Clown question

[3steele]

I am looking for some clowns. I want to get the black onyx percs, clarkii's, or white striped maroons. I have a 34gal with 3 fish and was wondering if I should try and get 1 clown or get a pair? Also whats the best thing they can host on other than a anemone? I have a large piece of hammer and a frag of frogspawn. I am thinking about obtaining a Duncan or an elegance but not sure if they even host on those. Any advise would be awesome!

Thanks
Ashley

[clowns101]

What are the fish in the tank now?

[3steele]

a royal grama, a small yellow watchman, and a 2 inch blue hippo that I am probably going to re-home soon.

[martinhal]

Some clowns will host allmost anything , i have seen this in my tank and others will not host at all. I found that clarkii's are more likely to host followed my maroons and then false percs. You can get 2 of the same type.

[rc4kinu]

Out of the three choices, the onyx is my favorite. If you are going to keep more than one, keep in mind that its going to be a little tricky to sex Maroon clowns. Read a good clownfish book to find out how to regarding keeping more than one maroon.

[clowns101]

Okay I would do a pair of onyx.

[3steele]

is there a good place to order them online or is it better to go thro LFS?

[martinhal]

LFS , but have not seen to many of late.

[clownaround2]

I think all clowns are cute, but all these new clowns, onyx, picasso's etc. look really cool. Just check the pictures on RC for more insperation to see which ones you like the most.

[3steele]

I don't really like the Picasso's much but thats because I like the more natural look of things

[clowns101]

I think that its better to go online but thats because the closest pet store that carries salt water is 2 hrs away!

[3steele]

The one I go to normally is an hour away plus $2.75 toll each way...lol. I have looked online a little bit here and realized that I also like the naked clowns. The only thing I don't like about clarkii's so far is I saw a pair in the LFS and they didnt match at all. The female was HUGE and black and the male was small and no black on him at all!

[clowns101]

If you like the naked clowns I would wait till DFS((doctors foster and smith))getts a pair in their DD((divers den)).I think they usally dont go for more than $99.

[clownaround2]

...go put some stripes on. The naked clowns look so skinny. Didn't like the Picasso's at first either, but they are growing on me. Especially the cute little one with the dot on it that was posted in another thread. The all white clowns (snowcasso's?) look like ghosts.

[3steele]

hehe i still really like the onyx but not found any yet

[patriots81]

I wouldn't get a maroon because they are very aggressive though they are your best bet at hosting alternative anemones.

[clownaround2]

Onyx are sweet. Good luck. Let us know, what your are ending up with...

[3steele]

well i ended up with a naked clown and an extreme misbar clown that only had a white patch on each side of her face she looks like she is blushing its kinda neat

[clowns101]

Lets see some pics!

[Nataliek2270]

I have seen clowns hosting in duncans, torch/hammer/frogspawn, open brain corals, long polyps toadstool leathers, and even zoas! I would not recommend getting an elegance coral for them because they have a really bad reputation for not lasting more than 9 months or so and then without warning they will just crash. I have 2 picassos that I love, they are grade "b" so they still have lots of beautiful orange, I know you said yo don't like the look of them but I thought I'd share a pic. Got them from doni's reef, when you buy from her, it is WYSIWYG so that makes it easier to know if you like how they look. Good luck!


http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss98/nataliek2270/IMG_2732.jpg
http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss98/nataliek2270/IMG_2724.jpg

http://i565.photobucket.com/albums/ss98/nataliek2270/IMG_2763.jpg

[clowns101]

Thoses are some nice fish!

[3steele]

here they are sorry if the pictures are a little terrible all i have is my camera phone.

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q234/3Steele/Saltwater%20stuff/0912091308.jpg

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q234/3Steele/Saltwater%20stuff/downsized_0912091308a.jpg

[Nataliek2270]

Nice Choice! I like the white spot, very cool :) I like the look of naked clowns and these 2 are very beautiful! Are they percs or occs?

[3steele]

lol no clue the one with the white is an extreme misbar and the other on is a naked I think they are perc's just because of the brighter color but I could be wrong

[clownaround2]

Very nice looking!!! Cute, that one has white cheeks. Very unique looking pair. Great choice! :)
Nataliek2270 yours are pretty sweet, too.

