How many together.

[corinthian]

Just curious on how many clownfish can be kept in a tank together,lets just say the ocellaris clown.And are they compatible with invertebrates.

[dantodd]

Yes they are compatible with inverts.

As for how many, it depends on the fish and the tank. 2 are recommended for most. If you have a particularly large or well broken up aquarium where multiple pairs can find a territory then more may be possible. Of course if you are talking about jsut displaying a juveniles for a couple weeks/months then you can really pack them in with adequate filtering.

[redvipe2010]

Agree with dantodd, but also keep in mind, that sometimes even two newly introduced clowns may not get along, they may eventually get used to each other and pair up, but not always.

[TippyToeX]

corinthian
[welcome]

[corinthian]

Hi thanks for the replys.

Hi if i was to start a small nano tank with clowns only what would i need, so if anybody doesnt mind typing a list of equipment,to start with i would just have FOWLR then maybe consider coral after things are setup and going well.

ty

[dantodd]

There is always more than you first think and I'm sure I'll miss a couple items. Of course you also have a lot of options in a number of areas. I'll try to give you a quick run down as best I can.

Tank:
If you want 2 clowns I would definately suggest at least 10 gallons. That will also require a lot of water changes as clowns are PIGS!
I like glass tanks, they're cheap (I pay $9 for 10 gal tanks) and are clearer than acrylic. Acrylic is more durable, you can repair scratches and (most importantly) is a better insulator so it will keep the water temperature more consistant.

Filtration:
I prefer using live rock alone for filtration. Plan on about 10-15 pounds of well cured rock. Wait to add the live rock until the tank has comletely cycled or much of the stuff on the rocks will die and pollute the tank making the cycling process go on seemingly forever. You might also consider getting a hang on back filter so that you can run carbon or other chemical and physical filtration when needed. Many people use large hang on back filters as refugiums.

Circulation:
If you use a hang on back filter that will give you a decent amount of circulation but you want more than that. I would recommend a couple of these: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12075&N=2004+113040 or something similar. using 2 will give you some redundency and allow you to make sure that you don't have any "dead spots" in the tank where there is no flow as these can become oxygen depleted and unhealthy to the tank. I would also recommend keeping one near the surface so help maximize the oxygen exchange, you can usually tell by seeing that there isn't a "film" on the surface. You may be able to get away with one powerhead if you use a hob filter which will also increase oxygenation of the water by the overflow.

Substrate:
You'll probably want some form of substrate. You certainly can leave the bottom bare glass which is easiest to clean. Some people like to put starboard or plastic cutting board cut to size on the bottom which prevents live rock pressure points from cracking your tank bottom. Many people really like the look of sand on the tank bottom. If you like the sand look use sugar fine crushed coral and be sure to keep it well vacuumed.

Water:
Since water quality is so important always use reverse osmosis or distilled water and do weekly water changes.

Livestock:
Stick to ocellaris or percula as any others are likely to get too large. You can probably also support a shrimp but I wouldn't go too much farther than that.

Lighting:
If you want to be able to support corals in the future I'd recommend getting the coralife 96w power compact fixture. It is the de facto standard for 10 gal nanos. I really like the guys here: http://www.innovativelights.com/esu-53101.html they have good pricing and are really easy to work with.

Misc:
You need to get a heater as well, I prefer 100w heaters.
You will also want a timer for the lights.
Water test kit. You'll want these at a minimum: Nitrate, Nitrtrite, Ammonia, Ph and alkalinity. There are a ton more but they can wait
Salt tester. You can use the floaty ones but a refractometer is better. If you use the swing arm floaters be sure to calibrate it to your local store's water first.
Siphon: to clean the tank
Thermometer: Innovative lights has a nice coralife digital thermometer pretty cheap.


Equipment:
Tank: $10
Heater: $20
Powerheads: $18
Live Rock: $40-$90 depending on what you get
Sand: $10
Light: $100
HOB filter: $20 (I use the Aquaclear 20)
Fish: $20-$60 (depends on size and where you get them)
Test kit: $35
Salt tester: $8
Siphon: $10
Thermometer: $10
Light timer: $7

Setup:
Put the water, thermometer and sand into the tank and let it settle overnight. Then add the powerheads/filter. If the sand settles out sooner add the powerheads when that happens. You can put the ights on at anytime, it won't speed up the cycling process but won't hurt either. Now add about half of a raw cocktail shrimp and wait 3 days.

After 3 days test your ammonia. Test every couple days until you see a big spike in the ammonia and then see it start to drop. At this point start measuring nirites. Once you see the nitrites starting to drop add nitrates measurements. This is also a good time to check your Ph and alkalinity. Once your nitrites and ammonia are down to undetectable levels you can add a small amount of live rock. After a week or so make sure your ammonia and nitrites are still under control and see how your nitrates are doing. If ammonia and nitrites are still undetectable you're in good shape. If nitrates are over 10 ppm you'll want to do a 10% water change. If the nitrites and ammonia are not under control give it some more time.

Once everything is under control with the live rock in it you can add the fish. Follow the same procedure then finish adding the live rock.

There is an entire forum on this site dedicated to nano reefs plus there is also an entire nano-reef site to get you more help.

Hope that helps,
Dan