Are clownfish a good buy?

TheCheeseWizz · Sep 14, 2015

Hi all,
I recently lost a pair of beautiful clownfish and it seems like that is a fairly common occurrence. I realize that Clowns are relatively hard to keep while also being one of the most commonly sold fish in the trade. So are clowns a bad fish to buy? Or am I just seeing the bad side?

I really want clownfish in my nano but I don't want to lose anymore. What do you all think?

gar732 · Sep 14, 2015

If you lose a clown I'd say either it was sick to begin with or your water quality needs to be looked at. I breed clowns and find them to be almost bullet proof. I have 12 clowns with the oldest clown being about 14 years old now.

mochaclownlover · Sep 15, 2015

Like gar732 said, clowns are pretty much bullet proof. Besides, whats a reef tank without a clownfish

ebushrow · Sep 15, 2015

Clownfish are damselfish....thus a very hardy fish....If you are concerned about health, buy captive bred...they are easy to get and if you don't want any fancy type are really cheap compared to most marine fish. I agree with what is said above, check your parameters, and make sure in a nano that you don't surpass the bioload capabilities.

reefhobby · Sep 15, 2015

Yes clownfish are the best. I have 2 in 2 tanks and I'm gonna set up another tank just for them. They are the best and I love the different patterns and colorations

Joshky · Sep 15, 2015

Wild clowns commonly come in with brook and velvet, so if you're buying wild they absolutely have to be QT'd. Wild clowns are one of the harder fish to QT with a higher mortality rate, treating brook isn't easy and it's very common.

Get aquacultured clowns, nothing hard about them. (other than being hardy

)

guy fawkes · Sep 15, 2015

I'm no expert but mine survived my tank move....... They must be hardy lol

TheCheeseWizz · Sep 15, 2015

Thanks for the replies everybody. It just seems like I see an unusual amount sick clownfish on forums. Its seems to always be Brook or something similar. Sounds like the big problem is the difference between tank raised and captive. Do any of you buy your fish online? My LFS don't have any tank raised clowns (as far as I know).

gar732 · Sep 15, 2015

Check out your local reef club, it seems like there is always someone breeding close by, if not buying online is fine. I gotten quite a few clowns from alpha aquaculture and they have always been top notch along with his customer service. I've gotten clowns from unique corals too and I'm happy with them as well. Buying from an lfs can be a gamble since most stores don't QT and a lot don't treat their systems either though some do so ask while you are there.