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Contrary to this close clownfish/anemone relationship, it is possible to keep many anemone species alone and vice versa, although you will not see the normal behaviour patterns displayed in the wild. It is normal practice in the aquarium to have one anemone per pair of clownfish. Large aquariums may house several pairs, whereas smaller tanks should house only one pair.

As well as having a close relationship with an anemone, these fishes have an even more bizarre characteristic. It is believed that clownfish start life as males and as they grow, the most dominant one in the group will transform and become a female.

Clownfish will breed freely in an appropriate tank, although raising the ‘fry’ requires more specialist care. For their best chance of survival they should be transferred to a separate tank away from the other fish.

No specialist food is required for clownfish, other than a variety of good quality fish foods, which range from live, frozen and dried products. They are rather messy eaters and generally eat their food amongst the anemone’s tentacles, spilling food and feeding the anemone at the same time.

Damselfishes
Sharing the same family as the anemonefishes, they are extremely hardy fish, which live in the coral reefs around the coral. They wait for the current to bring in food and dash back into the coral for safety whenever they feel threatened. Easy to keep, damselfishes come in many similar-looking colours, making identification of the species very difficult, even for the expert. However, this is of no real importance as most members of the family have the same behaviour patterns.

These fish were once traditionally used to mature filters, however, the high ammonia and nitrate levels that accompany an immature filter can cause stress to damselfishes leaving them open to disease.

Like anemonefishes, damselfishes appear to have some kind of immunity to anemone tentacles, as they are often seen swimming in and out of them. Unlike anemonefishes, damselfishes are often aggressive, being intolerant of their own and other species.

There are no clear distinctions between the two sexes and eggs are laid over a pre-prepared site and guarded by the male until they hatch.

Common Clownfish
The Common Clownfish, Amphiprion Ocellaris, is probably the most popular of all clownfishes. Photographs of this fish, with host anemone, are seen all over the world and are possibly what instigates the ‘must’ to start a marine aquarium.

The striking colouration of this fish from the Indo-Pacific makes it quite unforgettable. However, it very closely resembles another species, A.Percula, which opens a debate as to whether they are a different species, or simply colour variations of the same one.

This species is the least aggressive of the clownfish family and will tolerate other members of the same species in their tank. They tend not to do well when kept singly, especially without an anemone, so it is best to keep them in pairs with a host anemone – the carpet anemones being their preferred host species.

This is the first marine aquarium fish to be successfully raised in captivity. Provided that suitable rocks are provided for the eggs to be laid, mated pairs of clownfish will typically spawn every ten to fourteen days and the eggs will hatch in about seven to eight days. When mature they can reach about 50mm/2in when kept in an aquarium.

This species needs to be fed small or finely chopped foods: brine shrimps, mysids, bloodworms and chopped musselmeat, but if tempted, will probably accept many dried and flaked foods.

Tomato Clownfish
The Tomato Clownfish, Amphiprion Frenatus, is found throughout the South China Sea and as far north as Japan. This bright cherry red fish brings a splash of colour and beauty to any aquarium.

This species of clownfish is very hardy and undemanding and can live quite happily without an anemone. In captivity it will reach a length of about 75mm/3in, but as it matures it can become aggressive, so it is best to introduce this fish last to a community.

There is again some confusion over the identification of this species, as some authorities call this fish, A. ephippium, or A. melanopus. It is partly due to the white stripe, which in A. ephippium diminishes as it matures.

The spawning and hatching times are the same as the Common Clownfish. They are bold feeders and will accept: small crustaceans, small live foods, algae and vegetable-based foods.

Pink Skunk Clownfish
The Pink Skunk Clownfish, Amphiprion Perideraion, comes from the Pacific Ocean and definitely requires a host anemone in order to survive in an aquarium. It has a vertical bar and pink hue, which help to distinguish it from similar white-backed species. Males display an orange edging on part of the dorsal fin and the top and bottom of the caudal fin.

This species requires an adequately sized aquarium in order to house sea anemones and is best kept with invertebrates away from boisterous species. As it is a small, shy fish - around 38mm/1.5in in captivity - and not such a bold feeder, it will require finely chopped foods.

Clark’s Anemonefish
Clark’s Anemonefish, Amphiprion Clarkii, is a highly popular aquarium species from the Indo-Pacific. The colour of this species is determined by its location, but generally it has a dark brown body, yellow ventral regions and yellow fins, except for the paler caudal fins. There are two tapering white vertical bars, which divide the body into thirds. They are very closely related to the ‘Sebae’ Clownfish and it is difficult to tell them apart.

This species is extremely hardy and long-lived and will accept any aquarium food. They grow to about 75mm/3in in the aquarium and make a good community fish, which may be kept with, or without a host anemone.

Blue Damselfish
The Blue Damselfish, Abudefduf Cyaneus, is one of many blue damselfishes, but this one has more synonyms than most. There are a number of species identical to this stunning blue fish and even a trained eye cannot tell them apart.

They are commonly found around the Indo-Pacific area and will grow up to about 50mm/2in in the aquarium. They are bold feeders and will readily accept finely chopped meats and dried food. This species is hardy and long-lived and makes a perfect addition to any aquarium, although they are rather quarrelsome by nature and will squabble with their own kind - so they are best keep singly, or in shoals of around six.

