need some input, please help out

[dwendler4]

i have been running a 75 gallon for a little over a year... i recently decided to start a 10 gallon for my bedroom. it finished cycling a couple weeks ago. right now it only has a scarlet hermit crab, peppermint shrimp and a snail (forgive me i dont know what kind it is, bought it in a group of snails i got over a year ago). i have not really added much because i havent fully decided what i want to do with it.
i have 2 ideas so far and am open to any suggestions for cool ideas of what to do with a 10 gallon. both of my ideas so far sound like if i did them right they could be real cool, i just want to make sure that what i choose to do is doable. please give any input.
idea #1: only a couple small fish, and lots of inverts. i like inverts, and i think that all the movement that they give tanks looks good. i wouldnt want to overdo it and starve anything, would i be able to do something like this:
3 or 4 peppermint shrimp
1 emerald crab
some sort of star (open to suggestions; starvation being the key concern here)
maybe.... 5? small snails
10-15 various hermits
my 75 gallon is my first saltwater tank and while i have learned a lot, i dont know much at all about keeping a small tank. is this list doable? if you see any problems let me know please. also, any inverts you would add to the list?
idea #2: lots of LR, pair of clowns, and some sort of anemone. i love anemones, but have never kept one for fear of it being a murdering lunatic... my thoughts: with nothing to kill... no problems...... hopefully... questions: what kind of anemone would be okay in a 10 gallon? i like rose bubble tips; possibility? lighting: would a 20 inch, 80 watt PC light with a 6700°K/10000°K daylight bulb and a 420 nm and 460 nm actinic be enough for an anemone?
any input is appreciated, thank you.

 

[geoj]

A ten will take a lot of time and things go bad fast but if you have the time it can be done. Most anemones get big so think of the tank as a temporary thing. I would go low to moderate light filter feeders. Maybe skip all fish that need to be fed. You see where I am going low maintenance, low waist, animals that will consume waist and not making it.

 

[dwendler4]

can you suggest a couple fish that would match what you described? fish that wouldnt need to be fed? thanks.

 

[emm0909]

Mantis Shrimp!!!!!!

 

[<3scopas55]

Im not sure if a mantis would be ok in a 10 (most likely though) but that would be an awesome idea especially if you like inverts! You dont see many of those!

 

[emm0909]

The invert thing is often wanted. Especially when you're first getting into them. I would put some rock in the tank. Not too much. Then keep it simple. Several mushrooms, different colors. Maybe a little Kenya tree frag and some palys. Some low light pieces what will survive.
Stock? Youre going to have to limit it because of tank size and grazing space. A solid setup I would suggest:
1 Goby
1 Pistol shrimp - interact with the goby. Makes a fun highlight of the tank.
1 Pseudochromis or royal gramma. Something that looks nice and has some personality. Fridmani Pseudochromis! Great fish.
1 Shrimp - get something nice. Permint shrimp are for refugiums! Go get a nice fire shrimp.
1 or 2 Crabs - You could get whatever you wanted. A teddybear crab? I would stay away from carnivore crabs though. They'll eat your snails. I would get a boxing crab or some type of filter feeder. You could also get a sally lightfoot as well.
1 starfish or urchin (be careful of grazing space)
2 little hermits
8 or so small snails
Just keep it simple and don't overload it. 10 galllons can go bad fast. Use a lot of rubble pieces on the substrate and let it double as a simple frag tank. Use it as a QT for new fish. Or a holding cell for bad critters you find in your DT. Put some chateau in there and get some sexy shrimp. Or get a frog fish! There are endless things you can do to a ten gallon. So many possibilities you might as well just get eight ten gallons and put something different in every one.

 

[emm0909]

I think a mantis would do great in a ten gallon. They are smart little guys too so you'd probably get a lot of enjoyment and interaction with it. Beware that anything alive in the tank is at risk though.