Clown or 'Nem- Which First

[johnnyroastbeef]

I'm planning on adding 3 false Perc clowns to my new 300 gallon reef tank. Which goes in first, the anemones or the clown fish?

 

[romsoccer12]

well since an anemone is much more dependant on water quality, i would get the clowns in first. they are much more hardier.

 

[elegance coral]

How new is the tank?

If the tank is stable, I would say add the anemone first. This will give the anemone time to heal from shipping stress and adjust to its new surroundings before clowns start harassing it.

 

[marc price]

^ i agree, definite advantages to adding the anemone first (usually), what type of anemone are you considering?

 

[Rod Buehler]

depending on the type/size/condition of anemone ( And tank stability) I recommend the same time. I believe that the clowns will more often than not help the anemone "settle in"

 

[marc price]

rod, you just described the "usually" in my answer. if a unnatural host his false percs may ignore it for a while anyway so the order might not matter much. also well not a trait commonly associated with ocellaris, some clownfish species are predictably hard on anemones.