Clownfish

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Clownfish and Sea Anemone 2

The Ocellaris Clownfish, also known as the False Percula Clownfish, False Clown Anemonefish, and Anemone Demoiselle, is found associating with anemones throughout the Indo-Pacific. It can attain a length of 3.2″ (8 cm) in the wild, but aquarium specimens rarely exceed 2″ (5 cm) unless they are imported large. This fish is sometimes sold as the Percula Clown, even though it is not. The color pattern is very similar, but it is not as bright orange. The black outlines on the white stripes are also thinner on the Ocellaris Clown when compared to the Percula. The advantage of the Ocellaris is that it is much hardier.

It is a long-lived clownfish that is excellent for the beginner hobbyist. It does best in the presence of anemones such as Heteractis magnifica and Stichodactyla gigantea. Like the related damselfish, it is well-suited for all but the most predatory tanks.

Although there are no external characteristics to differentiate male and female, all clownfish are sexually immature when hatched. Meaning that the fry do not have a pre-determined sex, and develop into males and females depending on the hierarchy of the school. A pair will lay eggs along the base of the host anemone, using it to protect the eggs. The eggs normally appear orange in color. Without proper preparation, rearing in the average aquarium is nearly impossible.

This clownfish is an aggressive eater. It will take most meaty foods and frozen herbivore preparations.

Approximate Purchase Size: Small: 1/2″ to 1″; Medium: 1″ to 2″; Large: 2″ to 3″

Clownfish

Blue tang

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Blue Hippo Tang Monterey Bay Aquarium

The Blue Tang boasts a vibrant electric blue body dressed with bold black markings. In fact, the black that begins at the eyes, traces the dorsal line down to the tail, and circles back above the pectoral fin to create a unique shape reminiscent of a painter’s palette. This marking is why the Blue Tang is also known as the Palette Surgeonfish. It is also called the Pacific Blue Tang, and Hepatus or Regal Tang. Regardless of common name, Paracanthurus hepatus fish is equal parts beauty and peacefulness that suits almost any large community marine aquarium.

Native to reefs across the Indo-Pacific, the Blue Tang relishes a good hiding location amongst live rock. However, this active fish also loves to swim. Therefore, ample room to roam around your aquarium is essential for optimum health. Though peaceful towards most tankmates, the Pacific Blue will become aggressive towards other fish of its own species. To keep multiple specimens, introduce the entire lot at once into a larger marine system.


Although Tangs will eat meaty foods along with the other fish in the aquarium, it is important that they are offered plenty of marine based seaweed and algae. This will strengthen the Blue Tang’s immune system, reduce aggression and improve their overall health. Offer dried seaweed tied to a rock or use a veggie clip, and feed at least three times per week. Sea Veggies, Seaweed Salad and Ocean Nutrition are all ideal products and are very easy to use.

Careful observance of the Blue Tang is essential; as it is more susceptible to lateral line disease, fin erosion, ich and other skin parasites than many other fish.

Approximate Purchase Size: Tiny: 1/2″ to 3/4″; Small: 1″ to 2″; Small/Medium: 2″ to 3″; Medium 3″ to 4″; Medium/Large 4″ to 5″; Large: 5″ to 6″

Coral Fish

What are the basic neccesities of a marine fishtank?

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Here’s a complete list:

fishtank – the larger the better – larger fishtanks make water conditions more stable, and give you room to keep larger and more fish. Since the fish in saltwater are more territorial, you can keep as many in a fishtank as you can in freshwater, or you’ll have problems with aggression between your fish. Also, many of the cool fish get fairly large, so you’ll need to keep the adult size and activity level in mind when planning the fishtank. I always suggest if you’re starting from scratch, plan out the fish you want to keep, then plan the tank size and equipment around them. I wouldn’t recommend with starting with a tank smaller than a 29 gallon, and for some fish, you might need a 55, 75, 90, or larger.

