Clown Advice Please

[little_fish]

Not its not any better. The only time you have to add one of a different size is if are adding the second one after the first one has a chance to become established. If you are adding them at the same time then they can be close to the same size. The will bicker about who gets to become female, but once that is decided the fighting will stop and they will pair up.

And that is total bs about the wild/tank raised. You can for sure mix them.

I think the odds are better than 50/50 your clowns will pair, but the chance of them become a mated pair is very small - but that is how it is for all clown fish, regardless of species or wild/tank.

 

[phastroh]

I called the guy at Marine Warehouse today.

He said they have Wild Clowns but I can only put 1 in the tank but they were larger in size.

He said they had tank raised but they were only 1.5 to 2 inches roughly.

He told me the tank raised are 50/50 to pair but that I couldn't put a wild and tank together for sure nor 2 wild.

I would think the wild are together in tanks so maybe he didn't mean that.

 

[Sir Alex]

Does that mean that I don't need to get a small and large one?

 

[little_fish]

I have absolutely no idea why he would tell you that. If you put two large clown fish together, or two that have been in a tank by themselves for a long time they will probably fight because they are both female. You can put one small one and one big one together because you only have one female. You can put two little ones together because they are both male and one will become female.

That is how is works, wild caught or tank raised.

 

[little_fish]

Does that mean that I don't need to get a small and large one?

Nope, you can get two little ones.

 

[Sir Alex]

Nope, you can get two little ones.

So 2 small of these?

 

[phastroh]

OK LF I got ya now and I think maybe he didn't want to say yeah and then nothing or maybe he thought I meant have eggs.

I know my plan this weekend.

Get 2 Clowns and 5 other fish, just kidding about the Clowns uh I mean 5 other fish. I have actually been juggling the idea of getting rid of the Eel for more fish.

Probably won't since he is so cool right now.

 

[little_fish]

So 2 small of these?

Yep! Those would be prefect! I personally would prefer you get the captive breed ones from the US because they are captive breed so you dont put pressure on wild stock and I always wonder how ligit the out of US captive breed programs are.

 

[Sir Alex]

Probably it would be a good idea to get rid of the eel before you get to attached to it... He will seriously lower your number of choices.

 

[little_fish]

Sounds like a good plan Phastroh

 

[Mandarin66]

i guessed on the numbers :P

 

[little_fish]

i guessed on the numbers :P

I know, please dont do that, its very misleading.

 

[phastroh]

Wait what is a good plan... ditching the Eel?

I don't know if I want to just yet.

Can't the Eel stay if the fish grow fast? Actually I was going to ask if he will outgrow the fish like way before they can get big enough.

I know they get too big for most of these fish when the fish are full grown.

Let's say in a year will the clowns be lunch or sooner. I try to feed the Eel enough and leave Ghost Shrimp in there most of the time.

 

[little_fish]

It sounds like you have a good plan to get the clowns. But those cannot possibly grow fast enough or big enough to totally eliminate the possibility of them being eaten by the eel.

Personally, i think they are going to end up being eel food but you can try and add them

 

[phastroh]

Even right now? There is a small Damsel in there now and the Eel just looks at it and does nothing.

It is like it knows what is for dinner. The Damsel is bigger than the Eels head. The Eel is about 10-12 inches now.

The Clowns should be bigger than the smallest Damsel or the same size.

 

[little_fish]

Eel dont usually eat the fish that were added before them, its the fish added afterwards that become lunch.

And they have huge extendable jaws, dont underestimate them. You might get lucky in that they are actually big enough that he doesnt see them ass food, you might not.

This is why you need to research your fish before you buy them. We all would have told you that the eel would most likely eat anything you add after him and you should add him last.

 

[ErinCahir]

+1 to everything little_fish said!

Plus, the eel will grow way faster than your other fish.

 

[phastroh]

Ok so today I will have to find a way to get rid of the Eel.

Would you think any LFS would buy him/her?

I REALLY hate to get rid of it but I want to put Clowns in this weekend and now I am not sure he won't chomp them.

I know he is fed good and is usually not hungry but still.

He used to chase crabs a little but since I have been feeding him regularly he hasn't been seen doing that anymore.

WHen I see him I always try to feed him and he usually eat 2-3 pieces of squid and then is not scene for 2-3 days.

But, since I read from people they never had problems I didn't think it would be one LF. I just have seen them with other stuff but now I have to remove it.

Hopefully I can get it out. I know he will be looking for food tonight for sure so maybe I will call a few shops and see if they will take it.

My choices are limited to 2 places around here. I am hoping they will pay for it but I doubt it.

They are not the places I will be buying my Clowns from.

 

[ErinCahir]

Catching my eel was the easiest thing I've ever had to do.

I just stuck the feeding stick in there and lured him to the top of the tank. Then I scooped him up with the net (I had to actually grab him, however, he was WAY to big for the net I have).

In the future, please research more carefully before you get something. Had you asked on here, I would've been more than happy to share my experience with you. Fish stores do not count as research.

 

[phastroh]

I didn't ask the fish store. I just read peoples posts on forums about them and they were all like, yeah it gets along with my fish and so on.

I have learned here not to ask them for advice.

I will say though on you tube most Eels are alone. It hasn't eaten my Cleaner Shrimp and they are smaller than the Clown Fish. They hang out and it never even goes by them at all.