Clownfish Care

Have you lately seen the Disney movie Finding Nemo? Are you inspired by the movie, and want to get a clownfish for a pet? This fish has a striking resemblance to a happy dog who comes to meet you when you are back from work. It is due to the way this fish swims. It has a different way of swimming, as though it is waddling through the water. Clownfish has many names, like, Anemone Clownfish, Percula, Ocellaris and Maroon Clownfish. The difference lies a little in the color and a little in the placement of the stripes.

Clownfish Facts
The size of a clownfish is about 3 to 4 inches. Optimum temperature to be maintained for these species of fish is 24 degrees Celsius to 27 degrees Celsius. These fish usually live for 3 to 6 years. The home of this saltwater fish is the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. These fish have been successfully bred in a tank. If a person plans to keep a clownfish for a pet, then it is recommended that he insist on aquarium fish and I mean, aquarium bred clownfish. Wild clownfish find it very difficult to adjust to the new environment. There are a few advantages of getting a clownfish that has been bred in captivity. These fish are healthier and hardier than their wild counterpart. At the same time, chances are lesser that you will buy a diseased fish. Although in the wild, clownfish enjoy the company of anemones, the latter do not necessarily have to be a part of their aquarium.

Clownfish Care
According to the experts, clownfish require more care than other fish like goldfish, etc. Clownfish require warm saltwater, which is similar to saltwater from the sea. Let's find some more information about clownfish pet care.

• The size of the aquarium, for a clownfish to survive, ideally needs to be 90cm * 30cm * 38 cm. One special instruction about maroon clownfish care is that they grow up to six inches in size. Hence, you will have to buy an aquarium which will be able to support them once they grow up. One difference between the clownfish and other freshwater fish is that clownfish require more room space.
• Along with more space, clownfish also require better quality of water. Therefore, you will have to clean the aquarium more frequently to give the right environment for your beloved 'Nemo'.
• Clownfish is a social fish. This is seen from its behavior in the wild as well. They live in harmony with anemones. Hence, it is recommended, that you buy a pair of clownfish. Do not buy too many of them; also another important point is to keep clownfish of the same species together as there are chances that a mated pair will fight with the other fish over territory. Added to this, they do not like stress. Many a time it is seen that these pets succumb to death due to stress.
• You can consider getting a sea anemone for your clownfish, for clownfish and sea anemone are known to share a great relation.
• The aquarium needs to have a lot of rocks for your pet to play around. You can choose to keep anemones in the aquarium as well. However, not all anemones gel well with the clownfish. You will need to find out the right type of anemones which will suit your clownfish. There are chances that if an anemones does not gel well, it can sting your clownfish and the fish may die. Extra care will have to be taken of anemones as they find it difficult to adjust to aquarium environment.
• Clownfish are omnivores. You can provide them with live food, frozen food as well as flake food. If you give them frozen food, do not forget to thaw the frozen food. These fish are not fussy eaters, hence, they do not cause too much of inconvenience to the owner. They need to be fed about two to three times a day. The best sign to know if you are overfeeding your pet is to check the bottom of the tank. Leftovers at the bottom of the tank is a clear sign of overfeeding.
• Amount of water required in an aquarium is two gallons per fish inch. You will need to talk to the pet shop owner about the right filtration plant for the aquarium. One important point to be noted is that you should not let the fish into the aquarium the same day that you buy them. You will need to give some time for water to sit in the aquarium. At the same time, live sand and rocks will also need time to settle.

One important point in Ocellaris clownfish care is that although they get along with other fish, ocellaris clownfish do not get along with other species of clownfish. Hence, they should not be kept with other clownfish species. A tip about percula clownfish care is that the size of the aquarium will have to be large as they grow pretty large in size. I hope this information proves to be of help to you to take care of clownfish.