pajama cardinal tank

I set up a random ten gallon tank because i was itching to do another its about 2 months old and am just wondering. i am using an old marineland 280 filter that i removed all media from, added a two inch sand bed to the filter and about 2 lbs of rubble rock on top to make a mini sump. my question i dont have room for a refugium can i just add chaeto to the tank? i'll keep it trimmed but wouldn't mind it growing?

Secondly i have a spare 65 gallon protein skimmer coralife, and when i hook it up the return on it is so powerful blasts the whole aquarium. my question is do i really need the skimmer or would i be able to make a successful tank for pajama cardinals using this method. any input or help is appreciated

 

i think 10 is too small for them. but personally i dont run a skimmer in my nano, and i just threw some chaeto in it.

 

i was thinking that too, but after talking with the person at the store and another hobbyist there they said since the cardinals would be the only ones in there that the size shouldn't be a problem, tank is 20 inches wide so they thought with enough hiding spaces they should be fine, i was hoping for the no skimmer. from what i read about them they arent too aggressive swimmers and only other thing i may add is an urchin for them but unsure yet.

 

How many? They don't swim a lot, but I wouldn't put more than 2 fish of that size in a 10 gallon, and I wouldn't do it without a skimmer. They get pretty big for a 10 gallon.

 

2. hmm would you say the 65g is overkill for the ten? i could get a small hang on one.

 

well i had 2 clowns in my 8 without a skimmer and they did fine. just to be safe, i'd go with a smaller skimmer.

 

They don't move much, but they get pretty big. I probably wouldn't do it. Also, from what I understand, they don't always do great with tons of flow. if you put cheato in the tank, it might take over and honestly, I don't think you need it or the protein skimmer though. A 2g water change a week would be 20%, 3, 30% ect... IMO, there is just no benefit in a tank that small, but it could cause headaches. You could do some macro algae, other than cheato, if you like the look of a planted tank., but it isn't needed for filtration. In a 10g, I think if you slack with the cheato, you could suddenly find your fish have no room to swim