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Old 04-03-2006, 10:48 PM   #1
freshfish
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information about clowns


I'm just wondering how many different types of clowns can I put in my tank (110gal). And are all clowns reef safe exspecialy the black and white ones I have in mind. Please shower me with knowledge.
Thankx Chad
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Old 04-03-2006, 10:51 PM   #2
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dont mix clowns in a small tank.
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Old 04-03-2006, 10:55 PM   #3
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and yes all clowns are RS.^_^
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Old 04-03-2006, 11:12 PM   #4
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Unfortunately, I don't have time to shower knowledge at the moment (even though I have lots to say on the topic), but here are some thoughts.

Clownfish are all perfectly reef safe. They do not need anemones to live long healthy lives in captivity (they do in the wild though).

The clownfish are very hardy normally, but their host anemones are not as hardy. Only attempt a host anemone if you are already skilled and successful with corals, and even then, I'd strongly recommend only getting bubble tip anemones both because these are very hardy, and because you can get captive propagated ones (so you won't be taking one from the wild).

As far as being reef safe is concerned, you should be aware that clownfish will often settle into a soft coral (e.g. Xenia), large mushroom anemones, or large polyped stony corals and use them as surrogates for host anemones. In the case of the LPS corals, this sometimes can bother the corals, and the fish are then sort of a problem. My pair of ocellaris lives very happy in a patch of Xenia though, and the Xenia really does not seem to care one bit.

The 30 or so Clownfish species vary a lot in size and temperament. All are territorial, and prefer to live in pairs (and personally, I think it is a terrible shame to not keep them in pairs). Pairing is easy with most species – two young fish will develop into a pair, probably pretty much 100% of the time. With maroons you need to proceed differently though (you can search for my thread from a few years ago talking about forming my maroon pair).

Personally, unless your tank is really big (and I'm not certain 100 gallons is big enough), then I think it is best to have one pair per tank (so one species per tank). With ocellaris, it is said that you can keep a larger group (female, male, and some genderless younger fish of the same species), but I have not tried this.

Not sure which black and white ones you are talking about...the black ocellaris? Or Amphiprion polymnus (spelling?)....I saw a really nice one of the latter at Ocean Devotion the other day.

I would certainly not keep the larger really aggressive ones like tomato clowns with the smaller gentler species. Some of those large species can be downright vicious when they want to be (my huge female tomato attacks me and draws blood, but she leaves the tangs and rabbitfish alone).

I really would encourage you to just go with one species per tank, and to always keep them in pairs. Eventually they will almost certainly start spawning on a regular basis if they are well fed and their living conditions are to their liking (no or few stressful interactions with other fish, and pretty stable living arrangements).

I highly recommend the clownfish book by Joyce Wilkerson. It is a fantastic book that will shower you with information, and it is fun to read (it is clear that Joyce Wilkerson really likes her clownfish!) – it is probably the nicest aquarium-related book I have encountered.

I hope this helps.
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Old 04-04-2006, 12:43 AM   #5
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Chad. Are you talking about the "black and white tank raised false perculas" up at wifeys work? I would definitley get the tank raised, they do well in captivity, but if I can make a suggestions here, o-cousin-in-law of mine, you should wait untill you have all the rock, cause you really have no filtration untill you have more rock, and fish create waste, without anything to filter that waste, you are gonna end up with dead fishies, plus, I always wait at least a month before adding more fish, to give the tank time to adjust to the new biological load, adding too many to fast can cause a tank to crash. Take it for what it is worth, I will shut up now.
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Old 04-04-2006, 02:34 PM   #6
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I have a poair of saddlebacks and a pair of percs in a 6" tank. The smaller ones have been exiled from the anemones. They dont fight much unless the percs get neer the anemones
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Old 04-04-2006, 02:51 PM   #7
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I personally just like to play it safe and decide on my favorite clowns and only keep one pair per tank.....
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Old 04-04-2006, 04:07 PM   #8
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Most experienced enthusiats will say do NOT mix different clowns. Inevitably, there are some who have done it with some success. More often the success is associated with larger systems and/or introduction into the tank at the same time where neither fish has established territory to protect. These exceptions may or may not last - just because they get along this week does not guarantee next week will go as smooth.

IMHO, do not mix different types of clowns. Pick your favorite and go with that.

Ryan.
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black ocellaris , bubble tip anemone , false perc , false perculas , host anemone , joyce wilkerson , lps coral , mushroom anemones , polyped stony corals , stony coral , stony corals , tomato clown , tomato clowns



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