Grrrrr

[Leefish]

Ive just been to my local pet store and bought some coral sand and got chatting to the owner and he said a 10 gallon tank isnt big enough for an aquarium is he right?? what i plan on having in it is:

2 clown fish
3 tetras
and 1 cleaner shrimp

is all this ok????

[Doctor_Reef]

NO...a ten isn't big enough for 5 fish....Tetras aren't they fresh water fish?????

[Leefish]

Are they My fault how many fish would you reccommend i get then maybe 2 clowns and the cleanershrimp??

[Doctor_Reef]

Two clowns would be pushing it....a cleanershimp would be fine....it is not recomended to keep clowns in anything under a 30 gal tank...

[Condiman]

That would be about it IMO

[Leefish]

So what 2 fish could i get that would live wel in a 10gall and co-live with a cleaner

[Doctor_Reef]

You could put in some clown gobys...

[Leefish]

Anything else

[Doctor_Reef]

You could put some more inverts...snails...a few hermits...etc...ten gallon tanks work well for keeping guppies...but not for salt water fish...you can keep coral, and inverts...and make it a nano reef...check out the nano reef threads and see how they do it...your selection for marine fish in a 10 gal is very limited!!!!

Why a 10 gal??? Can’t you get a 30 or 29 gal…you could do more with that size tank???

[Leefish]

I allready have this tank so why not use it ill go to the nano reef boards now..

[Doctor_Reef]

We have a lot of nano-information in the threads here...and lots of people that have nano tanks...the idea of getting a bigger tank is so you can keep the fish you want to keep...if that isn't a problem then by all means use the 10 gal...

[Doctor_Reef]

Here is a 12 gal nano...thread check out how sweet this tank looks....

http://coralforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=7069

[Leefish]

Wow.. thats good :)

[Doctor_Reef]

In that nano section you can get some ideas of how you would like the 10 gal to look... and what you can keep in it...I just love Sugars tank...It is gorgeous... You notice there weren't many fish in there...Salt water fish require a lot more room then lots of the fresh water do so that is why I would suggest to go with something like Sugar has....

[Sugar Magnolia]

A 10 gallon tank is ideal for a nano. There are so many options open to you as far as fish goes. Keeping a pair of clowns isn't unheard of, but it's not something someone such as yourself should tackle just yet. Once you have the tank set up, cycled and have let it establish itself for a few months, and have gotten into the habit of doing routine weekly maintenece, including a weekly 10-20% water change, then you can think about taking on the higher bioload that 2 clowns will put into the system. Clowns are one of the messier fish out there, and if the tank isn't routinely maintained, they can wreak havoc in a nano in just a few weeks time.

Hopefully you read over the articles I linked you to and have a basic understanding of how setting up and maintaining a tank goes, but just for clarification, I'll break it down into smaller, more easily digestible bits. :D

You've gotten your tank. Great! Have you purchased a heater for it? How about a couple of powerheads for water movement. For a 10 gallon nano, I like the Micro-jet 450's placed on opposite sides of the two side panels at different heights. This'll give you a random flow rather than having one powerhead that invariably leaves you with dead spots, where the water doesn't move. Also, I recommend using an HOB (hang on back) mechanical filter. I've used Aquaclear filters for years and they are reliable and inexpensive. Go for an AC 70. No need for a skimmer on a 10 gallon, the weekly 10-20%water changes will keep your water in check. You'll also need a hydrometer to test your salinity. Test kits needed are ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, along with a pH test kit.

Substrate is entirely up to you, but I suggest not using crushed coral as it can trap detritus (nasty stuff) over time and will elevate your nitrate level. Use live sand if it's available at your LFS, bagged sand, or go bare bottom. If you use sand, you'll only want an inch or two. The whole DSB thing doesn't work in such a small tank. For live rock, aim for about 1 1/2 pounds per gallon, so around 12-15 pounds of LR would do you fine.

Once you have the tank set up, filled with your sand and LR, make sure you have your salinity around 1.024-1.026 and you're all set to start cycling. This can take anywhere from 2-8 weeks depending upon how cured/uncured your LR is. During this period of time, you'll want to keep a notebook with your test results listed in it so you can see how your cycle is coming along. Test your water every three days or so, and don't forget to add fresh (not salt) RO/DI or distilled water daily to compensate for any evaporation that occurs. And, if the LFS told you tap water is fine to use, ignore them. It causes a multitude of problems in a marine tank. Use RO/DI or bottled distilled. Don't worry too much about trying to keep your pH up, since pH swings around during the cycle.

Lastly, you need to be very patient. It takes a couple of months before a tank is ready for stocking. Rushing things will only lead to frustration and more than likely a few deaths, which is nothing more than taking your money and tossing it in the trash can, or in this case, flushing it down the toilet. While you're waiting for your tank to cycle, spend lots of time browsing the forums and asking questions. Read as much as you can!

Here's a good place to start planning what fish you'd like to keep. http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=2124 THese are all suitable fish for a nano. Two fish in a 10 will be fine, but before you go out and buy them, run your selections by us for opinions/suggestions.

[Telco Guy]

Just a word of warning: If this is your first saltwater reef tank, then you should be made aware that nano tanks need to be monitored very closely. Water parameters can get out of wack really quickly in a small aquarium.