You guys that have multiple pairs in a large divided tank

[SRGaudio]

This seems like a really stupid, simple question, but what are you guys using for tank dividers? The "pre-made" ones seem over priced, for their quality and also dont seem like they would offer sufficient flow. For spawning purposes, do you want to keep the pairs from being able to see each other? I would think so, as they might find the presence of the other fish threatening. I was going to do the classic needlepoint mat, and report binder thing, but they are fairly see-thru. Also, How many "sections" do you think i could make for in a 30g long(36" x 12" x 16") for breeding clowns? I am thinking maybe 4 based on what i have seen some ppl doing on here, but i could see as many as 5 or as few as 2 being reasonable. Thanks!

[Pickle010]

I used black acrylic in my build... some have luck with clear dividers and say it isn't a problem. Others say it adds stress to the pairs when they can see the pair in the next section. I personally rather not chance it and went with the black.

 

As to size - I used 20 longs and made 10" wide sections for 3 sections each. I think that if you pushed it to 8" sections (30L) and got 4 sections out of it that it would be tight, but you could do it. Provided you are sticking with standard size clowns and not breeding GSM's or something large. 3 12" sections would be pretty comfortable.

 

Edit: here is shot one of my sections:

 

[Euphyllia]

Today I was told at least three times by different people to get a pair. Now I know what they meant! I already have three pairs, but I guess I could get more.

 

Um, I think it should be fine. I've spoken to people who have successfully bred clowns in 5g cubes. You're dividing a 30g tank into fourths, so that means 7.5g per pair. However, the issue here isn't the space. It's more of the bioload. I can understand the temptation not to get a sump because it extra money and extra work, but I would consider it. Eight fish in a thirty gallon is overstocked unless you'll have a sump to add extra water volume. Put lots of chaeto in the sump if you get one, and you'll need to keep up with your weekly water changes.

 

As far as the dividers go, I've read that clowns pairs won't really care if they can see each other through transparent dividers, but I have observed my clown pairs (I have all three tanks just inches from each other) swimming at the sides of the tank near their neighbors, which are in completely different tanks. It seems to me like they acknowledged their neighbor's existence and got a bit excited, so I think it would be potentially bothersome for clowns to be looking at each other through a transparent divider. They may show aggression to each other and become stressed, which will lead to problems with getting them to breed and egg health.

 

HTH

 

I used black acrylic in my build... some have luck with clear dividers and say it isn't a problem. Others say it adds stress to the pairs when they can see the pair in the next section. I personally rather not chance it and went with the black.

 

As to size - I used 20 longs and made 10" wide sections for 3 sections each. I think that if you pushed it to 8" sections (30L) and got 4 sections out of it that it would be tight, but you could do it. Provided you are sticking with standard size clowns and not breeding GSM's or something large. 3 12" sections would be pretty comfortable.

 

Edit: here is shot one of my sections:

 

+1

 

Beat me to it!

[Pickle010]

You would have to drill the system and have a sump or have it plumbed into a much larger system - there is no way you could keep up the water quality with the feeding and 8 fish in a 30L (I just assumed that was a given)

[SRGaudio]

Today I was told at least three times by different people to get a pair. Now I know what they meant! I already have three pairs, but I guess I could get more.

 

Um, I think it should be fine. I've spoken to people who have successfully bred clowns in 5g cubes. You're dividing a 30g tank into fourths, so that means 7.5g per pair. However, the issue here isn't the space. It's more of the bioload. I can understand the temptation not to get a sump because it extra money and extra work, but I would consider it. Eight fish in a thirty gallon is overstocked unless you'll have a sump to add extra water volume. Put lots of chaeto in the sump if you get one, and you'll need to keep up with your weekly water changes.

 

As far as the dividers go, I've read that clowns pairs won't really care if they can see each other through transparent dividers, but I have observed my clown pairs (I have all three tanks just inches from each other) swimming at the sides of the tank near their neighbors, which are in completely different tanks. It seems to me like they acknowledged their neighbor's existence and got a bit excited, so I think it would be potentially bothersome for clowns to be looking at each other through a transparent divider. They may show aggression to each other and become stressed, which will lead to problems with getting them to breed and egg health.

 

HTH

 

 

 

+1

 

Beat me to it!

 

hehe, didnt expect a response that fast. as far as Bioload, I should have mentioned that the 30 will be plumbed into a 15g aga sump with about 10g of actual water volume, it also may or may not be plumbed in with a 20g with a pair of cardinals. Additionally, i was also thinking about throwing in a skimmer that i have laying around(it is one of those limewood ones made for the BC29) I know it isnt much, but i figured it was better than nothing. Is that a bad idea?

I may just do 3, 12" sections, as not to push it. Thanks for the advice guys

 

Edit: maybe i will look into building a bigger sump also, if i decide i am going to be in this for the long haul. I just happen to have the home made 15g laying around. Would you consider 3 pairs, with 40 gallons water volume and a skimmer to be pushing it too far bio-load wise?

[Euphyllia]

hehe, didnt expect a response that fast. as far as Bioload, I should have mentioned that the 30 will be plumbed into a 15g aga sump with about 10g of actual water volume, it also may or may not be plumbed in with a 20g with a pair of cardinals. Additionally, i was also thinking about throwing in a skimmer that i have laying around(it is one of those limewood ones made for the BC29) I know it isnt much, but i figured it was better than nothing. Is that a bad idea?

