Just starting to collect clown fish

psoup

Member
I've been collecting fish for 5 years, but ive never had a chance to by a clown fish. Just for this, I have bought a 80-gallon aquium for them, and I'm not sure what to get for them(decor, plants, ect.) Please help!:confused:
 

ross

Active Member
With the proper set up, you could keep a few anemones for them. For decor, just use live rock.
 

viper_930

Active Member
Lighting for the anemones would cost $400 plus, depending on what setup you want. Also, generally it isn't a good idea to have more than 2 clowns in a tank or else when they mature they might fight. In some cases, 2+ pairs of clowns have benn able to live peacefully in the same tank, but you just gotta watch out if they start fighting.
 

thegrog

Active Member

Originally posted by psoup
What about about one or two royal gramma. Would they get along with clown fish?

I think they would get along just fine.
For tank decoration, go with plenty of live rock and perhaps some soft corals if you dont' want to invest in the lighting for an anemone. Some clowns will host in soft corals (green star polyps especially).
I agree with the previous statements on having multiple clowns. An 80-gal system is borderline for having 2 pairs of clowns. I wouldn't push it though.
 

psoup

Member
Even though anemones aren't required for clowns, what would you recocomend for them (i have anemones in my 2 other aquiriums)
 

salty chee

Member

Originally posted by psoup
Even though anemones aren't required for clowns, what would you recocomend for them (i have anemones in my 2 other aquiriums)

Flordia pink tip is a very good anemonie for clownfish.
 

viper_930

Active Member
Those types of anemones (Condy anemones) are not natural hosts to clownfish, therefore may not even host a clownfish in an aquarium sometimes. Condy anemones are from the Atlantic Ocean, and clownfish are from the Pacific.
 

viper_930

Active Member

Originally posted by salty chee
what about bubbles?

BTA's are from the Pacific, but do not live in the same regions as every species of clownfish. Many clowns would take a BTA as a host though.
 

sula

Member

Originally posted by psoup
Even though anemones aren't required for clowns, what would you recocomend for them (i have anemones in my 2 other aquiriums)

What type of anemone do you have in your other tanks?
 

broncofish

Active Member
Wow this whole thread isweird. You say you have a carpet but ask about decor, and plants....you also refer to fish as collecting. This disturbs me a little. If you do have a carpet you should know that there are very few "plants" that are kept in SWF, and almost nobody keeps decor in their tanks. I could be greatly mistaken, you could be providing an excellent home for a carpet(just wondering, what size tank you do have that in though), in which case you just have not been an avid keeper of SWF, and are new to the reef thing. So if that is the case I apologize.
Few other things that bothered me from this post...uh you can have very nice lighting over an 80g for far less than 400, if i were hazard a guess I would say half that price.
Also there are a bunch of different clowns, sabea, marrons, true perc, false perc, skunks, clarkii, tomatoe etc....Take a look at some pictures see what ones are visually apealing to you. Also Royal gramma's are not usually kept in pairs..at least not for very long.
If you are really looking for a host for clowns there are a ton of alternatives to anemones, I had percs host in a field of xenia's in my tank.(hopefully I can attach a picture for you)
 

babs

Member
can you please give us more ideas on a host for clowns. I have 2 percula and would love a host, don''t have luck with anemonies.
thanks
B
 

thegrog

Active Member
Originally Posted by babs
can you please give us more ideas on a host for clowns. I have 2 percula and would love a host, don''t have luck with anemonies.
thanks
B
Unfortunately many captive bred perculas will never host in anything. Nobody knows why exactly. I have seen them host in green star polyps, anthelias, mushrooms as well as anemones. The pair in my reef tank completely ignore all corals and my anemone. They seem to host more in my HOT filter outlet at night than any invert. However, I have a pair of Onyx clowns that are in a temp tank (breeding tank setup not finished yet) with a artificial anemone and they seem to be hosting in that!!!
They are called Clownfish for more than one reason, nobody knows what funny things they will do! That is why I love them!
 

wwfstyle

Member
Recently I bought a BTA and a LTA for my 75 and the clowns (2 Clarki's) LOVE them both. Before I got them they mostly hung around my Green Hairy Mushrooms. Shrooms are very hardy and multiply quickly tho! But the shrooms gives a very nice back ground look in the tank and they are cheap and dont really need to feed them. No need for special lights as I had mine under 2 48" atinics till I got my 175 15k MH up and going.
Broncofish you said something about $400 doesn't sound right for lights and your quess is half? Your MH bulbs alone will cover 75% of your cost alone around $140 - $200 depending on brand. Your VHO at least 2 bulbs are roughly $30 a peice. Now wanna get into the ballast that adds up quickly. Not picking on you I was just thinking that you where only thinking of one and not the other when it comes to setting up your light system.
 
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