Clownfish & Anemone Suggestions

[WaffleWalffle22]

I'm planning to get the 28 Gallon NanoCube with LED lighting soon...

Clownfish

I need suggestions for types of clownfish I should get. I have a pair of SI percs and a mating pair of Black Ocellaris. I was thinking of getting a pair of picassos from ORA, but that would cost a lot, so I'm ruling that out for now. I don't want Onyx percs because they're too similar to SI, and I don't want a regular orange Ocellaris because that's just boring. I'm looking at amphiprion latezonatus so I'd like more information on those, and if you have any other suggestions of clownfish let me know. Make sure that the clownfish you suggest will go into the anemone you suggest (if you suggest an anemone).


Anemone

I haven't had luck with keeping anemones in my 34 gallon for very long because I had PC lighting, but now that I will have LEDs I'm assuming I can keep almost any anemone. The anemone has to be sand-bearing and it can't be a seabae. I was thinking LTA. Are there any clownfish that won't go into an LTA? Give me your suggestions, and make sure that the anemone you suggest will host the clownfish you suggest (if you suggest a clownfish).

EDIT: Also, would a carpet fit in a 28 gallon? I think the answer is no, but just wanna be sure.

 

[akdylpcikles]

What about a pair of naked clowns? they arent to expensive.

 

[garygb]

If you choose LTA, then clarkii is a good bet. Clarkii is hosted by all the 10 anemone species known to host.

You said in your 34 gallon you didn't have luck keeping anemones because it was PC lighting. I would wonder if the problem was the lighting or something else. In that small of a tank, depending on the PCs, you should have been able to successfully keep several anemone species long-term. Could it have been water quality issues?

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

What about a pair of naked clowns? they arent to expensive.

I was just thinking about that myself. I think naked clowns are a bit creepy and all they are is just an orange fish. I'll keep them in mind, but they won't be #1 on my list.

 

[jt_milstead]

I personally would go with the Picassos, and a purple malu myself....

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

If you choose LTA, then clarkii is a good bet. Clarkii is hosted by all the 10 anemone species known to host.

You said in your 34 gallon you didn't have luck keeping anemones because it was PC lighting. I would wonder if the problem was the lighting or something else. In that small of a tank, depending on the PCs, you should have been able to successfully keep several anemone species long-term. Could it have been water quality issues?

Well it was 3 watts per gallon. There possibly were water quality issues, but I have a pair of clownfish in there that lay eggs every two weeks, which means my water quality must be ok. Whenever I test my nitrates, nitrites, and ammonias I always get 0ppm. The pH bounced around at about 8.0-8.3. My temperature went jank sometimes in the summer. At night it was 78 and in the day it went up to 84 at the highest. Does any of that sound like it would have killed a nem?

EDIT: I've looked at Clarkiis before, but I really don't think that they're anything special which is why I probably won't get one. I like clowns with "bling". :lol:

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

I personally would go with the Picassos, and a purple malu myself....

After I buy the tank and stand and fill it up, I'll only have about $100 of my budget left. I have some hornets in my 34 gallon that I might sell to my local club members, but I would have to work my butt off selling hornets to be able to afford picassos, and on top of that I'd have to buy an anemone. Picassos are still in my top 3 choices, but I'll have to wait and see how my money is left of my budget before I buy them.

 

[Kinetic]

have you seen those ora smores or black ice or whatever they're called? those are next on my list

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

Domino and Black Ice would be awesome! I'll have to talk to my local ORA carrier about those. :dance:

 

[Toddrtrex]

There is only one anemone that I would suggest for that tank (( that is sand dwelling )), and that is an H. Malu (( like jt_milstead suggested )). IMO, all other sand dwelling hosting anemones will get too big for your tank.

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

There is only one anemone that I would suggest for that tank (( that is sand dwelling )), and that is an H. Malu (( like jt_milstead suggested )). IMO, all other sand dwelling hosting anemones will get too big for your tank.

I really like LTAs. How fast do they grow in a mediocre environment? Is it OK to get one and sell it later when it gets too big?

 

[Toddrtrex]

How are you defining a "mediocre" environment? If there are other issues besides just the size of the tank, might not have to worry about selling it later -- since mediocre environment and anemones don't mix.

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

Whenever I test my nitrates, nitrites, and ammonias I always get 0ppm. The pH bounced around at about 8.0-8.3. My temperature went jank sometimes in the summer. At night it was 78 and in the day it went up to 84 at the highest. Does any of that sound like it would have killed a nem?

