Want to set up a 10 gallon clownfish tank

FisherO22 · Jan 29, 2021

Hello! I was told to check out reef2reef by George of CoralFish12g because i would like to set up a 10 gallon clownfish/zoa/anemone tank. I already have a ten gallon aquarium and a freshwater on the back carbon filter. will that work? What sort of clownfish, zoas and anemones would work for a beginner? I'm afraid im a bit of a freshwater scrub.

FisherO22 · Jan 29, 2021

Sorry I posted the same thing twice. I literally just signed up.

lpsouth1978 · Jan 29, 2021

I would not really recommend a 10g for ANY hosting anemone. The most common are going to be Bubble tip anemones and Carpet anemones. Carpets will ALL get way too big for a 10g. Bubble tips reproduce quite quickly and can easily outgrow a 10g tank as well.

A 20g would be my recommended minimum for a pair of Ocellaris clowns. You could add most zoas, and a bubble tip (at least 6-12 months) down the road. Anemones need a mature, stable tank to thrive and survive, and are not recommended for beginners. Start with Zoas and a few fish, get the tank mature and stable, then when ready, add add a bubble tip.

FisherO22 · Jan 29, 2021

Hmm. Well thank you! just to be clear, could I keep clownfish in a 10g?

aquakj · Jan 29, 2021

FisherO22 said:
Hmm. Well thank you! just to be clear, could I keep clownfish in a 10g?

Yea you can do a clownfish in a 10 gallon, a lot of people keep clownfish in tanks even smaller than that whcih is pushing it 10 gal is really the minimum, you could keep an anenome in there too I wouldnt start off with an anenome as a beginner but thats just me if you wanna take the challenge go for it..but out of curiosity why an anenome?

FisherO22 · Jan 29, 2021

I just think that the way they ebb and sway in the water is really beautiful. Plus that way i can work my way up to a colorado sunburst one day. I love sunbursts.

No beginner ever: "I'M GONNA GET A COLORADO SUNBURST!"

aquakj · Jan 29, 2021

FisherO22 said:
I just think that the way they ebb and sway in the water is really beautiful. Plus that way i can work my way up to a colorado sunburst one day. I love sunbursts.

No beginner ever: "I'M GONNA GET A COLORADO SUNBURST!"

Got it...but yes technically you could do it in a 10 gallon I would start with a bubble tip anemone.

WolfDaddysReef · Jan 29, 2021

I kept and clownfish and a long tentacle anemone in a 10 gallon back in college for a couple years. I would probably suggest a 20 gallon a 10 gallon is very hard to keep stable with evaporation and temp. I think you could do it but maybe you can start with some soft coral, clowns can host in just about anything or the sand bed like mine do. Give your tank time to mature before putting in the nem, the Colorado Sunburst is not cheap. Good Luck and welcome to the hobby.

aquakj · Jan 29, 2021

WolfDaddysReef said:
I kept and clownfish and a long tentacle anemone in a 10 gallon back in college for a couple years. I would probably suggest a 20 gallon a 10 gallon is very hard to keep stable with evaporation and temp. I think you could do it but maybe you can start with some soft coral, clowns can host in just about anything or the sand bed like mine do. Give your tank time to mature before putting in the nem, the Colorado Sunburst is not cheap. Good Luck and welcome to the hobby.

Yea I agree I would start off with easier corals so you get the hang of it like, a toadstool or some zoas and them move up from there, torches are really easy imo and they give that flow you're looking for.

TrevorL · Jan 29, 2021

I agree with all the people above. I would go for Atleast a 20 gallon tank and let it mature for a couple months. I’ve had my tank going since June and have zoas and a frogspawn that sadly died because I didn’t acclimate it to my new light setup well enough :/. I have an anemone coming in very soon and would recommend a bubbletip to start out with. You also have to think about the fish happiness too when planning a tank out. A 10 gallon tank with an anemone that can grow up to 6 inches or bigger can take up a lot of space and not give your fish room to swim around and you don’t want to stress them! Anyways good luck and welcome to the hobby!!