Maroon Clownfish Tankmates: Clownfish sys: 5/8/2009
Hello and thanks for all the wonderful information you provide!
<Hi!>
I have been saved on many occasions by reading the information on your site. This is my re-introduction to the hobby after having a position that kept me away from home and now I am at the point that I do not make a purchase, change, or assumption without consulting your data FIRST!
<Thank you for the kind words.>
I have scoured over the site/archives and don't see an answer to my questions (At least an answer I am comfortable with) First I will introduce you to my marine setup. 4 months old
One note: This tank has been setup with 100lbs of LIVE (covered in coralline algae and a few sponges)/base rock for three years with minimal lighting and basic water maintenance, there was one large chromis (that is now at the office in his very own home)
I have removed the single chromis and treated the tank as if it was new, taking it through a cycle and updating lighting, filtration, etc..
<Ok so far.>
60 est gallon tank 40 inches in length, 15 inches in width and 24 inches in depth.
<62 US gallons>
1x250 MH HQI 15K (Center of tank 8in above the water surface) with 2 x 96W
Actinic Blue Compact Fluorescent Lamps running the length of the tank.
Running about 9 hours a day
20 gallon sump with 15 setup as a refugium (4 inch sand bed with small live rock fragments, also Chaeto (No grape Caulerpa) with lights running against the tank cycle (12 on / 12 off)
All the other mechanics, protein skimmer, heater/chiller 2X power heads.
First there were six damsels to cycle the tank( 3 months) and now only two.
I can't get them out and have decided to just leave them be. One is a Blue Devil and the other is blue with a yellow spot on it's rear fin.
<Not the preferred way to cycle a tank - if the tank has been sitting fallow, it was already cycled.>
The tank levels are good: Nitrates 0.00 (non detected in test kits)
Ammonia 0 salinity around 1.026. pH level 8.2 or so
<Sounds like a nice setup.>
I have added a pair of Maroon Clowns (month 4) (not fighting now, but not paired just yet) These two are one inch and were quarantined and introduced together using your suggested methods. Not too much fighting anymore but one is definitely the boss.
<Typical>
There are a few hermit crabs (six to be exact)
There are no corals, anemones or any other viewable life in the MAIN tank, I wanted to start CLEAN and buy what works for my current setup
And that is all (WHEW!!)
THE QUESTION.. All that being said (you stated you like details)
<We do.>
If this were your system and cost was not an object, what would you stock in the tank. I am limited to the size of the tank and can not upgrade due to weight and length restrictions.
<Fair enough>.
I would like to know what other fish would make good neighbors with the (now) tiny new maroons. (I know there are lots, but I need a starting point)
<60 gallons is pushing the limit with two maroon clowns and two damsels.>
I have been frightened off from purchasing a bubble anemone by reading too much, but I would really like one for the clowns in the future. Are corals (of any sort) not suggested with anemones?
<Generally, yes, anemones are mobile and can\will sting. In this setup, you certainly could try an anemone. Another option you can try is a Frogspawn Coral. Clownfish have been known to bond with them. You can read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/elegCorbehfaqs.htm and here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnbehfaq6.htm>
Too much information is frying my brain and the local fish store are in it for the MONEY and will sell or say any is good (Like the Naso Tang and Tomato Clown I was told would be great for my tank, by ALL the local stores)
<All too common I'm afraid.>
ANY help or suggestions would be great, I just want colour, and no FIGHTING amongst corals, fish or anemones.. And I don't want to read back to the year 1920 to get answers... LOL
THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO, WE WOULD BE LOST WITHOUT YOUR ADVICE AND CONSOLE!
<My pleasure>
<Mike>

Maroon Clownfish Species Tank.
Adding an Anemone To an Established System   2/27/08
Currently I have a 120 reef, mostly a variety SPS with a few LPS including Acans and Chalices. The total volume is about 200G if you include the 40G refugium with Chaeto, sand, and LR for pod production. The tank has a pair of Black Ocellaris Clownfish, 2 Pajama Cardinals, a Lawnmower Blenny, and a Foxface.
<Interesting mix of fishes.>
This tank will be plumbed into the rest of the system creating a 250G system. I was thinking a 150W 12K halide over the RBTA. The tank would have Live Rock, the anemone, and the pair of clownfish nothing else.
Currently the system is 0 0 0 Nitrates, ammonia and nitrite, 1.026 Specific Gravity, and 79 degree temperature.
<Sounds like a workable system!>
My question isn't about any problem with the system, everything is running excellently. My question is about a new tank I am going to be plumbing into the system. I am setting up a 55G corner tank 20" tall. I plan on keeping a RBTA, my good friend has one that splits every couple months or so in their 300G reef.
<Nice!>
I want to keep the anemone separate from the reef in the corner tank with two Yellow Stripe Maroon Clownfish.
My main tank has sugar fine sand, but do you suggest a sugar fine, or a rubble in the anemone tank. I am looking at throwing a 20-30x flow into the tank with no power heads at all for the anemone's sake.
<Good thinking!>
Overall how do you feel about this system, is this combo too much for this additional tank?
<Sounds pretty good to me. I would just monitor water quality continuously. Also, use of chemical filtration media would be a good idea, because the chemical products released by the anemone could be detrimental for the corals in the other part of you system. I personally like a combination of substrate materials, so I like to mix 'em. Really, it's a personal preference. Hope this helps! Regards, Scott F.>
Thank you so much for your time again WWM,
Cheekymonkey

