Clownfish Biotope - are there any guides?

[Friendly]

I'm going to get the LED BioCube 32 and want to set up a Clownfish biotope and looking for any information or guides on all the minute considerations that need to be made.

 

 

[RIP Sebastian]

I'm going to get the LED BioCube 32 and want to set up a Clownfish biotope and looking for any information or guides on all the minute considerations that need to be made.

 

 

 

Hi there,

 

I like to think of myself as the resident "clown nut" on here, so I hope I can help you. I can see you're semi-new here on N-R, so, !

 

I'm slightly confused when you use the word "biotope"- I know it means a replica of a specific environment, but that means different things to different people. Here's some general info:

 

When clowns are born, they are gender neutral-they aren't male or female. In a harem (large group of clownfish) the most dominant fish becomes a female. The second most dominant fish becomes a male. Then a pecking order is established among the remaining gender neutral fish.

 

That way, if the female dies, the male becomes the female, and the most dominant gender neutral becomes the male.

 

Note that for clownfish, changing gender is a one-way street. Once they become male or female, the fish cannot return to its gender neutral state.

 

When kept without any other clownfish, a clown may choose to change into a female. It's not guaranteed to happen, but it's a common occurrence. My Onyx Percula has begun her transition.

 

Sexing clownfish is relatively easy. If there is a clownfish that is 6 months old and has been kept without any other clowns, it's probably a female. If you have 2 clowns, the larger one is the female. Males typically don't get larger than 1.5 inches. Females have been known to grow to greater than 4 inches. In a harem, the male is the second largest. The rest are gender neutral.

 

THE FEMALES WILL BITE. They're very protective of their territory. When they bite, lightly flick them. It'll stop them.

 

You're probably thinking "Get On With It!!" but I honestly just wanted to help. I'll answer your question now.

 

 

 

So, in the ocean, clowns live in harems. It is hard to replicate this behavior in aquariums because of the large quantity of clownfish needed and the fact that they have a high bioload (they poop a lot). If you only get three, four, or five clowns, there will be a dominant pair that will kill the others. Most people, for a decent harem, get 20 or thirty. Also, to help minimize aggression, A LOT of food needs to be literally dumped into the tank multiple times a day. This ensures that everyone gets to eat.

 

Because of the aforementioned reasons, harems require a large tank with overkill filtration. Commonly, harems are done in large tanks; i.e. 100+ gallons. I've seen one person do it in a sixty cube, but that was a seasoned reefer who had it plumbed into his 400 gallon system.

 

However, if you mean two clowns with a crap ton of anemones, that can be done.

 

Anemones require intense light and pristine water. They don't necessarily need to be fed, but they don't mind it every other week or so. If you do feed them, give them a single mysis shrimp. BTAs really love to bury their feet, so porous rock (like Pukani) is a good idea. Cover all pump intakes and outakes or the anemone might get shredded. Mine almost went through the overflow of my tank.

 

In your 32, you'd have to scrap the lights they come with. They're not good for much more than softies. You'll need some beefy filtration, too. I would recommend going with a Red Sea Reefer Nano or 170, just because you can choose the light, it comes with plumbing and sump, a cabinet, and an ATO. It also doesn't have that annoying hood.

 

I'd recommend a Nanobox, Prime HD, Kessil 160, or Radion for lighting. A Vortech for flow is great, nem's love flow, plus they come with a sponge to cover the pump with!

 

As you can tell, I don't recommend a harem in your 32. AT ALL. So, just get a pair of clowns and a bunch of anemones. Make sure to wait to add nems for at least 6+ months to be sure your tank is mature.

 

Here are some good clown links:

 

27 Clowns 27 Months: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1259398

BRStV 120 Clown Harem Playlist:

Melevsreef BTA Video

Melevsreef Anemone Cube Article: http://www.melevsreef.com/60g-anemone-cube

Vivid Aquariums Guide to Buying Anemones:

Which Clowns Host Which Anemones: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2375473

RC Clown and Anemone Section: http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=36

 

Hope I helped and good luck! If you have any questions, shoot me a PM!

 

Nick

[Friendly]

hello Seb, what you just shared with me is very much the info I was looking for, so thank you!

 

I only intend to have 2 clownfish, so the harem thought is moot.

 

will clownfish bond with more than one anemone?

