CLown pair for 24g tank?

[BigRedNole]

I am in the beginning stages of setting up a small reef tank for my daughter. It is a 24g Current Cardiff. It has to have a pair of clownfish, so I am researching now on what to get. Since it is small, there are many varieties that are not available. I am looking for something a little more on the rare side, but not on the outrageously expensive or difficult side as well.

I was looking at options on Sustainable Aquatics and really liked the coloring on the Mocha or Vivid Fancy Clownfish.

If anyone has recommendations, that would be appreciated. I can always stick to the tank raised True and False Preculas

 

[nanoreefer1000]

Fisheye dirty snowflakes

 

[bjledbetter]

Mocha occ. are nice looking clowns, Ive had a pair and loved watching them go from regular looking occ. to turning a dark almost black color. and will stay reasonably small. I wouldnt recommend adding many other fish tho.

 

[BigRedNole]

Thank you. There most likely will be no other fish. Clownfish are the priority and I want to be sure they are stress free and viable in the tank. I will have a CUC, a shrimp or 2, an smaller size anemone, and some small corals.

 

[OrionN]

I like A. percula. Any of the varieties that catch your fancy and OK for your wallet. Is anemone going to be in the mix? How young is your daughter? Is she the one that will keep up with it or you are?

I am really happy with my 24 g tank that been up for about 10 years. Clowns and anemone changes now an then but for the last 6 months or so I got a Blue Haddoni and a pair of wild caught A. percula in it.

 

[OrionN]

In the past I also have a H. malu and Onyx in this tank. It works great in that combination also. It is lighted by a AquaSun 150W DE MH. I will soon add a VorTech MP10 in this tank instead of the two PH in it right now. That will get it to look much better without all the hardware in it.

 

[bjledbetter]

Hey OrionN will the haddoni not out grow the 29 rather quickly?

 

[OrionN]

Hey OrionN will the haddoni not out grow the 29 rather quickly?

The key to anemone growth is feeding. If you don't feed it it will not growth. You need to provide good condition for it. It will be healthy but will grow very slowly or not at all.

Intitially, when you first get them from the LFS, and provide good conditon for them, they will look like they grow a lot but really they are just reexpanded when they get healthy again. Once this "growth phase" is over, they will grow as fast as you feed them.

 

[BigRedNole]

Thank you for the feedback. My daughter turns 7 in two weeks, so all of the maintenance is mine. She will do the feeding, pick out what she wants in (with a lot of guidance and coercion). I will do all of the tank maintenance and she will help. I know I am limited on the amount of livestock that can go in, but here is an initial plan:

1. About 25 lbs of live rock
2. CUC
3. Pair of clownfish (not sure which 2 yet that is why I am asking)
4. An anemone. Not sure which, but the LFS had a gorgeous yellow one with about 1-2" tenticles
5. Maybe a red or red/white shrimp
6. Corals - no clue which ones, but the colors must pop

 

[velvetelvis]

If you're new to saltwater I would forgo the anemone. They're challenging to keep and can be delicate. If your daughter wants to see her pets snuggling in something, you could try getting them some mushroom corals or a toadstool coral (Sarcophyton) instead. I've always been grateful to the LFS I used when starting out for refusing to sell me an anemone.

If you have your heart set on an anemone, wait. Plan to get a bubbletip (the hardiest of the clownfish-hosting anemones), preferably aquacultured (also hardier), and do lots of research. Google "Karen's rose anemones" and read up. Moving into anemone-keeping is much better done after becoming well-informed. Good luck!

 

[OrionN]

.........
4. An anemone. Not sure which, but the LFS had a gorgeous yellow one with about 1-2" tenticles
.......

You better not get an anemone. This indicated that you don't know very much about anemone. They are difficult to keep. Requirement of each species is different. To keep most host anemones successfully, you must set up the tank for it, otherwise you end up with a dead anemone, and in some case tank crash.

If you don't know which coral to keep, you are very inexperience reefer. Avoid anemone. BTW "...gorgeous yellow,,," anemones are almost always dyed anemones, stay away from these.
How successful were you with your 90 g tank? Why did you have to take it down. Smaller tank are (perhaps much) more difficult to keep than big tank due to stability issue (other than the fact that big tank need larger water volume change). Thinks crash quicker in small tank.

 

[BigRedNole]

I had a reef aquarium for about 15 years growing up. I had a 90g for over a year. I admit I know very little about anemones. I would never put anything in the tank without being knowledgeable about it first.

What I meant about corals is the specific types/names. I am not an expert by any means. I rely on the expertise of the people I get them from and the Reef Farm where I went often to get educated and recommendations.

 

[velvetelvis]

Reef Farm in Raleigh? If so, give Grace a text or a call--she'll get you set up.

 

[OrionN]

You must have bright light for anemone, except perhaps BTA.
Affinity of clowns to it's host anemone is great with natural host but not so much with non natural host. Even in a small tank with no other fish or thread, you will rarely see Ocellaris or Percula more than a few inches from their natural anemone. For non natural host species, they sometime go in the anemone but not always. Your daughter is 7, I would stick to a variance of Ocellaris or Percula

If you really wanted an anemone in a 24 g tank, I would recommend one of these three:

BTA. No sand bed is needed, Bright but not really bright light. They end to wander so protection from PH in tank is a must. You can keep most of the common clowns in the tank and most likely they will go into this anemone, but not 100%

H. malu. Bright light (SPS condition) and Sand bed is needed. Usual flow is needed Stay small max size of about 8 inches or so. Very beautiful. I never have problem with Ocellaris or Percula not going to my Malu.

Small S. haddoni. Bright light is needed. Get a small one and don't feed it a lot. Sand bed is needed. Bright light but not a lot of current is needed. Very bright color and beautiful but more beautiful means much more money. A nice green one can cost 200+, Blue 400+, and a red one 700+. I never have problem with Ocellaris or Percula not going into my Haddoni.

 

[BigRedNole]

Reef Farm in Raleigh? If so, give Grace a text or a call--she'll get you set up.

Yes, Grace helped me with all of my decision with my 90g. She has a great setup except for the lighting She knows what everyone will look like and what goes well in tanks.