Hello. I'm planning to set up a dedicated 40gal BTA/maroon tank  7/17/07
and need some advice. Just to come clean, I've had the pair in my 12gal for 3 months now and realize that I need to step things up (they are still relatively small).
<When you say pair, do you mean you have two maroon clowns (or a pair as in one maroon and one anemone)? If you have two maroon clowns, a 40g tank is going to get too small. Full grown female maroon clowns (and if you have a pair, one will always end up female), are even more aggressive in a tank with a host anemone. Not only will she not tolerate any other fish in the tank, she will make her male partner miserable in a small tank (and she'll probably start biting you too). Seriously, just about any fish tough enough to spar with an adult female maroon clown would be too big to add to a 40g tank.>
I want to keep things as simple as possible, so I figure to go the hang-on route, skimmer and filter-wise--no sump. I understand that this
isn't a lot of water volume for an anemone tank,
<Activated carbon would also help.>
but I am religious with making weekly water changes, plan to use the best skimmer possible, and keep the fish stock to a bare minimum (I am also aware of maroon aggression issues, and will take care here).
<Hmm... having two fully grown maroon clowns and an anemone in a 40g tank is probably not what I would call minimally stocked.>
As far as lighting, I'm unsure--I've heard that halide's might present heat issues in a system this small. Would a T5 fixture be better in your opinion?
<In my opinion, you should get a bigger tank. Even a 65g (which has the same footprint as the 40g breeder) would be better. Metal halides can cause heat issues in any size tank. However, the heat can be controlled by keeping the light at least 8in above the water's surface and pointing a good fan at the light.>
Thanks for being there! Eric
<No problem. Thanks for writing :-)
Best,
Sara M.>

Re: Hello. I'm planning to set up a dedicated 40gal BTA/maroon tank  7/17/07
Hi again. Sorry for being vague--by pair, I meant the single maroon and the BTA.
<Ah, this might be a little more doable.>
As far as considering the 65g, would I still be able to go with a hang-on filter (yes, with carbon) with it's increased height and volume?
<Bigger tanks can stand to have more hang on equipment. So a 65g would actually be better able to carry a hang on filter.>
In a 65g, with that single maroon and a royal Gramma friend,
<The maroon clown is still going to get aggressive as it gets bigger. But it might work out. If you can, add the royal Gramma to the new tank first (and make sure you have plenty of labyrinthine rock work).>
what other fish would you consider doable?
<Hmm... a blood red Hawkfish might be cool. Some species of Chrysiptera damsels could work. Most any Dascyllus damsel could also be ok. A sixline wrasse or pinkstreaked wrasse (Pseudocheilinops ataenia) might also work out. But for the wrasses, I'd wait until your tank is well established and make sure you have plenty of live rock. You just need to look for relatively small but tough/aggressive fish. Be careful and read about any fish you think about adding. And read about the specific fish. Don't assume that because one species of wrasse might be ok, that any species of wrasse would be. Any of the books on marine fish by Scott Michael will help. Good luck.>
Thanks again for your help, Eric
<Happy to help.
Sara M.>

Maroon and Gold striped Clown ... env., dis.    4/10/06
I am very thankful to have found your website. There is very little   information on maroon and gold striped clowns in general and even less on their illnesses.
I have a 30 gallon tank with a maroon and gold striped clown,
<Will need more room...>
a  lawnmower blenny, a common blenny, an engineering goby and a yellow  tang.
<Need more room now>
The tank has been established for a little more than a year and I  have had the clown probably 11 months.  
Last month, the filter leaked and I lost all but two inches of water over the course of a few hours.
<Yikes!>
I purchased RO water and added salt to it and refilled the tank. After it was filled again I checked salinity levels and found  
that they were much too low, so I added salt by hand. testing after each handful until the salt levels were at a good level.
<... should mix together outside the system...>
Two days after that I noticed a pair of bumps that looked like blackhead pimples on the clown's body toward the dorsal fin. Maybe a week after that  it
went away and I attributed it to the clown scratching himself against the  live rock as he was forced deeper and deeper towards the bottom of the  tank.  All
was well this morning, but this evening when I checked him I  noticed that the gold stripe on him was losing color. Almost like paint peeling  from the
walls. The patches are dark in color, and it seems almost as if he  is molting.
<Of a sort, yes>
I went to my fish store and their advise was A) Leave him  alone, or I will kill off the whole reef tank,
<This is so>
  or B) flush him or I will  kill off my other fish.
<No>
I am very fond of "Felix"  <so named because of his habit of  "cleaning"> and I hate both options. He is eating very well, as I fed him  some "formula B"
tonight. He is swimming well and is not acting any differently  than he usually does. But I am obviously concerned.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.   Oh I did neglect to  mention that I had the water tested and it is at "perfect levels" per my fish  guy.  
Thank you for your time!
Marcia Watters
<Just "stress" and chemical burning here... let time go by, get a larger system... Bob Fenner>

