Clownfish in a 5.5g?

[Pittsford_Pets]

This is probably gonna get a lot of hate, but just because I said that you know I know it’s a questionable question!

I had to move my tank into my mom’s home office, so that means I only ever see it if I put a small chair in front of it. It used to be a little 10 gallon in my room, so now I don’t have a tank to look at while I do my homework or just sit in my room.

That brings me to my question -

Can Clownfish be in a 5.5g? I have a pair in my 40, but they never - and I mean that I’ve actually never seen them do this - leave their anemone. Not even to eat. To me, clowns are some of the most interesting fish, an uncommon opinion because they’ve been so “normalized”. But that’s why I like them - they got me into the hobby, and I’m sure that was the case for most of you.

So what’re your thoughts?

 

[Crabs McJones]

This is probably gonna get a lot of hate, but just because I said that you know I know it’s a questionable question!

I had to move my tank into my mom’s home office, so that means I only ever see it if I put a small chair in front of it. It used to be a little 10 gallon in my room, so now I don’t have a tank to look at while I do my homework or just sit in my room.

That brings me to my question -

Can Clownfish be in a 5.5g? I have a pair in my 40, but they never - and I mean that I’ve actually never seen them do this - leave their anemone. Not even to eat. To me, clowns are some of the most interesting fish, an uncommon opinion because they’ve been so “normalized”. But that’s why I like them - they got me into the hobby, and I’m sure that was the case for most of you.

So what’re your thoughts?

Personally I wouldn't put a clown in anything less than a 15 gallon. It's not a good idea. No hate, just my opinion

 

[Pittsford_Pets]

Personally I wouldn't put a clown in anything less than a 15 gallon. It's not a good idea. No hate, just my opinion

Yeah, the tank is small so it was really just a random thought that popped into my head haha. There are still some options for a 5 though!

I also noticed that Fluval recommends a single Percula clown I their 5g Evo

 

[Gexx]

If you have some in your 40, maybe look at doing a goby/pistol shrimp in the 5gal. That would be a neat species specific tank, and you can find gobies that stay very small!

 

[Pittsford_Pets]

If you have some in your 40, maybe look at doing a goby/pistol shrimp in the 5gal. That would be a neat species specific tank, and you can find gobies that stay very small!

I actually have a watchman/Tiger pistol pair in my 40, although I haven’t seen them for a 3 weeks

 

[Crabs McJones]

Could a Clownfish live in a 5 gallon tank, yes, but it won't be happy. Think of it this way if you had a child would they be happier with a 12 by 12 foot bedroom or a 4 by 4 foot bedroom?

 

[Maritimer]

For a 5.5, rather than a watchman/tiger pairing, you might look at a high-fin goby/Randall's pistol combo, or perhaps a Rainford's goby or similar.

Additionally, you'll have to watch your water pretty sharply - things can change fast when you've got a small volume.

~Bruce

 

[sundog101]

What about a 10 gallon?

IM 10 Nuvo is what I’m planning for my next tank.

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

I think that's too small for a clown. Sure, it'll be happy for a little bit but you've got to think about what it's going to be after a few years. I just got a little yellow goby and I absolutely love it. Tiny, tiny fish, even inside of my IM10 but it's so darn cute and has lots of color.

 

[Pittsford_Pets]

I’m seriously thinking about a cube, or cube-ish, tank instead of the 5.5. We’ll have to see - that’s a bit pricier!

 

[NS Mike D]

a tail spot blenny should be happy in a pico. they are super entertaining while they will find a nook to call home, they love to come out and perch on top of a coral - mine even loved going inside an upside down snail shell, plus they pick at algae. IMO, lot's of personality . i have had mine three years now, and always gets me to stop what i am doing to watch him.

 

[Jesterrace]

This is probably gonna get a lot of hate, but just because I said that you know I know it’s a questionable question!

I had to move my tank into my mom’s home office, so that means I only ever see it if I put a small chair in front of it. It used to be a little 10 gallon in my room, so now I don’t have a tank to look at while I do my homework or just sit in my room.

That brings me to my question -

Can Clownfish be in a 5.5g? I have a pair in my 40, but they never - and I mean that I’ve actually never seen them do this - leave their anemone. Not even to eat. To me, clowns are some of the most interesting fish, an uncommon opinion because they’ve been so “normalized”. But that’s why I like them - they got me into the hobby, and I’m sure that was the case for most of you.

So what’re your thoughts?

I wouldn't put any saltwater fish in a 5.5 gallon tank. Just too small and too difficult to keep water conditions right, not to mention the fish would be insanely cramped. A single small goby might work but as mentioned, I still wouldn't do it. If I were you, I would check craigslist as they usually have complete used biocube setups all the time (sometimes even with coral and fish included).

 

[hart24601]

Could a Clownfish live in a 5 gallon tank, yes, but it won't be happy. Think of it this way if you had a child would they be happier with a 12 by 12 foot bedroom or a 4 by 4 foot bedroom?

While I totally understand the feeling, I don't know if we want to start considering children and fish equal. How many fish have we all killed! lol. Or eat, or try to get on a fish hook!

Plus from a development standpoint I think most people would consider keeping a child in a house until they are an adult illegal, while that would be, house to body ratio, a bigger tank than any of us have!

Not that your advise on tank size isn't valid, I just don't think we should humanize too much or we wouldn't keep fish or livestock at all!

 

[Tony Thompson]

Ocellaris in a 10 gallon,? IMO, no problem. These fish stay in one spot in the wild, they do not roam. These are also readily available as captive bred. The point should be, bioload. Ocellaris in a 5G? IMO you would really need to keep a very close eye on your water quality. One of the pros of such a small tank is you can easily do small water changes regularly. Use a biomedia (Marine Pure for example) instead of live rock. keep the scape as minimal as poss to reduce water displacement, 5G is small enough without replacing it with rockwork. The other problem with smaller tanks is territorial aggression. If there is a dispute there is nowhere to hide.

If you are concerned about animals having a natural amount of space to keep them "Happy" then anyone with even the largest of home aquariums, would more than half the available species. Many reef animals cover large areas in the wild. Simply buying a bigger tank is in no way going to cover the natural range of many species. They will always be a compromise. The whole reef hobby would be limited to Cave and Coral dwelling species such as Gobies and Blennies.

You may also consider a coral and crustacean tank instead. I have a 19 Litre tank with mushroom anemones and Thor Amboinensis. This size of tank is ideal for observing these wonderful animals.

 

[John Bolden]

What about a 10 gallon?

IM 10 Nuvo is what I’m planning for my next tank.

they are perfect