banggai and clownfish compatability

[fishballer]

i'm researching for my first tank, and my main fishes will be clowns, possibly a mated pair of false perculas. Of course, i'm thinking of also putting in a LTA for them to enjoy.

however, i've been looking at banggais, and i wonder if i would be able to put a pair in too.

30gallon tank.

thanx :)

[Scrooge2]

I wouldn't add them in your case. Two clownfish in a small tank can be very aggressive. Cardinals are very passive, so you have the makings of a tank war with heavy cardinalfish casualties. They would be fine in a larger tank, and "might" work in your tank, but you are really pushing it.

If you really want another fish consider something that can take care of itself. Dottybacks (Psuedochromis) are very agressive, but might work. I have a 20 gallon with one percula and a neon dottyback that get along great.

Also, if you get an anemone make sure you have strong light and know what you are doing. They are difficult to care for and not for beginners. You can get clownfish without an anemone and I would suggest you do that first. They will be very happy, even without an anemone and you can always add one later.

[slk3599]

I am going to disagree with Scrooge here. False percs are one of the least aggresive of the clowns and a pair should do nicely in a 30 g tank. Banggai cardinals are totally compatible with the percs. But unless you have a mated pair, go with a single Banggai. If you happen to get two males, one will kill the other as they mature. Neither the False percs nor the Banggai need large tanks as they are not fast swimmers and tend to hover around one place in the tank.

[dghall]

Does anyone know where to find a mated pair of banggai's. I have a 55G tank with a mated pair of false percs and would also like to get a mated pair of banggais. Thanks.

Dave

[fishballer]

scrooge,

i'm just in the planning stages of what i eventually want my tank to have. I wasn't going to add the anemone until my tank is stable. I just want to know before hand so that I don't add something into the tank that will cause friction in the future. :) thanx for the warning though :)

slk,

hmn...a mated pair of each? that would be awesome!! i'll probably do some more research before i dive in.

btw, the plan is to fill the tank with live rock, live sand in mid december, so i'm still a long way to go!! :)

[Skipper]

Dghall:
Here is not only some more information on Bangaii's, but a place to purchase some, also.
http://www.rodsreef.com/banggai_cardinal.htm

[FMarini]

Skipper:
not to interupt.....
Banggais and clowns are moderately compatible, in that given enuf space they will co -exisit. Clownfish setup territories and for some reason banggais will often be excluded(usually they'll be harassed).
If the tank were bigger i would say NO problem. But given this is a 30gal tank, and since my rule of thumb is 2 banggai in no less than a 30. i would not personaly risk the chance.
Banggai do not setup territories against other fish, just themselves. As mentioned two males will not co-exisit.
W/ that said the best places to get tank-raised/captive bred banggais is (no particular order)
www.inlandaquatics.com
www.atlantisaquatics.com
rodsreef.com
also oceanrider wil be selling them soon.
mated pairs can be had occasionally from inland.

Lastly, for more info on banggais feel free to read http://www.eparc.com/banggai/banggai.shtml

frank

[ranaman]

FYI Long tentacled anemones are not host anemones for percs or ocellaris clowns. A bubble tipped anemone would be a good species to try, since they are hardy and you can even find a few tank raised.

[becka]

I have a pair of true percs and a pair of bangaii's. They get along very well. But I have them in a 150. With only 3 other fish. Plenty of room to swim and avoid each other. The bangaii's seem to stay in the same 1/4 of the tank. Clowns are where ever and everywhere. I think a 30 would be to small for the 4 of them.

[OodleyBoodely]

Having learned the hard way(for me and especially the anemones I killed), you might want to consider an alternate host for your clownfish instead of an anemone. Some large polyp stoney corals will be readily accepted by many clowns-and Oscellaris(falsies) are pretty easy to please. There are plenty of posts to research here on this topic, and, Oscellaris and Perculas have been reported to 'bond' with everything from toadstool leathers and bubble corals to star polyps and even patches of hair algae. Why go with an alternate? They are MUCH hardier and most are now captive propagated which relieves the burden of overcollecting the wild populations. Good luck and keep researching.

[Fishy Something]

I'm not an expert on clowns & Anemones, but I asked a while ago re perc & BTA's and was told in no uncertain terms that they would not host there. (I could not find the thread...sorry).

After 6 months this is proving to be the case and the 4 captive bred percs I have still ignore the BTA & are very happy amongst my Duncanopsommia Axifugia

FWIW

James

[firechild]

Your best bet for a perc or ocellaris clown in a 30G is a carpet anemone, Stichodactyla sp. . S. gigantea is a natural host for both and S. haddoni and S. mertensii are natural hosts for each species (can't remember which clown corresponds to which anemone). Heteractis magnifica is a natural host for both species but they get quite large and will be unmanagable in a 30G, also they are the hardest host anemone to care for.
HTH,
Aaron

[Guy]

...and they (carpets) are the most likely to eat their tenants.