ClownFish HELP!

torontofishlove

New Member
Hi Guys,
I am a high school student looking to set up a tank.
I have had numerous freshwater tanks, but this is my first saltwater tank.
So, I am hiring somebody to setup my tank, and it is turning out to be quite expensive!
Currently, I am getting a 40 gallon tank with live rock (and all the needed materials).
I am currently finding out that I will not be able to keep a lot of fish in my tank.
My question is: Could I keep like 8 clownfish (of the same species) in the tank? And only clownfish, no other fish?
Also, do you have to take the fry out of the tank for them to hatch?
How many clownfish can I keep in the tank?
If the clownfish idea does not work, and ideas on stocking a 40 gallon tank?
TorontoFishLover
 

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you can only keep two clowns in a small tank. Even if they are the same species, as they grow they will start to fight as they have sex differentiation. One will become female and the smaller ones will remain male - and then there may be another dominate female on the rise - which eventually causes aggression - and a lot of males together as adults won't work either - a bunch of males will typically render one dominate female. (Clownfish change sex as needed, they are all born male.)
If you are looking to breed clownfish, I suggest getting a 20g tank with some ceramic pieces or slate on the side of the tank with some substrate and a sump with a very good filtration system - because you will have to feed them very well and get them comfortable for them to start breeding. Once they spawn on the tile/slate you do have to take them out and put them in a larval rearing chamber - typically a blacked out 10g tank. You will have to have live rotifer and phytoplankton cultures at first and then later on you will have to have the capacity to hatch live baby brine shrimp and then enrich them at one point. If any survive past metamorphosis, you will most likely have a good batch of clownfish. But, keep in mind that it is easier to talk about it - and read about it then actually doing it.
Once they go through metamorphosis, you will need to transfer them again into an established grow-out system so that you can feed them well in there until they are of a salable size. Now, if you raise thirty or fourty in one batch and they are young and have not established dominance yet - yes, you can keep more than two per tank.
Clownfish wholesale go between $4 and $6 for a true perc - and sometimes a lot more for some of the designer clownfish - but I'm sure there are breeding limitations on designer clowns.
Get yourself a 20g "breeding" tank for your two breeding/broodstock clowns, three 10g aquariums - one for a sump for the 20g and two for larval rearing systems, a photosynthesis/rotifer/BBS culture station and use your current 40g breeder tank as the growout system. Then you will have what you are looking for. :D
 
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