How many nemos can I have in a 20G?

[32Bit_Fish]

I will set up a 20g reef tank soon and besides the shrimp. How many clown fish can I have in this 20g?

I have a Remora 1200 skimmer and willing to do 25% or more w/c per week.

 

[deelucky]

you can house 2 clowns.though in a twenty i would stay away from maroon clowns,i only say that because they get bigger then false perc or true percs,an tend to be alot more aggressive.

 

[digitalreefer]

Generally more than 2 is a bad idea. Also, they should be the same type of clowns and introduced together.

 

[32Bit_Fish]

The maroon clown is beautiful. Maybe I just have one in my tank?

 

[Deanos]

A maroon clown in a 20g tank is likely to be the ONLY fish in the tank; due to its agressiveness. :fish:

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Maroons get really mean, they tend to bite even the hand that feeds them, YOURS.

 

[deelucky]

The maroon clown is beautiful. Maybe I just have one in my tank?

they are very nice and i wanted a pair for my 29gal but after some stories i decided against it mainly because i like total peace.(ha i still have my striped damsel).i settled on my false percs which are in my avatar.

 

[crox99]

Get a pair of Percula or tomato.

 

[Blue02celi]

Generally more than 2 is a bad idea.

is that generally as in any sized tank or just the 20g?

 

[mgchan]

A maroon clown is fine... as long as it is not a female!!! If you end up with a female, you cannot have a sand bottom. Everyday I get a sand storm whenever she stirs the sand with her tail. All the frags and corals are covered with sand. Plus if she doesn't like a coral or frag on the sand, she will go out of her way to cover it with sand, knock it over or carry it over to another area of the thank! With the frags, it's like bowling to her. I refer to my maroon clown as the devil fish!!! :banghead:

She is also the tank bully!!! She not only goes after the other fish, she whacks my hand whenever it's in the tank.

 

[meschaefer]

Maroons get really mean, they tend to bite even the hand that feeds them, YOURS.

really mean is an understatement, I think that they might be the devil incarnate.

 

[nanoreefer22]

A maroon clown is fine... as long as it is not a female!!! If you end up with a female, you cannot have a sand bottom. Everyday I get a sand storm whenever she stirs the sand with her tail. All the frags and corals are covered with sand. Plus if she doesn't like a coral or frag on the sand, she will go out of her way to cover it with sand, knock it over or carry it over to another area of the thank! With the frags, it's like bowling to her. I refer to my maroon clown as the devil fish!!! :banghead:

She is also the tank bully!!! She not only goes after the other fish, she whacks my hand whenever it's in the tank.

This is kind of misleading. If a clown is left alone in a tank it will become a female. Supposedly clowns all start off as males and some turn into females. When they're in a pair the male will stay small and the female will go on to grow thats how you know shes the female.

So regardless, if 32bit gets a single maroon its going to be a female eventually.

-Kris

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Kris is actually 100% on the money.

The answer to the question of how many nemo's can you have in a tank, the answer is NONE. If the reason for getting into saltwater/reef aquariums is the movie finding nemo you are probably getting into the hobby for the wrong reasons. If this is true please rethink your thinking.

If you want to know how many Percula clownfish you can have in that sized tank I would say 2. False Percs 2. Clarkii 2. Tomato 2. Cinnamon 2. any other breeds I would say post the name of the species and ask their requirements.

 

[TimberTDI]

I've got 2 maroons (mated) and a false perc in my 92 for about 6 months now. How the perc is still alive is beyond me. It has been ousted to the upper corner of the bow tank. They have learned to tolerate each other but barely. Once the AP 24 finishes it's cycle I'm going to move the false perc.
Steven

 

[32Bit_Fish]

Alright guys, no more Maroon Clown for me.

Thanks for the advice.

I tried to find all types of clown fish on the web, but no luck. Can anyone post a link to a little introduction of clown fish?

So I can decide which one I want by look at the pic of the fish, then I would post its name here for advice.

Thanks again.

 

[Deanos]

If you're serious about caring for clownfish, I recommend this website:

rareclownfish.com

Types of Clownfishes

 

[mgchan]

This is kind of misleading. If a clown is left alone in a tank it will become a female. Supposedly clowns all start off as males and some turn into females. When they're in a pair the male will stay small and the female will go on to grow thats how you know shes the female.

So regardless, if 32bit gets a single maroon its going to be a female eventually.

-Kris

Thanks, I'd forgotten about this.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

The ONLY clowns I would recommend for a 20g would be percs or any skunk species (skunks are the smallest clown species maxing out at 3.5" for the extra large ones). Clarkiis get to around 5"+ same with tomatoes (both are also aggressive, increasing as they grow). Also, clowns in the wild mate in groups of 3, not 2, and pair bond for life. Two is enough for a 20g and they don't do any worse minus the 3rd clown in captivity. The reason for 3 is so there will always be atleast 2 viable mates in the anemone should one die. The 3rd is always an adopted offspring of another pair (somehow they know not to accept their own offspring and can tell). Another thing to remember is that clowns are actually in the same family as most damsel fish and so will grow bigger than you think they will and normally get fairly aggressive. If you plan on keeping a pair in a 20g keep in mind that should they pair and attempt to mate they will become more aggressive during their attempts and a 20g is not enough to hide from them in. I would honestly recommend a slightly larger tank for the clowns but on the other hand there are several fish on the smaller side that are well suited to a 20 and have personality and color.

 

[Blue02celi]

so in a 72g, when I start to stock it I know I will get clowns, most likely false percs to make the girly happy, should I go with 2 or 3? I wont have any anemone as I will just start out with a fowlr and as much as I'd like to get one I know it would probably be best not to until I get more experience.

The ONLY clowns I would recommend for a 20g would be percs or any skunk species (skunks are the smallest clown species maxing out at 3.5" for the extra large ones). Clarkiis get to around 5"+ same with tomatoes (both are also aggressive, increasing as they grow). Also, clowns in the wild mate in groups of 3, not 2, and pair bond for life. Two is enough for a 20g and they don't do any worse minus the 3rd clown in captivity. The reason for 3 is so there will always be atleast 2 viable mates in the anemone should one die. The 3rd is always an adopted offspring of another pair (somehow they know not to accept their own offspring and can tell). Another thing to remember is that clowns are actually in the same family as most damsel fish and so will grow bigger than you think they will and normally get fairly aggressive. If you plan on keeping a pair in a 20g keep in mind that should they pair and attempt to mate they will become more aggressive during their attempts and a 20g is not enough to hide from them in. I would honestly recommend a slightly larger tank for the clowns but on the other hand there are several fish on the smaller side that are well suited to a 20 and have personality and color.

 

[DEEPWATER]

poor maroon clown ,have such a bad name ,,

guess im lucky ,my maroon clown is calm doesnt bother any fish in the tank and actualy was being picked on by my scunk clown ,not to metion she dosnt do that sand storm like the other ,all she does is stay in the mushroom colony ,it such a beautiful fish and so calm

guess i got that 1 outta of million of fish


ask Mike (slama) he has 2 clown and a 2 chormis in a 29gal i think ,they seems to be doing great ,,just make sure you have a good skimmer ,dont over feed and keep water para up to par

good luck and dont rush into getting a tank ,get some basic down and it will help you out later ,with money and more .some ppl do about a year worth of reading and resreach before getting a tank ,not saying you should wait that long

Happy new year

Ronen