Brand new and looking for advice on clownfish tank

[nightwork]

Hello everyone,

I was a fan of the percula clownfish years before the Finding Nemo movie came out. I saw an animal planet show on reefs and decided if I were ever to get a tank that is what I would do.

Well I am grown up now (at least mostly, lol) and starting to consider doing it. My fiancee has a 4 year old and I thought that he would really enjoy the fish. It would be fun to see his eyes get so big when he watches them. It would also be a nice way to teach him about fish and the ocean.

So this is what I am hoping to have and would like people to point out any obvious mistakes. I plan on using craig's list to find a decent sized tank (125 gallons) and get all the equipment needed. I just got a few books and am reading about the filtration.

I am planning on getting the tank, adding sand and running it for about 6 weeks to make sure everything is settled and working. Then adding live rock and coral. Should I wait this long? Can I add the live rock and coral before that?

Then adding percula clownfish. Both the black and white kind as well as the normal colors. I would like to have several clown fish, but I have heard that you can only have a single pair? Is this true? I see online and at the pet store that they have many of them in the same tank. Can I have other clowns like the tomato in the same tank?

I am also planning on trying to set up a smaller tank for quarantining and eventually breeding if things go well. I think it would be very neat for my fiancee's son to see baby fish.

So is this a crazy idea? Can I have just clowns or should I put other fish in too? If so what other fish go well with clowns.

Thanks in advance,
Josh

 

[Sir Alex]

Actually you don't wait at all to add the rock. You put it in right away. About 1 to 2 pounds per gallon of it. Then you feed the bacteria with ammonia (rotting fish food). The tank will be done cycling (growing bacteria) when the ammonia and nitrites are 0. There's an article on living reefs about cycling tanks. Do a search for it.

And you can only have one pair of clowns. And breeding is very hard.

 

[wontonflip]

My lfs has a huge tank on display that has 5 or 6 clownfish -- usually the 3 black/white clowns stick together, and the percs stick together on the other side of the tank. They said they have been together for a few years, so they get along.

But it's really a 50/50 shot. You may have a group that will get along at first, then one day they will mature more and start fighting. Hopefully with a larger tank you mighit be able to pull it off. You'll raise your chances if you get them all at the same time. But again, it's more than likely they will fight until 1 or 2 are left.

 

[Toolman]

Just spend the first two weeks on research read through the site IMO get a tank you will be happy with for at least a year you don't want to upgrade every 3 months Salt water tanks are like new construction measure 2X cut once. My first major suggestion would be ask on the site and advoid a LFS until you make up your mind they are wanting to make money so don't let them take too much of yours small steps.

 

[nightwork]

Thanks for the advice on the starting the tank and the live rock. I will find that article and read through it.

Well my dreams of a tank full of only clown fish is out. I have read that if you have a group of clowns there will only be a single mated pair. The rest will stay smaller and never breed. I wouldn't mind that. It would be interesting to try at least.

Another idea would be to separate the large tank into three smaller tanks. The water would be shared and use a single filtration system. Has anyone done this?

I am not too worried about breeding them. I tend to get into hobbies and go all out. I don't like to do anything small. I am sure that breeding them is a challenge, but that is the fun part. If I try and fail, then I will have learned some more about it and had a good time as well. Also, it will be a good lesson to my fiancees son either way.

Josh

 

[Smitty]

Hello and welcome to the site...glad to have you aboard. Everyone has you covered.

 

[little_fish]

Hello and Welcome!

Raising fry is not like raising puppies, you are going to be spending a lot of time culturing food, and it might take years before your clownfish mate and lay eggs, so i wouldnt count on that happening.

Anyways, here are some great articles you should read
https://www.livingreefs.com/cycling-tank-adding-fish-and-corals-t26452.html
https://www.livingreefs.com/ideal-books-reef-keepers-t19535.html
https://www.livingreefs.com/choose-your-fish-t27083.html
https://www.livingreefs.com/why-using-tap-water-bad-idea-t19865.html
https://www.livingreefs.com/basic-equipment-list-t19611.html
https://www.livingreefs.com/water-chemistry-t31270.html


Also, dont divide up your tank. That will limit you to keeping smaller fish because having a lot of length for your fish to swim will really decide which fish you can keep in your tank. Shortening your tank, shortens your options

 

[ErinCahir]

Hello and welcome! Everyone has you covered!

 

[NanoReefer]

you could talk to wes about this, he has 2 pairs of percs i believe in his 72 gallon. i had a pair of misbars breeding in the past, and its a challenge raising them, with daily water changes and feeding live rotifers. but its fun to do!