[mtnreefer]

Does anyone know if a tomato clown and a mandarin would be okay in a 55 gal tank together, or would it just depend on the particular fish.
And also, my tomato clown seems a little shy, I'm wondering if it will come out into midwater or stay back in the rocks forever? I really hoped it would be a little more visible than it is.
What anemone do they host best with? I heard bubble tips, but I'm not sure that I can keep an anemone alive. Am also not sure which anemones are easy or hard to upkeep. Thanks for the input....

 

[ylmaya]

My tomato used to be a bit shy but now he is almost a finger nipper! I have it in a 12G nano but I am about to move him into the 65 when it has cycled. The tomato really likes any medium length brownish anemone I put in the tank. (Bubble tip is best) but the problem is that I could never get an anemone to live more than 6 months. That may be because I had not so great lighting and being a 12G nano it was hard to keep good water parameters constant. I will try again in the bigger tank. However from what I have read on TRT - anemones are just hard to keep period! Some people are luckier than othersl.........I bet that if you can find one that is "tank bread" from one that has split it will help.....good luck!

 

[Doug1]

Clowns DOn't NEED ANEMONES to be happy. IF they are inclined to host they can get really creative at times. Most of the natural Host anemones don't do well enough empiracly to recommend purchasing them. Well intentioned rescues from LFS only perpetrate the harvest which has way to dim a success rate to justify

 

[thefatman]

my cinnamon clown (tomato but darker) is not shy at all, he is always in the water column, and takes food directly from my hand, as do all my fish.

he also found a perfectly good host, after my anemone died within 3 days. so, what's it hosting with?........ my powerhead!!!!

each night after lights off, the clown swims to the top of the tank, and parks himself, on his side, as if dead, right between the PH and the side glass. hestays there till morning, then comes on out at lights on!

he also defends the ph during the day if another fish goes near it :funny: but, i havent caught him feeding it yet

i'm not sure that a mandarin would be goodfor a 55? i know people have kept them in smaller tnaks, but it needs to be well established, preferably 1 year or more and lots of pods, before introducing the mandarin.

 

[Jimmer]

FYIW, I have a 55. I had a Mandy a couple yrs ago and I had a HUGE pod population when I got him. He ate 'em all up in 6-8 months the little pig. Unfortunatly he croaked when the food ran out.

I'm planning on getting another Mandy AFTER I reestablish the pod population by reseeding my new sand bed with pods as well as adding a refugium where I can get them to reproduce and not get gobbled up by that kewl looking pig.