Ultimate Clown System.

[ClownReef®]

Oh no no, im taking my time with it, our current lease still has a few months in it..i just want to star buying everything now...while i get rid of my current system (cries).

I want to build the new clown system around my Onyx..i really believe they are two of the best specimens out there and a true print of what an onyx should look like (in my humble opinion), so i want a show quality setup to focus on the pair...I really think they are show quality fish.

 

[OrionN]

Because clowns are easy to keep, you should choose an Anemone species and build your system acccordingly.

 

[EMBRYOGUY]

very good point minh. definetly something to consider.

rod, in your grow out tanks. what flow/filtration do you have on those tanks?

 

[ClownReef®]

Mihn- Im not really familiar with magnificas..Im an RBTA guy..but ive found they lose their bubbles in captivity (at least in my case they did)..so I really want to go with a nice green or blue carpet..something that brings attention to the setup..BUT..id love to see some nice magnifica pics .

 

[EMBRYOGUY]

hey ireef

have you considered a purple long tentacle? i saw one at a lfs and the color was amazing. i think the contrast in colors with the purple and onyx would be very unique. i think carpets are amazing anemones, but i like seeing the cowns swimming thru the long tentacles of the btas.

 

[ClownReef®]

Embryo- I lose purples very easily in my tank. My rock is all purple. I have a gorgeous A. valida...beautiful piece..cant see it cause it blends in..so, purples for me are very hard..so i was thinking maybe a bright blue carpet or a neon green carpet could do the trick..unless you guys have any other ideas..

 

[EMBRYOGUY]

lol very good point! Lol

i would push towards the blue carept. i think that would give you a very striking color contrast also. im not at the level where i could handle a carpet , so cant give you advise there. but rod/ and im sure others can.

although, ive see flourescent greens that are amazing also. i dont think you could go wrong with either.

 

[ClownReef®]

But going back to basics...where would be the best place to buy a tank..online or at a LFS?..and also, which tank..any suggestions??

 

[EMBRYOGUY]

well ok if you really want to know.

the ultimate tank for me to showcase a pair of clowns is a custom 80 gallon semicircular tank. 180 degree viewing thats what i plan to put my jigsaw clowns in eventually.

 

[ClownReef®]

80 gal. eh??..Thats a tad too big for what i had in mind...pretty cool nontheless..

..But something between the 30-45 range..What do yall think??

 

[OrionN]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7821168#post7821168 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by iReef69
Mihn- Im not really familiar with magnificas..Im an RBTA guy..but ive found they lose their bubbles in captivity (at least in my case they did)..so I really want to go with a nice green or blue carpet..something that brings attention to the setup..BUT..id love to see some nice magnifica pics .

In brief, there are three anemone species naturally host A. percula. H. crispa (Sebae), H. magnifica, and S. gigantea. In aquarium, these clown fish resided in other corals, clams, and other anemones. There is nothing wrong with keeping BTA as host for your A. percula except that this does not occurred in nature. IMO, natural association is best.
Like you, I wanted to have an anemone that will show off the clowns and vice versa. All three of these anemone species have colorful specimen. IMO, colorful H. crispa is least common, while colorful S. gigantea and H. magnifica are more common (but not necessary common in LFS). Of these three species, the Sebae anemone is easiest to keep, H. magnifica is harder while S. gigantea is most difficult. I have not yet successfully keep and S. gigantea.
From my research, S. gigantea required very high water motion and very bright light. Although a few people able to keep S. gigantea for a while, IMO, Rod is the undisputed expert regarding this anemone species (and others aquarium animals as we well know). A beautiful H. magnifica can be eyes popping. They also require high flow and high light. A healthy colorful S. gigantea, IMO, is the most beautiful of all anemones. You can research and read more about these anemones aquarium requirements.
If your want to keep BTA or Sebae anemone, I don’t think you need to set up anything special other than the usual reef aquarium. In order to be successful at keeping H. magnifica or S. gigantea, you must specifically set up the aquarium with these anemones in mind.
IMO, you must make your anemone choice first before the experts on this board can help you as to how to set up your aquarium.

 

[OrionN]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7821239#post7821239 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by iReef69
..so i was thinking maybe a bright blue carpet or a neon green carpet could do the trick..unless you guys have any other ideas..

Sometime S. haddoni carpet dines on A. percula.

