clown fish

[zacharyrapchuk]

a clown fish is a very colourful fish and is great for a beginner saltwater tank owner.
here is a picture:

 

[Teelie]

Yeah, the first saltwater tank I'm going to set up is going to be a orange Perc and a black one if I can pair them together. I'm planning a 30 gallon long tank with live rock, some inverts (shrimp, snails, worms, crabs) and perhaps an urchin.

Is there another point to this thread though?

 

[Hazmat]

If your going to pair them they need to be the same kind you cant mix.

Hazmat

 

[Teelie]

That's something I've been trying to find out. I've found conflicting information from reliable sources that say they are either the same species but a color morph or two different subspecies.

Either way, no one has given any indication of trying to mate a pair. I am going to give it a shot and see how it goes. If they don't work out, I can always sell back one or both and try a more natural pairing.

 

[Hazmat]

The problem i see with that is you might not be taking one back to the LFS in a bag of water The dominate one may kill the other one

Hazmat

 

[Hazmat]

Just called my freind that runs my LFS and he told me to tell you it's not a good idea, they wont breed and they will fight.

Hope that helps you out.

Hazmat

 

[Fuzzy]

mine fought a tiny bit at first but now since the other one filay grew up(size i mean) they get along. i like to watch mine spase around the rock that they consider an anenome. also they will sometimes pick out a faorite spot and keep the other clownfish from sleeping there
they seem to prefer frozen brine shrimp over the flakes

 

[ostrow]

you can pair a perc and a black/white perc no problem. they won't mate, but they can coexist quite happily.

maroons you generally can't mix with other types of clowns. but the perc and b/w should be fine together. seen it many times.

 

[Teelie]

maroons you generally can't mix with other types of clowns. but the perc and b/w should be fine together. seen it many times.

This is what I've been looking for, thanks! I'm slightly disappointed they won't mate, I'd love to see the offspring of that but if they'll co-exist together then I'll be happy with that too. I know a little about them already, more than the average newbie to saltwater but obviously less than an experienced person so I'm taking my time on this.

I just hope this doesn't turn out like Hazmat's LFS friend's suggestion of them fighting to the death. I think I'll be able to keep an eye on them for that and make sure no one gets too mean though.

I do know the percs are genderless until a certain age and one becomes dominate and larger- the female, and the submissive, smaller one- the male pair up. If I try this and see the aggression level is too high and they're clearly uncompatible then I'll take one back, probably the orange one. I like the black ones more for their relatively uncommon color. 99% of Percs you see are the orange coloration so having a black pair would be slightly unique. Also, my girlfriend likes the black coloration better.

I've still got a long ways to go until I actually get the tank and set it up, then buy the fish but it's never too early to research.

Maroons I like but I'm not so interested in starting out with. I think those will be next on my saltwater list though.

 

[Max]

they seem to prefer frozen brine shrimp over the flakes

mine seems to like flakes, so far...