 

as for the lights, Central Aquatics has three LED 32's running with one of each type of coral, softies, LPS and SPS. all have been operating successfully for over a year now. but yes, the light may need an upgrade at a later date. if so, I'd probably look at the options from Dave where I'd still be able to use the built-in timer/controller for the lighting in the 32's hood.

 

do you think it would be safe to have a watchman goby w/pistol shrimp companion with the clown's?

[Clown79]

Seb provided awesome info on clownfish.

 

 

When picking two clowns, always choose one that is larger than the other, this reduces aggression issues.

 

There is no guarantee that clowns will host an anemone. Many have anemones and have found their clowns won't go near it. My clowns host a frogspawn.

 

Do lots of research on anemones. The clowns are easy.

 

I've had clowns with a yellow watchman without issue but each fish is different.

 

you could add the watchman before the clowns because whens clowns pair off, the female becomes very territorial and adding it after the clowns could lead to issues.

 

My clown was super friendly with inverts, blenny, me until the blenny died. I chose to get another clown. They were great together but she is now VERY territorial with everything, including me.

[RIP Sebastian]

hello Seb, what you just shared with me is very much the info I was looking for, so thank you!

 

I only intend to have 2 clownfish, so the harem thought is moot.

 

will clownfish bond with more than one anemone?

 

as for the lights, Central Aquatics has three LED 32's running with one of each type of coral, softies, LPS and SPS. all have been operating successfully for over a year now. but yes, the light may need an upgrade at a later date. if so, I'd probably look at the options from Dave where I'd still be able to use the built-in timer/controller for the lighting in the 32's hood.

 

do you think it would be safe to have a watchman goby w/pistol shrimp companion with the clown's?

 

Glad I could help! Clowns are not monogamous when it comes to anemones. They'll hop around as they please. I do highly recommend getting a retrofit from Dave- his stuff is the bomb. My RBTA pops under the moonlight. As for the shrimp/goby pair, keep in mind they require a 1.5"+ sand bed. That can become a nitrate factory and nems do prefer pristine water. I'm not saying it can't be done, it would just require a little extra work.

 

Seb provided awesome info on clownfish.

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

Nick

[Cintax]

I have twelve anemones in my aquarium. Eight are on the same rock and two more are on a montipora skeleton. My clownfish host the area with the ten anemones; it's like their territory. They rarely go more than a few inches from any anemone unless they are chasing food. Even then, they will only go so far before abandoning the food for the safety of the anemones.

 

The interesting thing is they are juvenile tank breed clownfish. I have noticed that the slightly larger fish occasionally chases the smaller one around. It does a sort of wiggle when caught. I think they are determining their pecking order.

 

My water isn't pristine and I have kept anemones for about four years without any issues. I have lost one of my flame tip anemones in the MP10 so be sure to protect your pumps.

 

I have a yellow watchman goby who lives under the montipora skeleton. The clownfish don't seem to be bothered by him. He actually uses the anemones as cover too. He doesn't seem to be affected by the sting dispite witnessing him brush up against them. They don't sting me either actually.

 

I feed my anemones every few days. I want them to spread more. I feed different things but generally a cube a week between the anemones and the fish. Usually I feed the clowns twice a day either small mysis or I crush up pellets because my clowns are too small to eat 1 mm pellets.

[Clown79]

Clowns are very interesting.

 

My oldest never bothered with corals and swam openly all the time, even swam with my blenny...unfortunately the blenny died and I truly think the clown was lonely because it just swam in a corner for weeks.

 

I got her a boyfriend and he started hosting my frogspawn, she learned from him to host. They now rarely swim 3 inches from it....well the female will to attack me.lol

[Friendly]

I bet if you were to put a clown into a small cylinder with the anemone at the bottom, it would touch and 'bond' as it would have nowhere to go.

 

just a thought being others have commented on the success of just showing a video of a clown in an anemone and their fish getting the idea and bonding.

[seabass]

My clowns tend to get more protective once they find a host anemone. So I'm fine whenever they don't find a host to settle into. But it's neat to watch them in their anemones too.

I have a clownfish pair that was "hosting" a couple BTAs in a 40 gallon tank. Then I moved the fish into a 100 gallon tank, that was host anemone-free for a couple of months. When I moved the anemones into the 100 gallon, the clownfish didn't jump right back into their anemones (and still haven't). I just assumed that they would jump right back in (but I'm just fine that they haven't). I assume they will in the future.

[Clown79]

I found the same thing Seabass.

 

My clown was super friendly until she hosted my frogspawn...wow, she's not now.