# 10 gallon saltwater tank



## Asully70 (Aug 22, 2008)

I want to start a 10 gallon saltwater tank. i just want to have one nemo fish and thats pretty much it. what would i need to go the cheapest possible way because i am a student. i dont want coral or live rock or anything just the bare minimums to make it look good and have a healthy fish. anything helps.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

Well first off, a lot of people say what you are saying in the beginning, but end up getting a lot more than just a _clownfish_. That usually means their little nano tank is overstocked. Also, saltwater is never "cheap" and if you do go that route it probably means more money spent fixing things than setting it up properly in the beginning.

I'm not going to lie to you, a tank that small will be pretty hard to keep stable, but it is possible. 

I would get the following:
Tank and stand
2 N.O. Florescent lights or a twin bulb florescent light.
15lbs of liverock
1 HOB filter
1 heater
salt
hydrometer


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

You can run a 10gal saltwater tank with ONE SMALL fish in it just like you'd run a freshwater tank, with the same equipment, but with stricter adherence to the rules. Use two filters, or even three, but make them slow ones that don't churn up the tank so much the fish can't swim normally.

People rarely follow this advice, of course, and then wonder what went wrong. They usually add "just one more" little fish or get cheap on the filters or something, and then it all goes kablooey. there is no room for error with a setup like the one you want.

Doing it Fishfirst's way, with the rock, will work better.


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

okay, first thign to do isread your tail off about saltwater
and i'd say deffinatly put liv rock and live sand in.
also you will need RO water(liek water from water bottles) otherwise you will get some bad algaes that can crash the tank.
you can keep one clownfish in there. i wud suggest an occelaris because thats what people usualy think bout when they think clownfish
now start reading!


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## Asully70 (Aug 22, 2008)

ok so i know what everything fishfirst said but these two things 2 N.O. Florescent lights or a twin bulb florescent light. 1 HOB filter can somebody help me out on price or even what they are


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3579+3610&pcatid=3610
a sample of a Filter
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13612&pcatid=13612
twin tube florescent 

you may also want to get a powerhead as well if you go with liverock
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4585+4609&pcatid=4609


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## karazy (Nov 2, 2007)

you could make a HOB fuge for this tank

it might help a bit with algaes and filatration

heres how to make one http://www.fishforums.com/forum/diy-do-yourself/5705-my-diy-ac500-refugium.html


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

N.O. means Normal Output, as opposed to High Output, or VHO, Very High Output.

HOB means Hang On Back.


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## Asully70 (Aug 22, 2008)

ok well I have a aquaclear 200 (50) that I think im going to use for it. I'm kinda just thinking about doing it. I'm not for sure yet. By meanign cheap I didnt actually mean "cheap" I just ment the least amont of stuff I would have to buy. I'm willing to put about 150-200 into it.


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## Asully70 (Aug 22, 2008)

so i bought a used 10 gallon tnak off craigslist it had freshwater fish in it. so my new question is what should i clean it out with and what else can i have in my salt water tank besides a clown fish. like would a few hermits be alright or a shrimp or should i just have 1 clown fish?


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

There, see? Right there. You're already trying to add more stuff. Snap out of it or resign yourself to certain failure. Inverts are even more fragile than fish, by the way.
Sorry to be this way, but we're not kidding with this. A 10 gal is a lousy choice for a saltwater fishtank. It takes 5 gallons per inch of fish in saltwater, only a 5th of what you can do in freshwater. A two inch clown fills your tank.
Saltwater doesn't hold as much oxygen as freshwater does, and saltwater fish need the max they can get, as the ones in the hobby come from the reef splash zones where the saturation is the highest. If you don't learn this at the start, you'll have nothing but problems. Yes, you can put two fish in a 10 gallon tank, as long as the power never goes out. Ever. It's better you learn this the easy way.


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## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

PLEASE do not start with a 10 gallon tank as your first SW tank. I agree with ToS 200%. As ToS said, already you're talkign about adding another fish. It's not going to work. Go bigger. The bigger the tank, the more stable it will be for you to maintain it. Salt water aquaria keeping is extremely delicate. You're bound to have a tank crash in no time. If your thinking of spending "just $150 - $200 into the tank", you're in for a big surprise. It's going to end up costing you more then you realized. Go back and try and find a used 46G or 55 G tank and go from there. You can always use the 10G as a quarantine tank. Of course, that is if you have already thought about that.

I apologize if this sounds like I'm being harsh but I'm not. I'm just telling you the reality that a 10 gallon tank is not going to work - especially for a beginner.

Most importantly, READ, READ, READ, and READ everything there is to know about saltwater aquaria keeping til your eyes fall out of your sockets.


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## justintrask (Jun 29, 2008)

I think everyone has given a lot of good advice here on how to make it work. I recommend you read as much as you can, read as much as you can, do some research, read as much as you can, but most importantly, don't rush into it. I can't stress enough about read as much as you can, and make sure you have absolutely NO questions about it before you even begin setting it up. This tank has the potential to work out very well for you, but you need to take your time and not rush the process, and not go against your work of "just one fish"


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## Asully70 (Aug 22, 2008)

ya i was just wondering if i could have more i'm fine with one i'm just getting some info and i wolnt rush it. this tank is just a tank on my desk for fun im not doing anything else to it if it can take it. im going to get some sand and a some live rock and just cycle it. the guy at the pet store said i could have the tiny hermits and said they would clean the sand and rock


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