10g; too small for saltwater?

[Ginevive]

We are moving to Cali soon.. I had to sell our large goldfish and Oscar tanks. I am kinda fish-less and fiending now.

I did get a 10 gallon tank to take with us. Granted,the 10g tank is much-maligned, as the typical, beginner, too-small tank. (This was always my take on it; bigger is better; why cram a goldfish into a 10g tank when it needs more room; etc.) But I am thinking that in uncertain location.. in a new state, with a yet-unknown amount of (presumably limited) apartment space... it will be a good start for me.

I love saltwater tanks. Is 10g too small to go salt, do you think? If it is, I have a good idea of wht I want to make out of it; some freshwater puffers.. a neon- spotted pleco; maybe some "sharks" (iridescents perhaps..) a "pseudo" saltwater tank, if you will. With saltlike decor,maybe some un-live coral.. your thoughts?

[BrucenBruce]

Ten gallons is a bit small for salt, but it can be done, if you go light on the bioload. Think in terms of maybe a few inverts and a pair of ocellaris (false percula, "Nemo") clownfish, a couple of the smaller damsels, or a goby. Look up "Nano-reefs" to see what people are doing with smaller tanks. The big issue with smaller tanks is stability - temps, salinities, pH, ammonia - all your parameters can change real quick in a small box of water, while they're inherently more stable in a big tank.

Check your local laws, but you might be able to creat a neat tidepool tank with stuff you find in the waters around San Fran!

If you go with a freshwater "false reef", stay _far_ away from iridescent sharks! Those get big. Real big. (Their kissin' cousin, the Mekong catfish, is among the biggest freshwater fish in the world!) Puffers can be nippy and feisty - not too many things they won't eat, and even fewer they won't chew on. Real coral skeletons will affect your pH, driving it toward the alkaline - for puffers, this would be OK, less so for plecos.

Good luck with whatever you try!

~Bruce

[Ginevive]

Thanks for the advice. A nano reef would be awesome, with the local crabs/etc. that I know to be in the area. I will look into what's legal/not,definately. I am going to be Googling Nano reefs all day now;thank you!

I should have realized it about the sharks. I think that I was thinking of the redtail sharks,that stay relatively small.. not sure how they'd fare with a puffer though.I had a FW puffer years ago, in his own tank; he did well, and I ended up selling him in a financial pinch

[aaramire]

I have a 12 gallon nano reef at my house, and I wouldnt try to keep more then two fish in it at a time, the bio-load is just too much. 10 gallons is certainly doable, but when you first cycle the tank, which needs to be done for a month with NO fish or inverts in it, just your substrate and reef skeleton, just watch it carefully. Because it is such a small system, your levels can spike quickly and cause some major damage. Good luck, and do tons and tons of research, and make sure you have a really good water testing kit, you will need it!

[4theSNAKElady]

Jen, a small salt is not hard at all - just more work and patience. People do 6 galllon Nano reefs all the time. However, those do come in those "package-deal" type set ups, with all the proper lighting and stuff. If you want something easy, I would suggest to do a pair of clownies (like suggested) or just a few damsels or gobies. Some hardy inverts like ornamental shrimps and crabs, and those tiny reef hermit crabs would be fine additions as well. Oh, and those "freshwater puffers" which are most likely the "spotted" or "leopard puffers", are actually NOT freshwater- they're brackish. I used to have them, and I loved them! They're very active, and cute, to boot!

[Tikall]

Red tail sharks still get way too big for a 10g, and so do spotted plecos.

Local crabs may very well be predatory, and the small fish you'll be able to keep in there would be food. A pair of ocellaris or percula (the clowns that require the least space) would still require a 20g minimum. The good news however is there are several options for a 10g saltwater. You could get a goby/shrimp pair (like a yashia goby with a randalli shrimp- symbiotic pairing) plus a neon goby (a fish that will even try to clean your hand during maintenance- very cute!). If you can find the space though, there are many more options with a 20g or 30g.

This is a pretty decent list of nano fish with fair tank requirements. Pick one or two of them. Some of them need a 20g, so avoid those. http://liveaquaria.com/product/aquar....cfm?c=15+2124

[LaFilleClochette]

one of my friends had a 3g saltwater tank....so i would think a 10g would be a great starter saltwater tank...sw inverts are wiked cool so i would deff try that.

[Ginevive]

Thanks for the advice! Now that I think back, I do remember my puffer was brackish. I always keep aquarium salt around, since goldfish do well in a tank that has salt added.

I might just start out with something low-cost at first, since I am not sure about having much of a disposable income once we get out there. But things could go either way; if we do have more space, I definately want to get myself more, larger tanks again. I am even thinking of making an outdoor "pond" using some sort of container, if we have a balcony or something; for some goldfish.

[Jerhart]

Jen, a small salt is not hard at all - just more work and patience. People do 6 galllon Nano reefs all the time. However, those do come in those "package-deal" type set ups, with all the proper lighting and stuff. If you want something easy, I would suggest to do a pair of clownies (like suggested) or just a few damsels or gobies. Some hardy inverts like ornamental shrimps and crabs, and those tiny reef hermit crabs would be fine additions as well. Oh, and those "freshwater puffers" which are most likely the "spotted" or "leopard puffers", are actually NOT freshwater- they're brackish. I used to have them, and I loved them! They're very active, and cute, to boot!

This is an interesting thread. I too would like to have a smaller saltwater setup. I have always wanted a saltwater setup. However I see the very large setups at pet stores and get a bit discouraged at the sizes of the filter systems. I would like to start out with something small, more of a beginners setup. Does anyone of any links that may be of use, perhaps a link to a 'package-deal' at mentioned above?

[Enser54]

I remember seeing this little thing and thinking it would be cool...
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...m?pcatid=15493
Can't imagine you can do very much with something that small but it just shows that 10g can be used.

I've got tons of Convict cichlids here if maybe you would want a few for a fresh tank?