I can't decide on which clownfish!

[Kawaii]

I am deciding between the True percula, Ocellaris, and Onyx True Percula. I have a 29g tank and I would like to get a school of them, maybe 3 or 4 but I am not sure since people have said different things. Some people say that more than 2 isn't good because they will gang up on the others but some people said that they got a few at the same time and that none of them have bothered the others. My concern is which ones will school better, and which ones will be the heartiest. The tank finished cycling recently and we have been checking the levels often and everything is good. We just have two large pieces of live rock in it right now and some snails and hermits. In the corner we have some frags of our xenia from the other tank we have since it has been growing wild. We put it in the bottle so it wouldn't take over the tank until we get rid of it. So yeah if anyone is interested in that and is local, PM my boyfriend, CraigG. Here is a photo of the tank:

So here are the pros and cons that I have come up with so far in order to make a decision. Can anyone help me decide by listing more pros and cons?

True Percula
Pros:

• I love the way that they look
• They are less common

Cons:

• They are hard to find
• They cost a little more
• They may not school as easily
• They may be less hearty, especially in a new tank

Ocellaris
Pros:

• They are readily available
• They are cheaper
• They may school more easily
• They may be heartier

Cons:

• They don't look as nice
• They are more common

Onyx True Percula
Pros:

• They are beautiful, my ideal clownfish
• They are rare
• They will be as hearty, or almost as hearty, as the Ocellaris

Cons:

• They are the hardest to get, Rods Reef told me I'd have to wait 3 months, so I will need another source
• They are pretty expensive

 

[Raibaru]

I will start off by saying I am a complete novice and only been doing research so far.

That said, everything I have heard is that clowns work best in pairs and crossing species is dangerous. I imagine crossing a True and False perc isn't as dangerous since the 2 fish look so similar, but mixing the other species would be a bad idea.

I've also read that fish change as they get older and just because they get a long for a year doesn't mean that in 2 years time they wont go ballistic. But again, I'm not speaking from experience, only second hand knowledge.

As for choosing a fish, I personally like the False Percs more. The True Percula are great looking, but the pictures I've seen of adult True Percs show up as more of a washed out or more yellow orange while the false percs keep a very dark and vibrant orange. I've also only seen False Perc adults in person. All the store displays I've been to only have False percs.

Another thing you can do is get a False Percula and a Black and White False Percula. This is what I plan to do. The 2 fish will have amazing contrast with one another but since they are the same species they should get along well. The Black Perc will also contrast heavily with everything else in the tank and the pair at the LFS (both Blacks) that are hosting a white with purple tipped anemone (not a BTA I dont think) look amazing!

so that is just another way you can go. I like contrast above everything and since this is my first tank and it is only 36g I want my fish to look different.

As for your tank, I like the 2 big pillars. How did you get them to stay like that? I'd be afraid I'd wake up with a hole in the bottom of my tank! Also, are you planning to add more? You hinted at that but didnt know for sure.

Lastly, could you tell me what that piece of equiptment is in the right top of your picture? Not the powerhead with the deflector or the heater.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Clownfish don't school. Only very small (juvenile) CR Clownfish exhibit a behavior similar to "schooling". Get a pair of your choice.

 

[Kawaii]

Raibaru, thanks for your info.
I was also considering getting one black and one regular, but my boyfriend doesn't like the all black variations so he would rather not get one.

I know what you mean about the True Perculas looking more faded but I love the black that is on them, and I have seen one in person and it was very striking to me, much nicer than in photos. My boyfriend and I both like the black that is on the True Perculas, he just doesn't like the all black variations. Although this is my tank so it is my decision

The rocks are solidly planted, leaning against the back of the tank, with wide bases, we're not worried about them.

In the top right of the tank there is a temporary whisper in-tank filter that we used just to cycle the tank that is being removed soon, and then we got the tunze nano filter which will stay in the tank.

 

[dc]

Beauty is definately in the eye of the beholder. I think my Ocellaris look as good as my percs. Just go to the store and see what grabs your fancy. They all seem to have such unique personalities, that not getting the prettier of the 2 sort of fades. They are the same price here. Percs are smaller also. Not by much.

 

[Kawaii]

Well I guess I should definitely just get a pair instead of a few. I think the Onyx may be out of the question since I will have to wait a while or find them somewhere else and it is a lot of money to spend.

