Starting to stock ...

[jcox]

Hi! I've had a 10 gallon tank for about two months now and am about ready to actually add fish. As of now, the livestock consists of seven dwarf hermit crabs (verra small), three turbo snails, and a ton of hitchhikers, including about a dozen small fanworms, another dozen or so snail or slug like creatures of varying size and species, about 12 pounds of liverock and a very tiny (2 cm) starfish. Just to give you an idea of the bioload ...

 

I'd like to have an ocellaris clownfish and a clown goby, but I prefer to err on the side of caution and just get one clownfish. It'll do alright on its own, won't it?

 

I was once advised to get a damselfish first and see how it goes with that fish, but with a couple of months experience under my belt with the invertebrates as far as keeping the tank stable, do you think the damsel is necessary as a starter fish? If I skip the damsel, do I need to add the goby first?

 

Thanks so much!

Julie

[lgreen]

if this is your first sw tank, i would try a damsel out just so you get use to how sw fish are, since they are cheap and hardy.

 

if not, and your willing to risk it, go ahead and try the goby.

 

i prefer adding clowns in pairs (ocellaris or percula). so wait until you can do it in a pair.

[Thunil]

i would go with the clown fish and goby. two is a fine amount of fish for a ten gallon. and the clown is one of the easiest fish to keep. not sure about the goby but i think that they are easy. i would add the clown first because they are hardier but that's just me.