Do clownfish need lighting?

Laetitia · Sep 30, 2018

hi! So I'd love to start up a saltwater tank with some clowns. I'm just wondering if they need any lighting? Or would a well lit room for day/night cycles be enough for these guys?

4FordFamily · Sep 30, 2018

No, clownfish don’t need lighting, necessarily. If they can see to eat you’ll be fine.

You won’t enjoy them as much without bright color (light) and any coral/anemones will require light.

Crazeh · Sep 30, 2018

My clown won't come out of its hiding spot in the corner of the tank until the main tank lights are on (even to feed). You're not guaranteed success with just ambient light, unless the clown got used to it maybe.

I agree with the above post though, but I'd feel uncomfortable if the clown was constantly in hiding.

starypotter · Sep 30, 2018

I think it'll also depend on just how bright your ambient lighting is. The lighting in my house is TERRIBLE, but my QT tank which has clowns in it gets lit up fairly well as it is /right/ in front of a window that gets some sun but the rest of the time the tank is quite dark and as they said above it's hard to see and sometimes they might not come out. I'm ramping up to have a cheap light on mine just for them to start getting used to something. If you don't want corals or anemones then you could get away with any cheap light but for your own enjoyment at the very least I'd say you'd probably like one.