Home Recommendations for Clowns?

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

I'm looking for some ideas! My husband and I set up our tank (20g) about a year ago, and it's been slow-moving because we've been traveling. But now life is slowing down, and we're ready to add some more inhabitants. We currently have a Watchman Gobie and Firefirsh that are thriving and a couple of clean-up crew members. No coral yet. We're looking to add a pair of clowns, but I would like to get a "home" established first.

Before I left for college I had a Red Sea 20g in my bedroom that had a Watchman Goby and a pair of young clowns. Their home was a unit of a Toadstool that I stole from the family tank :)grinning-face-with-sweat:) and they seemed to love it. Picture below for reference. Unfortunately, once I left for college I just wasn't giving my tank the attention it needed, so I decided to take it down and move all the inhabitants to our family tanks and frag tanks.

I am thinking about getting another toadstool, but I would like to hear what other people used before we decide. Thanks!

Picture of my old tank with my toadstool:

 

[lapin]

Go to your local LFS and look at coral. If you like toadstools and torches get them

 

[Gumbies R Us]

We are going to be a rap coming up soon. I know some people have used flowerpots and glass containers but anything else in particular?

 

[JayM]

You can use whatever you like. I’ve got tons of rock with tons of nooks and crannies, and a half dozen different types of corals and my clowns choose to sleep on the sand in the corner of the tank.

 

[Uncle99]

Home sweet home.
Defended to death!

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

Home sweet home.
Defended to death!

This would definitely be a cool option, but I've heard mixed things about anemones in 20g, which is what we have. Any thoughts on that? I'd love to have one. In my first tank, I had a rock flower anemone. I didn't get much experience with it as I took my tank down not too long after adding it.

 

[Spare time]

I would try a bubble tip anemone if you can get it to stay on its own rock away from corals.

 

[Jekyl]

This would definitely be a cool option, but I've heard mixed things about anemones in 20g, which is what we have. Any thoughts on that? I'd love to have one. In my first tank, I had a rock flower anemone. I didn't get much experience with it as I took my tank down not too long after adding it.

What lighting are you using?

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

I would try a bubble tip anemone if you can get it to stay on its own rock away from corals.

I'm seriously considering it, I'd love to do that. Any thoughts on it being in a 20g? Is that too close quarters? We were also thinking zoas, hammers, and maybe a few torches.

 

[Uncle99]

This would definitely be a cool option, but I've heard mixed things about anemones in 20g, which is what we have. Any thoughts on that? I'd love to have one. In my first tank, I had a rock flower anemone. I didn't get much experience with it as I took my tank down not too long after adding it.

I’ve kept a pair of clowns in 20g for years without issue.
They never ever go more than a foot from home at love that.
The issue is if it starts walking around it could kill corals.
Mines done that only twice in 5 years and each time killed nothing, but I had to move some stuff out of its way.

Once set and happy, if you don’t change lighting or flips, they rarely move, but always the risk.

And they don’t always take to it right away. These two took about 7-8 months before one morning, I found them in it.

You can see my mine just right of Centre and he bothers nobody for 3 years now (fingers crossed)!

 

[X-37B]

This is my pair of breeding clowns in my old 24×20×18. I dont remember the type of nem but I prefer it to bubble tips. It seems today the bubble tips split and you end up with a tank full of nems.

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

What lighting are you using?

Red Sea LED 50

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

I’ve kept a pair of clowns in 20g for years without issue.
They never ever go more than a foot from home at love that.
The issue is if it starts walking around it could kill corals.
Mines done that only twice in 5 years and each time killed nothing, but I had to move some stuff out of its way.

Once set and happy, if you don’t change lighting or flips, they rarely move, but always the risk.

And they don’t always take to it right away. These two took about 7-8 months before one morning, I found them in it.

You can see my mine just right of Centre and he bothers nobody for 3 years now (fingers crossed)!

Your tank is beautiful! That anemone looks like it is one of the stars of the show, it's gorgeous. Did your anemone ever outgrow your 20g? We'll eventually upgrade, but it'll be at least 1.5 to 2 years.

