Clowns are immensely popular. Practically anybody on the planet can ID that marine species.
And they're funny and fun. They're damsels, one of a large basket-class of fish that live around reefs and in shallow-ish water. They're pretty hardy. They pair easily, since when young they change sexes to create a match. Some have been reported to sire a litter of fishlings, then, with the mate dying, they change to female and mother another litter.
Among clowns, the female is the larger and more aggressive.
They will inhabit anemones, corals, or just about anything that floats and appeals to them.
The larger species, the red tomatoes or cinnamons, can get close to palm sized. The moderate sized ones, the clarkiis, can get 3" long. Both have teeth and can draw blood from the tank owner. They also claim quite a bit of tank. My mated clarkiis claimed 50 gallons of a 100 gallon tank and terrorized the blue velvet damsel, if that gives you a clue. [Blue velvets are one of the most aggressive regular damsels, and need about 100 gallons around them not to be a ravening maniac.]
Clowns will breed in captivity. And breed. And breed. And breed. They are crankier than usual when breeding. Large tomatoes have been known to grab smaller fishes and stuff them (fatally) into their anemone.
Smaller, milder clowns, like percs and skunks, are not quite as violent and don't claim quite as much territory. But the skunks seem to like carpet anemones (as will clarkiis) and ironically, while the skunks are among the smallest clowns, the carpet anemone can take half of a 100 gallon tank.
Clowns are homebodies, and the smaller types will live in a smaller tank, like a 30, though they're probably happier with more room. They will want to be the dominant fish in the tank, and even the polite little guys get nippy when breeding---which is constant---
But they are immensely entertaining, hardy, and personable as they come.
I had them for a while, and got tired of being bitten (Clarkiis with a carpet) and felt sorry for the blue velvet. Honestly, the Clarkiis came to a very happy home in a breeder tank at a fish store, producing 32 gallon trashcans full of babies, which probably populated many a tank in Oklahoma...so I've had my fling with the type, and remind myself of that every time I think a nem with clowns would be cute.
But if it's your time to have them---enjoy! Just go in with a good understanding they're not Disney fish. They're their own obnoxious, loveable creature, and they do, much as you can, need their room. If you have a little tank, stick to the little clowns, and expect them, like the 800 lbs gorilla, to nest where they want to be. You probably should wait to get them, just save a spot, since putting a nem in while your tank is still adjusting and going through the new-hobbyist phase....is a problem. Think of a nem as a coral that behaves like a fish: if it doesn't like where it is for any reason whatever, it moves. And they can move fast. Clever clowns can coax them to a good position. They MUST nip and poke it cautiously for quite a while to get their own protective slime coat worked up, or they can be stung to death: for the same reason, never 'dip' a clown and turn him back into the tank with his nem---he'll run for it and get stung to death, not knowing his coat is gone. So be careful when introducing nems: try to have the tank running smoothly and your clowns healthy and in good condition, and then they'll manage nicely.
And they're funny and fun. They're damsels, one of a large basket-class of fish that live around reefs and in shallow-ish water. They're pretty hardy. They pair easily, since when young they change sexes to create a match. Some have been reported to sire a litter of fishlings, then, with the mate dying, they change to female and mother another litter.
Among clowns, the female is the larger and more aggressive.
They will inhabit anemones, corals, or just about anything that floats and appeals to them.
The larger species, the red tomatoes or cinnamons, can get close to palm sized. The moderate sized ones, the clarkiis, can get 3" long. Both have teeth and can draw blood from the tank owner. They also claim quite a bit of tank. My mated clarkiis claimed 50 gallons of a 100 gallon tank and terrorized the blue velvet damsel, if that gives you a clue. [Blue velvets are one of the most aggressive regular damsels, and need about 100 gallons around them not to be a ravening maniac.]
Clowns will breed in captivity. And breed. And breed. And breed. They are crankier than usual when breeding. Large tomatoes have been known to grab smaller fishes and stuff them (fatally) into their anemone.
Smaller, milder clowns, like percs and skunks, are not quite as violent and don't claim quite as much territory. But the skunks seem to like carpet anemones (as will clarkiis) and ironically, while the skunks are among the smallest clowns, the carpet anemone can take half of a 100 gallon tank.
Clowns are homebodies, and the smaller types will live in a smaller tank, like a 30, though they're probably happier with more room. They will want to be the dominant fish in the tank, and even the polite little guys get nippy when breeding---which is constant---
But they are immensely entertaining, hardy, and personable as they come.
I had them for a while, and got tired of being bitten (Clarkiis with a carpet) and felt sorry for the blue velvet. Honestly, the Clarkiis came to a very happy home in a breeder tank at a fish store, producing 32 gallon trashcans full of babies, which probably populated many a tank in Oklahoma...so I've had my fling with the type, and remind myself of that every time I think a nem with clowns would be cute.
But if it's your time to have them---enjoy! Just go in with a good understanding they're not Disney fish. They're their own obnoxious, loveable creature, and they do, much as you can, need their room. If you have a little tank, stick to the little clowns, and expect them, like the 800 lbs gorilla, to nest where they want to be. You probably should wait to get them, just save a spot, since putting a nem in while your tank is still adjusting and going through the new-hobbyist phase....is a problem. Think of a nem as a coral that behaves like a fish: if it doesn't like where it is for any reason whatever, it moves. And they can move fast. Clever clowns can coax them to a good position. They MUST nip and poke it cautiously for quite a while to get their own protective slime coat worked up, or they can be stung to death: for the same reason, never 'dip' a clown and turn him back into the tank with his nem---he'll run for it and get stung to death, not knowing his coat is gone. So be careful when introducing nems: try to have the tank running smoothly and your clowns healthy and in good condition, and then they'll manage nicely.
