200 gallon clownfish tank in planning

[cowcio]

So... my dad has a 200 gallon FOWLR tank that he is looking to convert into a clownfish and anemone tank.

For the price of the Emperor angel, 2 Naso tangs, sailfin tang, and various wrasses that we have... I'm sure some sweet clownfish could be in line.

Anyways, what kind of stocking would you clownfish/anemone pros advise.

My Dad has not kept many corals in his experience, so I want to keep this easy for him. I have never kept anemones. I was looking into have anemone/clownfish stations. It is a 6 ft. long tank, so I was thinking a couple different kinds of anemones:
Carpet anemones (can I mix colors in the same area, or do I have to keep it the same?)

RBTA or GBTA

Now, I know that the anemones will move around... would I be setting up disaster having different kinds in this tank?

Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[dantodd]

With 6' of space I suspect you can do a really really nice job. of it.

Read the anemone FAQ from the thread titled "Clownfish & Anemones FAQ" at the top of this forum. That will give you an idea about the need of the different anemones.

You could put sandbed species in the middle and then create 2 islands of LR on the ends and place rock-dwelling species on those islands. Or one largish island in the middle and 2 sand-dwelling species on the sides.

Be sure to be certain that he has appropriate lighting and plenty of live rock. Give the tank a month of so to get used to any added rock or lighting before you put any anemone in as the biological filtration will need to get used to the new environment you're creating.

For the clowns I'd recommend setting up the tank so that they have plenty of places where they can't see the other pairs. They are extremely territorial as they age!

Also, the FAQ lists which fish host which anemones in the wild. It may be one way to help minimize the fighting over territory. Percula and ocellaris seem to be particularly picky about which anemone they will host. Clarkii complex seem the easiest to get to host any old anemone you toss in.

Percula are the hardest to get hosting and the most picky. Unfortunately the only anemones they host in the wild are also some of the hardest to keep in an aquarium. So, if you include them in the mix I'd add them first and get them hosting before adding other clowns.

One possibility:

One Haddoni on one side of the tank with a pair of percula.

Once they have settled in add a large doreensis or 2 to the other side along with a nice pair of clarkii or, if you can find them chrysopterus or bicinctus.

In the middle set up a nice island with one large (RBTA) Rose Bubble Tip Anemone (but not bigger than the LTA or the clarkii might bail out) and add a pair of either ehippium or melanopus.

After they've all settled in, if you aren't seeing a lot of aggression you can add a bunch more RBTAs to make a nice colony and you'll probably have room for another doreensis as well. You'll still want some smaller rocks on the side with doreensis as they like having their foot wedged under a rock in the sandbed.

Understand that trying this is VERY ADVANCED and many more people fail than succeed. It is difficult to get multiple clown pairs to share a tank and anemones are some of the most difficult animals we keep in our aquariums. You'll need a REALLY good skimmer as anemones will eat a lot and clowns are downright pigs. You'll also probably need to run carbon constantly as the anemones are likely to emit toxic chemicals to defend their territories against the other anemones in the tank. The most important thing you can do is be sure and get a healthy anemone, since you are new to anemones this will most likely be the hardest part for you.

You do have some things going for you. You have a nice LARGE tank which is a definate plus. You also have a tank that has been up for a while which is also a big plus.

 

[cowcio]

Wow.... thanks so much for the great advice. It never siezes to amaze me what new things I'll learn on this forum.

I had expected that there would be some kind of order in introducing them, but I was unsure of how to do it. I had an idea of using a spare 55 gallon as a QT/"meet your anemone" tank. This tank is actually ready to go for keeping the anemones and clowns. Great lihgting, great skimmer, etc.

This is starting to get the ideas going in my head... perhaps I will type more later. I have class now and I need to get going. I do realize that this will be a long and possibly frustrating experience, but I think it would be fun to try. If I (my Dad....haha) succeed then I will have a really cool tank and it would all be worth it.

Anyways, some quick tank specs of the 200.

Lighting- 2*175W MH 2*110W VHO (I am planning to change the 175s to 250s, should I go for more than that, maybe a 3rd 250?)

LR- 200 lbs currently... should be enough to set up some large islands for the rock hosting anemones

Skimmer... don't ask, needs replaced

20 gallon sump- I will replace this with 55 gallon rubbermaid container

LS- about 1.5 inches of crushed coral... I will add another inch or 2 of yard right on top.


Once again, I appreciate the quick response. Nothing will happen until I upgrade the lighting, skimmer, and perhaps begin running carbon.

 

[dantodd]

Lighting is still insufficient. I'll let others comment but I suspect that 3 or more 400w MH will be needed and whatever supplement is required based on the MH bulbs you choose. Some folks love DSB tanks and others hate them. Either way you'll need about 4-6 inches of sand for the sand-dwelling anemones so read up on DSBs so you'll know how to maintain yours if you want one or how to prevent your sand from becoming a DSB if you don't. 200# of live rock sounds like it could be a decent start of course it all depends on what type of rock and its density. I'm terrible at aquascaping so.....

Getting the clowns into their anemones in a smaller tank sounds like it might be a good idea. With any rock-dwelling anemone I'd suggest putting in a large enough piece of live rock to allow you to simple move the whole rock to the display once they're all acquanited.

You should have to worry too much about the carbon until you are in the process of adding a second species of anemone. It is just insurance against chemical warfare between anemone species.

 

[Johanv]

Just found this thread, so did you ever setup the tank?