# 10 gallon?



## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Before anyone get's too excited, no I have not decided I am going salt, but I am thinking about it. 

I have been thinking about it with a possible 10 gallon that would house one oscilarous (or however you spell that) clown fish and a live mini reef. Just some rock with corals and an anemone for my fish. 

What I would like to know is if this is even possible. I know corals tend to fight as they expand into each others territories and I didn't know if there were any I could keep in a small space that would be okay there. 

I also would like to know how difficult it would be, in general, to keep a tank of this size as a salt tank. I expect it would have some difficulties given it's size but I am just not convinced I want to pop a 20 long up there. I would not do a 20 high. If I did put up a 20 long what other fish could I add that would be complimentary with what I am talking about doing? I don't know that I want a ton of fish in any case, but 2 or 3 might be fun. Or a small school of something. 

I am mostly worried with the salt mixture thing and how I would go about that. Everything else I am already comfortable with.


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## SilverThorn (Jul 22, 2010)

The only thing my 10 gal tank had was a macro & some green mushrooms with regular florescent lighting. I kept it for several years with a clown in it. It was relatively easy. Top offs are more frequent. It's more difficult if you have lots of corals or anemones. They require higher light levels meaning more heat to dissipate from the tank depending on your lighting & need more attention as to water quality. 
I don't know much about hard or stony corals as I have never kept them if that's what you want. But I do know the require eve more attention to water quality & elements & minerals & supplements & feedings things that they need. That will be a bit more difficult in a small tank where the nutrants will be quickly used up.
I keep softies. Mushrooms, leathers, zoanthids & button polyps currently in a 29 & have not had any issues with them fighting yet but they are mostly on their own rocks that is different types of mushrooms on one rock (red, green watermellon, fluorescent green, blue, superman & blue spot)different types of zoa on another & so on. The different types of mushrooms & zoas tend to ignore different types of their own kind. Or so it would seem so far... 
you can buy premixed salt for water changes. RODI water is preferable if you are keeping delicate corals. Most LFS will have it to buy. If you are keeping corals I would suggest a refractomitor to measure the salt content of the water. Of not then a Hydrometer is fine.
In a 20g you could keep 2 clowns & a shrimp or a clown & some types of goby & a shrimp or a clown goby & a colwn or things like that or a couple of damsel fish or something.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

I would do the soft ones just fine. I have seen some mushrooms that I really like. I don't mind keeping the water right for an anemone as well as a few of the softer corals. I don't think I want hard ones. I only want enough that the tank would look nice. 

I really don't want to have to get RO or buy water from a store every time I need to do a water change. That's just expensive outside of my comfort zone. So if I have to do that then it's better I not do salt at all.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

SO in order to do this would I have to have a refugium, a protein skimmer, a UV sterilizer etc, or can I just have, tank, fish, lights, heater, filter?


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## SilverThorn (Jul 22, 2010)

oops sry it took me so long to reply.
I cheated a bit & just used bottled or purified water with my shrooms when that was all I had in the 10g along with the clown & they did ok. I used live rock & a deep sand bed as part of my biological filtration 1 lb of live rock to 1 gal of sw. I had a basic florescent fixture a HOB filter & a tiny heater. But for more delicate corals or anemones I think you would need the "good stuff" for optimal conditions lol. Also Anemones need more light than just a florescent fixture & require direct feedings. Clowns do not need an anemone to be happy they will host anything from mushrooms to macros to power heads what ever they want to call home I had one host a tube worm lol.


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