Damsels okay in a pico but not clowns - why?

[CC26]

I've been browsing this forum for ideas on which fish I can humanely keep in my 20L (~4.4 US gal) pico and I'm a bit puzzled by what people have said regarding damsels and clowns. Now, obviously I'm well aware that a tank this small will not make a good permanent home for either fish, but even as a temporary home until the fish outgrows the tank, there seems to be a consensus on this forum that a smaller damselfish species (such as the yellowtail) will be fine, but any clownfish is absolutely not okay.

 

I'm quite curious as to the reasoning behind this. From my past experience, having kept both damsels and clowns before in my old 30 gallon tank, I would've thought that the opposite would be true. Damsels are definitely the more active fish. My clowns also didn't seem to grow any much faster than my damsels did, so I can't see them quickly outgrowing a small tank being any more of a problem than it would be for damsels. To top it off, liveaquaria.com recommends a minimum tank size of 30 gallons for yellowtail damsels but only 20 gallons for A. ocellaris.

 

So how come many people on here say that damsels are fine in a pico but not clowns?

[roblox84]

Clowns are fine in a pico. I have 1 clown in my 5 gallon and he doesn't leave his anemone so I personally don't think clowns need allot of swimming room.

 

The only time he'll ever leave his anemone is when a food pellet gets pushed away by the powerhead, but even then he'll only go about 3 inches away from his anemone and then turns back around if the food is too far.

[CC26]

33 minutes ago, roblox84 said:

Clowns are fine in a pico. I have 1 clown in my 5 gallon and he doesn't leave his anemone so I personally don't think clowns need allot of swimming room.

 

The only time he'll ever leave his anemone is when a food pellet gets pushed away by the powerhead, but even then he'll only go about 3 inches away from his anemone and then turns back around if the food is too far.

Yeah, I personally feel that clowns should be fine in a pico if damsels are. Really doesn't make sense to me the other way around, as I've mentioned in my original post. However, since a lot of people seem to be saying otherwise, I figured I'd make this thread to get their input and understand their reasoning. BTW, does your clown add substantially to your bioload?

[MrP]

A clown is a damsel. 😉

 

I have a pair of clowns in a 40g. They rarely leave their corner. I also have a damsel in a 3g pico that is very active. I feel bad for him but he can't be trusted in my other tank so he has his own little apartment. 

[CC26]

3 minutes ago, MrP said:

A clown is a damsel. 😉

 

I have a pair of clowns in a 40g. They rarely leave their corner. I also have a damsel in a 3g pico that is very active. I feel bad for him but he can't be trusted in my other tank so he has his own little apartment. 

Semantics, semantics. 🙄

 

Thanks for your input. Still waiting to hear from someone who thinks that only non-clown damsels are fine in a pico. In the meantime, may I see a picture of your 3gal?

[roblox84]

47 minutes ago, CC26 said:

Yeah, I personally feel that clowns should be fine in a pico if damsels are. Really doesn't make sense to me the other way around, as I've mentioned in my original post. However, since a lot of people seem to be saying otherwise, I figured I'd make this thread to get their input and understand their reasoning. BTW, does your clown add substantially to your bioload?

No, i don't think so. I don't have any nuisance algae so I'm guessing it's not much of a bioload.

[karisma]

I dont know about a damsel but i had a small Clownfish in my 4gal. Pico and after about a week he started to swim oddly and stayed in the lower front corner of the tank. I returned the clown to my lfs. Got antenna goby which was perfect for the pico however he just recently disappeared so i dont know. I would like to know the same question your asking so ill follow this. :)

[Clown79]

I had a small damsel in my 2.5g, he was fine. 

 

I would consider the same for a small clown.

 

My experience- damsels constantly swim around and explore, all my clowns have found a home and seldomly leave it.

 

With both fish, when they grow up they need to be rehomed.