Clownfish Questions!

[FishFreak_03]

Hi,

Okay, I have never had a salt-water tank before, and I have a few questions about Clownfish.

First Question: Do Clownfish need any PARTICULAR rocks, plants, lights, food, etc. to be comfortable in a tank?

Second Question: Do Clownfish HAVE to have live rocks or coral?
(I plan on getting some but cant afford any atm)

Third Question: Do you think 2 Clownfish would have a problem with a blowfish or sea-horse?

Any info or personal experiences would be aprreciated. Thanks!

:fate:

[coral]

I have a Maroon clownfish, he's one of the more aggressive clowns & not suitable for a tank with seahorses... or any timid fish! The clown was happy enough with his favourite cave in the LR until I put in an anenome, and now he's REALLY happy! It's really cool to see him host in it too. ( Personally I think it's better for the clownfish to have something they're at home & happy in. It's not necessary for his survival, but it is more for his happiness!)

[malachai]

I have had clowns (saddlebacks, and perculas at a later time) in with seahorses with no problems. As far as rock, live rock is for the tank more than the clowns. They will occasionally play in the caves and tunnels but mine (perculas) are usually right up front and center lol they love to be the center of attention. As coral said though a maroon isnt good to be in there so it really depends on what type of clowns you want to get. As far as lighting goes buy the best you can afford, I know it seems expensive but its cheaper than replacing them in a few months when you want to add corals or..... HTH

[FishFreak_03]

Thanks for replying Coral and Malachai. I've been trying to get as much info on these as I can before I buy them. I probably wont be able to get fish for a couple months though. (grr) I can barely afford the tank much less the fish and other stuff Lol. Well, atleast I will have enough time to figure out what other fish to get hehe.

[Ducatti]

how big is your tank?

[Dman]

Clowns don't really need much other than food and water. And they'll live through the most horrible water conditions you could subject them to, within reason.
Like most fish their size they need somewhere to retreat to when they feel threatened. Something as simple as a 1.5 inch PVC elbow would do the trick.
Now with that said, imagine being locked in your house without any means of communication whatsoever and having only ONE channel on television to watch 14-16 hours a day.
You would live, but I imagine you wouldn't be too happy after awhile and perhaps a little bonkers :D
As for the compatibility with blowfishes or sea horses, I don't foresee anything bad happening. But you may want to look closely at a seahorses requirements, as they are so much harder to maintain than clowns that they might as well be from another planet.:D
Dman
:spin:

[rottn]

The clowns would probably outcompete seahorses for food. Seahorses are very slow-moving, and fishes need to be chosen very carefully. Clownfish are not a recommended fish with SHs. Check seahorse.org for more info on SH's and compatible fish.

Puffers... what kind? Dogface, porcupine, etc (big ones) would probably end up making a meal of the clowns in the long run.

Clowns are overall a great community fish... it's just that the above choices aren't the best community choices.

HTH

[Wiggler]

But keep in mind.. that clowns are damsels.. and can be very agressive!!!

My P. Clown is not able to have tank mates as he tries to have them for lunch!!

Pam

[FishFreak_03]

Just realized how hard SH's are to keep so I guess they are out of the question. The blowfish get to big I guess and would eat others so forget them too. I gotta figure out how I'm going to pay for all this. (will have 55 gallon tank in a week or so..i hope) but all the other stuff is expensive too. Im only 14 so have no job and money in my family is running a little short atm.

What fish I want to get now are:
2 Ocellaris
1 Yellow Watchman Gobby
1 Neon Gobby
1 Six-Lined Wrasse
3 Cleaner Shrimp

Anybody think these will not work together? Thanks

[Ducatti]

yup that sounds like a good combo to me..:)

[Ducatti]

yellow watchman goby is pretty cool...:D i want one too

[Cellenzweig]

That looks like a great combination!

If you're going to get a watchman goby, you should get a pistol shrimp too. The often pair off and form a really cool symbiotic relationship. The shrimp is almost blind. It will keep one antannae on the the goby. If there's danger, the goby will signal by flicking its tail and the shrimp will take off into it's cave. That's why it's called a "watchman" goby. In return, the shrimp will dig caves and tunnels for it and the goby and also dig up food in the sand for the goby to eat.

Best of luck!
Colin

[simoncoul]

I have a yellow watch man goby he's cool to watch. He dug a hole that he shares with my peppermint shrimp. He's only aggressive if a fish swims right in front of his hole but doesn't bit them just chase them away(about 1 or 2 inches from the hole lol) he's a lazy fish.

[Dman]

Good idea on backing away from the SH's Not recommended for beginners.
Dman
:spin:

[FishFreak_03]

Thanks for all the replies. I read up on the watchman gobbys and im going to get some pistol shrimp too. Anybody got an idea of how much money a pistol shrimp would cost?

[Ducatti]

i would say $35-40

[FishFreak_03]

( ! ) Why are they so expensive? Do they do anything else but clean the goby's tunnel and dig it up food?

[Cellenzweig]

I paid about $25 for my pistol shrimp.

[Ducatti]

it depends on where ya get it...diff place diff price..IMO

[Wiggler]

Fish Freak,

I just noticed yer one of our American friends :D

The price that Ducatti mentioned above is $35 - $40 CDN dollars!!

To you.. that's roughly $25 - $30 bux :D

All of the prices on this site are generally in CDN funds.. unless otherwise stated.. so this should help to eliminate some of the confusion for ya. :D

HTH

Pam

[Rmip]

You should also check out Reefcentral.com if you're not doing yet.
Ray

[FishFreak_03]

Lol. Well that would explain it Wiggler. Thanks