heater – I would suggest one that is fully submersible and has an adjustable temperature. If your fishtank is 36inches or longer, I would suggest getting two heaters for more even heating, and to have a backup in the even that one fails.

a filter – You want one that will turn over at least 10 times the volume of water in the tank per hour, so check the GPH rating. There are a number of types you can buy, from a regular hang-on-tank (cheapest), biowheel (more expensive), canister (most expensive), or wet/dry trickle filter or refugium (expensive if you buy, but there are directions on the web for DIY models). Obviously, the more efficient the filter, the more expensive it will be, and you can easily spend over $100 for a good canister or trickle filter.

protein skimmer – This isn’t 100% required, but is strongly recommended if you’re keeping anything other than fish. These use a stream of small bubbles to remove dissoved organics from the water and deposit them into a collection cup. The organics would otherwise contribute to your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

salt mix – If you only plant to keep fish, Instant Ocean is economical and good. If you plan to keep invertebrates, you may need to use supplements, or go with a higher-end brand. If you plan to get a larger fishtank, you will get more for the money if you buy salt mix by the bucket (enough for 150-160 gallons in most brands).

hydrometer – This is used for mixing salt to the proper concentration. You’ll need a specific gravity of 1.020-1.026 for fish, 1.024-1.026 if you keep inverts.

substrate – This should be aragonite or crushed coral to help stabilize the fishtank’s pH. Saltwater should be maintained at 8.2-8.4. The aragonite won’t raise it this high itself, but will keep it from dropping below 7.8. If you can’t get the needed pH with the buffers in the salt mix and the aragonite alone, you’ll need to use additives to raise it. The best I’ve found is kalkwasser (calcium hydroxide).

live rock – While not strictly required, it’s strongly recommended to use. The live rock has bacteria to help break down the wastes from your fish, some of which are toxic to them. You can make “caves” for them to swim in and out of, and these give the tank a more natural appearance. The recommended amount is 1 lb per gallon of Pacific origin rock to 1 1/2 to 2 lb per gallon for Atlantic/Carribean origin. The difference here is that Pacific rock is more porous, so there’s more surface area for bacteria to colonize and less is needed for the same effect.

glass cover – This keeps the water from evaporating too quickly or from splashing the lights, and keeps fish from jumping out of the fishtank.

lighting – This will vary depending on what you intend to keep. For $25, you can get a basic lighting set-up that can be used if you only keep fish and non-photosynthetic inverts. If you want to keep corals or anemones, you’d need a minimum of a compact fluorescent system and these will run about $150. If you have a deep tank (18 inches+) it may be worth it for you to get a metal halide system if you plan to keep anything that’s photosynthetic. For metal halide and compact fluorescent, you’ll need to replace the lamps once a year at the very minimum, even if they haven’t burnt out – they stop producing enough light in the wavelengths needed for photosynthesis after 10-12 months.

Cleaning supplies – 5 gallon bucket (for dirty water), large plastic container with lid for mixing saltwater (a plastic garbage can is great for this), optional powerhead to mix saltwater, siphon, long-sleeved gloves (you shouldn’t put your hands in the tank), algae scraper.

Saltwater test kit – for testing your water quality – API Saltwater Master kit is a good one.

A reference book – I highly recommend The New Marine Aquarium by Michael S. Paletta. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-52-1 or The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert M. Fenner. Microcosm Ltd. ISBN 1-890087-02-5

There are lots of other things you could get or may need, but the list above will give you a good idea of what you should have on hand to start. Others you can add after you’ve gained some experience and have researched saltwater fish a little more to decide for yourself if you really want them. Addatives like the kalkwasser you won’t know if you’ll need until you set up the tank and have a chance to test the water. Your best bet is to get one of the books I’ve suggested and read through it. These will explain all the types of equipment in more detail and give the pros and cons of each (there are reasons these books top 100 pages – there is more than one way to set up a tank, and what you equipment you choose and what will work best for you will depend in part on what you want to keep, size of tank you get, budget, and personal preferences.