I may just do 3, 12" sections, as not to push it. Thanks for the advice guys

 

The BioCube skimemer sucks so hard that it sucks whatever it's sucking on off of whatever the item being sucked on is attached to. It would be better to just sell it on eBay. I sold mine (new) for $28.00 on eBay because they break every few hours and they just don't work.

 

I personally think the four 9" sections would be fine space wise, but it is very risky as far as bioload. Three 12" sections would be better as far as bioload though. Be sure to fill the sump completely with chaeto!

 

BTW, pickle is a clown breeder, so he knows more about this stuff than me. I would take his advice over mine if there was a disagreement.

[Pickle010]

i would shoot for a larger sump - water volume is your friend and invest in some filter socks. Get a skimmer rated for more then your water volume. My skimmer is rated for almost 2X my water volume.

[ericm1205]

3 or 4 sections would be ok. i divided my 20l into 2 sections, but i got a large saddle in one side and the other will possibly be a home for a clarkii pair. my other tanks are 48" long acylic custom tanks divided into 4 sections each.

 

a skimmer is a must if your gonna try and attempt to maintain any water quality. i got a 200g breeder system with a 75g sump and my skimmer is a sro 5000xt. its rated for 400 to 600g i think. begger is always better.

i feed 12 pairs 6 tims a day or more. so its the the poop from the clowns thats gonna et you, its the left over food everywhere. save up for a skimmer that will handle 100 to 200g. always go bigger if you intend to expand. and use a 20l for a sump if you have the room. more water and space for a skimmer and maybe some rubble.

[SRGaudio]

3 or 4 sections would be ok. i divided my 20l into 2 sections, but i got a large saddle in one side and the other will possibly be a home for a clarkii pair. my other tanks are 48" long acylic custom tanks divided into 4 sections each.

 

a skimmer is a must if your gonna try and attempt to maintain any water quality. i got a 200g breeder system with a 75g sump and my skimmer is a sro 5000xt. its rated for 400 to 600g i think. begger is always better.

i feed 12 pairs 6 tims a day or more. so its the the poop from the clowns thats gonna et you, its the left over food everywhere. save up for a skimmer that will handle 100 to 200g. always go bigger if you intend to expand. and use a 20l for a sump if you have the room. more water and space for a skimmer and maybe some rubble.

 

I ended up sectioning off into 4 sections that are removable as needed. I am however, only going to house 2 pairs in it as of now, until i get a larger sump(think i may go with a 29 instead of a 20l since it is the same footprint, bigger is always better right? and every lil bit counts). I ended up using "needlepoint mesh" as dividers, so to begin I think i am going to have a pair on either end, with rock in the middle to block the clowns from seeing each other, although this may be an unnecessary precaution, it isn't super transparent anyway.

Also, do you guys have anything of a CUC in the tanks at all? seems like some ppl do, but i feel like some inverts might eat any future eggs

[ericm1205]

I would make the dividers from black acrylic. In mine there are small slits in the top and bottom dividers and sometimes the clowns see each other and they go nuts. Also rock is ok, but just a pot or tiles are better. Less is good cause your gonna feed a ton and you'll have to take the rock out to clean it and once in a while.

I would redo it with 4 chambers permanately. Less you have to move the clowns around the better.

And they don't like change either. So the more you plan and setup right the first time, the better off your clowns will be. They won't lay until they feel safe. I made the mistake of doing my first system to small and I knew I was gonna go bigger. So I had to redo some stuff and in the proces of moving the clowns I messed up their schedules and they stopped laying for a month or so.

 

All I did was go to a sign shop and buy some scrap black acrylic and cut it to size and caulk it in place.

I think

[SRGaudio]

I would make the dividers from black acrylic. In mine there are small slits in the top and bottom dividers and sometimes the clowns see each other and they go nuts. Also rock is ok, but just a pot or tiles are better. Less is good cause your gonna feed a ton and you'll have to take the rock out to clean it and once in a while.

I would redo it with 4 chambers permanately. Less you have to move the clowns around the better.

And they don't like change either. So the more you plan and setup right the first time, the better off your clowns will be. They won't lay until they feel safe. I made the mistake of doing my first system to small and I knew I was gonna go bigger. So I had to redo some stuff and in the proces of moving the clowns I messed up their schedules and they stopped laying for a month or so.

 

All I did was go to a sign shop and buy some scrap black acrylic and cut it to size and caulk it in place.

I think

 

Sounds good. I was just worried about flow through "slotted" acrylic. I know it probably isnt as important as it is in a reef tank, but i would imagine good flow would still be vital for filtration purposes.

[Pickle010]

Each one of my compartments has it's own drain and return with no slots between sections. If you only have one drain any mesh between compartments will slow down flow and build surface slime.

[smitty_1280]

Each one of my compartments has it's own drain and return with no slots between sections. If you only have one drain any mesh between compartments will slow down flow and build surface slime.

 

Where did you buy your black acrylic? I have found regular acrylic at Lowes in various sizes, but they don't have black lol. I read somewhere to just use krylon paint and paint it, but that doesn't sound right to me either.

[Luckedout]

You can buy it TAP Plastics. They have a store in Seattle and another in Bellevue.

[Pickle010]

I actually had it from another project - it was a part of some other tanks I had with black walls. I just threw it on the table saw and used a bit with a lot of teeth. It cut clean and worked out very well.

 

In the past I could only find it at sign and acrylic shops.

[paneubert]

You can buy it TAP Plastics. They have a store in Seattle and another in Bellevue.

 

And Lynnwood if you want to drive really far north for some reason.