Neon Damselfish
The Neon Damselfish, Abudefduf Oxydon, is a jet-black fish with blue flashes, which fade with age. It is likened to neon lights against a night sky, hence its name Neon Damselfish.

This species comes from the Pacific and reaches a length of around 75mm/3in in the aquarium. It requires finely chopped meats and algae along with good water quality. Aggressive by nature, they are best kept alone.

Sergeant Major
The Sergeant Major, Abudefduf Saxatilis, is less quarrelsome than other members of its family. It comes from the Indo-Pacific and tropical Atlantic and it is these, which flock around tourist boats waiting for scraps of food to fall overboard.

This species is a plankton-feeder, but it will also feed on algae and accept any aquarium food. It is very hardy and poses no threat to other members of the aquarium.

The geographical location of the individual determines their exact colour. It has a yellow/silvery body with five vertical dark bars - youngsters have bright yellow upper-parts on a silver body. If the fish is disturbed these colours may be lost. Males change colour and an ovipositor appears from the vent during spawning. Eggs will be laid on shells, coral or rocks.

Yellow-tailed Blue Damselfish
The Yellow-tailed Blue Damselfish, Pomacentrus Violascens, comes from the Pacific and is probably the most commonly kept damselfish. They will thrive well in captivity, but fare better in groups, as they can become quarrelsome when kept singly or in pairs.

This species is very similar to P. melanochir, but is distinguishable by the yellow markings on the tips of the dorsal and anal fins. The yellow on the caudal fin does not spread as far onto the body as it does with P. melanochir.

This is a good community fish that will reach about 50mm/2in in the aquarium. It is a plankton feeder and will fare well when fed with shrimps and mysids.

In conclusion
Although a real pleasure to keep, with many amazing species of fish to choose from, for those just starting out with an aquarium, it is best to begin with a freshwater tank and gain experience before moving on to a marine tank.

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2. Keep ammonia down!
One mistake that you WILL make as an new fish keeper is that you will overfeed your fish; it's possibly the most common mistake made in this hobby. The problems with overfeeding are two-fold. First, uneaten food breaks down, increasing the amount of ammonia (waste) in the water. Secondly, the more fish eat, the more ammonia (poop) they produce! Ammonia kills fish, and overfeeding produces excessive amounts of ammonia. Therefore, we can conclude that overfeeding kills fish!

Of course, you're going to get ammonia in your tank with normal feeding, too. Luckily, there are two steps you can take to keep ammonia at a tolerable level: installing a good filter, and doing weekly water changes.

There are three types of filtering: mechanical (separating solid waste from aquarium water), chemical (using a material such as activated carbon to remove ammonia), and biological (exploiting the "good" bacteria that grows in your tank to remove waste). Biological filtration is the most important, and, luckily, will occur naturally on gravel, the surface glass, and other decorations in your aquarium. For mechanical and chemical filtration, however, it is crucial to set up your aquarium with a good filter. These are available anyplace that sells fish, and they aren't hugely expensive.

Your other responsibility as a fish keeper is to do weekly water changes. A good idea is to do a 20-25% water change weekly. What this means is that you simply remove dirty water from the aquarium and replace it with clean water. Distilled water is best, but tap water is all right if you use a tap water conditioner (also not expensive) to remove harmful chemicals.

3. Be patient before adding fish!
Our first instinct after going to all the trouble of setting up a new aquarium is to throw our fishies right in...but doing this can kill them. It takes time for a new aquarium to stabilize; a good bet is to wait anywhere from three days to a week after you have the tank up and running before you add any fish. This gives time for good bacteria to grow. If you put fish in before these bacteria are stabilized, you'll be lacking on biological filtration, and your fish are likely to die of ammonia poisoning.

A good way to jumpstart your bacteria growth is to transfer gravel from an established aquarium into your new aquarium. There are also products on the market that introduce bacteria in a similar fashion. If neither of these options appeal to you, just be patient. Waiting a week may not sound like much fun, but neither is losing fish.

4. Make sure everyone plays nice!
Not all fish are perfect matches for one another. The best thing you can do is to never purchase a fish on impulse. Before making any fish purchase, do extensive research. You may discover out that the cute, one-inch, green spotted puffer fish begging to be taken home actually grows up into a 6-inch monster that will kill any other fish in your tank. Looks can be deceiving...and so can fish store employees! Rather than trust them (they're just trying to make a sale), do your own research. Many fish stores market brackish (saltwater) fish as freshwater! If you take the initiative to do your homework before you buy fish, you'll save yourself money and heartache.

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1. Use a reward such as fish food to reinforce desired behaviors. Don’t punish your disobedient fish. (Rainbow trout have been shown to perceive pain in a British study at Liverpool University – fish do remember painful events)
2. Trail a matchstick in the water. As soon as the fish swims towards the matchstick, feed it a small amount of food. Do not feed the fish while it swims away from the matchstick.
3. After Splash gets the general idea, reward him only when he follows closely behind the matchstick. You are teaching him to perform the specific behavior.
4. With some practice, Splash will associate following the matchstick with food, and will follow the matchstick every time. Reward him intermittently to keep up the good work.

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