For pet clownfish, do you have to have anenome?

Question

Can certain types just live in a normal fishtank. How many can you have and of what sexes?

Answer 1

If you get a clownfish, it is a good idea to get an anemone for it to hang out ..

Get an anemone if you are getting a Clownfish, and also use at least one compact fluorescent lighting.

:-)

Answer 2

As for sexes the larger one changes sexes so its pretty simple. As for the answer above well shes almost there they need 20 gallon min but maybe she knows something the rest of us done. Third id recommend an anenome for your clown though they do pair with specific breeds. If you do this youll get a lot more out of these fish. Clowns will swim to the surface and bring food down to the anenome which is real cool. Now im not sure what size your tank is but whatever the gallonage is multiply that by 3 and thats teh wattage you need for the anenome. So if its 20 gallon you need 60 watts. If you cant do this the anenome probly wont make it. Also wait till the cycling process is done before purchasing the anenome. Please email me if you have any further questions

Answer 3

The short answer- clownfish do perfectly well without and anemone. I currently have 3 marine tanks (they are saltwater fish), and have kept marine for almost 9 years. I've kept clownfish by themselves and with anemones anemones since I started in the hobby, and the clowns do well either way.

The same can't always be said of amenones. Anemones require more intense lighting than an ordinary aquarium hood provides, so you'd need to have a compact fluorescent or metal halide system to keep one properly. Anemones have photosynthestic algae inside them which provide some of their food, so you need enought light for them to use photosynthesis to make the food.

Most types of clowns can be kept in an aquarium, depending on the size of each. Clowns can range from 2 inches to 6 inches as adults and are best kept singly or in pairs. They have semi-aggressive to aggressive personalities so unless you have a tank over 100 gallons, it's best to stick with a single kind, or you'll end up with battles over territory. This will occur no matter what species are kept with them if they lay eggs - you'll get the clowns wherever the eggs are laid, and the rest of the fish crowded into the corners. If you plan on keeping fish other than clowns, add the most peaceful species first, and work up to the most aggressive.

Clownfish change gender from male to female! As long as you start with two juveniles, the largest will develop into a female, and the other a male. Whether or not they'll from a pair is another story. Some people suggest starting with four, and keeping the first two to form a pair and returning the others. This is an option, but you should check with the store where you get them to make sure they'll let you return them first.

If you don't have a clownfish species chosen, and you're willing to get (or already have) a lighting setup to keep an anemone, be aware that not all anemones and clownfish are compatible. Try to get an anemone that naturally hosts your clownfish, and look for one that's at least 3" across - it it's too small, the constant movement by the clown may keep it from opening the tentacles to feed.

I'll post some links below where you can get additional information:

Answer 4

Simple answer. NO. Clowns use anemones for protection and food, the same as anemone use clowns. Not all anemone can house clowns.

Anemone need specific lighting requirements to survive healthy.

You can have as many clowns as you like depending on the size of your tank. Funny thing about clowns, if you are keeping them in groups of three or five, only one will be the alpha female and only one will be the alpha male. NONE of the other males will breed with the female, nor will any of the other fish turn female.

If the alpha female should die, the alpha male will turn female and choose an alpha male from those that are in the tank.

All clowns are males. Only 1 will turn female in a tank.

Good luck.

Answer 5

Do NOT listen to the answer above me, he doesn't know what he's talking about.

Clownfish are tropical marine fish. They need a fish tank set up that is very specific. If you have never kept fish befor, I wouldn't really recommend you try keeping them, they are more likely to die, and they are quite expensive (about £15 a pop here in England). If you must try, however, do some research on them.

They need a tank that is at least about 15 gallons in size - the bigger the tank is, the easier it is to keep (believe it or not, as the water parameters dont fluctuate). Then, set it up with water, dechlorinate it, put the right amount of salt in (about 33g per litre) and turn the heater on. Add a filter that the shop recommends is the right size.

The next day, check the salt levels, and temp, the salt should read about 1.025sg (you can buy a nifty gadget in fish shops that reads this for you, costs about £10/15, maybe $20/30 - you NEED one of these). The temp should be about 25C. Then, buy some test kits that measure the Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. These should peak (ie increas in levels and then decrease) in the order I have written them in, except that when it comes time for the nitrate to, it will not go down. When the first two have peaked (ie you have left the tank for about 2-4 weeks, adding some food every so often and letting it 'rot' down in there) you can add your pair of clownfish.

From then on, feed them daily (or twice daily), and do water changes when needed with pre-heated and pre-salted water to keep the nitrate level as low as possible. Clownfish are hardy though, and wont mind increased nitrate levels. Nitrite and ammonia should be constantly at '0'.

Do not add anemones, they require special lighting and conditions that are harder to replicate. If you get captive bred clowns, which you most likely will, then they will have never seen an anemone in their life anyway, so they wont mind!

Mail me any questions, I am happy to help!

Btw, I am glad you are doing research BEFORE buying them, unlike some people...

Ashley

EDIT I forgot to add about the sexes. Well, with clownfish its a bit weird. ALL clownfish are born males, and they live in groups when young. Then, the leader of the group (typically the biggest) turns into a female. Her and the next most dominant fish will pair off and go off by them selves. Then, again, the next most dominant will turn female, pair off with the next most dominant male, and off they go. So, when you buy them from a fish shop, you will buy a pair of imature males (dont get 1, or 3, or more), and then after a while, the dominant one of the pair will turn from male into female, and you automatically have a pair! Sorted!

Answer 6

if u have a 5 gallon tank u can have 4 clown fish and add some anemones if u want,,it's up to u if u want 2 have anemones and add lightings and some corals to make it look nicer