[MelaBella]

Hey all!!! My name is Melissa and I am new to this site, and also very, very new to saltwater life in my home! I purchased a 10 gallon tank, a heater, crushed coral, a dead peice of coral, a rock, and i have a filter too, my tank has been working for 5 weeks now, and I was given one damsel fish by the man @ the aquarium store to "start the good bacteria process", the fish has been in there for 5 weeks also, he said that it was ok to start with a 10 gallon tank, but after reading up on this site, and also on a couple other sites, it seems like I should of gone with atleast a 20gallon. So my question to all of you is, is it ok to start off with a 10 gallon? and what kind of fish can I go with, I really only want 2 little clown fish, a starfish, and maybe another kind of fish...also an anenomie(sp?). I was advised to bring the man back the damsel beacuse the dont get along very well with others.
HelpNeededInCali
-Mela

[Penguin]

Hi Melissa. Welcome to Reefland, and to the saltwater hobby.

You can certainly start with a 10g tank. It's just that it will be easier for a newcomer to start with a larger tank. Having greater water volume will help make any changes in tank conditions that you may encounter more gradual, and so may help lessen the impact of any mistakes you might make in the beginning. You can definitely be successful with a 10g tank, but you will have to be good about keeping up on your water quality, water changes etc. A larger tank may be less work in the long run. I don't think the difference between a 10 and a 20 is going to be that huge. You're still dealing with a small tank either way.

The 10g is going to limit your fish selection quite a bit though. You will probably only be safe with a couple of small fish in your tank. A pair of clownfish (smaller sp. like ther percula or ocellaris) would be fine. Starfish can be hard to acclimate (really sensitive to salinity changes), and may not get enough to eat especially in a new tank. Best to wait on that for a while. The anemone would need bright light, in addition to very good water quality and regular feeding. Definitely not for beginners, but maybe later on. Make sure that your tank has fully cycled, (i.e. you shouldn't be able to detect any ammonia or nitrite in your tank water) before you add anything else. As you said, some damsels can be very territorial, so you may want to take it back depending on what you plan on doing. Also, for future reference, you can cycle a new tank with a piece of seafood (raw shrimp, fish, or whatever) rather than a live fish (despite what the guy at the fish store may tell you), as this can be very stressful on the fish, even a tough fish like a damsel.

Why don't you tell us a little more about your setup (lighting, filter type, what kind of damsel) and we can give you some more info.

[hinwis]

Originally Posted by MelaBella

Hey all!!! My name is Melissa and I am new to this site, and also very, very new to saltwater life in my home! I purchased a 10 gallon tank, a heater, crushed coral, a dead peice of coral, a rock, and i have a filter too, my tank has been working for 5 weeks now, and I was given one damsel fish by the man @ the aquarium store to "start the good bacteria process", the fish has been in there for 5 weeks also, he said that it was ok to start with a 10 gallon tank, but after reading up on this site, and also on a couple other sites, it seems like I should of gone with atleast a 20gallon. So my question to all of you is, is it ok to start off with a 10 gallon? and what kind of fish can I go with, I really only want 2 little clown fish, a starfish, and maybe another kind of fish...also an anenomie(sp?). I was advised to bring the man back the damsel beacuse the dont get along very well with others.
HelpNeededInCali
-Mela

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Hello, Melissa,

1. Take a small plastic bag of your water to the fish store and have it tested to be certain that it is free of amonia and nitrite.

2. If it's ok and your salinity is checked out (by you, regularly) at 1.021 to 1.025 then you can take out the damsel and add two small identical clowns. Then you must feed them very little food twice a day and have your water checked (or better, get your own pH, Ammonia, and Nitrite kits along with your thermometer and hydrometer)

3. On a ten gallon, you should change 1 gallon of water every two weeks using a salt mix that is the same temperature and salinity as your tank and has been "ageing" for a day or two in a container with a heater and an air pump.

4. Don't even think about an anemone or star fish in a ten gallon. Anemones are dificult for the wealthiest, most experienced fish keepers needing hundreds of dollars worth of lighting, etc. Even a small one that dies in your tank could kill off everthing else. Ther are synthetic anemones but your clowns rellly don't need them.

hinwis

Yep, keeping clowns is tough

[the_blue_tuna]

Hello Melissa,
First , welcome to Reefland . I hope you find everyone here helpful and hospitable.
Larger tanks are always nicer because of a few reasons. One , which has already been brought up , is water conditions. In smaller tanks the water parameters change much faster because there is not as much dilution , so you can get very wide swings VERY FAST.On the other hand , this fact will help to teach you good husbandry.
Larger tanks also offer you the room to stock more fish . The density of stocking is much less in saltwater than in fresh water . There are a few things you can do to support a higher fish load . Filtration is a big factor as well as how you feed and what animals you stock. Note that I say animals , because in salt water you can have not only fish but many different types of inverts also. Critters like snails , shrimp and crabs all add interest and diversity to your tank . You could also try your hand at some mushrooms or assorted polyps. These dont require the intense lighting that you would need for anemone's.Some fish you might look into , that would be good for the beginner would be clownfish , blennies , firefish or a cardinal. These are all fairly easy keepers. You would want to remove the damsel first though as they are an aggressive fish.
Read all you can , ask lots of questions , invest in some test kits and above all else be patient . This can be a very rewarding hobby if you do things properly.Best of luck and enjoy the board.