Trying Saltwater? Clownfish?

I’m thinking about trying saltwater after a decade and a half keeping freshwater. I was thinking of maybe Oscellaris or Percula Clownfish? I have a few questions.

-Tank Size/Footprint?
-What equipment am I going to need?
-Should I try anemones?
-Would I be better off to do a pair of clowns or a group?
-What should my salinity be?
Any advice/tips/suggestions?

 

HI Katie,
You need to be a little more specific in terms of the type of clown you'd like to keep.
Oscellaris/Percula can be kept in a 20G setup (some will suggest less), but a maroon/tomato would be better in a 30G+.

For equipment, check out the stickies in the Saltwater Beginners. Other than a tank, heater, lights, the rest of the 'needs' are down to what makes sense to you, and it becomes a matter of how much work you're willing to do.... Skimmers aren't "needed" but they make life easier. The only thing I'd say you don't need/want is a canister filter, the rest comes down to pros/cons.

Anemones - do your research on them. They're extremely interesting animals to keep, but have their own challenges (lighting, flow, nutrient levels etc). Should you try them? I can't answer that, you need to determine if you're willing to put the effort in to water quality to keep them. It also greatly depends on which anemone, some are more demanding than others.

Pair/Group of clowns - I would not attempt to keep more than a KNOWN MATED pair in a small tank. Groups typically won't work in any setup (other than a breeding). I emphasize known mated as the risk of territorial behaviour will be minimised.

Salinity - depends on the setup. FO/FOWLR anywhere from 27-35ppt (or, in specific gravity 1.020 to 1.026 at 26C/79F). With anemone, 32-35ppt (or, in specific gravity 1.024-1.026 at 26C/79F)

* These are rough general numbers, it depends on the actual species you choose to keep, as depending on origin, requirements may change. But they're the general numbers for FO/FOWLR vs Reef

 

Thanks ryanr I edited the original post to clarify that I’m considering Oscellaris or Percula Clownfish. I will look into some specific anemone species. I kept Discus, so I’m no stranger to constant water changes/upkeep. Will having an anemone make the clownfish happier? I’ve got so many years of experience with FW, yet I’m a total newbie with SW.

 

You are smart to stick to Occ or Percula clowns. Honestly I don't really recommend the others as they tend to be too aggressive. As for tank size, I would say a 20 gallon Long would be the minimum. As for the 'nem, I would personally skip them. They generally require very bright light and well established tanks. Furthermore many clownfish these days are captive bred and many don't know what to do with one (people actually have to train them to have the clown make use of them). I would personally skip the 'nem and just get a captive bred clownfish it will be much easier. Captive bred clowns tend to be very active (hence my recommendation of the long so that it can have a good horizontal swimming space).

As for equipment, it depends on whether or not you plan on having corals (greatly affects the choice for lighting):

Here are the basics:

20 gallon long fish tank
Screen/Meshtop Cover (all fish will jump at some point)
Basic LED light bar for fish only, something like a Chinese Black Box is the cheapest if you want corals
Powerhead or Wavemaker in the 800-1000gph range
Marine compatible tank heater (make sure it specifically says Marine Compatible as some aren't)
A source of RODI Water (not sure if you have this already since you had Discus), you can either get an RODI system or if you have a reliable LFS (Local Fish Store) you can buy it from them. Treated Tapwater is generally not recommended for saltwater tanks as the solids/minerals/etc can wreak havoc in marine tanks
Something like Instant Ocean Salt (unless you are buying RODI/Saltwater Pre-Mix from your LFS)
A Refractometer (measures salinity levels)
A reliable marine care test kit (API DOES NOT QUALIFY!!!!!!!!!). I recommend Red Sea or Salifert

For salinity levels, there are varying opinions, but generally the happy medium for corals and fish is considered to be around 1.025. For water changes on a smaller tank, it would probably be best to do weekly partial water changes. For a 20 Long, 3-5 gallons per week should work.

 

I feel like the Clowns at my LFS would take very well to anemones. Their show tanks vary, but one occasionally has clowns and anemones in it. Can I run my idea by you?

 

Sure, run it by us. Also, do you plan on adding corals to you tank. The reason why I ask is because 'nems roam wherever they please and they can sting corals, so that is a consideration.

