Giant Clowns

[treylane]

I've seen a lot of mature clownfish, and few of them are all that small, but sometimes I run across ones that are just unusually ENORMOUS - 6"+ maroons, 5"+ tomatoes, clarkii's over an inch thick, things like that...

Those of you who've worked with these monsters - what does it take to get them so large? A particular diet, lots of feedings, or is it just that a 6yo clown has had more time to get big than a 3yo clown?

 

[elegance coral]

I think it's a little of, all of the above. Some fish (maybe clowns??) keep growing as long as they live. So, the longer they live, the bigger they can get. It still requires lots and lots of really good food though.

There's a pair of maroons, at a LFS here in central Florida, that can be traced back about 30 years in captivity. The female is an ugly monster too. LOL

My female is about 5 inches, and just shy of an inch think. I've had her for probably 10 years, and I got her as part of an adult wild caught pair, so I have no idea how old she/they really are.

Here's a video of her from almost three years ago. She's bigger now.
<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9KMOcpoVrDc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[deangelr]

Kinda funny you posted this.. I have this video I took recently of my gaster pigging out.. She eats practically every single pellet I drop for about 10 minutes. Proably 40-50 NLS pellets..? Insane appetite.. I also have a 5 inch Mcc clown that does not eat like this at all, only eats probably 5-10 pellets a day on average (I feed them a varied diet 3x daily but just to keep things consistent "pellets" are my currency).

She is an inch think already.. and has gained 50% in size in just a few weeks/months. Don't waste your time watching this 10m video, but you can scan it to see the appetite.
<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ei2_c13RyTw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[Catchoftheday]

What is the best food for a pair of Maroons to insure a health and happy life ?

 

[psusocr]

i had a HUGE pair of tomato clowns that i had to get rid of because they were so mean i couldnt put my hand in the tank for one minute without them biting me very hard. not only would they break skin but i couldnt re-arrange any corals in my tank.

 

[snorvich]

I have seen lots of female maroons that are huge (6-7 inches). And mean.