nice corals. As stated above if you plan to get a 32g in he near future it’s not worth it to set this one up, but if you mean anything over 2 years then go for it.

 

Only thing I’d do in a 10 is inverts.

 

Nanologist has a 20 gallon with a fish.
I think he has a Strawberry Psuedochromis, in there.

 

Nanologist had a 10 gallon with a single orchid dottyback and some hermit crabs. He hasn't been around in a while, so I'm unsure of the state of that tank. Anyhow, I watched that build very closely and know that N got that fish knowing it is aggressive and he did not plan on adding more fish to that tank.

This can also be an issue with clowns. Clownfish are damsels and get very, very territorial. It is quite unlikely that a clown in a 10 gallon will allow another fish of any kind to be introduced after the clown has established territory in that tank. If the other fish are introduced first and the clown last, and in a tank that is a bit larger than a 10g, I would think there is something you could get away with it.

Ankers - Are you familiar with goby behavior? I am not, but have heard that they don't generally do well together unless some hard rules are followed. I'm not calling you out here, just want to make sure you're aware.

As for the 10 gallon with 4 fish.... I would not do that, particularly if this will be your first Saltwater tank. I think we've had this conversation before, so you probably know that keeping parameters stable is much more difficult in a small Saltwater tank. It's not impossible though. You might get some good advice from fishfanman , he has a beautiful small tank.

 

I’d personally just start with the larger tank. Smaller tanks are harder to keep stable and you’ll want the bigger tank sooner rather than later most likely! It would be a lot of work to get the small one going then move it all. Using the 10 as a sump is also a good idea for added water volume and space to store equipment like a Skimmer, heater and any reactors you may add later ...

 

As far as 2 clowns in a 10 gallon, I think it's fine. Here's an interesting quote.

" Clownfish never stray far from their host. In an aquarium, where they don't have to forage for food, it is very common for Clownfish to remain within 6-12 inches of their host for an entire lifetime."

 

As far as 2 clowns in a 10 gallon, I think it's fine. Here's an interesting quote.

" Clownfish never stray far from their host. In an aquarium, where they don't have to forage for food, it is very common for Clownfish to remain within 6-12 inches of their host for an entire lifetime."

Not true of the captive bred clownfish (which are found more often than not). A captive bred clownfish will be all over the tank and may not have a clue on having something hosting them. I had a snowflake Occ clown in my 36 and he was all over the place (and a major butthead to my other fish to boot). The recommended minimum for a clownfish is 30 gallons, although I would think a pair of Occ or Percula would probably be okay in a 20-30 gallon tank. If you are dead set on a 10 gallon 1-2 Firefish, Small Gobies or Blennies are about your only options for fish. If you were willing to dedicate the tank to one a single Possum or Pinkstripe wrasse might work. Also be prepared to do 1-2 partial water changes per week and you will have a lot of evaporation issues with a tank that small. Going with a 30 gallon or larger tank would really open up your options for you and keep in mind that you will be wasting a fair bit of money as very little of the equipment transfers from a smaller to larger tank. I started with a 36 gallon bowfront in February and had so many issues with aggression and limited stock options that I got rid of it and got a 90 gallon with a 29 gallon sump at the end of November.

 

My boss had 1 Maroon clownfish in a 12 gallon cube for 8 years before a hurricane took out the tank and he had a couple urchins as well, the clownfish only stayed in a 10 inch area and played with the sand all day. Dont know much of the other stockings but I know he had some urchins and a small reef setup as well. In a 10 gallon I would do fire fish, or small gobbies and inverts to be on the safe side and not stress fish in a small tank. if you are ontop of water peramiters you may be able to get away with two clowns had a customer of mine have 2 Ocellaris in a 90g and every time I went to his house they were always in a 10inch area at the top corner of the tank.

 

Once again though are we talking wild caught or captive bred? There are distinctive behavioral differences between the two. The general consensus is that the wild caught clowns will end up staking out a territory, while the captive bred tend to try and stake out the whole tank.