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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

Clown fish setup - minimum requirement?

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07 Dec 2006 04:54 #1 by 2poc (2poc)
Clown fish setup - minimum requirement? was created by 2poc (2poc)
Hi,

Have been thinking I'd love to get a small tank setup with a pair of clown fish.
I wouldn't be into marine tanks in a big way (mainly due to the expense & work involved) so wouldn't be bothered with Corals/Inverts etc.

Would appreciate some advice on what kind of setup I would need for just a couple of common clown fish & what sort of maintenance is required.

(Smallest/neatest tank + minimal equipment as I would like it to sit on top of a chest of drawers or maybe on a small table on the landing)

I did see a small cylindrical tank in brittas that had came completely setup with a single clownfish for 400 eur but I'm not sure how suitable it would be for a pair.

Thanks in advance,
Patrick.

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07 Dec 2006 12:36 #2 by Sean (Fr. Jack)
Replied by Sean (Fr. Jack) on topic Re: Clown fish setup - minimum requirement?
You will need a min size of 2 feet to breed them, if you keep the temp at 27C and 14 hours light and 24 hours a day night light (to create the moon light) S.G 1.020- 1-023 assuming no inverts and a clay pot, just a sprinkling of coral sand on the bottom of the tank (1 or 2 mm) and a trickle filter, with volcanic rock of just 1-2 cm diameter in the trickle filter which will be just above the water level, no need to have a skimmer. Buy 2 juveniles and do not mix them, they will be both males, after 7 or 8 months one will have grown to normal male size and the original slightly bigger juvenile will have become the "boss" and would have grown into much bigger female (hence a sex change). Don't feed them flake food without soaking it first, the bouncy post feeding will stress them out, sinking small granular food is OK. You must have a low light on all night or even a garden light on outside but with your curtains open, this will trigger them to spawn provided they are not kept under 26C or over 28C.
If you want more info go to the new members page and look for the article on keeping fish forever. It makes shocking reading!
That would be a ecumenical matter!!!

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08 Dec 2006 03:32 #3 by 2poc (2poc)
Replied by 2poc (2poc) on topic Re: Clown fish setup - minimum requirement?
Thanks for the info Sean.

Just another couple of questions if you don't mind:

Is the trickle filter essential or could a standard internal/external filter be used?

Is the maintainance of a tank like this similar to a normal freshwater or brackish tank wrt water changes etc just with more salt than a brackish tank?

If I didnt want to breed them would they get stressed out without the night light etc?

Sorry if these are silly questions but I havent actually done any research yet but obviously would do a good deal more before going any further.

Re: keeping fish forever - I had read your post - I would have kept it too! It would be great to get it encased in acrylic or something so it wouldnt have to be in the freezer.

Cheers,
Patrick.

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08 Dec 2006 23:15 #4 by Sean (Fr. Jack)
Replied by Sean (Fr. Jack) on topic Re: Clown fish setup - minimum requirement?
Anyone that keeps marines that does not have a trickle filter should be reported to RSPA, the bacteria in the trickle filter take their O2 from the air instead of the dissolved O2 in the water, hence 80% of the O2 that a fluidized bed or U/G filter consumes will be available for your fish. If you get a power cut the filter and the fish survive.
You really only need to keep a night light on when they are fully grown and then only during the time we have a full moon (assuming you want them to spawn , so so you do not need a night light, although a small 15W incant dim light is good if you have a fish and invert tank, to avoid bump in the night with a sticky anemones, as they need some time to gain a sugar coasting to stop them getting stung.
keeping a pair of common clowns A. ocallaris(not breading them is one of the easiest thing to do, they do not travel well but if you buy good stock and they are not pinch behind their head (emaciated), they will give far less trouble than Discus. I feed mine tree times a day, clean the glass once a week, top up with fresh water once a week, Portugal clean the prefilter chamber (the part before the water goes into the trickle filter every 3 months, and give a 30% water change every 2 years (No ph drop will happen before 2 years, due the the design of the trickle filter , which is clever as is convenient.
That would be a ecumenical matter!!!

