Stock 10 gallon nano

[Derek C]

I have a 10 gallon nano aquarium. I have 2 clowns, 1 peppermint shrimp, 3 red legged hermit crabs, 1 shrimp. I want to add corals or maybe even another shrimp. Can I do this? I also saw a really pretty looking haiti anemone at petco and was wondering if I can put it in my 10 gallon. I heard this is bad because the 10 gal is too small. So four questions:

1. What happens if I put a haiti anemone in my 10 gallon tank?

2. What lighting is necessary for that haiti anemone (only answer this if i can have it in the 10 gal)

3. Can I add a scooter blenny or another shrimp in my tank?

4. What corals would you recommend I can have (soft corals that dont need much light) in my nano?

If you could respond to each question individually, that would be absolutely fantastic. I really appreciate all of you guys in this community, you have REALLY HELPED ME A LOT throughout my journey. I always come here to ask about stuff before I do it, then do even more research after that. I cannot express my gratitude. Thank you so much.

 

[biophilia]

1. What happens if I put a haiti anemone in my 10 gallon tank?

Assuming you have adequate lighting and keep it well fed, it'll probably do well (but may move around the tank and kill any corals in its path)

2. What lighting is necessary for that haiti anemone (only answer this if i can have it in the 10 gal)

They need higher lighting to do well. A good light to consider would be an AI Prime HD, though you could get away with a cheaper light if necessary (Coral Compulsion 24W Par38 20k bulb for $80 along with a cheap clip light fixture and timer for example).

3. Can I add a scooter blenny or another shrimp in my tank?

More shrimp are probably okay, but I'd avoid another fish. Clowns can be messy eaters and get pretty big eventually so you'll be really pushing the bioload in that tank with a third fish. I have 3 fish in my 10 gallon (only one clown) and it takes some serious dedication to keep nutrients under control. Clowns are also pretty territorial and would possibly harass the blenny.

4. What corals would you recommend I can have (soft corals that dont need much light) in my nano?

Some good corals to look into would be zoanthids, mushrooms (ricordia are especially nice but need a bit more light than some), toadstool leathers, kenya tree, and xenia are all good low light starters.


Good luck!

 

[Derek C]

1. What happens if I put a haiti anemone in my 10 gallon tank?

Assuming you have adequate lighting and keep it well fed, it'll probably do well (but may move around the tank and kill any corals in its path)

2. What lighting is necessary for that haiti anemone (only answer this if i can have it in the 10 gal)

They need higher lighting to do well. A good light to consider would be an AI Prime HD, though you could get away with a cheaper light if necessary (Coral Compulsion 24W Par38 20k bulb for $80 along with a cheap clip light fixture and timer for example).

3. Can I add a scooter blenny or another shrimp in my tank?

More shrimp are probably okay, but I'd avoid another fish. Clowns can be messy eaters and get pretty big eventually so you'll be really pushing the bioload in that tank with a third fish. I have 3 fish in my 10 gallon (only one clown) and it takes some serious dedication to keep nutrients under control. Clowns are also pretty territorial and would possibly harass the blenny.

4. What corals would you recommend I can have (soft corals that dont need much light) in my nano?

Some good corals to look into would be zoanthids, mushrooms (ricordia are especially nice but need a bit more light than some), toadstool leathers, kenya tree, and xenia are all good low light starters.


Good luck!

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it :D One quick thing- by "doing well" would it mean being a brighter color? If I only had a clip light that is like around 14 white LEDs and 6 Blue LEDs would that be enough for that anemone to survive? Also if I have an anemone, would I be able to have other corals as well? thank you so much again

 

[biophilia]

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate it :D One quick thing- by "doing well" would it mean being a brighter color? If I only had a clip light that is like around 14 white LEDs and 6 Blue LEDs would that be enough for that anemone to survive? Also if I have an anemone, would I be able to have other corals as well? thank you so much again

The clip light probably wouldn't be enough for it to survive. Especially because the spectrum the symbiotic zooxanthellae inside of the anemone need most of is blue light -- so those 14 white LEDs are mostly just there for your own viewing ability. You could probably get away with other corals along with the anemone, but not other aggressive ones. Non-aggressive corals like xenia, and zoanthids would probably be okay, though! Really no matter what you'll likely need a better light to keep any photosynthetic corals.