[3steele]

thank you they haven't hosted on anything yet. Does that take a long time? They have paired up it seems I bought them they were in 2 separate tanks and now there dancing around each other. They will eat pellets out of my fingers tho and when I bring food out they skim across the water with there little mouths sticking out there really cool. When I wanna just feed them I just hold a few pieces of food between my fingers and they will come get it.

[Nataliek2270]

I have had mine for almost a month now, and they are still not hosting in my frogspawn. I have heard it can take months, it's all up to the clown's "discovering" the coral. I have heard that if you shine a flashlight at night on the coral it may get the clowns host faster, but I have yet to try it and don't know the validity of this trick. Mine had only a week of fighting before they started swimming around together like old pals so hopefully yours are becoming a pair. I used a breeder net to put the bully in for a few hours a day so the smaller one could recoup after being chased around. Seems that did the trick if they do start fighting. Keep us updated! They are very beautiful, I am a sucker for unique-ness.

[3steele]

Well they don't fight at all they are the exact same size when I got them that's why I picked the ones I did. They look like there dancing but never any nipping. I will try the flashlight idea and tell you how it works cause I sit in front of my aquarium with a flashlight almost every night I like to see all the weird stuff. Like last night I found 2 little baby snails.

[clownaround2]

It's fun to see all the little critters. Just hate those nasty huge bristleworms. Added a maroon resently and it took him 2-3 days to get used to the LTA, thats been in my tank forever. The LTA didn't sting me, but the clown. It was funny to see him jump, everytime the LTA touched him. Now he loves it. I think the anemone is healthier with him, because now when I touch it by accident, it stings me.

[3steele]

I don't have an anemone :( just a hammer and a frogspawn

[3steele]

well I had a chance to go ahead and try the flash light idea they followed the light but not into the hammer. Very close tho. I also noticed this very strange looking critter on the back glass. He was moving almost like a snail. Looked more like a foot cause he would move like an inch worm instead of a smooth glide. He looks hard on the sides almost like a clam. very bumpy tho to tell the truth shaped just like moth wings. The middle of him tho looks like a white fuzz ball. Ive never seen it anywhere and I cant get a picture of it in the dark. He seemed to move very quickly from the light. Weirdest thing Ive ever seen in any aquarium I might add I will try and catch a pic but if its not to hot sorry.

[clownaround2]

I don't know, what it could be. Hard to picture it. Clowns don't need an anemone to be happy. Without one, I think they swim around more....so you can see them better. ;)

[3steele]

It almost looks like a clam with a chipped up shell but its only about the size of a finger nail. Well I would like for my clowns to host on my hammer it would look really nice but I guess they have other plans.

[Nataliek2270]

Be patient, it can take a while :) Go to the main Anem & Clownfish page and look at the "Ocellaris Hosts" Thread. It took this persons clowns 3 months to find and start hosting in his RBTA and now his male has decided to move to his torch coral for a host! I think it takes longer for tank bred clowns to host in things as well, since in the wild they are raised in or near a nem. Tank bred are usually more resilient, but will probably take longer to realize their instincts for hosting in corals/nems.

I would try the flashlight thing whenever you can IMO, sounds like it could work if you stick with it. I will start trying it myself since the clowns follow it around, good luck!

[3steele]

Well the clowns started getting black dots and I looked on here and figured out that its caused by them starting to host on a coral. Which was interesting because I've seen them near the hammer but not actually in it. Well I woke up this morning and checked the tank with a flashlight before the lights came on and found the host coral and was a bit surprised. My little Favia frag! They have been hosting on it at night when it puts its tentacles out. Will they hurt it? I've never seen or heard of clowns hosting on them all though its kind of neat I can see them and there not hiding away in a big bushy coral!

[Akimbo]

Those are some beautiful nakeds you got there man! I love the extreme misbar! They look like A. Occelaris to me. ORA breeds the nakeds and they are A. Occelaris. Beautiful fish though.

[3steele]

thank you found out the the one is a misbar but its called a white cheek misbar its cute! its interesting they eat out my hand they play tag and they stay out and swim around the aquarium all day and snooze in the favia frag i have that isnt any bigger 2inches so its really funny to see 2 clowns trying to get in it but really neat cause i get to see them all day!

[mhills16]

what you described on the glass sounds like a stomatella, google it.

[3steele]

Thank you for clarifying that. Now to see if its still in there cause i read hermits and shrimp eat them and i have cleaner shrimp, peppermint shrimp, and 4 small hermits.