Clownfish and Anemone question HELP please!!

[FreshSaltyGuy]

Hello,

I currently have 2 damsels in a 40 gallon tall tank that I used when cycling the tank. I'm going to take them back to the LFS as he said he would take them back and would like to go down the Clownfish route. Question is, I see so many types that he has there like Storm, Maroon, Saddleback etc... Are ALL these considered Ocellaris Clownfish or another more aggressive type and what are the more aggressive types? I ask because I realize they are considered "semi-aggressive" mainly between other clowns but is it true if I wanted to add other peaceful or semi-aggressive fish it "should" be ok? I don't want to have to remove fish again if I'm more aware going forward.
I was looking down the road at a goby (maybe Mandarin Goby), wrasse, and can I put a Puffer in there with Clowns or is that a big NO NO?
Also, on the clownfish note, do they HAVE to have an Anemone to pair with right off the bat or can that come at a later time like 4 or 6 months down the road. Right now I have a Duncan and Zoa frag in my tank and that is it along with 40lbs of live rock (10lbs Australian Live Rock & 30 lbs. Fiji rock).

Thanks!

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Anemone can come later

 

[jabberwock]

Clownfish are mean and nasty, especially when you get a bonded pair that is getting ready to breed. My first and only pair killed four other fish in a 32 gallon bio cube.

 

[FreshSaltyGuy]

Clownfish are mean and nasty, especially when you get a bonded pair that is getting ready to breed. My first and only pair killed four other fish in a 32 gallon bio cube.

Ok soooooo ......what do I do lol. HELP lol kids really want those Nemo's but I wanted to add 2 or so other fish too. Will they kill the Gobies as well?

 

[jabberwock]

It is a 40 gallon breeder, so you have some horizontal real estate. That is better than a cube in my opinion. Cubes stack fish right on top of each other. Some people may disagree with me on the nature of clowns, so best to keep watching and make an informed decision beyond my opinion. Search on this forum a little bit, it is widely discussed.

Could be an opportunity to teach the kids that animals are not people. Animals have different ways. Also an opportunity to teach them that you should know what you are getting into before you do it. Just my opinion, and yes I have a kid. How old are yours?

 

[FreshSaltyGuy]

It is a 40 gallon breeder, so you have some horizontal real estate. That is better than a cube in my opinion. Cubes stack fish right on top of each other. Some people may disagree with me on the nature of clowns, so best to keep watching and make an informed decision beyond my opinion. Search on this forum a little bit, it is widely discussed.

Could be an opportunity to teach the kids that animals are not people. Animals have different ways. Also an opportunity to teach them that you should know what you are getting into before you do it. Just my opinion, and yes I have a kid. How old are yours?

Good points thank you. I have a 40 gallon cube so it's tall not so long. I just want to be sure if I do get them, so I introduce a Goby at the same time etc.. or have a goby in there first etc. Because I see how my Damsels act now and my blue one is pretty aggressive towards the other, but she swims away and hides when he goes after her.

 

[jabberwock]

Always add fish in the order of least aggressive to most aggressive. This gives the timid fish time to figure out hiding spots and escape routes. If you buy the other fish first and give them time to get bigger, and then buy the smallest clowns you can find (with one bigger than the other to enhance the chances of bonding), you have a shot at keeping it peaceful. It might be 6 months from buying the first fish to adding the clowns IMHO. For me, it is not for me. Also, for me... No crabs.

 

[Dee tre]

Good points thank you. I have a 40 gallon cube so it's tall not so long. I just want to be sure if I do get them, so I introduce a Goby at the same time etc.. or have a goby in there first etc. Because I see how my Damsels act now and my blue one is pretty aggressive towards the other, but she swims away and hides when he goes after her.

Not all clowns are created equal. I have two ocellaris 1 diamond goby 1six line wrasse a coral beauty and 1 blue damsel. There's a lot of assumptions but fish have their own personality so you might have fish that are not attitudish as Vladimir but determined like trump or they might hide out like biden its always best to introduce the mean ones last

 

[jabberwock]

Not all clowns are created equal. I have two ocellaris 1 diamond goby 1six line wrasse a coral beauty and 1 blue damsel. There's a lot of assumptions but fish have their own personality so you might have fish that are not attitudish as Vladimir but determined like trump or they might hide out like biden its always best to introduce the mean ones last

Agreed, how big is your tank?

 

[KrisReef]

you don't need a pair to have one inside the nem. Less aggression without kids to protect.

 

[Dee tre]

Agreed, how big is your tank?

90gal i just upgraded from a 55 but my clownfish were first in i had 2 maroons at the beginning but the wouldn't pair or let any other fish in i took them back and got 2 small ocellaris and its been peaceful ever since

 

[Dee tre]

you don't need a pair to have one inside the nem. Less aggression without kids to protect.

+1 i have heard of one killing the nem because it didn't want to share

 

[Sleeping Giant]

You could use an acclimation box if you want to introduce other fish after getting clowns

 

[jabberwock]

You could use an acclimation box if you want to introduce other fish after getting clowns

Who goes in the box? New fish or clowns?

 

[OrionN]

Hello,

I currently have 2 damsels in a 40 gallon tall tank that I used when cycling the tank. I'm going to take them back to the LFS as he said he would take them back and would like to go down the Clownfish route. Question is, I see so many types that he has there like Storm, Maroon, Saddleback etc... Are ALL these considered Ocellaris Clownfish or another more aggressive type and what are the more aggressive types? I ask because I realize they are considered "semi-aggressive" mainly between other clowns but is it true if I wanted to add other peaceful or semi-aggressive fish it "should" be ok? I don't want to have to remove fish again if I'm more aware going forward.
I was looking down the road at a goby (maybe Mandarin Goby), wrasse, and can I put a Puffer in there with Clowns or is that a big NO NO?
Also, on the clownfish note, do they HAVE to have an Anemone to pair with right off the bat or can that come at a later time like 4 or 6 months down the road. Right now I have a Duncan and Zoa frag in my tank and that is it along with 40lbs of live rock (10lbs Australian Live Rock & 30 lbs. Fiji rock).

Thanks!

Ocellaris or Percula clowns would be fine. They won't be aggressive. Try to remove the damsel first. Wait on the anemone until you know what you are doing first. Once you are ready, try a BTA (bubble tips anemone) to start with.

 

[FreshSaltyGuy]

Agreed, how big is your tank?

My tank is 40 gallon tall so cubed. lots of rock about 30 lbs. in there.

 

[FreshSaltyGuy]

Who goes in the box? New fish or clowns?

Ya who goes in it? And what if I buy all 3 or 4 fish at the same time and introduce them at the same time?

 

[FreshSaltyGuy]

Ocellaris or Percula clowns would be fine. They won't be aggressive. Try to remove the damsel first. Wait on the anemone until you know what you are doing first. Once you are ready, try a BTA (bubble tips anemone) to start with.

So question on Ocellaris or Percula.....can I mix and match and can they mate if I buy a larger or smaller one later? or are they not compatible?

 

[dedragon]

So question on Ocellaris or Percula.....can I mix and match and can they mate if I buy a larger or smaller one later? or are they not compatible?

They are compatible together, I have a percula and ocellaris pair, but it was a pain to get them to pair up. Using an acclimation box to slowly get them used to eachother and then only letting them interact a little while monitoring them. Imho go with a pair of percula or ocellaris that are already paired up at the fish store or go one large and one small of the same species.

Also if you want to get an anemone I would wait til the tank is at least 8 months old, and only if you are using rodi water and monitoring levels (usually dosing ca and alk at this point as well)

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Who goes in the box? New fish or clowns?

New fish