setting up reef tank with clown fish need HELP

paulajo1315

paulajo1315

New Member
~~Hello to all I am new to the saltwater tank world so I have a few questions. I have had a freshwater tank now for many years so I thought I would give a saltwater tank a try. I am learning as I go. First I have a 30 gallon tank with a deep sand bed and have between 30 to35 lbs of live rock. This tank has been set up for a few months now. I have noticed the rock has some feather duster worms some purple coralline( I think) and some maroon sponges. I have a picture so if I am wrong someone please help with that I have a hang on the back filter for water movement and will be receiving a hang on the back protein skimmer on Wednesday. My levels are all good upon water testing. I have a few crabs and I believe one or two emerald that are hitchhikers. I am having trouble keeping snails but I believed that is because they fell over and died or didn't have enough food due to being a newer tank. The fish I have in the tank now are two clown fish (juvenile) but I believe they are starting to pair off. I will be receiving soon, in order to make this a reef tank 1 Pagoda Coral - Frag, 1 Aquacultured Blue Xenia, 1 Aquacultured -Blue Snowflake Polyps ( I know I have to keep an eye on because they can grow out of control) and 2 ORA Leather - Long Polyp Toadstool. I am also going to try 3 Turbo/Astrea Snail. Now is that two many snails in a 30 gallon tank or do I need more. Also what kind of fish can I place in my tank with the clown fish. I am a afraid that they may becoming territorial. I moved my live rock around to find the best way to place them for the corals, and yes they were trying to attack me so I believe they would attack fish if I placed them in the tank so some help is appreciated. Thanks to all for the help!!!! Paula



 
zoidberg01

zoidberg01

Member
Hi if your clown fish are juvenile they will fight for the title of female , you should keep a eye on them because they can get injured . You can put a dwarf Angel or cardinal (one of my favorite fish for a small tank) , one royal gramma , almost all gobies and blennies are the best I recommend , the feather dusters will be hard to take out my best way to take them out is to take all the rock out
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by zoidberg01 http:///t/397053/setting-up-reef-tank-with-clown-fish-need-help#post_3537884
Hi if your clown fish are juvenile they will fight for the title of female , you should keep a eye on them because they can get injured . You can put a dwarf Angel or cardinal (one of my favorite fish for a small tank) , one royal gramma , almost all gobies and blennies are the best I recommend , the feather dusters will be hard to take out my best way to take them out is to take all the rock out


Why remove a feather duster?

Other then wondering about the FDs, I agree with your suggestion list... But there are so many fish in the sea...




Paula Jo...Welcome to the site,

More then a skimmer, you need power heads, the wave is the life of the ocean and your SW tank...the flow from the HOB is no where near enough flow. Also your lighting will determine the type of corals you can keep.

All new fish will have to establish territory. If you are going for a reef, please, save yourself some grief, and set up a quarantine tank.

As for what type of fish...get this book


Here is an example page...click to enlarge it



This book for corals is great:




Again, here is an example page.

 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
Here's a chart to help you learn which fish are compatible: http://www.***********.com/general/compatibility_chart.cfm. If you are going to have corals, look for fish that are "reef-friendly" or "reef-compatible". There are a lot of them to choose from. Ocellaris Clownfish can grow to 4.3", which can take up a good bit of real estate in a 30 gallon. Make sure you check to see how big the future fish will get when fully grown, not what size they are when you purchase them. If all goes well, they WILL grow. Three turbo/astrea snails isn't too many snails, but you may have to supplement their diet until you have a little algae growing in the tank. That number will have to be increased as the tank becomes stocked. I have seen suggestions for one snail per gallon, but I think that's a little extreme. I would recommend a variety of snails, also. Turbo snails are good for keeping rockwork and glass clean, and Nassarius snails help keep your sand bed clean and un-compacted. Hermits are good scavengers, too. You may want to go with a smaller version, such as the Mexican Red Leg Hermit. Another good choice would be the Dwarf Zebra Hermit Crab (left-handed hermit). Neither get too big (1"), and they aren't aggressive towards snails.

Clowns can be a little aggressive when it comes to hands in the tank, and they have very sharp teeth. I had an eight year old tomato clown that would draw blood if it could land a good strike to my hand. It never bothered anything else, except for a coral beauty angel... and me.

There's a learning curve when you graduate from freshwater to saltwater, so don't be afraid to ask questions. There are lots of people who will be more than happy to share their experience and expertise.
 
paulajo1315

paulajo1315

New Member
Thanks for the advise as far as the clownfish go I was told by a LPS that deals with saltwater fish that they are dewaf clown?????

I will then also purchase a power head for water movement. I will also get more clean up crews I want to make the tank as healthy as possible and I hate experimenting it is not fair to the fish so I will as before I do Thanks for the information
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulaJo1315 http:///t/397053/setting-up-reef-tank-with-clown-fish-need-help#post_3537915
Thanks for the advise as far as the clownfish go I was told by a LPS that deals with saltwater fish that they are dewaf clown?????

I will then also purchase a power head for water movement. I will also get more clean up crews I want to make the tank as healthy as possible and I hate experimenting it is not fair to the fish so I will as before I do Thanks for the information

Hi,

Those look like regular Ocellaris clowns to me, I'm not an expert, but I never heard of dewarf clowns...which means nothing, there are lots of hybrids out there. Clowns are in the Damsel family, which explain their ornery disposition. As a rule they are a "little" more friendly to tank mates then the regular damsels.

Frankly, I wouldn't keep a fish that bites me...if you are going to have a reef, your hands will be in the tank to work on the corals...a mean little sprite of a fish will make that very hard to deal with, and the time to remove the little Sh_t, is now before you go much farther. Once you have a bunch of corals it will be hard to dismantle the tanks rock to get them out.

