Livestock for 12 gallon nano test tank

Hi
as some of you may know
I currently have 4 tanks 18 x 15 x 12 - which allowing for rockwork still hold approximately 12 gallons of salt water
I am using these tanks to test various methods of nutrient removal , carbon dosing sources

I would like to add some live stock to the set ups
but do not wish to offend my many friends on here by doing so

I would like to add , 1 x Juvenile Perc - true or false ( thats a statement not a question)

I have a 4ft cycling and a 5ft cycled to accomodate these fishes when the time comes

so the poll

Yes - by all means inprove the validity of the test by adding the clowns, that will require feeding and thus create more natural conditions

No - those tanks are to small even for juvenile clown fish

Maybe - have you considered this species and I have added the suggested species to your thread.

 

I laughed out loud at this one!

 

I think that an aquarist as experienced as you are would be fine putting it in such a tank, as you have alternate setup plans if things go south. However, I would choose something a bit more "dirty" such as a gumdrop coral croucher (you might need some plastic coral for it to perch), small hawkfish (perhaps only as juvenile?) or goby, in the interest of the experiment. JM2C

 

OC clowns would be fine. Percs get a bit bigger, although not much. Another option would be Firefish. An adult firefish would be better, but oc clowns are relatively slow growers, so, a juvenile should be fine. As long as you have something to do with them once your done it sounds good to me. The firefish would have a benefit in that regard, as you could add them to your main display together when your done. At least, if they are something you'd want in your main display LOL. The clowns would all be females by then, so they would need to remain separated.

 

You could paint the side of each tank.

 

Yes m2434 makes a good point. If not pairs then you have 4 females when all is said and done and that will not work in eithers of the long tanks. Mature females (clown fish) are sure to give you a problem.

Off the top of my head I can not think of the ideal fish for this.

If you can give away 2 pairs you might be ok. They would go well in the LPS tank.

Another thought, might be small mantis, large serpent stars, some cool hermits.

 

How about one of these for an option.Plectranthias sp

They stay very small (AROUND 2 INCHES MAX)and are the perfect nano resident IMO.Live aquaria calls for a 30gallon min. on this fish but they are not active swimmers and love to hang around the rocks all day.
P.S. A friend has one in his 10 gallon tank and he is doing just fine.The only thing I could get mine to eat was live brine and frozen mysis.They will not accept pellets or flake foods.

 

+1, Also to the mantis idea , definitely a fun thing to have. Just make sure you get one of the hardier species.

You could do a Falco Hawkfish, or a watchman. IMO

 

I think the clowns will be fine.

1) Clownfish tend to host *something*, be it a rock, heater, or whatever and do not require a lot of free swimming space.

2) As for the *all female* issue after the experiment- IIRC, in a same-sex environment, one will change sex... so if you pair them in 2 different tanks, you should ultimately end up with two mated pairs.

 

Only in very rare cases will a female become a male again.

A sexually immature clownfish will become a male, once the dominate female is absent the dominate male becomes the female. It's kind of a one way street once the gender becomes female.

Mostly likely outcome for 2 mature female introduced to a system is the death of one.