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

This is my pair of breeding clowns in my old 24×20×18. I dont remember the type of nem but I prefer it to bubble tips. It seems today the bubble tips split and you end up with a tank full of nems.

Oh, that's a super cool anemone too! My dilemma grows. :grinning-face-with-sweat: how many gallons was this tank?

 

[Jekyl]

Your tank is beautiful! That anemone looks like it is one of the stars of the show, it's gorgeous. Did your anemone ever outgrow your 20g? We'll eventually upgrade, but it'll be at least 1.5 to 2 years.

20g will be plenty for an anemone. Just keep in mind it may wander and other coral may need to be relocated in the process. The light you have will be sufficient also.

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

20g will be plenty for an anemone. Just keep in mind it may wander and other coral may need to be relocated in the process. The light you have will be sufficient also.

That's great to hear because after all these pictures, I'm sold on the anemone. Now to get @Gumbies R Us on board:grinning-face-with-sweat:. We're Going to be at RAP Orlando in a few weeks, so maybe we'll pick something up there.

 

[Uncle99]

Your tank is beautiful! That anemone looks like it is one of the stars of the show, it's gorgeous. Did your anemone ever outgrow your 20g? We'll eventually upgrade, but it'll be at least 1.5 to 2 years.

Thank you. It was to give you an idea what I risk having a nem. I’ve never kept clowns without a nem in 40 years.
The BTA’s don’t move much once happy provided you don’t change things.

Outgrow, No, just don’t directly feed them. They don’t require that.

They will split into two identicals from time to time.
Mine has split 5 times in say 4 years, these I take to my LFS for credit.

Your issue will be placement because you have corals, I put the nem in at the start, then placed corals over time.

 

[X-37B]

Oh, that's a super cool anemone too! My dilemma grows. :grinning-face-with-sweat: how many gallons was this tank?

30g's.

 

[Naekuh]

It annoys me that you can not pick what you want your clowns to host.

I have had clowns host some pretty dumb things, where u'd be like "Why?"

When mine were smaller, they hosted the power head which i was worried sick i would find one dead stuck to it.
But then they transitioned to a toadstool, then they didn't like how it would shrink up every night.
They moved to my Euphillya and then they also didn't like how it was nothing but sticks every night.

Finally they moved to my duncan.
So they host the duncan during the day when its all open, and go off into a cave next to it at night.

My friend has even went as far as putting a colorado sunburst nem, to get his clowns hosting it... well 2 yrs later, and they still rather host his fake nem that he had in the tank more so then even bother with the CSB.

Yeah he was sad at that expensive purchase... but he loves that nem, and so do i.
Id get one, if they didn't leave a trail of poison and death each time they were not happy with a location and started moving to the next.

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

It annoys me that you can not pick what you want your clowns to host.

I have had clowns host some pretty dumb things, where u'd be like "Why?"

When mine were smaller, they hosted the power head which i was worried sick i would find one dead stuck to it.
But then they transitioned to a toadstool, then they didn't like how it would shrink up every night.
They moved to my Euphillya and then they also didn't like how it was nothing but sticks every night.

Finally they moved to my duncan.
So they host the duncan during the day when its all open, and go off into a cave next to it at night.

My friend has even went as far as putting a colorado sunburst nem, to get his clowns hosting it... well 2 yrs later, and they still rather host his fake nem that he had in the tank more so then even bother with the CSB.

Yeah he was sad at that expensive purchase... but he loves that nem, and so do i.
Id get one, if they didn't leave a trail of poison and death each time they were not happy with a location and started moving to the next.

The clowns hosted the powerheads in my parent's tank we had growing up! Luckily, there were never any problems we ran into with that. And in my first tank, my clowns hosted a toadstool. They took pretty well to it.

You're right. Unfortunately, no matter what I land on, there is no guarantee that they'll take to it. But after everyone's input, I'm leaning towards a BTA. I've always been intimidated by keeping an anemone (the one in my parent's tank claimed the lives of several fish and clean-up crew members:oops:). But I think I'm going to give it a go!