Do You Keep Clownfish in Your SPS Displays?

[D-Nak]

I think people with SPS tanks don't want their SPS destroyed by a nem -- either by it floating into a powerhead and killing everything or it getting too close and stinging the SPS to death. It goes beyond the nem merely brushing up against a coral. The risks are simply too high for coral that takes years to grow.

Combine this with the fact that many reefers like seeing the interaction of the clownfish with their natural host anemones, and many natural hosts for the most common clowns (typically percula and ocellaris) being carpet anemones (I'll lump in magnifica for the sake of the argument) which tend to get big and take up a lot of valuable tank space--most SPS enthusiasts will opt to fill the space with coral instead of one nem.

For me the solution was simple -- a tank dedicated to SPS and another tank full of carpet anemones with a harem of clowns. ;Happy

 

[1stNoel]

How can you have a saltwater tank with no Nemo in it?

It's cool seeing family visit with their young kids and seeing them get excited to see Nemo and Dori in the tank.

 

[thaveteran]

For me and I would think for most it would be because SPS keepers lean towards the rare and exotic and clownfish are not that. So because of that I stock yellowbelly regal angels, masked swallowtail angels, bellus angels, pyramid butterflies, all kinds of anthias. It's looking for the more difficult fish to go along with the more difficult corals.