new clownfish

[cockatoo fish man thing]

Hi! i'm new to saltwater and i've had my tank for about 6 months i had two black ocellaris clowns and about two weeks ago one of them died. This is when my question comes in, I got a new tank and when its done cycling i want to move my clown into it  and get another one. It's and upgrade to a bigger tank. I want my clownfish to be happy but i don't know if he/she will attack the  new one. Any thoughts?

[Tamberav]

Get a smaller occy clown than your current one for the best chance of pairing. You want a juvi. It can be orange or black or a patterned one but be sure it is another occy. 
 

Sometimes clowns just won’t get along or pair as fish are individuals but usually pairing occy clowns isn’t too bad.

[cockatoo fish man thing]

Ok thanks thats great to know! also do they get along with watchman gobies? I've always wanted one and I'm now getting the right tank. 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

3 hours ago, cockatoo fish man thing said:

Ok thanks thats great to know! also do they get along with watchman gobies? I've always wanted one and I'm now getting the right tank. 

 

Yes, they should get along. How big is your tank? 😊

[cockatoo fish man thing]

Don't judge me on this, Its 10 gallons I know y'all are going to freak out and tell me how bad that is. But whats done is done. 

[cockatoo fish man thing]

Ok and by the way my last tank was 5 gallons and the reason why one of my clowns died was because i had never done saltwater before and the salinity was through the roof. 

[cockatoo fish man thing]

if you think a goby would not be happy that do you have any suggestions of fish i could put in? BTW snow your tank is beautiful 

[Tired]

10 gallons is a little small for a pair of clownfish, but may work. I wouldn't necessarily put another fish in there. Once you upgrade, a watchman goby would be a good match, as they live under the rock where the clownfish don't care about them. A candycane, green, or tiger pistol shrimp would pair up with the goby and be a lot of fun to watch. 

[cockatoo fish man thing]

so what your saying is one clown and a goby and a shrimp? or two clowns and nothing else or a goby and shrimp? My last tank was five gallons and my two clowns were incredibly happy until the salinity incident 

[cockatoo fish man thing]

I also have been looking at White Center Green Star Polyps https://worldwidecorals.com/products/green-star-polyps 

would these fit in a 10 gallon? its long not tall meant for being a reef tank.

[Tired]

Like all small-polyped matting corals (zoanthids and clove polyps are other examples), those will fit in any tank that they can physically be placed in. However, they're a fast-growing, invasive coral, so you should isolate them away from your rockwork. You want them to be on their own rock in the sand, so you can trim them back when they grow off it. 

 

Either combination of two fish would work, yes. If you plan to have a tank under 20 gallons long-term, get the candycane pistol shrimp, they stay smaller. The other two species are a bit larger and like more space in which to burrow.

 

5 gallons is not enough space for a pair of clownfish, long-term. It can work while they're juveniles, though isn't advised. When they're adults, you might have some aggression issues, and would more than likely have some bioload issues. And even if you didn't, they need more space to move. Tank size isn't just about if the fish are still alive, it's about them having enough room to move. 

[cockatoo fish man thing]

well yes. that is why I upgraded my tank. Here is my real question should i just get another clown or should i get a goby instead? and thanks for the coral advice 🙂 

[Tired]

Either option would work. I would say maybe the goby, so you have two different kinds of fish to watch.

[cockatoo fish man thing]

ok cool