Companions for Tomato Clown?

S

shanet1975

Reefing newb
Morning....I have a 55 gallon Fowlr tank (for now anyway) and is now currently occupied by a single Tomato Clownfish. I have been reading and reading and am looking to gradually get to about 6 fish in the tank. But everything I read says he will be very territorial. Should I find a new home for him and start fresh, or are there fish that he will get along with? I see maybe a yellow tang is one, but am not 100% sure.....
Thanks again everyone!!!
 
Tomato clowns aren't that territorial. There are plenty of fish you can keep with yours. I had 13 fish (one of them being a tomato clown) together in my old 55. A yellow tang was also one of them, but keep in mind that over time the tang will outgrow the 55 and you will need to upgrade tanks or find him a new home.

Pretty much any fish will get along with your tomato clown except for other clowns, and as usual, avoid other damsels altogether.

If you post your ideas of some specific fish you are thinking of getting, or wanting, we can help you even more.
 
Man I'm glad you said that....He/She is a really cool fish and I wanted to keep him/her. 13 fish in a 55? I thought there is only supposed a max of around 6 fish? That's what the lfs guy said anyway....I really don't know what I had in mind for other fish. I'll have to check around online and head to the lfs. Do you recommend any fish in particular that eat well and are ok for a beginner? I really like the colorful fellas. And I also have to get some star fish and hermit crabs and all. Man, way too many wants :) Have to take it slow though....
 
Yeah I wouldn't try 13 in a 55 if I were you. It was a fluke. I eventually had to upgrade, I couldn't keep my nitrates low enough.

Colorful and eat well? Try some firefish. They spend a lot of time hiding under rocks, but will stay out if you keep them hungry enough ;). Just kidding. I'm not saying to starve your fish. There are red and purple firefish, and they have really cool personalities too.

What about some green chromis? Or some gobies?
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I will go somewhere online and check them all out.
So, 6 would be a decent amount of fish? That doesn't count the scavengers and star fish and stuff does it?
 
Try one or two of these:

Coral beauty:
Coral Beauty Angel - Centropyge bispinosus

Flame:
Flame Angel - Centropyge loriculus

Royal gramma:
Royal Gramma - Gramma loreto

Yellow tail:
Yellowtail Damsel - Chrysiptera hemicyanea

Chromis:
Green Chromis Damsel - Chromis viridis

Clown goby:
Clown Goby (Assorted) - Gobiodon species

Firefish:
Firefish Goby - Nemateleotris magnifica

Strawberry pseudochromis:
Strawberry/Purple Pseudochromis - Pseudochromis porphyreus

Royal dottyback:
Royal Dottyback - Pseudochromis paccagnellae

Banggai cardinal:
Banggai Cardinal - Pterapogon kauderni

Yellow tang:
Yellow Tang (Hawaii) - Zebrasoma flavescens

Sixline wrasse:
Six Line Wrasse - Pseudocheilinus hexataenia

Those are all really common fish, and your LFS should have 90% of them in at any given time.

I would go with the sixline wrasse if you want bang for your buck, as far as interesting looking goes.
 
I like the firefish myself.But if you get a purple firefish,then you'll need to settle for for one.But with the red ones,you could safely add 4 or 5 if you wanted to.
 
Coral beauty and Sailfin Tang!

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Good picks
 
OK. Just picked up a yellow tail damsel and a domino damsel for fish. 2 Mexican turbo snails and a hairy leg hermit crab or something like that. The darn snails kicked the bucket already I think. They haven't moved.....I went as slow as I could too. Hydrometer is right at 1.22. Tests are good. I don't understand it.......No more snails for a while I think....
 
Uh oh. Not a good idea with the domino damsel. They are HIGHLY aggressive (one of the most aggressive types). That domino will give shit to every other fish in your tank. The only decent damsels, in my opinion, are the ones I listed, the chromis and the yellow tail. The striped, blue, and dominos are the WORST! Hopefully yours isn't too bad.

Did you acclimate the snails properly?
 
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All those great fish Biff listed and you came home with a Domino.One of the most aggressive/territorial fish of the saltwater kingdom.I would take it back,any fish you add afterwards will get terrorize.

Drip acclimation for snails is truly the best way to acclimate snails.

Yote,I have two purple firefish.One is more dominant over the other but not overly so.Best bet with firefish is 3 or more IMO.
 
Maybe I got lucky,who knows.Both of them make their home in the same hole.That goes to show that nothing is ever absolute.Maybe the Domino will be alright after all.I doubt it but its possible.
 
OK. So, I'll not be trusting the fish guy anymore. Should I really get rid of him/her? They all seem to be OK now. The yellow tail and the Domino are about 1/4 of the size of the clown. Things could get worse over time....
 

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