Question: when to add clowns and nems for harem tank

[droog]

Hi,

I have a RedSea Max S-500 (130g) aquarium and am in the planning stages of a clownfish/anemone setup. I've been in the hobby for a few years and have kept nem's and clowns successfully in this tank before (the tank is currently dry following a house move).

My question relates to timing of the additions to the tank. I see on the BRS harem tank they added 30 clowns first, and RBTAs a few months after that. Is that the considered best practice, or would it be preferable to add them at the same time, or even 'nem's before clowns?

I tried looking in the FAQ and Mobert's thread but did not see anything specifically relating to the timing of additions. Any ideas/comments/suggestions would be welcome.

Cheers,
-droog

[Kinetic]

It seems like ideally nems first. Let them get well established before adding the clownfish.

Anemones, especially the finicky ones, can be pretty stressed when first introducing into the DT. Best to let them settle down before adding a bunch of clowns smashing themselves into it.

[Zagzoo71]

I am adding the bta's first... currently have 14 in my tank. But, on the side note I have till 11/1/17 before I can add fish. When I get around 20+ bta's then Ill added the clowns in to provide a safe haven to keep aggression down.

[droog]

Thanks guys. I was initially planning to add baby clowns first with lots of food (per the BRS tank).

Will follow this advice and add the 'nems first. The point about extra habitat seems to make sense.

-droog

[Kinetic]

Originally Posted by droog

Thanks guys. I was initially planning to add baby clowns first with lots of food (per the BRS tank).

Will follow this advice and add the 'nems first. The point about extra habitat seems to make sense.

-droog

Having habitat is less of a concern for the clowns than the anemones. Anemones that get introduced to the tank can all of a sudden get slammed with tons of clownfish. It's a lot to deal with.

Giving anemones a lot of time to settle in with little agitation is the goal. Neither species needs the other to live in our tanks, so it's not like one will die without the other. So give the anemones time to establish first.