Clownfish care/stories

[Dvsfx]

Im sure alot of you have kept cared for or admired these guys. Wanted to start this thread to hear some stories and gather a little advice on keeping and or rearing them as who knows I may attempt this in the future. Ps got my first one today he's not your average clown

 

[marty20]

My clowns are fun to watch. They started to figure out who is gonna be the dominant one about a month ago and I can already see the difference in size that is becoming apparent. It was a little worrisome at first watching the one shake or twitch but after awhile it became something I would show people and have them laugh at it.

 

[Dvsfx]

Lol awesome i believe i see them there in your avatar. was it the dominant or passive one that shook and twitched? Im really interested if its a possibility to cross breed morphs of clowns, interested in picking up an albino to go with my snowflake if that would work 0.0

 

[marty20]

The passive one began to twitch and at first I was nervous so I researched it and found that this was the fish surrendering to the more dominant one. Sure enough after I read that it all made perfect sense. And that would be an interesting combination. If I had to guess I would say its a possibility since they all started from the same species at some point right? If you are really going to try it I would purchase the platinum soon so they will figure things out like mine had. I bought mine when they were each about an inch and its been 5 months together for them now.

 

[Dvsfx]

Ah very interesting indeed, its nice when I hear stories of pet owners who research their animals when they show the slightest changes in behaviour I remember doing this when my damsel use to kick up tornados of sand so i later learned its a nesting ritual done by the males so the female has somewhere to lay her clutch. Got an interesting fact and an easy way to determine gender of that fish. But yes ill have to pick him/her up soon if I want any chance to make this work. Do clowns remain juveniles for very long? Or do they grow pretty fast? And how drastic or simplistic did there coloration change since you first got em if you can recall of course

 

[marty20]

Well actually color is an issue for me as im color blind but I was told by friends ( who don't pay nearly as much attention to the fish as I do) that the female has gotten a little darker. I would say it wasn't much if at all though but I really can't say. And I have had a hard time deciding how much they have grown. I have to go to the lfs to see ones similar to them to really get an idea but they have grown a good amount since I got them back in August

 

[Dvsfx]

Wow 0.0 not to make a joke or anything but I can see how some of those water parameter test kits would be a pain for you as even I sometimes have problems determining if my ph is 8.2 or 8.4 lol. im Happy they dont grow too too fast tho as its kinda funny seeing how everything is like giant for the clowns if only we could see from there perspective

 

[marty20]

Haha no offense taken. It is what it is. But luckily for me my lfs does water tests for free. And because I go in there so often they actually do it right for me as I have speculated they probably lie to some people to get them to spend money. Going back to your comment about the people looking up the information about ttheir fish at the slightest change in behavior.... I like to see that too but what frustrates me about this site is that most people don't give a person the benefit of the doubt and most questions asked are answered with "what size tank do you have? " that is annoying to me because in some cases i feel the individual wouldn't have asked such a question unless they know a little bit more than just the tank size lol. I still love the site but laugh everytime I see something like that. Would you agree?

 

[Dvsfx]

Well thats a bonus I should figure out if my lfs does the same I'm at the point were I do tests rarely I kind of mastered at just knowing what my system needs i kno the exact amount of ph buffer to add to my weekly top-off water and yes I agree to this statement lol I mean I get it sometimes when people put large tangs in nano systems just a bad idea to begin with but the same tang as a baby im sure could be housed in something small for a few months I saw a few yesterday that were not much larger then my thumbnail I mean one of my hermits could have a nice dinner out of it given the chance so I would actually prefer to raise it in a smaller tank to properly observe it. So in my opinion given just the fish type and little information tank size has little to no relevance. Actually to be honest I feel I've never inquired on someones tank size I normally ask an assortment of other questions that in themselves give me alot of information.

 

[Dvsfx]

Is the rule of thumb 5 gallons of water for every inch of fish? Ive read that somewhere but of course there are specifics like mandarins and some wrasses that require special diets

 

[marty20]

Yeah I think that the amount of water per inch of fish is for people just getting into the hobby. I have found that stocking a tank requires a plan to stick by. Which will factor in fish personalities and needs. And I feel the rest is a feel for how the fish seem to enjoy their environment. Im not saying to stuff a tank but I feel if the bioload is built properly then you could probably add more. For example I had a purple dottyback that wouldn't allow me to add anything to the tank

 

[Dvsfx]

Yea plans lol I seem to suffer in that department. More often then not ill have something in my mind going into the lfs then walk out with something totally different a bit of a disease I suppose X3 Im really going to re-think this because looking back I got this hawkfish and put it in a tank stocked with ornamental crustaceans. Long story short he had a few expensive meals including my prized boxer crab pair
What sort of livestock do you have now? Or have your eye on for the near future?

 

[marty20]

I have some freshwater tanks back home but in my dorm room at school I have a 20 gallon sw which I have my 2 clowns in. I have multiple different corals, nothing too difficult to keep and I have my startfish which I love. I thought about adding another fish to my tank but I like the relationship my clowns have and im afraid of messing with it by adding someone new. I am planning on creating a seahorses tank in the summer as long as everything goes right. What about yourself?

 

[Dvsfx]

Oh what kind of starfish? I love my brittlestar aswel especially handfeeding it and seahorse that sounds quite the challenge will be a very tranquil tank for sure though. I myself absolutely love cephalopods so an octopus will for sure be my future pet just the fact they have reasoning skills blows my mind.

 

[marty20]

I have a sand sifting starfish. I know they get really large and you have to keep them well fed but I don't mind any of that. He hasn't grow much since I got him. And I would love to have an octopus but im only 20 and don't have the money for that yet haha. I don't know why but I have this idea that ill be able to afford this hobby through this hobby lol. By selling offspring to pay for new equipment and stuff but I haven't actually done that yet

 

[marty20]

It's unfortunate no one else joined in! But I bought a frogspawn coral which I think my clowns are getting friendlier with and could soon host it! Im excited for the possibility

 

[Dimdim]

I have an oscelarris mixed, fully black with just a little orange on his nose and tips of his side fins, bought him and a sebae for 40$ i have heard of clowns mix breeding in captivity, hence all the miscolourations, and different body shapes

 

[Pisces3473]

I've got a Maroon and he's created a burrow for himself. It's a bit scary to look at cause I'm thinking, "What if he keeps digging and the rock falls on him?"

 

[Ericwm]

I just added my second clown to my tank today, I am hoping they aren't too aggressive with each other. I want them to mate up, they are both occilaris. One black and one orange, I think it would make a cool couple. Does anyone know what their offspring would look like should I attempt breeding them?

Here is a pic

 

[Tlro]

I have a clarkii I bought the same day I got my first tank. He waited in the bag while I set the tank up. Hes survived my cycle, tank changes, so many rescapes, every noob mistake you can imagine. Still rockin it 1.5 years later. I call him "Nemoy - Mysis Slayer"