10g Stocking Question

[fordsvtmfl]

Hi everyone,

 

First some background information:

I am new to saltwater aquariums but have kept freshwater for years. Before starting my 10g, I did about 6-8 months of reading and research.

 

My tank currently has 10lbs of Aquamaxx eco-rock from marine depot, an AC50 running filter floss (changed out 2x a week), Seachem Purigen and Seagel, and a Hydor Nano 240. Lighting is current usa orbit marine led.

 

The tank currently has a 2.5" Purple Firefish, 1" YWG, Skunk Cleaner, and various hermits and snails for my CUC. I do 30% rodi water changes every 2 weeks, (well I've only done one, but that is my plan).

 

Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 0, PH 7.8, Salinity 1.024, I check levels every other day.

 

 

So here is my question:

 

I plan to add an ocellaris clown next week (will be about 1.5"), but I also really want a tail spot blenny. Assuming bioload would be kept in check, would a fourth fish be pushing it too much? If so, why?

 

The way I see it is my YWG hangs out in his cave, purple filefish has a cave on the other side of the tank, the clown will effectively have the entire tank for swimming, and the tail spot would still have plenty of rock to claim as his own (the rock is very porous and has plenty of nooks/caves, etc.) So I don't think aggression/territory would be an issue.

 

Is there a flaw in my thinking? Obviously I am new at this so I welcome any input.

 

Also I plan to upgrade to a 20l or 30g in a year or 2. Hence, why I mentioned all of the fish sizes. I'm not sure how fast each species grow.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Here is a quick pic, everything seems to be hiding at the moment...

 

 

[lkoechle]

I think that would be a bit much. The clown needs his own spot to host. The firefish also swims. I think you'd be maxed at those 3 fish from both a bioload perspective and territory. Others would tell you to keep it to two. You'd be surprised how much they'd feel cramp. I use a 10g for a QT and ended up not QTing most of my fish (only 3 inches in length for the biggest) because they were stressed from the small tank. My rabbit fish was 2.5" by herself with plenty of hiding spots and she never displayed normal behavior until she was moved to my 85 display. A 10g with just the clown is pushing it, imo. They're swim more then people give them credit for.

 

How long has your tank been up?

 

Also, you said you do an rodi water change, you meant to say rodi with salt, right?

[fordsvtmfl]

Thanks for the input lko. My tank has only been up about 3 weeks (after cycle). And yes, rodi with salt.

[SchnauzerFace]

 

I plan to add an ocellaris clown next week (will be about 1.5"), but I also really want a tail spot blenny. Assuming bioload would be kept in check, would a fourth fish be pushing it too much? If so, why?

 

The way I see it is my YWG hangs out in his cave, purple filefish has a cave on the other side of the tank, the clown will effectively have the entire tank for swimming, and the tail spot would still have plenty of rock to claim as his own (the rock is very porous and has plenty of nooks/caves, etc.) So I don't think aggression/territory would be an issue.

 

 

 

Frankly, I don't think the bioload CAN be kept in check if there are 4 fish in a sumpless, skimmerless 10g tank.

 

Remember, these are living creatures and not decorations. The goby and blenny may have spots they like, but they will still want to swim around when the mood strikes them. You can't count on them sticking to a rock or cave 100% of the time. Some clowns are gentle souls, but many others are bullies. And, I hate to keep piling it on, but I personally think the filefish is too big for a 10g tank.

 

My 2 cents is to keep the YWG (an extremely fun fish, btw!) and swap the filefish for the tailspot blenny. I'd suggest leaving it at that. You could also get a pistol shrimp to pair with your YWG. My goby and shrimp are best buds and a lot of fun to watch.

 

However, gobies and bennies are known to get aggressive not just with others of their same species, but with any other fish that kind of looks like them. In my 75g, my lawnmower and YWG exchanged words just a couple times, and they had a lot more room to themselves. The tailspot and YWG should be ok together, but it might be pushing it in such confined quarters.

 

Hope this helps. not trying to sound negative, but I think it's best to keep the tank minimally stocked, especially when you're first getting accustomed to the hobby.

 

Welcome to reef keeping, btw!

[cindyp]

i have an 8g and have steered clear of clowns.

most have said at full size, they are too big for my

tank--but also, they are territorial and aggressive.

the blenny might not fare well in your tank depending

on the temperment of your clown. good luck!

 

(i think four fish might be to much, especially given

the territorial clown.)

[lkoechle]

Thanks for the input lko. My tank has only been up about 3 weeks (after cycle). And yes, rodi with salt.

The clown would also be a massive addition to your bioload, I don't think your bacteria would be up enough to handle it. Give it more time to adjust to the two existing fish before putting anything else in.

 

Frankly, I don't think the bioload CAN be kept in check if there are 4 fish in a sumpless, skimmerless 10g tank.

 

Remember, these are living creatures and not decorations. The goby and blenny may have spots they like, but they will still want to swim around when the mood strikes them. You can't count on them sticking to a rock or cave 100% of the time. Some clowns are gentle souls, but many others are bullies. And, I hate to keep piling it on, but I personally think the filefish is too big for a 10g tank.

 

My 2 cents is to keep the YWG (an extremely fun fish, btw!) and swap the filefish for the tailspot blenny. I'd suggest leaving it at that. You could also get a pistol shrimp to pair with your YWG. My goby and shrimp are best buds and a lot of fun to watch.

