Clown fish and Dragonets

[moorea2]

Hello All!
Tomorrow I will be testing my new system with tap water (again). Assuming all goes well this time I will then be moving on to filling it with RO/DI. It is 120 gallon with 75 gallon sump/fuge below. The fuge is 36 gallons. The fuge will have roughly 1/2 lb of cheato, a little bit of live rock and 4.5 inch live sand bed. There will be roughly 200 lbs of live rock and a 1 inch live sand bed in the display. The place I am getting the cheato from sells the cheato in kits 1 comes with Copepods and the other with Amphipods, I am buying one of each kit. I also have an EV120 skimmer in the sump.
I intend on waiting several months after the cycle before I add fish but I have been researching what I want while I wait.
If I had my way I'd stock the tank with 2 of every type of clownfish and a bunch of Green & Spotted Mandarin Dragonets.
As far as the clownfish go I know rule of thumb is only one mated pair unless you have a really big tank. Is 120 big enough to add a second mated pair. If so what two pairs could be mixed together. (I especially like the true Percula Clowns and The Black and White Percula Clowns)
How many of the above Dragonets can be added. Should I add just one of the above, one of each or can I add a couple of each? Will they get along with eachother and the 1 or 2 pairs of clowns.
I also read that before adding the dragonets the tank should be established for a year. Will I have to wait that long if I am kick stating the fuge by adding the different pods or will this cut down the time.
Finally can anybody suggest fish that will go well with clown and dragonets? Eventually I will be adding coral and 1 or 2 anonomes.
Thanks!

 

[unleashed]

as a rule of thumb it is true one pair of clowns if you try to add another your chances of fighting is very high I have a 300 gal tank and would not put another set of clowns in.as far as dragonettes im not very familiar with those fish at all to say what is good with them.with anenomes only one per tank is recommended if you place more than one in the tank they will release toxins into the tank to rid themself of the other (chemical warfare)this could be a very slow to quick proccess but none the less inevidable that one will be killed by the other.I did have the odd luck however to house 3 maroon clowns in one anenome for a while with no problems untill my lion sucked one out lol.but i wont add another i know I just got lucky for a short ime

 

[moorea2]

will a black and white perc pair with a regular perc???

 

[moorea2]

I thought I read that with "a big enough tank" and good water and the right lighting that you could have 2 anonomes in 1 tank.
The big question is what do people mean when they say "a big enough tank!"

 

[unleashed]

Originally Posted by moorea2
I thought I read that with "a big enough tank" and good water and the right lighting that you could have 2 anonomes in 1 tank.
The big question is what do people mean when they say "a big enough tank!"
exactly I have a 300 gal and i wouldnt trust it before I knew about mixing anenomes I have attempted it in different size tanks 120 being one of them also had a 65 gal sump and my LTA still didnt make it past a couple months my sebae almost didnt make it but i had to nurse it back to health.I had no clue why i couldnt keep them I also added some new LR from a freinds tank which included a very small BTA it didnt last more than a month in my tank.they were kept 7 ft apart with plenty of lighting

 

[moorea2]

How could anyone choose just one, they are all so beautiful!!!! So does this mean when one splits one is removed from the tank?
What about the black and white perc and the regular perc are they actually two different species or will a pair get along!
When you say mixing anonomes does this mean you can keep two of the same species?

 

[unleashed]

Originally Posted by moorea2
How could anyone choose just one, they are all so beautiful!!!! So does this mean when one splits one is removed from the tank?
What about the black and white perc and the regular perc are they actually two different species or will a pair get along!
When you say mixing anonomes does this mean you can keep two of the same species?
if the anenome splits hmmm thats a good question.one would assume if its a split from a single anenome it shouldnt be a problem due to its reproduction proccess.keeping its species thriving.in all the readings ive done about mixing i do assume they mean species.but they have never had that quaestion show up for me to read on that one.as far as the clowns go pairing of a clown is normal but clowns are also damsels and become very aggressive towards other damsels and keepinmg them to their own side may prove to be imposible to acheive.some people have acheived the impossible for some time in their tanks but its not a recomended by most.if atempted just be aware that this mixture could result in fatalities and get ready for a lot of i told you so's lol

 

[moorea2]

Dont want any "I told you so's" that is why I am doing my reseach now. As much as I'd like to stock the tank with a bunch of clowns if it isn't a good idea then I wont.
I just figued seeing as the black and white perc and the regular perc were both percs they might be able to be a pair. If not I will just choose one or the other.
Hopefully someone will hop on the thread and answer the unanswered anonome question and some of the dragonet questions!

 

[unleashed]

if like send me an email at lyndog13@aol.com ill send you a couple links to research this further .forums rules prohibit me from posting these link here

 

[moorea2]

I hate to beat this topic into the ground but I was just reading the description of the black and white perc and the Percula Clown in the shopping section of the website and for both they it says:
"The Percula is a very popular fish and will get along with other Clownfish in the same aquarium"
" More than one can be kept in the same aquarium and they prefer to be kept in groups. "
It says this for the tank raised varieties.
I have always trusted SWF to be a reliable source of info so what am I missing here.

 

[unleashed]

fish compatabilty charts to find aswers about your dragonettes and anenome questions answered .answers not found by SFS.com information I have used from these links that have kept my fish alive for over 4 yrs just thought you might like to do some of your own reading.thats how i find the answers

 

[promisetbg]

I would recommend 1 pair of clowns. Yes a black and white can pair w/ a regular Oscellaris clown. Not a true percula. Do not mix species of anemones in one system,they can war without touching. An anemone that splits is fine...often staying in clumps together...resembling one huge anemone.Anemones,like dragonets...should not go into a new tank. One male dragonet only. You can have several females...they may spat a little just before lights out. I would suggest one pair..I think watching them be close with each other is awesome.Plus putting more than a pair in that tank will tax the pod population..perhaps at the risk of starving all of them. I would recommend that you wait for the tank to mature...and that does'nt mean it has finished cycling...I would give it at least 8-10 months.

