stupid question?

[AquaPsycho]

is a reef tank the same as a saltwater tank? I wanted to start a reef tank? mostly I want to keep some anemones but I also think clown fish are really cool. Could I do this in a 10 gallon or would that be too small? What is required?

[Ovrclckd]

There are three basic forms of saltwater tank:

Fish Only - Pretty much a freshwater tank, except it has saltwater, and the decorations are different, like sand instead of gravel. Nitrates generally are high, but that is not a problem.

Fish Only With Live Rock - Like Fish Only tank, but with caves and stuff formed out of live rock, which is porous rock and dead coral from a reef that has broken off. Its an excellent source of bacteria, with lots of area for the bacteria to live, as well as home to some inverts found naturally on and in live rock.

A reef tank is a tank with live rock, but instead of having lots of fish, there may be a couple, but now corals and other inverts (clams, crabs, snails) live in the tank. It requires time, lots of money, and a lot of patience to do. Nitrates generally have to be kept at a minimum, and the tanks need a lot of light (5 to 10 watts a gallon). There are "nanoreefs", but a beginner to salt should never start there. If you have a 10 gallon, you can start by buying a couple books about marine fish and equipment, then set the tank up as a fish only with live rock (the live rock is the bio filter), a few powerheads, maybe a pair of ocellaris or percula clownfish, and some hardy mobile inverts (some shrimp, snails, crabs etc.), until you gain some experience.

The condylactis anemone is about the hardiest (and cheapest) anemone you can get, they still need great water and good lighting tho, and clownfish rarely, if ever, take to them. The ones clownfish do take to are very difficult to keep for a beginner, and you will most likely kill it. So i say no anemones for now, just some live rock, one or two clownfish, and a few inverts until you build up significant experience.

[dattack]

Be prepare to spend over hundreds and thousands of dollars for a nice reef tank.  

[Matt Nace]

I spent about $1000 on starting my reef tank years ago. Live rocks, lighting were the two big ones.

I had really no expierence, and the first time got lucky.

I had it cycle for 4 monthes with only uncured live rock(they had to order it back then, and there was a die off in the tank you had to go through) Some very strange, and neat things came out of that rock!.

I had only 2 fish in that tank( a 29 gallon)A mandarin goby, and Royal gramma(fairy basslet). I had 2 bubble corals, an elagence coral, a brain sp coral, couple other corals, feather dusters, turbo snails, pencil and normal urchins, brittle stars, red star fish, banded shrimp, cleaner shrimp, horseshoe crab, many other little things.
All things are pretty expensive, but worth it.

An expierence that really is rewarding, but needs a lot of attention , care, research, and money.