Clown Fish - Soft Coral Or Anemones?

[xkenneth]

I recently got my first saltwater tank going and i'm very much enjoying it. It's a small ten gallon with two baby clownfish (about 1/2" long) and a scooter blenny. I have a larger tank i'm in the planning stages of that will be the final home for these fish and some others. The tank size will be 30 gallons with about a 20 gallon sump. Now i'd like to have some anemones in the tank for the clownfish to host, but i've read that anemones can be quite a handful and will probably outgrow a tank of that size. So I have a few questions. Do I need a seperate host for each clownfish? Would I be able to keep two anenomes in a tank that size? I've read that sometimes clownfish will also host in soft corals. Would this be a better solution for a tank of this size? Thanks for the help!

Regards,
Ken

 

[DeathWarp]

Clownfish will often host just about anything, from anemones to soft corals to plastic plants (for some odd reason). Which doesnt mean that they WILL host any of the above, because I have kept clowns who simply never made anything their host. For a tank that size, I would 100% suggest sticking with corals, anemones can grow to a fairly large size and may cause a problem if you're planning on having corals in the tank (not to mention that water quality will be a little more difficult aswell).

 

[ntswift]

I agree with DeathWarp on this. I have a 29 gal right now with numerous corals in it and no anemones. I had one in there but the powerhead sucked it up and now its no more. It is really hard to keep the two together without having problems. The anemones like to move around and with a 30 gal there really isnt that much room to move. No, you dont have to have two seperate anemones for the two clowns. One will do just fine. My two clowns are hosting my zoo's right now. I moved my zoo's not too long ago and since then they haven't hosted anything until now. They found them again! My suggestion is that if you want to upgrade your tank go with a 55 gal at least. You will be happier in the long run! Good Luck!

 

[xkenneth]

I've got a 75gallon tank sitting right next to me here but I just don't have the funds right now to get it going for a reef tank. The LR alone would cost me $300 not to mention lighting for a reef. I chose the 30gallon size because my situation isn't terribly stable at the moment (moving around a bit) and a 30gallon is a pretty moveable size in my opinion. So could you suggest some nice soft corals for the clowns? I'll have a look at the zoos.

Regards,
Ken

 

[ntswift]

Thats the one bad thing about this hobby, it costs so much! I wish it was cheaper but supply and demand have their way! Some good soft corals for your 30 might be some mushrooms, xenia, star polyps. What kind of lighting do you have? How many watts per gallon? How long has your tank been up and running? Usually you're not supposed to add corals for at least 6 months or until you water perameters are stable. I'm sure you have been reading, reading, and reading some more, at least I did when I first got into the hobby! I'm still new at this but I've just been reading other posts constantly learning new things.

 

[FishFrik]

My solution to my 29G and anemone's movement was to create 2 seperate pile of lr, one for the anemone and one for corals

Just a thought

 

[xkenneth]

I'll try that frik, because I still really like the idea of having anenomes as well as the corals, but we'll have to see. I haven't been reading as much as I should yet, but i'm still in the initial planning phases. I'm working on a stand/sump/refugium for the tank right now, and i'll really dive deeper into the decision once the tank is up and running. As far as lighting goes, I haven't decided yet, but I will reach the 5wpg mark with either compact flourescant, VHO, or Metal Halides. Just depends on how much money I have.

 

[dreams]

hi kenneth......you said "anemones"...as in plural.....anemones can get quite large...another point to consider is that it is not a good idea to put more than one kind of anemone is a tank (unless you have a huge tank)....they may go to war and have been known to take out an entir tank in the process

 

[melosu58]

I have a maroon clown that host a bubble coral and a tomato clown that host a pagoda Cup coral. As others have said they will host corals also. Also your tank will be too small for two anenomies.

 

[xkenneth]

Well that's good to know. Might actually be interesting to see them go to war. Any recommendations as to which ones stay small? Also on another note, my friend's anemone has gone and attached himself to the glass. Is that normal behaviour?

Regards,
Ken