General questions

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oceanlove77

New member
Hi !!!
I'm new to this and I just started the cycling process .my tank is 10 gallon and I'm not using a skimmer either wave maker ,just a hang on filter . I've read that there is a cycling process with some sort of fish ,exactly the percula clownfish ,the ones I want ,is it really safe to put them in this moment or just wait til the process ends ? Another question is ,is light and a filter enough for my nano reef ,is the protein skimmer really esencial ? Or the wave maker ? Cause I'm really worried about the stability of my tank !
Help really useful
Thanks [emoji4]


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Please wait, as mentioned you need surface for the Bactria to grow. About the only fish that will do well in a 10 gallon is A clownfish. Two will fight unless mated. Also don’t forget weekly water changes. Best to ask for tank raised clown.
 
Thanks ! I was discussing if using a skimmer or not. I was planing to buy a mated pair of clowns and also a royal gramma , thank you all. [emoji4]


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A single clown will be happiest in a tank of at least 50g, although many keep them in smaller tanks. The issue will be aggression as it grows. A pair, especially once one becomes a female will require an even larger system.

IMHO, a 10g tank is a great size for one of the small shrimp gobies and it's shrimp.

And PLEASE do not cycle your tank with a fish! There is just no reason whatsoever to subject it to the stresses involved in the cycling process.
 
I just want the fish stays good ,I'll wait until the cycle ends ,you know , I'm really anxious to have the fish ,better wait ..[emoji4][emoji1787]


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Keep testing wait for no ammonia, no nitrite and do a large water change to get rid of nitrates. Test cycle is complete by ghost feeding for a few days and make sure there is no ammonia / nitrite.

Should be fine with 2 small clowns in a 10 gallon. Keep up with those water changes.
 
Before my lab moved across states, I had a 15 gallon desktop system and a small sump under my desk. It had a pair of perculas, a tailspot blenny, and a clown goby in it, plus a couple shrimp and a handful of astraeas. It worked well for the few years it was up before we moved and I sold it off, but it had a substantial amount of rock in the tank and sump for processing. I also kept a small macro bank to further pull nutrients out of the water. As others have said, you MUST finish that cycle, don't question it, and be gentle increasing the bioload to avoid stressing your bacteria colonies.
 
My answers in red below.

Please also consider: You should invest in using ONLY RODI water when you mix salt water. If you purchase your salt water from a local store, please try to ensure they too only use RODI water. Otherwise you may run into heavy nuisance algae issues or ugly algae issues in your tank. It is always better to get off to a good start.

I would second comments above... Clownfish are known as the 'small tank' fish, but I've got a pair of them in a 75 Gallon and they /own/ the top 6 inches of water. The entire tank high. They will fight anything that comes up there, including fish twice their size.

I /personally/ would be okay with having two clowns in a 20-25 gallon tank, with one or two other small fish. But that would be the limit, where I know some people with a half-dozen small fish and clowns in a tank that size.

As for your ten gallon tank...

Consider a clown goby. I have green and yellow clown gobies. You could probably get one or two, although they can be territorial. I've never seen them fight across colors though. Utterly adorable tiny little fish.

Alternatively, a goby/shrimp combo as someone mentioned above.

oceanlove77 said:
Hi !!!
I'm new to this and I just started the cycling process .my tank is 10 gallon and I'm not using a skimmer either wave maker ,just a hang on filter.
You need a heater for stability. So long as the Hang on back (HOB) filter agitates the surface water enough it will keep it aerated. This is how freshwater tanks work after all.
HOWEVER, a small wavemaker would be good for the fish, and good to blow over your rocks to provide flow. Oceans are not static, and we are trying to mimic a slice of the ocean.

I've read that there is a cycling process with some sort of fish ,exactly the percula clownfish ,the ones I want ,is it really safe to put them in this moment or just wait til the process ends?

The cycling process was done for years with fish. Many say to no ill effect. However, the current and in my opinion correct consensus is not to do it. Cycle with an empty tank, just ghost feed a little food (sprinkle some flakes in, a piece of uncooked shrimp, etc) and leave it alone. It'll decay and start the process, and bacteria will grow. This can take 1 month, or 3. You will know its done when you are using your test kits and detecting nitrates (but zero ammonia and zero nitrite). There are MANY stickies and threads on this forum about the cycling process: Look here. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

Another question is ,is light and a filter enough for my nano reef
No. You need a heater. Even if your room temperature is /mostly/ going to be okay, it will keep it more stable by preventing temperature swings down at night. Unless you live somewhere so hot you need to invest in a cooler. The kind of light you have is important. If you want a reef tank with corals? You need the right kind of light.

is the protein skimmer really esencial?
No, not at all. Especially not in a 10 gallon tank. You can get by just fine doing 2.5 gallon water changes. In a tank as small as yours is, the best solution is dilution. A skimmer helps to control nitrates... You can accomplish that with a single 50% water change.

Or the wave maker?

See my above comment under filter. You should have one in my opinion, even just a small koralio nano. When I had my QT tank up and running I had one in it, and the fish danced around in the flow of it.

Cause I'm really worried about the stability of my tank !
You should be! The downside of a small tank is it can be prone for swings very fast. If you are not keeping coral, and just fish, this is easily manageable by keeping enough water for a change on hand.

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Click to expand...
 
Thank you all , but I have just one more question...can a mandarin goby ,be with 2 clown at my current tank ???. I added live rock week ago and it has some brownish algue growing all over the rock, is it fine ?


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You will not be able to support a Mandarin Goby in a 10 gallon tank. Not even close. I know I'm sounding harsh about this, but I want to emphasize my statement. Don't get the mandarin. It will starve. A mandarin requires copepods for food, and you need a 75 gallon tank to start thinking about having enough pods to support one.

2 clownfish is probably about all you are going to be able to support in there, realistically, in terms of fish. I have a 9 gallon with no fish, and I even I struggle with bio-load.

As for the brown algae, they are called diatoms, and are just part of the cycling process. Your tank is making good progress :) Feel free to add a few snails to clean up some of the inevitable algae that will be coming your way. You will likely start to see some green film and/or green hair algae as the brown algae begins to disappear. All completely normal and a sign of a cycling tank.
 
Glad to hear that [emoji39] you're not harsh ,just telling the truth, thanks for those advices , really happy for my cycling progress ;)


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