Reef tank ?

[poonstang90lx]

What am I gonna need in the way of equipment to have a successful reef tank.
The tank is a standard 10 gallon. What do you think I will need in the way of lighting, filters, skimmers, and anything else that I will need to keep anemone or corals in a tank this size. What kind of clean up crew could I place in a tank of this size? I am interested in the different types of livestock that I could place in here also. I appreciate any ideas that you might have. I am new to marine aquariums so any info would be great. Thank You

[travis127]

if it is your first tank you may wanna think of getting at least over 30 gal tank ...I just started my first tank a week again and its a 42 gall hex and with that ill have max 4 small/medium fish... with a ten you just barely can get 2 ... its ok for a hospitial tank but its so hard to control things with such small room for error in a ten but I am a newbie that JMO!!! welcome to this site its great, it was deff the best thing I did for myself with getting into this hobby... what you need for your tank depends on what you want in it.. if you want corals and anemone your gonna need some more $$$ lighting but Ill let experts help you there but congrats on the new start

[bwbixby]

10 will be way too small, youll be very frustrated with it very quickly. i would try to get into the 30-55 range definately if your budget can afford it! It will cost you mroe to get it all started up, but the amount of money in livestock and stress youll save will pay off in the end.

[lcstorc]

You are going to be very limited by that size tank but it can be done. It will require a lot of maintenance and you will be limited to one or maybe 2 small fish. 2 only if they are very very small. Small daily water changes will be your best plan. A gallon or two a day is what I would do. Be sure to use RO/DI water for all changes and makeup water.
If you want an anemone you will need either T5 or MH lights. You will also need to wait at least a year until the tank matures and you have very stable water parameters.
With that size tank I would limit it to softies which are generally more easy to keep and more forgiving.

[Pyromaniac398]

Like the above have said Nano tanks require a more meticulous maitanence schedule. The volume of water is so small that tiny changes in water quality can have a devestating effect on your inhabitants. With a larger tank you have a larger volume of water which helps to dilute these changes in water quality hence making them take longer to reach unhealthy levels. By all means if you are up for a 10g tank more power to ya. I currently have a 14g biocube and love it. As far as equipment it really depends on what you want to keep and whether or not you decide to go with a nano. If you stay with the nano you may not need things like a skimmer. Most nano reefers find it much easier to control their water quality through water changes. That way they don't loose essential trace elements which get stripped from the water through skimming. So think out your budget see how big you can afford and let us know

[Newbie]

I agree with what everyone has said.
Starting off with a small tank is really hard, there is very little room for error.
The larger the tank the easier it is to keep the peramiters in check.
Although the smaller tanks especially the Nanos look great with reefs they are ALOT harder to maintain.

[djbacon]

agree with what everyone here has said ...mostly, I started with a 14 g tank and its not been terribly hard. it DOES require maintenance - but I thinik weekly water changes are sufficient provided you follow the right steps and dont rush. cycle slowly, add methodically and test regularly and you will be ok. Everything everyone has said about small water and the greater effects of small changes to water quality are absolutely true but it doesnt make it too hard in my opinion.

These guys have way more experience than me but I dont think that you should be discouraged from a small tank if that is all you have room or $ for. I live in small condo in on the 10th floor of a skyscraper so a big tank isnt practical.

Its a very rewarding hobby and there are plenty of folks on here and other sites who have successfully started with 8 -12 -14 g tanks. I can link you to 20 threads of incredibly beautiful first time nano tanks

you can have a fun clean up crew of various crabs, snails etc, a shrimp, A fish or possibly 2 if they are real small, and/or quite a few soft corals in a 10g. I honeslty think a small tank is fun for a starter because water changes are not overwhelming. you dont need trashcans full of RO/DI and salt mix, and if you can pull off a smaller nano then you will know you are ready to spend some real money on a bigger tank later.

Just putting it out there because you can do it if you want - one thing I can say for sure about this hobby, you get out of it exactly what you put in it.