That's what I wrote earlier about my 34 gallon aquarium. I didn't have much luck with anemones in there. I'll try and test every other day if I get a new tank and add the needed chemicals to balance the parameters.

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

So now, I'm thinking just a pair of picassos.
Would a pair of fully grown maroons (a 6" female and a 2-3" male) fit in a 28 gallon?

 

[89Foxbody]

As long as that's all you're planning on. And a carpet would get way too big for that size tank.

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

As long as that's all you're planning on. And a carpet would get way too big for that size tank.

I was thinking the carpet would be too big. The only fish I'm getting for the tank is a pair of clowns. I'm currently thinking of getting a pair of ORA picasso clowns, but if I don't, then I might get a pair of GSM.

 

[rc4kinu]

Agree on your tank being a little to small for any clown species that gets bigger than say 3 inches. Which will leave you with perc or skunk type clowns. As far as nems go, I would go with a hardier species like bubble tips. If $$ is a concern, I would save and get a previously used larger tank. It will allow you to have more options and keep your water parameters in check.

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

Agree on your tank being a little to small for any clown species that gets bigger than say 3 inches. Which will leave you with perc or skunk type clowns. As far as nems go, I would go with a hardier species like bubble tips. If $$ is a concern, I would save and get a previously used larger tank. It will allow you to have more options and keep your water parameters in check.

I want an anemone that is sand-bearing so that it stays away from my corals so that I can focus on growing stuff like hornets and other high-end zoas without the chance of the colony being nuked. Since what you're saying is ruling out maroons, then I would probably end up going for picassos.

 

[ocellaris123]

If you want a sand dwelling anemone than look into getting at least a 40BR with halides or T-5's. IMO a pair of maroons would do well in a standard 29 gallon, but don't plan on adding anything else fish wise to the tank, as the female can get very large and aggressive. We have a breeding pair at the aquarium that is a good six inches for both the male and female, which kind of surprised me. Also a large maroon female would redecorate the tank, so coral damage may become an issue in the future, and may she may feel confined in a 28 cube shaped tank depending on dimension. If I were you I would look outside the percula complex of fish since you already have black occies and SI percs, but thats just me (some sort of skunk clown or tomato comes to mind).

If you choose LTA, then clarkii is a good bet. Clarkii is hosted by all the 10 anemone species known to host.

You said in your 34 gallon you didn't have luck keeping anemones because it was PC lighting. I would wonder if the problem was the lighting or something else. In that small of a tank, depending on the PCs, you should have been able to successfully keep several anemone species long-term. Could it have been water quality issues?

I also agree with this statement. Far too often people say you cannot keep any anemone species under power compacts, but myself and others I know had no trouble keeping bubble tipped anemones alive under this type of lighting long term, with no signs of bleaching, and steady quick growth. Lighting is only one part of the equation when keeping anemones alive and healthy long term.

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

If you want a sand dwelling anemone than look into getting at least a 40BR with halides or T-5's. IMO a pair of maroons would do well in a standard 29 gallon, but don't plan on adding anything else fish wise to the tank, as the female can get very large and aggressive. We have a breeding pair at the aquarium that is a good six inches for both the male and female, which kind of surprised me. Also a large maroon female would redecorate the tank, so coral damage may become an issue in the future, and may she may feel confined in a 28 cube shaped tank depending on dimension. If I were you I would look outside the percula complex of fish since you already have black occies and SI percs, but thats just me (some sort of skunk clown or tomato comes to mind).

I want an AIO tank and I want LEDs, so I'm going to get the 28 Gallon NanoCube LED. I personally think if I traded the LTA for a smaller one when it got bigger it would be fine. Is there some other reason LTAs won't work in a 28 gallon that I'm unaware of if I traded it once it got too big?
If I got maroons then I would get a mated pair so that I don't have to put up with pairing. If I put my hand in the tank to do something, would they bite me? And does it really hurt when they bite, or is it like a Black Ocellaris bite?

I also agree with this statement. Far too often people say you cannot keep any anemone species under power compacts, but myself and others I know had no trouble keeping bubble tipped anemones alive under this type of lighting long term, with no signs of bleaching, and steady quick growth. Lighting is only one part of the equation when keeping anemones alive and healthy long term.

I never experienced bleaching with my anemones. Some of them actually got darker over time in my tank. But for some reason, after about 4-8 months they would die. They would eventually loose their tentacles and get really small. I didn't overfeed them, but I didn't underfeed either. All I can think of is temperature, because my water quality isn't unbearable. I even have a pair of Black Ocellaris in the tank that spawn even 12 days. The temperature would swing between 78 at night and 84 in the day during the summer, so that may be the killer. :sad2: