Clownfish lifespan/stocking list

muggle0981 · May 29, 2022

Then there were 5

my picasso clown is MIA…

was somewhere between 5yr-6yrs old…thinking closer to 6yrs, which got me thinking what is average lifespan for clown in aquarium?

he did about 3-4 months ago get a lot of black spots that seemed to stay, never had noticed before but acted fine, always eating and no weight loss…

haven’t really added much over the last year, thinking time to restock….

180g mixed reef

scopas tang
Blue yellow belly regal
1 green chromis
Coral beauty
Timor wrasse
Fire shrimp

don’t think i want to add anymore tangs, eventually might try a sailfin but not sure, but prefer something that makes sense

not sure what i want to add, i did love the picasso clown

have had foxfaces, yellow wrasse, watanabe angels, tomini tang, diamond gobys, orange shoulder tang over the years…just not sure what avenue to go

open to stocking suggestions or what your thoughts are for must have reef fish

thanks

blaxsun · May 29, 2022

6-10 years in the wild, less in captivity (though it really, really depends on a lot of things). 180-gallons is a lot of swim room. Here's my stocking list for my 160-gallon display.

Large Build - Blaxsun's Abyss: Red Sea 750XXL

Yes, this build thread is long overdue. Life happens, and while you're busy doing other things you realize an entire year has passed - so it's time to get the lead out and stop procrastinating. I'll be updating this thread will all my trials and tribulations, successes and failures (some quite...

www.reef2reef.com

Chrisv. · May 29, 2022

The funny thing about averages is that you have to include everyone. One of the clown breeders I follow on YouTube has a pair that's 28 years old and still lays.

I bet 70% of clownfish die in the tanks of new reefers within their first month in the hobby. Every third emergency post is someone who has clowns that are near death with uronemia or velvet or whatever.

So average lifespan in the hobby, I'd say 1 year. Since so many people kill them.

vlangel · May 29, 2022

I have had clownfish live well over a decade. I think most clownfish can live to be 15 years or more. Right now I have a true Percula that is around 12 years old and going strong

Sharkbait19 · May 29, 2022

There’s reports of clowns living 30+ years, even some 50 year olds out there.
Anywhere from 5-15 seems to be the standard.

jtf74 · May 30, 2022

Sharkbait19 said:
There’s reports of clowns living 30+ years, even some 50 year olds out there.
Anywhere from 5-15 seems to be the standard.

I read somewhere someone had one live 42 yrs. Mines 9.

i cant think · May 31, 2022

Chrisv. said:
The funny thing about averages is that you have to include everyone. One of the clown breeders I follow on YouTube has a pair that's 28 years old and still lays.

I bet 70% of clownfish die in the tanks of new reefers within their first month in the hobby. Every third emergency post is someone who has clowns that are near death with uronemia or velvet or whatever.

So average lifespan in the hobby, I'd say 1 year. Since so many people kill them.

I don’t think that many would die in captivity within one month IMHO. I agree it may be high but not that high.

Dbichler · May 31, 2022

Clownfish should live 15+ years in captivity if fed correctly and little stress. My current pair is 7 and lay eggs every 14-16 days.

Chrisv. · May 31, 2022

i cant think said:
I don’t think that many would die in captivity within one month IMHO. I agree it may be high but not that high.

I hope you are right. I just see constant "my clownfish is half dead" posts, and I think that only a small minority of new reefers join the site. On the bright side, there is essentially no better fish for people to kill while they are learning. They are essentially all captive bred at this point, and therefore the heavy losses-- however heavy-- are not impacting the wild reefs.

i cant think · May 31, 2022

Chrisv. said:
I hope you are right. I just see constant "my clownfish is half dead" posts, and I think that only a small minority of new reefers join the site. On the bright side, there is essentially no better fish for people to kill while they are learning. They are essentially all captive bred at this point, and therefore the heavy losses-- however heavy-- are not impacting the wild reefs.

Definitely agree with how there’s very few better fish for people to kill off, although if I had a 15 inch koi I’m sure it would be a waste if it was thrown away

bstodds15 · May 31, 2022

I have a Wyoming white who’s definitely 4-5 years at this point. She’s killed (or I’ve lost) a few clowns over the years, but she’s bonded with a black snowflake now.

I had a pair of snowflakes for 6 or 7 years at one point but they died when the tank lost power for a week.

As far as re-stocking your 180g, you don’t have a big stock right now so you can do whatever you want really. I would say add some smaller fish like, gobies, blennys or other hailochores wrasse as it’s always fun to see them work through the rocks.
A fox face is always a cool addition

bnord · May 31, 2022

I my experience, non jumpers or poor souls in a heater mishap have not died in tanks I have had -

still trying to catch a 3 YO tomato was foolish enough to buy...

but would guess once thy make it past a month the majority are 5 to 15 years barring accidents

dennis romano · May 31, 2022

I had a pair of Percula that was 13 when they died during a three day black out.

SlugSnorter · May 31, 2022

blaxsun said:
6-10 years in the wild, less in captivity (though it really, really depends on a lot of things). 180-gallons is a lot of swim room. Here's my stocking list for my 160-gallon display.

Large Build - Blaxsun's Abyss: Red Sea 750XXL

Yes, this build thread is long overdue. Life happens, and while you're busy doing other things you realize an entire year has passed - so it's time to get the lead out and stop procrastinating. I'll be updating this thread will all my trials and tribulations, successes and failures (some quite...

www.reef2reef.com

really depends on so many factors. some people have clowns into their 20s

Lbrdsoxfan · May 31, 2022

bnord said:
I my experience, non jumpers or poor souls in a heater mishap have not died in tanks I have had -

still trying to catch a 3 YO tomato was foolish enough to buy...

but would guess once thy make it past a month the majority are 5 to 15 years barring accidents

I have a soft spot for the evil 'mater clowns. They tend to behave better when paired, otherwise the females can be...... aggressive

Tamberav · May 31, 2022

I think @Paul B clowns are in the 40s and still spawning (fire clowns?).

@tallyho had a 36 and 42 yr old clowns (Percs or occys?)

I do wonder if the designers live shorter life spans since they are probably inbred. Many cats and dogs that are pure breed have health issues from inbreeding.

Sharkbait19 · May 31, 2022

Tamberav said:
I think @Paul B clowns are in the 40s and still spawning (fire clowns?).

@tallyho had a 36 and 42 yr old clowns (Percs or occys?)

I do wonder if the designers live shorter life spans since they are probably inbred. Many cats and dogs that are pure breed have health issues from inbreeding.

Makes sense to me. If you look over at freshwater, many of the designer/hybrid cichlids like electric blue Jack Dempsey and flowerhorns are swimming bags of health problems.
Seems like a lot of the super inbred clowns are the least hardy too.

SlugSnorter · May 31, 2022

Tamberav said:
I think @Paul B clowns are in the 40s and still spawning.

@tallyho had a 36 and 42 yr old clowns (Percs or occys?)

I do wonder if the designers live shorter life spans since they are probably inbred. Many cats and dogs that are pure breed have health issues from inbreeding.

some designers are less hardy in general, others are more hardy. Depends on how and why they were bred.

Lifespan is a complex issue, and genetics are a huge part. Although proper diet, a lower aggression tank , and especially good params can all play a role.

Sharkbait19 said:
Makes sense to me. If you look over at freshwater, many of the designer/hybrid cichlids like electric blue Jack Dempsey and flowerhorns are swimming bags of health problems.
Seems like a lot of the super inbred clowns are the least hardy too.