[matt_wahoo]

I have been out of town working for the past couple of weeks. My parents are watching my reef tank. Everything was going fine until yesterday morning my percula clownfish jumped out and died. I have had him for over 5 years now. He was the only thing that lived through all the hurricanes in s. florida. Well any ways I was thinking of getting a gold stripe maroon clownfish, if I can find one. I have zoos, mushrooms, leathers, button polyps, feather dusters, and a few others I dont know what they are called. As for fish the only thing that is in there is a purple pseudocromis. I also have 2 peppermint shrimp, 2 emerald crabs, a bunch of hermits, and turbo snails. Is a gold stripe maroon clown ok to add to my reef tank. What type of anemonie should I get for him.

Thanks

[Ninong]

Your 25-gal tank is much too small for a maroon clownfish. Stick with either Percula or Ocellaris. And you may as well get two of them so that you will have a pair. I see no reason to keep a single clownfish.

The best host anemone for captivity is the BTA (Entacmaea quadricolor). It would have been ideal for a maroon but your tank is too small. Ocellaris clowns will usually accept it as a host in captivity but Percula clowns usually will not.

A 25-gal tank is really too small for any anemone but some people have tried to keep small BTA anemones in them. They could quickly outgrow a 25-gal tank. And make sure your lighting is adequate if you want to keep an anemone.

[matt_wahoo]

Yes I know it is to small for a adult maroon clown and a bta. I have a 55 gallon tank that I am putting together now. Will my 55 gallon be big enough for a pair? I will have everything together in a week or two. Then I need to cycle the tank. So, she will be in the 25 gal for two months max. I have 130 watt pc lights on the 25 gal.

[Ninong]

Yes, a 55-gal tank would be adequate for a pair of maroon clownfish. Your current lighting on the 25-gal tank is adequate for a BTA provided you feed it at least twice a week.

[Ninong]

I forgot to mention that maroon clownfish can be extremely difficult to pair, especially if you wait several months while one of them gets to feel that the tank is its exclusive territory.

I suggest purchasing a mated pair (from a reliable source) or purchasing two juveniles that are significantly different in size and adding them either simultaneously or adding the smaller one first and the larger one a week later.

[rjs5134]

Ninong,

A related story, my female(based on size and dominance) percula has adopted my BTA after several months as a host. The male will not go near it though. Should I expect him to come around, or is it normal for the female to spend time with the host anemone and the male to stay nearby?

Thanks

Rob

[Ninong]

First of all, it is very rare for Amphiprion percula to accept an Entacmaea quadricolor as a host. It sometimes happens, but it is the exception when it does. In the majority of cases this clownfish species will never accept this anemone as a host.

It is common that the female will accept an anemone as a host before the male joins her. A lot depends on whether she is ready to allow him to join her in the anemone and, in this particular situation, it could also be that the male is rejecting that anemone outright.