# never tried salt water thinking of a clown fish



## critter_keeper (Dec 17, 2006)

My little girl has been looking at a clown fish that my breeder has. How hard is it to keep one? Can it go in a 10 gallon tank? Can you use a regluar pump or dose it have to be a special kind? I never even attempted a salt water tank before. I'm not sure if I want to try if it is really hard. I dont want to get her a nemo then kill it. The fish she is looking at is 20 dollars is that a reasonable price?


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## usmc121581 (Jul 31, 2006)

> My little girl has been looking at a clown fish that my breeder has. How hard is it to keep one? Can it go in a 10 gallon tank?


As how hard it is to keep one, not hard I have two Ocellaris Clownfish in a 20 gallon. As for a 10 gallon I have seen them in less then a 10. Do I think its right no, (thats like your whole family living in a garage) But you could get away with having 1 maybe 2 in a 10 gallon. They are recommended for at least a 20gallon. So If you would get one, if you can put him in a 20 gallon. As for the price that is what they cost here.


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## caferacermike (Oct 3, 2006)

Price seems right. 

I'd also second the 20g. I'd even think about getting a 30 or 40 breeder. That way you can add a few other things to the tank besides one perc. 

You ask about a pump? What kind of pump? bottle jack pump, bicycle tire pump, air pump, external flow pump, internal hobby pump, filter???? I'd plan on a 30 or 40g with about 20 to 40 lbs of live rock for your bio filtration and maybe a nice canister filter like an Eheim 2217 Classic for mechanical filtration. Stock it very lightly and resist the urge to feed the tank and you might pull it off. Stock heavily and you'll want a protein skimmer. Good ones are not cheap. Cheap ones are not good.

Can you pull it off on a budget? Yes absolutely. Search around for used equipment. I'd bet for about $200 you could get a smashing set up for that fish. 

Spending $10 on a petco 10g tank and a $12 air pump. Don't bother.


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## Rogergolf66 (Dec 24, 2006)

Just adition to what they told you good advise but to answer your question about how hard it it to keep a salt water tank. it is not hard at all it is more maintanence then what freshwater is. Just a reminder that the less water in the tank then the quicker a problem will contaminate the water. so the smaller the tank the harder it is to keep it stable.

Roger


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## Melissa (Nov 28, 2006)

Rogergolf66 said:


> Just adition to what they told you good advise but to answer your question about how hard it it to keep a salt water tank. it is not hard at all it is more maintanence then what freshwater is. Just a reminder that the less water in the tank then the quicker a problem will contaminate the water. so the smaller the tank the harder it is to keep it stable.
> 
> Roger


You know we have a 20 gallon with 4 fish and have never had a problem with it at all. I think it just depends.


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## crazie.eddie (Sep 1, 2006)

From what I understand, certain species of clowns are aggressive. I just forget which ones.


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## caferacermike (Oct 3, 2006)

All but the perculas. Even the percs can be nasty.

Most important thing to remember, clowns are damsels at heart. We all know how nasty damsels can be.


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## Melissa (Nov 28, 2006)

yeah, stay away from the maroon clowns, they are like the meanest ones. Compared to all od them Oscellaris are the most peacefull.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

Ocellaris are not only the most peaceful, but also stay the smallest, so are better suited for a smaller tank. I will agree completely with everything said so far, and want to help stress that the smaller the tank the harder it will be to keep stable. Can a 10 gallon and clown be pulled off? Yes, if all you want in the tank is a clownfish, maybe a few snails and hermits. 10 gallons would do better with corals than with fish.
The larger the tank the easier it will be to take care of.
Clown fish average $26 - $30 around here, so price seems right. One thing to keep in mind is that salt water isn't "harder" but it is "different" and there is a lot to be learned to keep it healthy and stable. Expect to spend some money, as live rock can get quite expensive, and in such a small tank, you'll want as much as you can get in there. You could work with a good hang on filter, but you will have salt creep to deal with, more so with a hang on. You'll need a hydrometer to measure salinity/specific gravity, and because evaporation will cause more drastic changes in smaller tanks, you could be checking it as much as once/day.
I also would suggest planning to get your own set of liquid test kits for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, KH, and calcium. These will be important to have on hand, especially with a smaller tank. Anytime you have a problem, test readings are the first thing everyone will need to help you. Once you get used to saltwater, you will also learn to see warning signs in test results, so you can prevent problems from happening.
So, I will also encourage the idea of working with a larger tank, as large as you can afford/accomidate. Saltwater is addicting, and you can't fit as many fish into a tank as in freshwater, so it's easy to get overcrowded real quick in a small tank. In a nano, over crowded means expense and death. The bigger the tank the more you can have and the easier it is to keep.
Any help you need, please ask, we're all eager to help in any way we can.


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## usmc121581 (Jul 31, 2006)

> Clown fish average $26 - $30 around here


I just wanted to say hpow the prices change around depending what regien your from. Prices around here range from $20-45 depend on what species you wanted.


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