Maroon Clown sys.    3/27/06
Dear WWM Crew,
    Hello.  I have a "proposed" set up I would like your expert opinion on.  
    I, as all aquarists, have a growing pile of unused equipment in my closet. (It hasn't spread to the garage yet! "grin")  Going through these things I found that I could set-up a basic system.  I then remembered that I had always wanted, yet never had, a Maroon Clownfish.  As my mind slowly connected the two thoughts, an animated light bulb appeared above me.
<In future editions of this work there will doubtless be animated archaic incandescent graphics...>
As hasty as this seems, I am experienced and do know that rushing into a system never turns out in a favorable way.  The basic concept of this system is to fabricate a suitable environment for a maroon clown without spreading an outrageous amount on new equipment.
    I would like to set this up using my "junk pile".  My thoughts on the system so far are this;  I have an unused 40 gallon glass tank that I would like to use for the system.  The focus of this system will be on the clown,  so I wanted to create the best possible environment to suit it's needs. Considering this, I was planning on him/her to be the only inhabitant in the tank, reading that they can be quite aggressive.  (If the fish does fare better with a tank mate please share.)
<Best by itself or in an intended pair here>
    I want to keep this setup simple, I have owned/dealt with my share of complicated systems and would greatly appreciate a small, simple, fish-only tank.  Basically, I don't want to have to drill any holes or have a sump, or any other stand-alone filtration system.  I have 20-25 lbs. of Caribbean live rock that is left from another system that I was planning on adding to the setup.  I have a SeaClone 100 (I know, relatively worthless) but thought it would be better than no skimmer at all.  I also have a Penguin Bio-Wheel 350 that is nearly new.  For circulation I don't want powerheads because I hate the site of them so I was thinking of using a spare Quite One pump attached to a canister filter intake tube and running an in-line return manifold.  
    So far that is what I have.  I considered this to be a light bio-load so I "think" this will be good.  But I also know that I have been wrong before.  I would replace the skimmer in a heartbeat if I wanted a heavier bio-load but thought it may be sufficient for this set-up.  If I am wrong in this assumption and you can recommend a more efficient hang-on skimmer for under $80 I would be happy to purchase it.  
    If you could kindly tell me what to remove or add to the system to make it more efficient or better suited for the clownfish please do not hesitate to tell me.
    Thank you greatly for your time,
    Andrew        
<Your plan as evidenced here sounds fine, will work. Start with a couple small Premnas, tank-raised... and you're on your way! Bob Fenner>

Maroon clowns
Hello crew,
I have a 29 gal LR and reef tank that has been cycling for about two months.
All my levels are good, and I have 1 star polyp, 3 hermits, and 1 snail. I
just recently added two maroon clownfish to the tank, and they have been
doing well. ( one much larger than the other) I just found out by reading
the faq's that they are aggressive, and should be added last :( I wanted to
keep a firefish, a wheelers watchman goby, and a f. Pseudochromis in the
tank, but now I don't know if I'll be able to.
<Me neither>
What can I do to be able to
get these fish in the future. Any suggestions would help. Thanks a lot for
the great website.
<Really? Get a bigger tank... a 29 is going to be too small for just the Clowns. Bob Fenner>
Regards,
Devin

Maroon Clown Compatibility
I've been trying to find a fish that would fall into these categories:
-must go in a 20 gal with a maroon clown
-must not eat inverts
and I'd rather not pick one that is a ground dweller (got plenty of those).
I've tried to look everywhere for something but I just don't know anymore, maybe you guys can help?
<Since the maroon is going to be around 6" in length when adult, I would not recommend any fish
be added to this tank. Don>
Nick

Maroon Clownfish Question
Hi,
I currently have a maroon clownfish in my 20 gal tank, and I heard that if I
want to add another clownfish it could only possibly be another maroon. Do you
think this is possible or is any other clown (say a clarkii or tomato) would
do?
Nick
<Mmm, actually, the twenty is too small for even another Maroon Clownfish, let alone risking interspecies problems. Your choices for other livestock will be limited as well with the Maroons growth. I would look to trading in this fish for (if you want Clownfishes) a couple of tank-bred ocellaris perhaps. Bob Fenner>