Clownfish in a small tank

[ReefJoy2]

Hello. I got a set up reef tank 6 gallon only, and there is a clownfish. And I know people say it’s too small for him. But is there anyone who has experience having a clownfish in such a small tank?

The bad thing is that I have there many anemones, yet he doesn’t host any:/ it’s more than a week I have the fish there.

Thank you..

 

[Reefing102]

Welcome to RC!

While it is small, in my opinion, it’s not terrible. I probably wouldn’t do more than the one clown though.

Clowns (especially aquacultured) may never host anemones in aquaria. Others take to them like a kid in the candy store. I have one in my 65, never shown an interest. Meanwhile my wife’s tank has a pair that host anemones no problem. Same type of clown. Same type of anemone. Just a wierd fact of life. Some people report success playing videos or taping pictures to the side of the tank showing clowns hosting anemones but I’ve never personally tried it.

 

[ReefJoy2]

Welcome to RC!

While it is small, in my opinion, it’s not terrible. I probably wouldn’t do more than the one clown though.

Clowns (especially aquacultured) may never host anemones in aquaria. Others take to them like a kid in the candy store. I have one in my 65, never shown an interest. Meanwhile my wife’s tank has a pair that host anemones no problem. Same type of clown. Same type of anemone. Just a wierd fact of life. Some people report success playing videos or taping pictures to the side of the tank showing clowns hosting anemones but I’ve never personally tried it.

I appreciate your reply. I will then keep the clownfish. But are there any stressful traits they can show if they don’t like the tank? Thank you

 

[griss]

What type of clownfish and what type of anemones do you have?

 

[Reefing102]

Signs of stress could vary but include heavy breathing, stringy poop, tattered fins, things of that nature. Those can also be signs of disease as well.

As @griss mentioned the type of clown and anemone can also affect hosting. There are certain anemones that are more natural hosts for certain species.

 

[ReefJoy2]

What type of clownfish and what type of anemones do you have?

There is a picture

 

[Reefing102]

Looks like an ocellaris clown and a bubble tip anemone. So the bubble tip (BTA) is not a natural host (in the wild) to Ocellaris clowns, though it happens frequently in the home aquarium. Natural hosts of the BTA include Cinnamon, Clarkii, Maroon and Skunk clowns. There’s a possiblity you clown may never host the anemone, but the anemone also looks quite small compared to the clown so, it not hosting it may be a good thing until it grows to an adequate size. At that point though, it’ll probably start stinging your torches and other corals.

 

[ReefJoy2]

Looks like an ocellaris clown and a bubble tip anemone. So the bubble tip (BTA) is not a natural host (in the wild) to Ocellaris clowns, though it happens frequently in the home aquarium. Natural hosts of the BTA include Cinnamon, Clarkii, Maroon and Skunk clowns. There’s a possiblity you clown may never host the anemone, but the anemone also looks quite small compared to the clown so, it not hosting it may be a good thing until it grows to an adequate size. At that point though, it’ll probably start stinging your torches and other corals.

Thank you. Is there a possibility it will host the torches?

 

[griss]

You have an Ocellaris clownfish, the scientific name is Amphiprion ocellaris. These are the most common clownfish in the hobby and pretty hardy fish.

I'm not seeing an anemone in your tank. I see several Large Polyp Stony (LPS) corals. I've seen some clowns host in LPS corals over the years but, not very often. Are you thinking these (yellow arrows) are anemones? If so, they are actually LPS corals.

I wouldn't recommend an anemone for your tank for a couple of reasons.
1. Anemones (when first introduced to a tank) tend to wander around until they find a spot they like. In doing so, they can sting other inhabitants killing them. This is magnified in a smaller tank.
2. Anemones can be challenging even for an experienced reef keeper. We generally recommend new hobbyists don't add an anemone until the tank has been up and running for 6-12 months. This gives the hobbyist time to better understand the chemistry and husbandry needed to successfully maintain a reef tank.
3. Anemones can get very large. Some species of anemones can get up to 3 feet in diameter in the wild. I had a carpet anemone years ago in a 200 gallon tank that got 2 feet in diameter.

That said, as @Reefing102 mentioned, some aquacultured clowns just never end up hosting in anemones. Anemones, while nice for clowns, are not needed for them to thrive.

 

[griss]

Looks like an ocellaris clown and a bubble tip anemone. So the bubble tip (BTA) is not a natural host (in the wild) to Ocellaris clowns, though it happens frequently in the home aquarium. Natural hosts of the BTA include Cinnamon, Clarkii, Maroon and Skunk clowns. There’s a possiblity you clown may never host the anemone, but the anemone also looks quite small compared to the clown so, it not hosting it may be a good thing until it grows to an adequate size. At that point though, it’ll probably start stinging your torches and other corals.

Ah, you were posting while I got distracted at work mid-post Where are you seeingthe BTA? ETA, I see it now. Missed it on the first look.

 

[griss]

Thank you. Is there a possibility it will host the torches?

It's possible, I've see it before. I've also seen clowns host in leather corals.

 

[ReefJoy2]

You have an Ocellaris clownfish, the scientific name is Amphiprion ocellaris. These are the most common clownfish in the hobby and pretty hardy fish.

I'm not seeing an anemone in your tank. I see several Large Polyp Stony (LPS) corals. I've seen some clowns host in LPS corals over the years but, not very often. Are you thinking these (yellow arrows) are anemones? If so, they are actually LPS corals.
View attachment 32408025

I wouldn't recommend an anemone for your tank for a couple of reasons.
1. Anemones (when first introduced to a tank) tend to wander around until they find a spot they like. In doing so, they can sting other inhabitants killing them. This is magnified in a smaller tank.
2. Anemones can be challenging even for an experienced reef keeper. We generally recommend new hobbyists don't add an anemone until the tank has been up and running for 6-12 months. This gives the hobbyist time to better understand the chemistry and husbandry needed to successfully maintain a reef tank.
3. Anemones can get very large. Some species of anemones can get up to 3 feet in diameter in the wild. I had a carpet anemone years ago in a 200 gallon tank that got 2 feet in diameter.

That said, as @Reefing102 mentioned, some aquacultured clowns just never end up hosting in anemones. Anemones, while nice for clowns, are not needed for them to thrive.

Oh it got blended very well. Thankfully it has not moved but seems to like this spot - it’s on the rock at the top

 

[ReefJoy2]

Thank you for your help and more clarity about my tank. So the anemone can sting my torches right. How fast can torches and anemones and all the other grow if the conditions are all. In 3 months they can grow for example 3% of their current size?

 

[Reefing102]

Thank you for your help and more clarity about my tank. So the anemone can sting my torches right. How fast can torches and anemones and all the other grow if the conditions are all. In 3 months they can grow for example 3% of their current size?

Anemones can be fast growers, especially if you target feed. Provided stable parameters, torches can grow quite quickly as well. It honestly depends. I have had a torch for months that never did anything while my cotton candy torch grows like a weed.