Clown in a 6g NC?

[MVS]

I’m finally getting my first fish within a week or so and I’m debating between two fish. It’s either going to be a clown fish - A. Ocellaris or a firefish.

 

I’ve read a post here that has a long list of various tanks sizes and recommended fish for these tanks. The list does not recommend a clown fish for a 6g-nano-cube and I’m sure many of you may think it’s pushing it. What I would like to know is if anyone had experience with this arrangement and would care to share your results.

 

Thanks

 

PS The tank does have around 6 - 8lbs of live rock

[Haagenize]

a clown is fine in a 6g, its not pushing it at all. Just dont add another fish

[MVS]

Thanks a lot, I appreciate the feedback.

 

Does anyone else have any experience housing a clown fish in a 6 gallon nano-cube?

[Haagenize]

someone, (toomin) has kept a Pink Skunk Clown in a 6g cube VERY succesfuly. And Pink Skunk Clowns are recommended for 30g or more when regular clowns are recommended for 10g or more.

 

Im going to get a clown, maybe tomato, maybe skunk, maybe something else, for my 7.5 g cube, so your safe

[shag26272]

I have an ocellaris, it was a pair but my male got sucked into my surface skimmer and died shortly after, the female is doing excellent though.

[Steve973]

someone, (toomin) has kept a Pink Skunk Clown in a 6g cube VERY succesfuly. And Pink Skunk Clowns are recommended for 30g or more when regular clowns are recommended for 10g or more.

 

Im going to get a clown, maybe tomato, maybe skunk, maybe something else, for my 7.5 g cube, so your safe

 

We certainly all have our opinions, and we're all entitled to them, but please show me some research by someone with the reputation of, for example, Calfo or Shimek that supports your claim that 6 gallons is enough for *any* clown. It simply isn't. Now, we could take you and put you in a jail cell. You'd survive, but wow, you'd feel *imprisoned* wouldn't you? And you'd probably feel pretty stressed. So, your quality of life would be nothing short of horrible. The same would go with nearly any fish in a 6 gallon cube. If you put a tomato clown in a 7.5, then you probably deserve the jail cell scenario that I provided above.

 

It'd be much better to get a small and less mobile fish for a 6 gallon tank. How about a goby/shrimp pairing? That's much more realistic and humane. The recommendations for tank sizes for fish aren't there for decoration. People who actually know something about fish care provide those numbers for a reason.

[MVS]

WOW, very opinionate but well warranted.

 

Thanks again for everyone's feedback.

 

I know that a Ocellaris clown is recommended for 7 gallon and up so I figured a 6g wouldn’t be too far of a stretch but I’m not certain. That’s the reason I wanted to get feedback from users that had such a setup. If it places a lot of stress on the fish, in my opinion, it simply would not survive. I imagine first it would develop some sort of disease and maybe appear lethargic or suffer from a loss of appetite. That’s exactly what I was looking to discover. If anyone had any experience that could support these symptoms, indicating the fish is as stressed out as one would assume.

 

 

Thanks again!

[Fishfreak218]

someone, (toomin) has kept a Pink Skunk Clown in a 6g cube VERY succesfuly. And Pink Skunk Clowns are recommended for 30g or more when regular clowns are recommended for 10g or more.

 

Im going to get a clown, maybe tomato, maybe skunk, maybe something else, for my 7.5 g cube, so your safe

That wasnt Toomin ... that was Rick J G ... you can check his thread out in the 6g. NC contest

 

We certainly all have our opinions, and we're all entitled to them, but please show me some research by someone with the reputation of, for example, Calfo or Shimek that supports your claim that 6 gallons is enough for *any* clown. It simply isn't. Now, we could take you and put you in a jail cell. You'd survive, but wow, you'd feel *imprisoned* wouldn't you? And you'd probably feel pretty stressed. So, your quality of life would be nothing short of horrible. The same would go with nearly any fish in a 6 gallon cube. If you put a tomato clown in a 7.5, then you probably deserve the jail cell scenario that I provided above.

 

It'd be much better to get a small and less mobile fish for a 6 gallon tank. How about a goby/shrimp pairing? That's much more realistic and humane. The recommendations for tank sizes for fish aren't there for decoration. People who actually know something about fish care provide those numbers for a reason.

 

i disagree b.c. a clownfish hardly ever ventures from his anemone in the wild.. so a 6g. NC is reasonable...also Rick J G has had his Pink Skunk clown for 3 years in a 7g. first and then in a 6g. NC (where it is now im pretty sure)... and the fish looks good to me...

[whatisee]

I have a tiny pair of clown fish in my 6 and they seem fine. When they get a little Bigger they'll move to the 20L. I think it really depends on how big they are when you get them.

[rickjg]

I see my name popping up here so I have to put in my $.02

 

I agree that clowns don’t require a lot of swimming space like a tang would. Except for Nemo they don’t venture far from home base, but not all types of clowns are OK for a 6G tank.

 

Ocellaris & Percula Clownfish are the smallest, but Skunk Clowns are not far behind on size.

 

Clarki & Tomato Clownfish can get some size on them & Maroons are probably the largest, so they would have the potential to grow too large for a 6G tank.

 

I don’t think an NC6 is large enough for a pair of clowns even if they are Ocellaris or Percula.

 

If you keep a single clown in a tank it will stay a male & chances are it will stay on the smaller side. When you have two clownfish together one will typically turn into a female (most clownfish are born male and the dominate fish in a pair or group will turn into a female if the opportunity presents itself) and grow much larger. The size difference between the male & female Maroon clown pairs can be amazing.

 

One more thing to keep in mind is that Clownfish are opportunistic feeders & will gorge themselves if given a chance. Clown fish that are over fed can get larger in our tanks than they would in the wild. If you feed a very small amount two or three times per day, you can have a healthy clownfish that will think you are his best friend and will not turn into Kong Clown.

 

Rick

[vthondaboi]

I wish some people would stop with the save the whales act, cuz if so then stop encouraging the destruction of the reefs by participating in this hobby.

 

Not all clowns are suitable for a nano as stated above. A full grown maroon could probably poop as much as three small perculas.

 

On another note I thought all clowns are born sexless. In a group one would turn female and one male. If the female dies then the male becomes female. and if a male dies then one of the sexless becomes male.

 

Oh yea I've got three great fish on my 6NC!

[Fishfreak218]

i had a blue tang in my 2.5g ... thats something to complain about.. but someone putting an Occelairs or Percula.. in a 6g. NC.. i dont find that cruel

[lanceleaderx]

vthondaboi, watch out for Tang Polices

you may be shoT

[rickjg]

I had 3 tangs with my goldfish, but the darn goldfish died.

 

[MVS]

OK so it’s settled. From what I gathered a 6 gallon nano is simply not a sufficient amount of space to house such a delicate species. Therefore, I will take all of your advice and settle for a yellow tang….just kidding!

 

I’ll go ahead and get 1 Ocellaris clown and try my best to get the smallest one. This way I can ensure it’s still in an asexual sate which may increase the chances of it being a male and remain small.

 

Great advice, thanks guys!

 

PS My girlfriend will be very pleased – thanks again!

[steelhealr]

MVS...I agree with most of the above...I don't think it's fair to put a clown in a 6G, but, that's my opinion. I think this all comes down to a personal choice with regards to how to run your marine tank, whether it be 6G or 200G's. Whether or not you choose to be a 'conscientious marine aquarist' is in your hands. You can cram any fish you want to into that size tank. Chances are, it will probably survive, but, running a nano is about understanding that the system is delicate. If the clown gets stressed and develops marine ich, is it worth it? Smart choices are what it's all about. Be sure before you make a choice. When things go bad in a nano, it happens quickly. It's up to you. SH

[vthondaboi]

vthondaboi, watch out for Tang Polices

you may be shoT

 

yea I was shot over on RC, it's my QT tank for doing hyposalinity and they jumped all over me, I was like would you rather them die or let me do the hypo?

 

I had 3 tangs with my goldfish, but the darn goldfish died.

 

 

No fair, my pics real.

[ACBlinky]

I have a baby ocellaris in my 5.5g, but he won't be staying there long term - once he's had a chance to settle and grow a bit he's moving into the 30g. I've seen full grown ocellaris and percs, and I'm not sure one would be comfortable in a tank this small for it's full life (or if the LR/filter in such a small tank would even be able to handle the bioload).

I'd suggest something like a clown goby or other small fish that doesn't need a lot of swimming space, but if you go for a clown get a tiny one and be prepared to upgrade in the future if it needs more room.

 

Here's my little guy

[whatisee]

here's my pair.

 

[Toomin]

hey hey.its me.toomin.i have a maroon clown, watchman goby and a panther grouper.

[I'm the same guy as reefer9391]

Well it could be done and all but I would shoot for some cool FF or somthing more along those lines mabye a Purple or Yellow fish thats small but you could do a clown but it wouldnt be great conditions

[Steve973]

Well, I guess steelhealr puts it a bit more delicately than I do. I'm a pretty blunt guy, and I might offend some people sometimes, but I'll always give you a straight answer. I reef pretty much on the cautious side, and I even still run into some "accidents". I have to admit that I was a little miffed when I saw those two hippo tangs in such a small tank, but I'm glad you care enough to do a hyposalinity treatment. And whoever said that clowns tend to gorge themselves wasn't kidding! It seems to be the oscar of saltwater. They seem to eat until their bellies are HUGE and they can barely swim. I have a neon dottyback that won't eat a quarter as much at one time.

[MVS]

Thanks a lot.

 

Not like it makes a major difference but I meant to say that I was considering a True Percula. I think they’re a little smaller like maybe 3”. If I get one and it’s small hopefully it will develop into a male a remain on the smaller side. I guess I could always get one and be very alert and cautious of its state. If starts to get too big for the tank or simply doesn’t look as though it’s fairing well, I’m sure the LFS would always be glad to accept it.

 

Honestly, I’m still deciding maybe the firfish is the better choice.

 

Thanks for all the feedback!

[MVS]

Hey guys,

 

Being that I received more positive responses to get the clown than those that were completely against it, I decided to get a small, 1”, Perc clown today. I think it’s a Ocellaris just because it’s not really bright in color but I’m not completely sure.

 

It’s currently hanging out around the top of the tank swimming against the current. I thought I once read that this could be an indication of an ill fish or a sign that it's not getting enough oxygen.

 

Does anyone know exactly what this indicates?

[ninjamini]

I have a 12 gallon nanocube and it is home to 2 clowns. They seem happy, they are getting bigger, the water can handle them never more than 10 on the nitrate scale. With that said go ahead and get the NC6. You will want a bigger tank soon. I am about to go from a 12 gallon ot a 65-70gallon.