 

This is what I'm thinking

20H or 29 gallon (I have both; the 29 is occupied but if it's really necessary can be cleared out)
Instant Ocean Salt
20lbs CaribSea Arag-Alive Hawaiian Black Aquarium Sand
Live Rock
1-2 Bubble Tip Anemones
Coral? (I'm highly undecided; I've been searching for hours trying to see if I like any that can do okay with nems)
2 Ocellaris Clowns (mated pair)

 

The 20H should be fine for what you mentioned, I prefer the length of the long for clowns and some other fish, but if they end up hosting they will stake out a set territory (about a 6 inch cube of space) and it won't matter much. I would stick to 1 'nem. Also you need to be aware that you will need to use RODI water, especially with the 'nem. One other thing to consider is that if you do want one or two other fish in your tank that you will probably want to add them first. A Mated pair of clowns can be very territorial/aggressive once established.

 

I'm only wanting a mated pair of clowns in this tank. I read that some BTA can be kept with others of their own species if kept at least 1.5-2ft apart. Also, what's wrong with the API Salttwater Master Test Kit? It's what I was planning to get.

 

I combined posts, mods please delete Coradee

 

I'm only wanting a mated pair of clowns in this tank. I read that some BTA can be kept with others of their own species if kept at least 1.5-2ft apart. Also, what's wrong with the API Salttwater Master Test Kit? It's what I was planning to get.

BTAs can, but in a smaller tank with just a pair of clowns they should be fine with just one. I just feel one would be less hassle to keep and if the clowns are a mated pair they will likely be sharing the same one anyways. As for API, unfortunately since options for water test kits are really limited for freshwater people are conditioned to believe that API releases a good quality product. The reality is that API definitely falls short of other test kits when it comes to saltwater. Among the short comings I found when comparing my Red Sea Test Kit to my API Test kit:

The Nitrate Test is a joke. Hardly any color difference between 10-20 and 40-80ppm. While opinions vary, most folks would say that in a marine/saltwater tank (and particularly a reef tank with 'nems and corals) that 10ppm is okay and that 20ppm means you need to do a water change. If you can't really tell the difference between the two, then it kind of defeats the purpose IMHO. With Salifert or Red Sea the difference in color is quite a bit more noticeable and easy to tell.

API can occasionally give false positives for Ammonia. Obviously this definitely unwanted since we all know how serious and damaging Ammonia is in a tank and when you can't always trust the result for something that you really need to know for sure.

The long narrow vials are a pain to clean out properly and the cheap plastic caps that don't screw down are prone to leakage (I have witnessed this first hand with my API kit and got caustic chemicals splashed on me despite mashing down on the lids as hard as I could). Red Sea and Salifert come with shorter wider vials with screw top lids, so as long as you screw them down tight you will NEVER get any leakage. Considering with any of the kits that you have shake pretty hard for one or more of the tests it is a real concern. As mentioned above cleaning is also much easier as is wiping the vials completely dry after rinsing with RODI water after the test.

The last one is a relatively small gripe, but the API test kit doesn't come with any test syringe, so you need to go purchase one separately. The Red Sea and Salifert tests come with one. There have also been disparities between the 5mL mark on the API vials and on the Syringes in some cases and the Syringes are generally correct.

Add in the fact that if you walk into a well maintained LFS that cares about their live stock and products, that they sell you generally won't find an API test kit (I have 3 LFS in my area and although I see Red Sea test kits frequently in stock, I have never seen an API test kit at any of them). The fact that Petsmart and Petco push API en mass just convinces me further that they are the walmart of the water test kits.

 

I think I’m going to start off trying to use tap water. I have my recent water report and it was suggested that I check it against Red Sea Salt. All of the hard metals in my tap are much less than in the salt.

 

I think I’m going to start off trying to use tap water. I have my recent water report and it was suggested that I check it against Red Sea Salt. All of the hard metals in my tap are much less than in the salt.

It's not that simple. It's not just a question of the quantity of solids but what the particular solids are (which you really don't have a way of knowing). The minerals in stuff like Instant Ocean or Red Sea are specifically geared for saltwater tanks, tap water is whatever elements (and generally whichever ones will do the job for the least amount of money) will make the water potable for human use/consumption. The fact remains that there are often trace elements in tap water, which although harmless to humans and generally to freshwater aquariums, are not good for captive marine environments (out of control phosphate, nuisance algae and things that can affect the health of marine life) and other things. If you were doing fish only, I wouldn't be as concerned but cutting corners with BTAs generally does not end well. Furthermore it's not as simple as just starting with tap and then switching to RODI. With certain elements, once it gets in your rockwork/substrate it is there to stay. RODI takes the guesswork out for you and given the investment of a saltwater setup, it's a pretty cheap expense by comparison. A cheap portable RODI system will run you a whopping $60. A really good one with cheaper cartridge replacements runs about $120-$150, so you have a couple of different routes you can go: