Thinking of doing Clownfish harem and anemone tank

[Royalreef22]

I just finished stocking my 180G and I am thinking of replacing my 34g red sea tank in my bedroom with a 60g or 90g cube aquarium. I would love to build a harem tank. Any suggestions on what tank around that size? I don't want a rectangular tank really I am looking at cubes. I also want a sump whether I have to drill it or not. I was looking at something like this:

Marineland 60 Gallon Cube Frameless Aquarium 24x24x24

This Aquarium has been temporarily Discontinued by Manufacturer The frameless cube aquarium feature sleek, modern lines – no more black plastic frames to detract from the appearance of the aquatic environment. The frameless cubes are proudly built in the U.S., with distortion free...

bluefishaquarium.com

I know what I am going to do for equipment but I am just wanna know if I can have a harem in a 60G and what brand tank would fit what I am looking to do!

 

[fcmatt]

Prepare for clowns on your floor until 2 are left. That is the most likely result.

 

[Royalreef22]

Prepare for clowns on your floor until 2 are left. That is the most likely result.

Meaning they will jump out without a net?

 

[fcmatt]

Meaning they will jump out without a net?

Meaning chased and harassed to death and yes.. leap out of the water.. out of the tank.. and on the floor. This is the most likely conclusion to this experiment. Ask me how I know. Never again.

 

[MuscleBobBuffPants]

BRS did a clown harem tank that was a success. You can definitely do a clown harem. If I remember them correctly the keys to success are to get all of the clowns from the same fry (there’s a minimum number too)(like 35 I think) ,feed heavily and export heavily. Their video was based off an old forum post by a guy that did a ton of experimentation on how to be successful. I will definitely be doing a harem tank one day.

 

[Royalreef22]

BRS did a clown harem tank that was a success. You can definitely do a clown harem. If I remember them correctly the keys to success are to get all of the clowns from the same fry (there’s a minimum number too)(like 35 I think) ,feed heavily and export heavily. Their video was based off an old forum post by a guy that did a ton of experimentation on how to be successful. I will definitely be doing a harem tank one day.

Yeah i said the same thing but one day because the week after I finished my 180 lol

 

[MuscleBobBuffPants]

 

[fcmatt]

Yes. Many of us are aware of a few possible sucess stories but the sheer majority fail. Listen carefully to the video. Notice how a "single" clown was removed. How they talk about aggression. How this video is a marketing tool and not a scientific experiment with documented results we can read about. Others ask more pointed questions in a brs thread here on this very forum when they posted the video and it was ignored. The video has clips from different time stages of the tank system. When you see the more mature larger clowns do you see 30ish fish??? What happened? Where can I read in detail what happened online with the fish count? Why did they end up taking out the fish and spreading them around their office?

Why is it that almost all harem owners post and brag and then a couple of years later go completely quiet? 2 to 4 years is about the right amount of time to have fully mature and bigger clowns finally decide to kick *** and take names in a tank.

If you want to try you better have something new to attempt because what was tried in the past ain't working long term.

On top of that we probably need to define success because anyone can throw 20 clowns in a tank and last a year or two especially if babies. But can those 20 fish all live past 4 years? Doubtful. If you have 8 left after 5 years is that success? That is the issue at hand here. Success for fish like clowns means keeping them alive for 10 plus years assuming no major event like a long power outage, failed tank, disease due to additions, etc.. they can live a really long time!

So basically the temptation to try it is that clowns and anemones are wicked cool. More is better from an enjoyment stand point early on. Over time though it gets depressing finding them missing or on the floor.

 

[hart24601]

Yes. Many of us are aware of a few possible sucess stories but the sheer majority fail. Listen carefully to the video. Notice how a "single" clown was removed. How they talk about aggression. How this video is a marketing tool and not a scientific experiment with documented results we can read about. Others ask more pointed questions in a brs thread here on this very forum when they posted the video and it was ignored. The video has clips from different time stages of the tank system. When you see the more mature larger clowns do you see 30ish fish??? What happened? Where can I read in detail what happened online with the fish count? Why did they end up taking out the fish and spreading them around their office?

Why is it that almost all harem owners post and brag and then a couple of years later go completely quiet? 2 to 4 years is about the right amount of time to have fully mature and bigger clowns finally decide to kick *** and take names in a tank.

If you want to try you better have something new to attempt because what was tried in the past ain't working long term.

On top of that we probably need to define success because anyone can throw 20 clowns in a tank and last a year or two especially if babies. But can those 20 fish all live past 4 years? Doubtful. If you have 8 left after 5 years is that success? That is the issue at hand here. Success for fish like clowns means keeping them alive for 10 plus years assuming no major event like a long power outage, failed tank, disease due to additions, etc.. they can live a really long time!

So basically the temptation to try it is that clowns and anemones are wicked cool. More is better from an enjoyment stand point early on. Over time though it gets depressing finding them missing or on the floor.

I wanted to try one too but came to this conclusion as well, sadly.

 

[Birdbrains?]

From what I have seen, amphiprion polymnus seem to be the species that is most commonly found in larger family unites in the wild. They also tend to be highly intelligent (fish). If the subdominant fish have sufficient places to escape and hide, the dominant fish may stop chasing them and use lure techniques to control them instead. But it is key to allow them a labyrinth of possible escape routes, so the dominant fish is unable to pressure them too much.

 

[srad750c]

I just finished stocking my 180G and I am thinking of replacing my 34g red sea tank in my bedroom with a 60g or 90g cube aquarium. I would love to build a harem tank. Any suggestions on what tank around that size? I don't want a rectangular tank really I am looking at cubes. I also want a sump whether I have to drill it or not. I was looking at something like this:

Marineland 60 Gallon Cube Frameless Aquarium 24x24x24

This Aquarium has been temporarily Discontinued by Manufacturer The frameless cube aquarium feature sleek, modern lines – no more black plastic frames to detract from the appearance of the aquatic environment. The frameless cubes are proudly built in the U.S., with distortion free...

bluefishaquarium.com

I know what I am going to do for equipment but I am just wanna know if I can have a harem in a 60G and what brand tank would fit what I am looking to do!

Start out with 8, end up with 2, will always happen. Trust me, I tried this in 1989 in 90 gallon tank.

 

[Dolphins18]

I've had them before, starting another as I move into my new home. Got a few dedicated anemone tanks and I often throw clowns in at least one.
Let the anemones get comfortable before adding the bulk of the clowns - it is much easier on them.

 

[Philip Chin]

In my 90 gallon tank , I have 9 clowns living together for the last 7 years

 

[Appoloreefer]

Start out with 8, end up with 2, will always happen. Trust me, I tried this in 1989 in 90 gallon tank.

I think if you have a large tank and places for them to go then it can be accomplished. BRS has about 40 black and white clowns in their 160 and they are all doing good

 

[srad750c]

I think if you have a large tank and places for them to go then it can be accomplished. BRS has about 40 black and white clowns in their 160 and they are all doing good

Were they wild caught? Mine were, there was no tank raised fish back then. Wild fish are more aggressive than TR clowns. There is a lot of ifs with something like this. 160 is a good size but I wouldn't dedicate a tank that size for this. but that's just me.

 

[RobB'z Reef]

@Anthony Scholfield

 

[Royalreef22]

Start out with 8, end up with 2, will always happen. Trust me, I tried this in 1989 in 90 gallon tank.

I would think that in 30 years there would be more info but sounds like people haven't done it still

 

[Reef and Dive]

IHO That’s one of the worst idea that we have from time to time…

 

[D-Nak]

If you watch the BRS video above, Ryan explains how it can successfully be done. To summarize, here are the keys to success:

1. Start with clownfish from the same clutch. A dozen at minimum.
   
   
2. The clownfish should either be percula or ocellaris, or possibly skunks. They seem to get along a better than species like tomato or sebae. Definitely avoid maroon clowns.
   
   
3. The more host anemones you have in the tank, the better. For me, I have five gigantea, so the fish have plenty of places to hide and seek shelter.
4. Use a large tank, 60 gallon probably being the smallest.

I also attribute my long-term success to having a large refugium full of chaeto. It helps to keep nutrients in check, especially since I tend to feed a lot, which I think indirectly helps to mitigate aggression.

 

[Reef and Dive]

If you watch the BRS video above, Ryan explains how it can successfully be done. To summarize, here are the keys to success:

1. Start with clownfish from the same clutch. A dozen at minimum.
   
   
2. The clownfish should either be percula or ocellaris, or possibly skunks. They seem to get along a better than species like tomato or sebae. Definitely avoid maroon clowns.
   
   
3. The more host anemones you have in the tank, the better. For me, I have five gigantea, so the fish have plenty of places to hide and seek shelter.
4. Use a large tank, 60 gallon probably being the smallest.

I also attribute my long-term success to having a large refugium full of chaeto. It helps to keep nutrients in check, especially since I tend to feed a lot, which I think indirectly helps to mitigate aggression.

I believe we need a word of caution to considet that experiment a success, since they had losses over time… The abundance of fish just distributes the aggression among many fish, but every time one gets clearly weaker, it becomes the target for everyone.