my 10gallon tank thus far

[pandafishowner]

I haven't had my tank too long, about a month or so now I'm thinking. Have a 10 gallon tank, crushed coral base. Started with 1 snail and 1 big (one inch) crab at first. Then borrowed a sand sifting starfish from a friend, and got 10 more crabs. Also have two pieces of live rock (about a pound each) and a snake polyp.

The inside of the tank looks super clean, can't see anything on the inside building up yet. Planning on getting a few more snails and a cleaner shrimp on payday.

I have a panda clown (saddleback), and was wondering, could I put in another clown? Maybe a perc or another panda? I'm planning on getting a neon goby. Looked too adorable not to. Also want to get more polyps or a mushroom.

Ideas?

[Bob I]

If you try to put another clown in a 10 gallon tank, you would probably have a war on your hands. Neon Gobies are nice, but after paying $39.95 for one, it disappeard after a week.

[Beverly]

Depending on the size of the sand sifting starfish, it might be too large for a 10g and might end up starving. Have no direct experience with them, though. Maybe someone else might chime in here on this topic.

[Bob I]

Well I do have experience with them. They are usually three or four inches across, so would be too big for a 10 Gallon tank. Not only that, but they live on things in a sandbed. The sandbed being only a month old, it would not have much life, so yes, it would most likely starve.

[pandafishowner]

Sorry, my bad, I keep forgetting stuff. For the most part, the coral came out of my friend J's 55 gallon tank and he has a sand sifter right now himself. The coral had a lot of waste, needed bacterias and stuff in it. The people at both Golds and Big Als aquariums in Calgary said they're fine. The one I have is barely 2 inches across right now, and it's gimpy. Only has 2 actual legs and 3 stumped ones. Guess it's growing? Took a look tonight at some Goby's at Big Al's in the SW of Calgary, and the people there suggested getting some snails and they suggested getting a scooter benny or a goby for a cleaning crew, and a shrimp in a few weeks.

[Bob I]

Scooter Blennies are in the same family as Mandarins and therefore the same feeding requirements. IOW live pods. A 10 gallon tank can't possibly hold enough live rock to sustain a Scooter Blenny, so I would advise against that.

[pandafishowner]

Originally Posted by Bob_I

Scooter Blennies are in the same family as Mandarins and therefore the same feeding requirements. IOW live pods. A 10 gallon tank can't possibly hold enough live rock to sustain a Scooter Blenny, so I would advise against that.

Could you suggest a fish that can easily sustain itself then? What about the goby? Our clown seems to only like one of the foods (mysis) and lets the other stuff sink, so there's currently some build up of sunken food at the bottom.

[Beverly]

If your clown only eats the mysis, then only feed mysis to prevent unwanted food sitting at the bottom of the tank.