Tank Raised Clowns
- Thread starter deez2448
- Start date
velvetelvis
Active member
1. Clownfishes don't need to breed, but IMO, they're more fun in pairs--watching them interact is very entertaining. I've always kept mine in pairs and enjoyed watching them together. In a 46G tank, adding another ocellaris as a mate for your new clown shouldn't be a problem. Just make sure one is bigger than the other, and make sure that the second clownfish is also an ocellaris--mixing species is a gamble that usually isn't recommended.
2. Clownfishes also don't need an anemone to host them. They will do fine without a host, or with a substitute host, such as a leather coral--for example, a toadstool (Sarcophyton sp.). Anemones need very specific, stable water conditions and can be very challenging to care for, especially for a new marine aquarist. Leather corals are good beginner corals, hardy and growing quickly. Some people also have clownfish that are hosted by zoanthids and mushrooms (just make sure to stay away from the so-called elephant-ear mushroom, which will trap and eat your fish).
3. I would recommend another tank-raised or captive-bred clownfish if you decide to get your clown a mate. Captive-raised livestock is much less of a strain on wild habitats, since you're not reducing the breeding population in an area; they also tend to be hardier and less prone to disease. I'm obviously biased, but there are so many species of clownfish that are available captive-bred that I don't think there's really any reason to buy those same species wild-caught, unless you're a breeder or researcher, or an experienced aquarist with a collection of clownfishes, like some of the posters on this forum.
Congratulations and good luck, and never hesitate to come here and ask questions. And enjoy your new pet--but beware. Clownfishes can become an addiction!
2. Clownfishes also don't need an anemone to host them. They will do fine without a host, or with a substitute host, such as a leather coral--for example, a toadstool (Sarcophyton sp.). Anemones need very specific, stable water conditions and can be very challenging to care for, especially for a new marine aquarist. Leather corals are good beginner corals, hardy and growing quickly. Some people also have clownfish that are hosted by zoanthids and mushrooms (just make sure to stay away from the so-called elephant-ear mushroom, which will trap and eat your fish).
3. I would recommend another tank-raised or captive-bred clownfish if you decide to get your clown a mate. Captive-raised livestock is much less of a strain on wild habitats, since you're not reducing the breeding population in an area; they also tend to be hardier and less prone to disease. I'm obviously biased, but there are so many species of clownfish that are available captive-bred that I don't think there's really any reason to buy those same species wild-caught, unless you're a breeder or researcher, or an experienced aquarist with a collection of clownfishes, like some of the posters on this forum.
Congratulations and good luck, and never hesitate to come here and ask questions. And enjoy your new pet--but beware. Clownfishes can become an addiction!
Last edited:
Angel*Fish
cats and large squashes
Agree - you have to make everything just right for an anemone. Just adding that to me a clownfish doesn't look quite right in the tank if it doesn't have some sort of host. Just my personal opinion.
velvetelvis
Active member
I tend to feel the same way, which is why, until I felt like I had the conditions and experience to care for an anemone, I always kept my clowns with Sarcophyton corals. Some of the clowns took to them, others didn't, but at least there was a host available in the tank, so it looked right to me.
Watching a clownfish pair snuggle up with their host--whether it's an anemone, a leather coral, a colony of polyps, an LPS, or even just a patch of algae--is always a delight. 
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