At the moment I am still favoring the True Percula since I love the black on them and as dc mentioned, they do stay a little smaller which is nice for a smaller tank. I read that they get to be 3" instead of 4".

I put my name on a list at the Barrier Reef, our LFS but I don't know when they will be getting any in. They charge a little more for them also, I think $24, and I know that I could get them online for cheaper but I would prefer to buy them in person. If anyone nearby knows of a place where I could find some True Perculas let me know.

Also, Raibaru, I noticed that I didn't answer your question about adding more live rock. I don't think we are going to mainly to save cost. We purchased some base rock at an LFS when we got those two pieces of live rock but we left it there by accident and now they don't know where it is. So if we can't get that situated then I guess we will either leave it the way it is or buy some more base rock.

 

[sarahkucera]

I think that the best idea will be to only get a pair of clowns. Keeping a large group of clowns has been done on occasion in other tanks, but from what I've seen only long term successes are with the larger tanks (180 gallons and up).
Clowns do not naturally school.
If you get several of them, they may be all right for a while, but eventually there will be dominance issues and the smaller ones will be bullied to death.
If you can't decide, maybe you could set up a couple of different tanks, one for each type of clownfish that you like?
I reccomend that you get more liverock, I keep about 150 lbs of LR in my 120. Live rock is the base of good water quality and filtration.
Remember that anemones are not necessary for your clowns to be happy and healthy, so you don't necessarily have to get one and have clowns.

 

[stykthyn]

is that a soda bottle in your tank?

 

[MimicTang]

clowns dont school but they do have a social order. It is possible to have several in a tank and have a community. 1 will be female 1 male and the others juveniles til time comes for them to change. You will experience "fighting" amongst them as they submit to the one who'll become female and then the male etc etc.... If you choose this option you should get them all at once as babies. Any single clown ( one who was by itself) over a yr old is proably a female.

 

[1jared1]

Stick with just a pair of your choice.

 

[Kgoarmy17]

Dr. Mac has Onyx in stock btw

Most people who buy multiple clowns do so, to get a pair. The smaller, lesser, weaker ones are usually either removed to another tank, or killed by a stronger fish.

 

[Kawaii]

Thanks for the info everyone. Let me add that I talked to someone else who was not from Rods-Reef and I thought that they were by mistake. Onyx clowns are available from Rods-Reef and I am thinking about getting some from there, if I decide I want to pay the price for them. It's not that I don't think they are worth that much, but I just don't want to spend a lot and have one or both of them die.

 

[dc]

Tough decision, but there are no guarentees no matter where you get them. I've read nothing but good things about Rod's service tho.

 

[Kawaii]

As far as coloring, I would love a pair with some nice black on them but I am having trouble finding them locally. Here are some examples of photos I have seen that look beautiful.

Thanks to the members who have posted photos on this forum!

Thanks to Coreno:

Thanks to Petoonia:

 

[Kawaii]

Hey guys I bought two of them!
My LFS had a bunch of clowns today, really tiny ones. The guy said they were ocellaris but they have some nice black on them so I went ahead and got them. Here are some photos, can anyone confirm if they are ocellaris?

Here are two photos, I'm pretty sure they are of the same one but I will get photos of both of them later. They are still in the bag haha.

 

[Kawaii]

Here are some photos of them inside the tank. They aren't the best photos because they are very anxious right now so it is hard to get a still shot. One of them is lighter in color and the other seems to have a nice gradient fade from darker to lighter from top to bottom. Their names are Chad and Mara. They're about 1/2 inch long.

 

[dantodd]

look like ocellaris to me.

 

[Kawaii]

BTW is it normal behavior for them to be frantically swimming around the tank nonstop? Ever since we put them in they have not stopped swimming around the entire tank all crazy but at least they're mostly sticking together. There aren't any other fish in the tank.

 

[petoonia]

I would suggest some kind of surrogate host. They like a place to hide. They are adorable
Good Luck!!!

Thanks for saying my clownfish is beautiful.

Here are both of mine.

 

[Morgman]

If you are going to breed your clowns go for ocellaris. If you want a cool pair of clowns for looks go for perculas. Perculas have one of the coolest swimming patterns. Better(in my opinion than ocellaris). They dance up and down in a very graceful pattern. This dance is much more exaggerated than ocellaris.

Both are easy to get to spawn and raise. The problems with perculas is it takes a very long time for perculas to grow-out all bars to a sellable look. Most people don't want a clown that has not grown into it's stripes!!


Just adding another point of view.