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11 Dec 2006 02:31 #5 by 2poc (2poc)
Replied by 2poc (2poc) on topic Re: Clown fish setup - minimum requirement?
Excellent - thanks again for the info Sean.

-Patrick

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11 Dec 2006 04:38 #6 by lampeye (lampeye)
Replied by lampeye (lampeye) on topic Re: Clown fish setup - minimum requirement?
sean...does your nitrates not go through the roof?
lampeye

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11 Dec 2006 05:39 #7 by Sean (Fr. Jack)
Replied by Sean (Fr. Jack) on topic Re: Clown fish setup - minimum requirement?
If the trickle filter is completely out of the water, the NO3 will rise, but if you design it that the bottom bit is under water, it acts like a denitrator.
Hence to 80% trickle bottom 20% de nitrater.

Qes. Just in case, there is a new product on the market, I may not know about post 1990 changes, (I have not read any thing since I left the industry) is there a resin to by pass the entire NH3, NO", NO3 process, or is there an renaissance from some kind of German book saying just put in live rock and a skimmer?
That would be a ecumenical matter!!!

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13 Dec 2006 08:01 #8 by lampeye (lampeye)
Replied by lampeye (lampeye) on topic Re: Clown fish setup - minimum requirement?
and give a 30% water change every 2 years

that sounds absolutely crazy sean.
lampeye

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13 Dec 2006 11:56 #9 by Sean (Fr. Jack)
Replied by Sean (Fr. Jack) on topic Re: Clown fish setup - minimum requirement?
Guys and girls, I dont want the info to be just one way, I will explain how/why in my next post.

Qes. Is there a resin now on the market to take ammonia out at source, hence by passing the normal break down to eventual nitrate?.
We all know the skimmer only removes a small percentage of organics.

If not, apart from the bacteria on the rocks how is everyone breaking down ammonia to nitrite, and then to nitrate.

If you answer my qes, 2 post back, I will answer yours that followed my qes effortlessly.
That would be a ecumenical matter!!!

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13 Dec 2006 12:33 #10 by lampeye (lampeye)
Replied by lampeye (lampeye) on topic Re: Clown fish setup - minimum requirement?
No...i dont know of any resin etc...from what ive read it is the general practice nowadays to rely purely on live rock and a deep (or not so deep) sand bed (berlin system or some variation) leaving you with very little nitrate as it is turned to nitogen gas apparently. this system requires light stocking of fish, not overfeeding, vigerous skimming and plenty of flow (20 times the tanks volume per hour) have a browse on www.reefcentral.com in the forum section. there is very few if any people using filters of any sort. it requires 1-2 lbs of live rock per gallon.
i will give a more detailed response soon but im on the way out to a poker game in my brothers :wink:
lampeye

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14 Dec 2006 02:46 #11 by Sean (Fr. Jack)
Replied by Sean (Fr. Jack) on topic Re: Clown fish setup - minimum requirement?
I have not much time to register with this site, perhaps if you could elaborate on the sand, I we talking fluidized bed, which is basically a cylinder of sand pumping water from the up to "fluidise it" or are we going back to the 1970´s with deep substrate which is 90% anaerobic hence will act as a denitrate filter, providing you do not rack your hand through it as the hydro sulphide release will give you some thing to remember.

P.S I have not forgot about your qes, and will answer it, its a pity this post you made is getting a lot of views, with no other submits. I guess some of the people that are clicking have the German hippy system to?
That would be a ecumenical matter!!!

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14 Jan 2007 14:10 #12 by lampeye (lampeye)
Replied by lampeye (lampeye) on topic Re: Clown fish setup - minimum requirement?
im talkin about the 2-4 inch normal sand bed....but i dont see how it could be 90 per ceny anarobic acid with all the bristle worms constantly on the move. i use crushed argonnite myself. and i think the denitrating thing in this setup is all the macro algae growing on the live rock...my nitrates have dropped to less than 10 ppm from 25ppm.

fran
lampeye

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