 

However, gobies and bennies are known to get aggressive not just with others of their same species, but with any other fish that kind of looks like them. In my 75g, my lawnmower and YWG exchanged words just a couple times, and they had a lot more room to themselves. The tailspot and YWG should be ok together, but it might be pushing it in such confined quarters.

 

Hope this helps. not trying to sound negative, but I think it's best to keep the tank minimally stocked, especially when you're first getting accustomed to the hobby.

 

Welcome to reef keeping, btw!

 

My mocha female was massively territorial in my 20L and chased out the 6 line wrasse and she would attack me when I was cleaning the tank. My DaVinci female and Phantom male on the other hand, could care less. Clowns definitely have different temperaments.

[fordsvtmfl]

Thanks for the input! I definitely understand it is better to be on the safe side of things. However, one of the stipulations when I convinced my wife to let me start this tank was that we could have a clownfish (makes 3 tanks now in our 2 bedroom apartment ). My LFS is very honest (I've seen them refuse to sell fish to customers on multiple occasions because of tank size, etc) and they informed me that clownfish tend to grow pretty slow and should be fine in a 10g for a year or two. We will be moving in about a year and once we get settled I plan to upgrade the tank to at least a 20 long.

 

As far as the bio load, I test constantly and stay on top of my maintenance. If it ever becomes an issue I will most likely add a skimmer, especially once I upgrade to a larger tank.

 

Also I just want to clarify that I have a firefish, not a filefish.

The clown would also be a massive addition to your bioload, I don't think your bacteria would be up enough to handle it. Give it more time to adjust to the two existing fish before putting anything else in.

 

The clowns my LFS gets in are usually in the 1"-1.5" range. Do you think it would impact bio load that much?

[cindyp]

you might look into "stubby clowns" that are

smaller clowns. they are, i think, genetically

mutated, but cute in their own right.

[lkoechle]

Thanks for the input! I definitely understand it is better to be on the safe side of things. However, one of the stipulations when I convinced my wife to let me start this tank was that we could have a clownfish (makes 3 tanks now in our 2 bedroom apartment ). My LFS is very honest (I've seen them refuse to sell fish to customers on multiple occasions because of tank size, etc) and they informed me that clownfish tend to grow pretty slow and should be fine in a 10g for a year or two. We will be moving in about a year and once we get settled I plan to upgrade the tank to at least a 20 long.

 

As far as the bio load, I test constantly and stay on top of my maintenance. If it ever becomes an issue I will most likely add a skimmer, especially once I upgrade to a larger tank.

 

Also I just want to clarify that I have a firefish, not a filefish.

 

The clowns my LFS gets in are usually in the 1"-1.5" range. Do you think it would impact bio load that much?

My female grew 1/2 inch between November and January. They grow decently. They are also messy eaters and big poopers, so yes.

[fordsvtmfl]

The clown would also be a massive addition to your bioload, I don't think your bacteria would be up enough to handle it. Give it more time to adjust to the two existing fish before putting anything else in.

 

How long would you recommend?

[SchnauzerFace]

 

 

As far as the bio load, I test constantly and stay on top of my maintenance. If it ever becomes an issue I will most likely add a skimmer, especially once I upgrade to a larger tank.

 

Also I just want to clarify that I have a firefish, not a filefish.

 

Ahhhh -- reading closely would have helped me a lot there Firefish is much more nano-friendly than filefish.

 

Maybe you could wait for the tank to mature for a few months and then make it a clown-only tank? You could trade your goby and just keep a clown and corals. I'm certainly no clown expert, but I think a clown + (insert any fish here) in a 10g could present problems. But, I could be very wrong. Maybe one of the resident clown experts could weigh in with their opinion?

[Cencalfishguy56]

My occ clown and purple firefish do great together, my clown kinda just hangs out in his frogspawn and they mind their own business lol kinda cool to have a clown because of the symbiotic relationship, mine swims all through the tentacles it's cool to watch

[fordsvtmfl]

Thanks for all the replies. I do believe I have been convinced not to add a fourth fish.

 

However that does bring me to another issue. I have been back and forth on what corals I eventually want to keep. I would like to have some Zoas and LPS but my major concern is dosing. I have been looking into the Red Sea Reef Foundation "program". Any thoughts on it? Would I even need to dose with weekly or biweekly water changes? I have also read that its better to use a non-reef salt then add what you need. Any truth to that?

 

Thanks!

[Cencalfishguy56]

Thanks for all the replies. I do believe I have been convinced not to add a fourth fish.

 

However that does bring me to another issue. I have been back and forth on what corals I eventually want to keep. I would like to have some Zoas and LPS but my major concern is dosing. I have been looking into the Red Sea Reef Foundation "program". Any thoughts on it? Would I even need to dose with weekly or biweekly water changes? I have also read that its better to use a non-reef salt then add what you need. Any truth to that?

 

Thanks!

IMO dosing is not needed in such a small tank, I use instant ocean reef crystals and I never dose anymore, with weekly to biweekly water chNges you are replenishing your nutrients and dosing is a lot of work in itself so I would just go with some kind of reef salt but that's just me

[txreef79]

I also have a 10 gallon tank less than a yr old with the same lighting. I have one clown and I am going to swap her out as she is super aggressive. She bites me every time I stick my hand in to clean. I think I will try a firefish and goby. I am battling aiptasia now...

 

Did you get any corals? I was wondering what intensity you run your lights on if you have corals. I have a tree coral, pulsing xenia and some zoas but the zoas are not growing? Somebody told me that my lights may be to bright?

 

Best of luck!