 

[dvst8r]

you would only want to add 1 dragonette as there main source of food is pods i understand that you will have a lot of live rock and a nice sump those are the 2 essential to keeping a mandarin alive however if you put 2 in that size tank they will compete for food and probably starve each other off

 

[boalgf]

You can do more than one dragonet, if you keep the pod population high.

 

[crox]

I won't put more than 2 dragonets (male and female) otherwise they will fight and in a 125 food will be very scarce.

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by boalgf
You can do more than one dragonet, if you keep the pod population high.
but if you have two males they will fight

 

[boalgf]

I meant you could do 2. (male/Female)

 

[thomas712]

I would also suggest only one pair of clowns, even in a 120 gallon tank. I might however suggest that the refugium (like mine) be setup in such a way that it is also showing. My 55 gallon refugium is setup behind my 90, just an inch or two lower than the main display. This way the entire system can be viewed all around. I can keep a pair of different clowns in each tank. I keep a smaller sump below that they both drain into.
I do keep a couple of fish in the fuge now, just a couple of blue reef chromis. In this way it gives the fuge some good ole poo for pods.
Thomas

 

[moorea2]

Thanks All for the replys!
Thomas I would love to display my fuge, but the glass is all scratched, the plumbing isn't pretty and with two cats, A 200 lbs English Mastiff (who is tall enough to drink from the kitchen sink if he wanted to) and a new puppy I fear it would end up drinking water! Not mention the dirty little fingers of 4 and 8 year old children!
So, I will be reading spegs thread on dragonets to figure out how I can tell the difference between a male and female! Bet its not as simple as getting them to lift there leg for you!

https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=176307
As far the clowns go I will have only one pair

I am still unsure about a few things:
1.) Can I have one Black & White Percula Clown & one Percula Clown?
2.) Still a little confused about the anonome thing. Can you have more then 1 of the same species? I understand that if they split it is OK - but can you place two seperate anonomes of the same species in the tank. If so can you have a blue and a green carpet or can it only be two greens?
3.) As stated earlier I am adding 200 lbs of live rock and kick starting the system by adding two varieties of pods. How does someone make sure that their pod population is growing? Is simply having a healthy tank enough or is there more I should be doing to get them to bread well.
4.) For the pair of dragonets can I mix a green and a spotted
For the clowns I chose are carpets the best choice?
I was reading that the dragonets have a very thick slime coat - do they ever venture into an anonome?
Can people suggest what other fish will fit into the community I am building.
Finally, Is 200 lbs of live rock going to look to crowded in my tank?
45 lbs premium figi
88 lbs Tonga Kaelini
65 lbs Buna Branch
(actually comes to 198!)
Thanks for everyones time, I know there are a bunch of questions here, but for me the only way to practice patience is to talk about the project and plan while I'm waiting... Just think right now I am only waiting for some silicone to dry, so much waiting to come!
Good news is my silicone cured last night

Thought I'd give it an extra day to be safe tonight we do our tap water test run (again)

 

[jerthunter]

Originally Posted by moorea2
Thanks All for the replys!
Thomas I would love to display my fuge, but the glass is all scratched, the plumbing isn't pretty and with two cats, A 200 lbs English Mastiff (who is tall enough to drink from the kitchen sink if he wanted to) and a new puppy I fear it would end up drinking water! Not mention the dirty little fingers of 4 and 8 year old children!
So, I will be reading spegs thread on dragonets to figure out how I can tell the difference between a male and female! Bet its not as simple as getting them to lift there leg for you!

https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/showthread.php?t=176307
As far the clowns go I will have only one pair

I am still unsure about a few things:
1.) Can I have one Black & White Percula Clown & one Percula Clown?
2.) Still a little confused about the anonome thing. Can you have more then 1 of the same species? I understand that if they split it is OK - but can you place two seperate anonomes of the same species in the tank. If so can you have a blue and a green carpet or can it only be two greens?
3.) As stated earlier I am adding 200 lbs of live rock and kick starting the system by adding two varieties of pods. How does someone make sure that their pod population is growing? Is simply having a healthy tank enough or is there more I should be doing to get them to bread well.
4.) For the pair of dragonets can I mix a green and a spotted
For the clowns I chose are carpets the best choice?
I was reading that the dragonets have a very thick slime coat - do they ever venture into an anonome?
Can people suggest what other fish will fit into the community I am building.
Finally, Is 200 lbs of live rock going to look to crowded in my tank?
45 lbs premium figi
88 lbs Tonga Kaelini
65 lbs Buna Branch
(actually comes to 198!)
Thanks for everyones time, I know there are a bunch of questions here, but for me the only way to practice patience is to talk about the project and plan while I'm waiting... Just think right now I am only waiting for some silicone to dry, so much waiting to come!
Good news is my silicone cured last night

Thought I'd give it an extra day to be safe tonight we do our tap water test run (again)
With the amount of live rock you have and the fact that you are having macro algae in your refrugium you should have plenty of food for multiple dragonets in my opinion. As long as you have a place for the pods to reproduce you should have no problem maintaining your pod population. As was already mentioned make sure you only have 1 male dragonet.