Finding Nemo did us dirty. It got us thinking about clownfish as innocent, sweet little fish. They’re not. It also led us to believe that clownfish can live in tiny bowls like goldfish, which we don’t support. They won’t.

Clownfish can be considered saltwater fish. Saltwater fish raising can be daunting for beginners who are just starting out in this hobby.

Is there a trick that can be used to get them to drink freshwater?

Is it possible for clownfish to live in freshwater? What can hobbyists say?

Are there freshwater alternatives to the clownfish?

These questions and many more will be answered by me! Continue reading!

Can Clownfish Live In Freshwater? Is Clownfish Freshwater Or Saltwater Fish?

Clownfish can’t live in freshwater. Because saltwater fish are able to retain salty water in their bodies, this is why clownfish cannot live in freshwater. Freshwater can also cause fish to die if it enters their bodies through osmosis.

Like all saltwater fishes, clownfish are used to hypertonic conditions. Their bodies would be inflated if they were exposed to hypotonic solutions like freshwater. The result is a painful, but immediate death.

There were a number of blogs and forums on the internet that discussed the possibility of clownfish being acclimated to freshwater. Although I wasn’t sure if they were serious, or just trolling, the result of such an impulsive experiment was the death of the fish ten times out of ten.

It doesn’t matter how many generations or how long it takes to acclimate the fish, clownfishes’ kidneys and gills can’t handle freshwater.

If you’re able to bend over backwards to imitate a freshwater tank with the same color scheme, you might consider housing fish such as kuhli loaches or tiger barbs. Below are a few of the options. Continue reading to find out more.

If your child is insisting that you create a saltwater aquarium setup, you may be forced to use a freshwater valley system such as a Lake Malawi tank or a Lake Tanganyika tank.

These lakes are home to many vibrant and colorful fish that give marine fish a hard time.

Let me now explain why clownfish can’t survive in freshwater.

This explanation will be long and possibly full of jargon. You might want to take a seat for this.

Why Can’t Clownfish Live In Saltwater?

You need to be familiar with terms such as hypotonicity, hypertonicity and osmosis in order to understand why clownfish can’t live in freshwater.

What is Osmosis?

Imagine you have a 100ml container and that you have added 15 grams of sugar. The sugar dissolves in water.

The sugar is solute and water is solvent. The sugar-water solution is the solution.

Imagine again that you have a second container containing 100ml of water and that you have added 45 grams sugar to it.

You now have two containers containing mixtures of different solute concentrations.

This is the crucial part.

Hypotonic is the solution that has a lower solute content. Hypertonic is the solution that has a higher solute content.

The first sugar solution is more hypotonic than the second. The second solution, however, is hypertonic to that of the first.

Imagine next that you have a beaker with a permeable membrane in the middle. The pores must be large enough to allow water molecules to pass through, but not too small to permit sugar molecules to pass through.

The hypotonic solution should be added to one side of a beaker. Add the hypertonic to the other.

The hypertonic solution contains a lower concentration of water than the hypotonic, so there is a concentration gradient across the membrane.

Both solutions will become isotonic as the water molecules shift from higher to lower water concentrations.

At this point, equilibrium has been reached.

What Is Osmosis? I’ll Answer For Real Now.

Osmosis is the movement of water molecules across a membrane from an area with higher concentration to one of lower concentration.

Pay attention.

Through osmosis, water flows into and out cells.

Hypertonic solutions are those in which the cell is immersed in a solution with a lower water content than its cytosol. The cell’s water is displaced until both solutions are isotonic.

Cells placed in hypotonic solutions will absorb water across their membranes until both the cytosol or external solution are isotonic.

Hypotonic solutions can cause biological cells that do not have a solid cell wall to swell or burst if they are placed in hypotonic solutions.

A cell without a cell wall, when placed in hypertonic solutions, will lose water to its environment, shrivel, dehydrate and eventually die.

Osmosis can cause serious damage to organisms.

Clownfish And Osmosis Regulation

A saltwater fish such as clownfish, whose cells can be isotonic to seawater, will become swelled up if it is put in freshwater.

Let me touch on this subject a bit more.

Seawater, as you probably know, has a higher salt concentration. Seawater is therefore hypertonic. The salt concentration outside of the cell (in ocean) is higher than inside clownfish’s cells.

