10 gallon reef tank build

[chris9tian1]

OK so my 10 gallon tank is now cycling!!! I have about 3/4 inch of sand and about 15lbs liverock. I have 2-36 watt pc light. 1 is actinic and the other a 10k. My filters are good and placed where the currents get behind rocks as well. I was wondering what you guys thought would be some good livestock to put in(including cleanup crew). I was also wondering if you could suggest some coral that would do well in the lighting conditions. Also by some off chance if any of you live in cincinnati and would be willing to make some donations that would be incredible.

 

[little_fish]

I hope this goes without saying, but dont add anything until your cycle is over!

But all the soft corals (leathers, mushrooms, xenia etc) should do great in that tank, as well some of the LPS (hammer corals, torches, candy canes, trumpets etc) corals. I dont know if those lights are good enough to keep some of the higher maintenance inverts, like SPS, clams and nems. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in about those ones.

Also dont add your cleanup crew till they have something to eat, but turbos are great, as are astrinas, nerites, creths and nasses. Those spellings arent right, but hopefully its close enough to you know what i mean. Hermits are also nice, but they can eat your snails. A great place to get all of those guys is reefcleaners.org. They have special CUC packages, and i think you can get a discount by being a member on here.

With a small tank you are limited on fish, i doubt you could keep more than one. You are welcome to try, but closely monitor your water parameters. Some great fish for that sized tank are the clown gobies, clowns, and maybe firefish. The below link has some other nano sized fish.

Nano Fish

Also, you might find that you need more than just that filter to get enough water movement. They make nano powerheads and i think you might want to invest in one.

Also, if that is a typical filter (like from a freshwater setup) you are going to have to be on top of cleaning it. It will leach nutrients back into the water column and will cause the growth of nuisance algae. Just be sure to chance the filter media frequently and consistently.

Hope this helps!

 

[chris9tian1]

My 2 filters are from previous tanks but are both rated for 30 gallon tanks. Any way that i could have a clown-anemone combo with the lighting? I understand that they need lots of light but how much is alot? your help is greatly appreciated

 

[little_fish]

Even though those filters are rated for larger tanks, they are still going to trap nutrients, which is going to go through the nitrogen cycle and then release those nitrates back into the water column. Nitrates will kill inverts, so you have to clean those filters every few days if you wish to keep corals or inverts. You just take the filter media out and put rubble in them, or turn them into HOB refuges. That would be helpful to your tank.

Also, i would not put a nem in a 10 gal tank, they require pristine water condition and any swing in parameters can kill them and they in turn can and will kill everything in your tank from the toxins they release. That sized tank just isnt stable enough to keep one. Plus there isnt even a guarantee that the clown will live in the nem. He may decided that he likes the powerhead, a bit of rock or something else better.

If you want to try for that kind of hosting relationship look into getting a large torch, hammer or frogspawn coral, or some sort of hairy mushroom. Those will do much better in your tank. Dont get a tiny one of the above, excluding the mushroom, because clowns can be kinda rough with them and might kill a smaller one.

 

[chris9tian1]

OK i think i have my livestock list.
1 catalina goby
1 yellow clown goby
2 camel shrimp
5 astrea snails
5 nass snails
5 cerith snails
various zoa and mushroom frags

 

[chris9tian1]

or option 2
various zoa and shroom frags
5 astrea snails
5 nass snails
5 cerith snails
and 4-6 sexy shrimp

 

[little_fish]

I would go with option 2, one because i have sexy shrimp and just love them! And camel shrimp arent reef safe, and catalina gobies arent a warm water fish. Im not quite sure why they sell them, but they do.

here is a link to my tiny tank if you want some ideas. But remember, my small tank is quite a bit of work compared to a large tank.

https://www.livingreefs.com/little-fishs-tiny-tank-awesome-t29912.html

 

[Bifferwine]

I agree with Hannah -- avoid camel shrimp. They are predators. The clown goby will be fine, but it will be a challenge keeping other animals with the catalina goby, since it is a colder water fish.

 

[chris9tian1]

I like the sexy shrimp but someone told me they have a tendency to dissapear even though nothing else was in the tank. And your tank is awesome

 

[chris9tian1]

Could i take out the catalina goby and the camel shrimp and put in the sexy shrimp instead?

 

[little_fish]

Ya and I would recommend that option. Also I think their sexy shrimp aren't disappearing they are just lost in a large tank. my shrimp have little territories and their shrimp might have set up house where you can't see them. I also think you could very easily keep a clown goby with them.