 

[EMBRYOGUY]

yeah i wanted something smaller though but it would double my cost

hey if your worried about losing the purple i will take all your purple corals and trade you with brown stuff so your onyx can shine even more

 

[Rod Buehler]

I completely agree with Minh.
When I first read the post, I thought what make the "ultimate clown set up? and that is (to me) to see them with their natural host, and the gigantea poped into my head first. From that point its not about setting up for the clowns, but more of an ideal set up for the anemone (clowns are easy) . IME giganteas will do well in set ups as I discribed. My mag is also doing very well under the conditions that I discibed. (random surging with high lighting).

Another good pointthat Minh brings up is that a hadoni may snack on the onyx. I have seen people whith hadonis hosting their percs, but I have been afraid to try. I beleive that if you are taking the time to decide what the ultimate system would be, and then actually build that system, you can have success with the more difficult anemones (giganteas, magnificas).

I didnt have a chanch to search for any more pics of my cubes yet. Sorry!

(side note.. not meant to hyjack)
Huey, My older juvies are in 40 breeder with a mag 7, wet dry, a few rocks, and a skimmer. The mag 7 sometimes pumps through a carbon gizmo that gets a little clogged and slows down the flow. I keep the younger juvies in five gallon tanks (3 1/2 - 4 gallons of water) until they are 3-4 moths old. Those tanks are equipt with a sponge filter. (Someone posted pics of my growout somewhere around here)

 

[Rod Buehler]

Oh, and Mihn, Thanks for teh kind words, but I dont consider myself an expert at anything. I have just been fortunate enough to keep a gigantea long term. I let mother nature take the credit. I dont sweat the small stuff, and I try to keep things as close to NSW as possible. I dont run sterile systems, and I dont keep my water cold. If my pH drops a bit I dont toss in a bunch of chemicals (as a matter of fact I think that monotering pH is a waste of time)... As for my clowns, I still dont cosider myself a breeder but, again, fortunate enough to have a breeding pair. Once they breed, its a peice of cake. Just feed the fry, and they grow

 

[ClownReef®]

Rod/Mihn- Yeah, agreed. The setup should be as close to nature as possible, so the system should be built to the aneome's needs. Ive also seen carpets eat tons of fish in other systems, and although they are gorgeous, the are very aggressive. Ill start my research on giganteas and mags..

 

[OrionN]

Rod,
For my still in my head tank (30X24X24 with 6 inches partition for overflow box with 2 inches bulkhead for drain to sump), I like to use two surge tanks (Bornerman style). How high, what volume, what size pipe, and which pump rate (pump do you recommended). I plan to use one pump and divide the out put to two tank regulated by ball valves, I also will have a 2 inch bulkhead drain. Is this enough to drain the water if two surge tanks decide to discharge at the same time?
Also, the overflow length will be 24 inches. How low should I keep the water level in the main tank so that water won’t splash out or the tank.
I think your tank have the surge discharge at right angle to each other. My will have discharge from the back to front. One right back corner and one lelf back corner discharge to the front. In your opinnion, will this work?
I viewed the video of your surge tank discharge, I would love to have less bubbles if I can. You mention in your post about there is little bubble using the one inches discharge pipe.
I know I will need experiment with this but would love to use your recommendation as the start point. If I am lucky, I can put it together and it works perfectly from the get go. I also want put my toe inline. If you ever able to get more S. gigantea, I would love it if you get me first shot at buying it from you with a pair of TR A. percula
Minh

 

[r00onmac]

what about a 54 corner tank? i like the way those look - almost cubish but gives you that rounded front edge so you dont lose anything with the corner joint there...

its about the size you are looking for - okay a little bigger but thats not a big deal...

and i think its ideal for what you are looking to do. as far as surge/alternating water current for the nem i think that a SCWD with a high flow pump would work great... i am currently setting up a 20 L with 560gph flowing through a scwd... its hard to explain but when it is finished in mid-august i can show you some pics... and i expect this amount of flow switching directions every 5-7 seconds will create some good surface surging...


just an idea... let me know what you guys think...

 

[dantodd]

I'm with mihn and rod. It would be ideal to create as accurate a bio-tope as possible. It would be great to see them in there with the same animals and rocks etc. that you'd find in the wild.

 

[bluerug]

The ultimate clown system, would be 20x15x12 filled with magnifica's and a school of clowns, but thats just my 2 cents. In feet not inches the size of the tank.