fish for 12gal

[stanleyg1]

i currently have an ocellaris clown and a dottyback, and am going to remove the terror that is the darting dottyback... wondering what fish would be appropriate to be alongside this clown in a tank this size?
wondering if it must be clown's of like kind or if you can mix them (like maybe a tomato or maroon?) also, which fish would co-exist without fear of battle?
thanks so much!

 

[Fishieness]

how about a goby? small gobies are awesome.
it is never a good idea to mix clowns, especialy in a 12 gallon, ESPECIALLY a tomato and a moroon. Those are the two most aggressive species and i would not put either alone in a 12 gallon because they grow pretty large.

 

[fish addict]

Fishiness is right, you probably shouldn't mix clowns in a tank that size. A goby would be a good companion for your clown. Maybe a clown goby or a neon goby. A small wrasse like a Possum Wrasse might be OK in a 12g with a clown. I'm not sure, but a Jawfish might work in a 12g. Maybe just another clown to hang out with your current one. I kept 2 ocellaris clowns in a 12g for nearly a year with no problems, but finally upgraded to a larger setup.

 

[stanleyg1]

i would like two ocellaris clowns at some point and maybe one of those goby's... would that be too much for a 12gal?

 

[fish addict]

that would be too much for a 12g, but I think it would work in a 20g if you kept up with water changes and had about 35-40lbs of liverock. A 20g wouldn't be a very expensive upgrade.

Before you upgrade to a 20g I would consider your future plans. I say this because I have made the mistake of upgrading little bits at a time, from a 10 to a 12 to a 20 and now to a 30g. I have spent a lot of money buying appropriate equipment for each of these tanks, and I still want a bigger setup. I plan on buying a 55-75g tank when I buy a house and that will be the final tank. Right now I have 2x 30g , 2x 20g, a 12g, and a 10g tank (only the 2 30g's are running). I can't wait to get rid of all this extra junk that I have.

My advice: keep 2 Ocelaris Clowns in your 12g (as I said, this setup worked for me for nearly a year). Consider future additions, like corals and fish, and get a tank that will allow you to add a few more inhabitants later on down the road. i would suggest a minimum of a 30g long, but I think you will be happier with a 55g.