I have had clowns for many years (first fish added too) and to date have never been bitten by one, so it really depends on the particular fish as to aggression. Sounds like you got a mean one.
 
paulajo1315

paulajo1315

New Member
how about two they both attach me when I put my hand in the tank they are always looking for food and watch me walk up to the tank they think they can eat all the time.. I don't feed them all that much just to put that point out but they think I should
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
I'm with Flower... I've never heard of a "dwarf" clownfish. Some varieties are smaller, and some are larger... and there are plenty of varieties. Seems like there's a new version coming out every week! LOL! I bought a pair of misbar saddleback clowns the moment I laid eyes on them. Fortunately, they don't mind my hands in the tank. If both of yours are attacking now, it will be pretty dangerous to put your hands in the tank after they are fully grown. You may want to think about returning those clowns and find more peaceful fish. Everyone thinks of Nemo when they see those clowns, and they do look sweet... until you look closer and see their fangs. Not all of them use those fangs against their owners, but those that do will cause a lot of discomfort. They aren't like puppies that will outgrow the urge to chew on your fingers. Once they start, they will always attack you. It doesn't matter if you feed them before you put your hand in the tank. I think they consider your hand a threat and attack to make it go away.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegasus http:///t/397053/setting-up-reef-tank-with-clown-fish-need-help#post_3537921
I'm with Flower... I've never heard of a "dwarf" clownfish. Some varieties are smaller, and some are larger... and there are plenty of varieties. Seems like there's a new version coming out every week! LOL! I bought a pair of misbar saddleback clowns the moment I laid eyes on them. Fortunately, they don't mind my hands in the tank. If both of yours are attacking now, it will be pretty dangerous to put your hands in the tank after they are fully grown. You may want to think about returning those clowns and find more peaceful fish. Everyone thinks of Nemo when they see those clowns, and they do look sweet... until you look closer and see their fangs. Not all of them use those fangs against their owners, but those that do will cause a lot of discomfort. They aren't like puppies that will outgrow the urge to chew on your fingers. Once they start, they will always attack you. It doesn't matter if you feed them before you put your hand in the tank. I think they consider your hand a threat and attack to make it go away.

All very true...but some people do starve their fish (feeding once a week) on purpose for fear of algae. Fish are much more aggressive if they are hungry, or are a mated pair protecting their eggs.

Once a day is plenty I think, but to be honest the books say feed 3Xs a day. The fish have more to eat then what we feed them, they graze on the live rock, picking off the tiny critters they can reach and algae if they are nibblers like the tangs or dwarf angelfish..
 
paulajo1315

paulajo1315

New Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pegasus http:///t/397053/setting-up-reef-tank-with-clown-fish-need-help#post_3537921
I'm with Flower... I've never heard of a "dwarf" clownfish. Some varieties are smaller, and some are larger... and there are plenty of varieties. Seems like there's a new version coming out every week! LOL! I bought a pair of misbar saddleback clowns the moment I laid eyes on them. Fortunately, they don't mind my hands in the tank. If both of yours are attacking now, it will be pretty dangerous to put your hands in the tank after they are fully grown. You may want to think about returning those clowns and find more peaceful fish. Everyone thinks of Nemo when they see those clowns, and they do look sweet... until you look closer and see their fangs. Not all of them use those fangs against their owners, but those that do will cause a lot of discomfort. They aren't like puppies that will outgrow the urge to chew on your fingers. Once they start, they will always attack you. It doesn't matter if you feed them before you put your hand in the tank. I think they consider your hand a threat and attack to make it go away.
I feed twice a day once with fish flacks I just take two large. they each get one. then at night I give them each two small pellots of thera+a so I don't think they are starving I was wondering if they were attacking because I did a TOTAL move of the rock and found out that was the case. They left me a lone today the even ran and hid so I hope that was the reason why the attacked me the other day. fingers crossed as far as dwarf ok maybe not they should not get any bigger than 2" each.
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
You can probably feed them a little more. Feed them what they can eat in three minutes. If there is food left over after three minutes, then you've overfed. With a little practice, you will learn how much to feed.

My wife feeds like they are humans... three times a day. lol!
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulaJo1315 http:///t/397053/setting-up-reef-tank-with-clown-fish-need-help#post_3537934
I feed twice a day once with fish flacks I just take two large. they each get one. then at night I give them each two small pellots of thera+a so I don't think they are starving I was wondering if they were attacking because I did a TOTAL move of the rock and found out that was the case. They left me a lone today the even ran and hid so I hope that was the reason why the attacked me the other day. fingers crossed as far as dwarf ok maybe not they should not get any bigger than 2" each.

2.5 to 3 inches is the max size for clowns....LOL, so they don't need to be a "dwarf".

To be honest, either the LFS person is most likely full of half a$$ed information, or you misunderstood the person. Actually I can't count how many times folks come to this site and tell us what their "experts" at the fish store told them that is so far off, it's laughable. We had a thread going once on the crazy info that we got from those experts.

As a result I have a #1 rule I live by...NEVER, EVER ask any LFS for advice...not on fish, equipment or additives...ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Go into the LFS knowing what you want or need, do your homework or ask here. We are not trying to sell you anything, and if somebody gives you off information, somebody else more in the know, will chime in and prevent a disaster...it's a nice safety net to have.
 
pegasus

pegasus

Well-Known Member
So true, Flower. The folks at the LFS have one mission... to SELL. They couldn't care less if your fish dies as soon as it hits your tank. They'll just sell you more...
 
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