10 gallon stocking ideas

[c0b_]

This 10 gallon (20 in x 10 in x 12 in) is my first reef tank, and I was wondering which kinds of inverts or fish would be appropriate for this size of a tank. I plan to have mostly soft corals perhaps with a few easy lps later down the road. Any suggestions for stocking would be greatly appreciated.

 

[HankstankXXL750 Verified Sponsor]

Small tank like that limits you some. I think the little clown gobies are cute and fun. My tanks are too big so I’ve never had one. Fire fish could be an option, they stay pretty small. Tail spot goby, little bigger but still small.

Could probably do an emerald crab or two. Maybe a peppermint shrimp, but make sure it is truly a peppermint as other small red ones like camels will pick at corals.
I got some green lantern shrimp from Rusalty, but they are currently sold out.

Green Lantern Shrimp

Our RUSALTY Green Lantern shrimp for sale are available for the first time in the aquarium trade.

www.aquaculturenurseryfarms.com

 

[Tiki_Reef]

Sexy Shrimp can be fun, red head gobies, green stripe gobies, barnacle blennies can be a great personality a watchman is a great little goby as well.

 

[JoJosReef]

My 10g is fully stocked and I love it. It has:

Fish:
1 tailspot blenny (perfect fish for a 10g, really--get a barnacle off of Etsy and it'll be super happy)
1 purple exquisite firefish (also good, but a bit more skittish--very impressive when it comes out)

Inverts:
4 rock flower nems (easy) + 2 sexy shrimp that hang out on the nems
1 spotted anemone porcelain crab that likes being target fed
1 green porcelain crab that also comes right up to me during feeding time
1 pom pom-less pom pom crab
1 lettuce nudibranch eating all the ulva it wants
Lots of different snails
1 crocea clam

Corals:
Hammer + octospawn island, next to a torch on the edge of the "mainland"
Zoas/palys/cloves on another island
1 rainbow favia
1 mint potato chip pavona
1 golden plume gorgonian

Macroalgae (highly recommended):
1 brotycladia (good medium-slow grower)
1 codium (prolific, can easy cut every two weeks)
1 pom pom gracilaria hayi (medium-fast grower)
1 galaxaura (most difficult, because nuisance algae like ulva or GHA grows on the branches and smothers it)

All of this fits and is doing well. I don't do frequent water changes anymore, only on an as needed basis so I don't bottom out NO3. Just adding ~2-3mL All-For-Reef every day to keep Alk and Ca up. A 10g is a great little tank for low maintenance and high visibility of your little guys!

 

[AydenLincoln]

A clownfish or two and a shrimp could work.

 

[c0b_]

A clownfish or two and a shrimp could work.

What kind of shrimp could I add? Preferably something hardy and beginner friendly.

 

[c0b_]

Small tank like that limits you some. I think the little clown gobies are cute and fun. My tanks are too big so I’ve never had one. Fire fish could be an option, they stay pretty small. Tail spot goby, little bigger but still small.

Could probably do an emerald crab or two. Maybe a peppermint shrimp, but make sure it is truly a peppermint as other small red ones like camels will pick at corals.
I got some green lantern shrimp from Rusalty, but they are currently sold out.

Green Lantern Shrimp

Our RUSALTY Green Lantern shrimp for sale are available for the first time in the aquarium trade.

www.aquaculturenurseryfarms.com

Could I have multiple little clown gobies? If so, should I avoid keeping multiple of the same species?

 

[HankstankXXL750 Verified Sponsor]

Could I have multiple little clown gobies? If so, should I avoid keeping multiple of the same species?

I have no personal experience with them. I read some threads here on R2R and seems people say you can have ones of different types, or possibly get two and have them pair. Someone said if the pair they might Try to nest in corals and could damage them. Not sure.

 

[AydenLincoln]

What kind of shrimp could I add? Preferably something hardy and beginner friendly.

A cleaner shrimp or a sexy shrimp!

 

[reaper93]

Goby and pistol shrimp pair!

 

[Rick's Reviews]

It's a very small space to fill but maybe keep it simple, altough fish can be the size of your little fingernail... They also need to grow, same as any corals you add, they need room to grow, it will be slow in your aquarium due to weight and volume but please choose carefully on stocking, as given the right environment they will both be bigger then you expected

 

[c0b_]

It's a very small space to fill but maybe keep it simple, altough fish can be the size of your little fingernail... They also need to grow, same as any corals you add, they need room to grow, it will be slow in your aquarium due to weight and volume but please choose carefully on stocking, as given the right environment they will both be bigger then you expected

Thanks for the advice! To be honest, I have been thinking about keeping the tank fishless. As for the corals, most softies are relatively easy to propagate, right?

 

[HankstankXXL750 Verified Sponsor]

Thanks for the advice! To be honest, I have been thinking about keeping the tank fishless. As for the corals, most softies are relatively easy to propagate, right?

Yes most softies are fairly easy. I personally love the action the fish provide. And their personalities.

 

[c0b_]

A cleaner shrimp or a sexy shrimp!

Based on some quick searches, I have seen that sexy shrimps require a host, like an anemone, and will sometimes damage your corals , so I am leaning more towards the cleaner. Will the cleaner shrimp get too big for my tank? Also, do they do fine on their own or do they require a partner?

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Thanks for the advice! To be honest, I have been thinking about keeping the tank fishless. As for the corals, most softies are relatively easy to propagate, right?

Not much to propagate in that size

 

[jabberwock]

No clown fish, no crabs

 

[jabberwock]

Look at a possum wrasse

 

[HankstankXXL750 Verified Sponsor]

Based on some quick searches, I have seen that sexy shrimps require a host, like an anemone, and will sometimes damage your corals , so I am leaning more towards the cleaner. Will the cleaner shrimp get too big for my tank? Also, do they do fine on their own or do they require a partner?

One cleaner shrimp would probably be ok. But if you aren’t putting any fish in, you could get away with two I would think.
You will need to feed something like mysis or brine (frozen fine) for them to eat.

 

[JoJosReef]

Based on some quick searches, I have seen that sexy shrimps require a host, like an anemone, and will sometimes damage your corals , so I am leaning more towards the cleaner. Will the cleaner shrimp get too big for my tank? Also, do they do fine on their own or do they require a partner?

I think that a cleaner like a skunk or fire shrimp might be big for that size tank. You could go for a Pedersen cleaner shrimp. They sometimes show up on ReefCleaners or Alyssa's seahorses.

Re sexy shrimp, I've had 4 and two went rogue on my SPS (stylophora and pavona). Once I got my 4 RFAs established though, they stay put on the RFAs, and I drop some food near them to keep them in line.