Clownfish can change sex?

[salman]

In a group the female is the largest, with the male as the second largest. All others will be juveniles and gender-neutral. When one of the adults disappears, the next biggest will take its place. Thus the male will become female and a juvenile will turn into a male. Once they are female they cannot change again. In certain species there are physical differences but it's not a real good idea to rely on this as they may have changed sexes but not markings.

I was reading an article, and the clownfish can chose their sex? lol

[Rue]

Yup! So when buying a pair of young fish, it's suggested you get one that's a bit bigger than the other...just to avoid confusion I suppose...and they should mature as male and female...very cool! No seconding guessing about pairs on the part of the fishkeeper!

[salman]

When i read it i started laughing. And sometimes the female whos larger kills the male lol. So if i get a large one and a small one, there will be a male and a female?


Also, do you cycle a SW tank the same way you cycle a FW?

[Lady Hobbs]

Isn't it amazing. They can change sex but not change back. Kinda like one of us having a sex change operation but they do it naturally. LOL

[Rue]

Yes, if you get them young enough!

Cycling is similar - as far as the nitrogen cycle goes...but you do it a bit differently.

Your main filtation (unless you have fish only) is your live rock and your protein skimmer (which collects waste proteins before they have a change to decay and add ammonia to the tank).

SW is also more finnicky than FW...you have to have 0 ppm of ammonia, nitrite and as low nitrates as possible (5-10 ppm) since your inverts and corals are much more susceptible to toxicity than are your fish.

[salman]

I have a 14 gallon FW, is it possible to switch to SW? Or is it better to buy a SW tank package?

[Rue]

Yes...but a 14g is small...what you'd call a 'nano' tank...because it's so small you have to fuss with it a lot more...

It's widely agreed that the bigger tanks are much easier since you have more water volume to dilute 'mistakes'. They recommend nano-tanks for experienced SW keepers.

Having said that though, it is possible to start with a nano if you do enough research and understand how everything works and if you're willing to put in the extra time and work.

SW is a lot more expensive though...there's more equipment...the supplies cost more...and the livestock usually costs more...

[salman]

I donut mind buying another one, its just because i have an empty 14 gallon. But, i donut want to go too big because its my first SW. And, i only want a few fish. How big do you suggest? I saw a lot of ready SW with everything in them in a fish store. But i wasn't sure. After reading more about SW, its not really hard if you aren't lazy.
Oh, and if i get like 2 clown fish, is it a guarantee that they will mate? They are my favorite fish up in the list with the puffers.

[jttt3]

People normally suggest a 55 gallon tank to do salt water. Same thing applies to saltwater as freshwater. The more water, the less chance in huge changes in environment and it acts like a buffer.

Saying that though, I went for a Nano aquarium, 24 gallon, currently building it. The Redsea Max I heard was decent in that department. If you have the room, do at least a 29 gallon for sure, 55 gallon if you have the cash to blow.

[Fishguy2727]

Clown gobies can change sex back and forth to ensure that when they do come across another one, they will definitely have a pair. And for making a pair of clownfish, I heard that if you already have one, make sure the new one is very different in size. But if you are getting two young juveniles, they can be the same size because they will still be neutral. Over time one will get larger than the other and they will form a pair. I plan on having a pair of percula clowns and a pair of green clown gobies when I get my tank going.

The LFS my cousin works at is really good with saltwater. They said get the water up, then put in all the live rock. Let it sit in the tank with the filtration running but no lights for two weeks while it cures and cycles the tank, then do a big water change and you are ready for fish. The most important things are patience, research, and do not cut corners.

[salman]

I'm going with a nano reef. I dont like how big SW fish tanks look + It would cost too much make it look good, and i never like what i do until its like my 10th change. I'll make sure i do some research.