I have a 10 gallon biorb tank that I would like to see if I would be able to get saltwater fish. I was wondering how many fish I would be able to have if it would even work. I like the Angelfish, Rabbitfish, Butterflies, Tangs, Seahorses. I one day would love to get a large tank but since I have this tank I thought I'd see if it was even possible. Thanks for any input.
Wanting to start a saltwater tank
- Thread starter MarieG
- Start date
silverado61
Well-Known Member
Best you can do with a 10g is a clown and maybe a gobie.
geridoc
Well-Known Member
Not only is your stock limited in a 10 gal tank, but you will find it very, very difficult to keep going. Things go wrong in every tank, but the smaller the tank the more quickly things go badly wrong. A 10 gallon marine tank is really suitable for experts and experienced aquariasts.
Jesterrace
Active Member
You are going to need a 125 gallon minimum to get some decent options of those fish you listed and just my personal opinion, but Seahorses aren't nearly as cool as people think they are and are a fair bit of work to boot. I also agree that you need to seriously think carefully about this before jumping into it. One of the problems is that even a small saltwater tank can get expensive very quickly and virtually nothing will transfer to a larger tank, so you will be spending a bunch of money on a tank and then spending a bunch of additional money on the upgrade. The other issue is that you are severely limited on stock (I wouldn't even put a clownfish in a 10 gallon). A 10 gallon can house 2-3 of the smallest gobies, blennies or dartfish. A 30 gallon would be about the minimum I would recommend for a starter tank, but realistically I would go as big as your budget and space allow for the aforementioned reasons.
beaslbob
Well-Known Member
10g is kinda small especially for a first saltwater tank.
Whatever you do I highly recommend you start the tank with macro algaes (usually protected from the fish in a refugium) then do the rest.
that way the tank will be balanced and stable making it much easier to maintain and forgiving of my type errors.
my .02
Whatever you do I highly recommend you start the tank with macro algaes (usually protected from the fish in a refugium) then do the rest.
that way the tank will be balanced and stable making it much easier to maintain and forgiving of my type errors.
my .02
snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
A whole world awaits for you! Don't be discouraged with the comments about the size of your starter tank.
Take it easy, go slow. Buy a few key things you need, here and there. Get your sand, live rock, filter and light and learn as much as you can .Stick to small fish and shrimp for now and enjoy it as you read and progress in the hobby.
I hope to see you around!
Take it easy, go slow. Buy a few key things you need, here and there. Get your sand, live rock, filter and light and learn as much as you can .Stick to small fish and shrimp for now and enjoy it as you read and progress in the hobby.
I hope to see you around!
florida joe
Well-Known Member
A ten gallon tank does not mean you cant have 20g of saltwater made up in an emergence. Start with a good book , look into a single species only tank. IMO
Jesterrace
Active Member
No discouragement is meant, we are just pointing out how limiting it will be. I started out with a 36 gallon bowfront and quickly got frustrated with how many limitations on stock and aggression issues I was dealing with and in less than a year had upgraded to a 90 gallon (at double the cost). The issue I see with starting with a 10 gallon tank is blowing a bunch of money on a tank that is super limited in scope and then quickly getting bored with it and spending a bunch of additional money to upgrade particularly given that her entire list of fish that she is interested in require a tank more than 10 times the size of the one she is contemplating. Rather than spending a few hundred dollars to get setup for a tank that really doesn't give you anything you want, why not just get a tank that can give you what you really want and put the money towards what you really want? It would be one thing if firefish and small gobies were among her favorite fish, but not a single fish she listed could go in a tank smaller than 70 gallons (if we count dwarf angels, smallest tangs and a One Spot Foxface). I guess it's kind of like the folks who insist that you absolutely have to start with freshwater first (because it's cheaper) and then do saltwater when you have zero interest in Freshwater fish.
Jesterrace
Active Member
Most do. I am an odd duck in that my 36 gallon bowfront reef tank was my first fish tank of any kind, then I upgraded in the last few months to my current 90 gallon reef tank. About a month ago, I started a 10 gallon Glofish tank kit for my office at work so it was interesting being both a noob and semi-experienced at the same time.