I'm aware that percula's arent the best fit for a pico, but how long would a juvenile be able to stay healthy as the only fish in a 5gal that has plenty of room to swim before moving to a larger tank? Thanks for your input.

Wouldn't it be better to have a fish that could stay in the tank until adulthood and wait until you set up a larger tank for the clown?

It's hard to say when/if a percula would outgrow a 5 gallon, but people have kept them in ~8+ gallon tanks before.

imagine yourself on a 250 SQ Feet apartment, How long would you be comfy there?

I have seen some one keep 2 clowns in a 10 gal successfully for over 1 year. This isnt recommended but people do it and some are successful with it. I would say, if you already purchased the fish, to keep an eye on it monitor it closely and if it shows signs of stress have a friend babysit until you get set up! But thats just my opinion!

I haven't purchased it. I was seeing if it was feesable for 6 months to a year, when i move into a bigger place and have the room for a larger tank.

I kept a tiny percula in a 5 gallon for two semesters in college. He was the only thing in the tank (other than some live rock) during that entire time. So figure from about September until May. By the end of that time frame he had clearly outgrown that tank and I really felt bad for him (but I was moving in less than a month, so it didn't make sense to immediately get a bigger tank). Once the second semester was done and I moved to a more permanent residence, I threw him into a 58 gallon.

If I had to do it all over again I would have either just bought the bigger tank in the first place or waited until I moved out of the dorms.

If you are going to throw him into a bigger tank later anyway, then you may as well wait until you have the bigger tank. It'll be better for the fish and better for your wallet (in case he dies or something).

Besides, Percula's shouldn't be that hard to find in a couple of months

Thats very true, and since you havent bought the fish then why risk it.
just wait it out and maybe by then you will find a better deal or nicer fish.

A 5 gal tank is too small for any type of fish period. Sorry.

I beg to differ. There are plenty of small fish that would work

@ the OP-have you checked out lgreen's fish guide?
I had a baby perc in a 2.5 gallon for about a month. She seemed to do fine, although she's definitely happier in the ten gallon. I'd say it would depend on how much LR you put in, if you did a really low-profile rockwork and got a really small perc, I'd say it'd be okay for a few months. But it really comes down to what you're comfortable with.

Yeah, I've read her post. Very good. I am assuming the info provided is for adult fish, so I figured I'd get some opinions.

I would never have even thought of a clown in a pico until I saw one at my LFS. It was in a JBJ 3 gal. I asked how long they had it set up like that with the clown in there, and they said about a year. Outwardly, the fish looked healthy (no visible fin problem and normal breathing), and they fed it for me, which it took very well. This threw me for a loop, since I've always read they need at least a 7 gal.

Rent free and dinner delivered daily?

75 years.

my opinion is to never get a fish with the intention of getting a bigger tank for it down the road because you never know what can happen between now and when the fish needs a bigger tank. you may not be able to get a larger tank when the fish outgrows the 5g

A fish that doesn't show a sign of illness doesn't mean it is happy. To me, a 5 gal tank is too small for any fish regardless it's size. Fish needs room to swimming around.

I've seen tangs in a 20g or a 30g tank for yrs without getting sick. And those tangs will never grow to the size they suppose to be. So you see a lot stunt fish in small tanks.

I bet money you won't see fully grown (3"+) clownfish in a 5g tank. Big eyes with small body, it's going to be an eye sore.

IMO I think a clown needs a bigger tank than 10g. My girlfriend wants a clown in the 5.5 PICO that I just built, I'm still trying to talk her out of it.

I've decided against getting a clown for this small of a tank, but is the issue that the tank is too small for the size of the fish, the bioload produced by a clown is too much to handle for the amount of biological filtration in a small tank, or a combination of both?

Whether the tank would be able to handle the bioload of a clownfish is depend on other factors such as tank set up, equipment, feeding amount/frequency and tank maintenance schedule.

I would say the tank size is more of an issue in this case. Your 5g is perfect for some corals, small species of invert (i.e., sexy shrimps.. etc)

Its a combination of both, but like 32Bit_Fish said, assuming you do proper and regular maintenance, then the tank size is definately the overriding issue.

don't do it. get a shrimpy instead !

I personally think you could easily do a goby if you wanted. Especially if you doing weekly[at least] water changes.

sorry I forgot there's people who do like to live like that

some people call them 40 years old virgins

j/k