Water is continually being taken out of the clownfish’s bodies.

These fish have evolved to osmoregulate over billions of years by drinking more water than is being taken out.

This ensures that they have enough water to stay hydrated.

A clownfish’s kidneys are designed to filter excess salt from the body through urination.

Freshwater fish are the opposite. These fish live in hypotonic environments which means that the salt concentration in their bodies and water is higher than it is in the water.

This causes water to be constantly drawn into their bodies. They compensate by constantly urinating in order to keep the cells from burping.

The bottom line is that saltwater fish must drink water constantly to maintain their cell balance. Freshwater fish must also urinate regularly to prevent bursting.

It’s hopefully now clear. I made it as easy as possible.

While I was at it, I looked through at least 12 different forums and collected a few comments from hobbyists about keeping clownfish freshwater tanks.

Disclaimer: The answers may not be what you want!

Can Clownfish Live In Saltwater? Real Answers By Real People!

Note: All responses below are the sole property of their respective owners.

Evolution happens over a longer time span than just a few generations. To breathe in freshwater, their gills would need to be completely changed. It’s not possible .”

“If they keep being bred in freshwater, maybe within a few hundred year, you might get some clowns who can survive in freshwater by natural selection.”

“Hmm… It’s possible. It can take anywhere between 1 and a billion strong>

“My clownfish loved his freshwater tank that I had set up.” Unfortunately, he died in less than 15 minutes strong>

“Nopity nope. It would be better to try to breathe underwater strong>

“There’s a lot of fish that can adapt to different levels of salinity but your clownfish isn’t one.”

“Research, research, research! Clownfish do not migrate. The slime will fall off their slime in freshwater .”

“Is this a troll?” If you have to ask this question strong>, I don’t know if saltwater fish or corals should be kept.

This is a huge NO from fellow hobbyists.

But don’t get disheartened. I have good news for your.

Even though clownfish cannot survive in freshwater, some freshwater species can look a lot like clownfish.

These fish are not clownfish doppelgangers, I’ll admit it. They do have some similarities, however, aesthetically.

Freshwater Alternatives For Clownfish

There are many freshwater options available for those who aren’t ready to spend $1000 on a saltwater aquarium but still want a Nemo.

Let’s take a look at each one.

Tiger Barbs

The tiger barbs are stunning with their intense black stripes and red fins. You can find them in a variety of colors, including fluorescent and albino.

Tiger barbs, which are shoaling fish, should be kept at most in groups of 6. They are semi-aggressive and will often nibble at slow-moving, long-finned fish.

A small shoal with tiger barbs will require at least 30 gallons (114 Liters)

Clown Loach

Clown loaches are distinguished by their large orange and black stripes. This is how Nemo would look if he were a loach. These fish can be found in all pet shops.

They can grow to be up to 30.5cm (12 inches) in length and should always remain in groups. They are not suitable for small tanks.

To house two of them together, you’d need at most a 5- to 6-foot tank.

Platies

Platies can be found in bright orange colors just like clownfish, even though they are not striped. There are many color options, including black spots and white spots on an orange body.

These fish are extremely tough and can be raised by livebearers.

Ideally, they need approximately 15 gallons (57 Liters) of tank space.

Mollies

There are many color options for ornamental mollies. There are many variations of ornament mollies. The most popular are black and dalmatian. However, there are also orange mollies.

Orange mollies are mostly sailfins, or sailfin crosses. They can grow up to 10 cm (4 inches) in height.

These fish require at least 20 gallons (76 L) of storage space.

Goldfish

In terms of popularity, goldfish are second only to Nemo. There aren’t yet any striped varieties of goldfish, but some come with stunning white and black marks.

Goldfish are a high-maintenance fish that can also be quite hardy. As they are often advertised, they’re not suitable for beginners or small fish bowls.

These coldwater fish can get quite large and can be quite messy.

A single fancy fish would need 20 gallons (76 liters) of space in a tank, while a single comet goldfish requires at least 55gallons (2208 liters).

Bumblebee Goby

Bumblebee gobies, another beautiful striped fish that you can add to your freshwater tank, are also available.

Although they don’t look exactly like clownfish, there are some similarities. They stand out in aquariums because of their strong contrast between yellow and black stripes.

Bumblebee gobies are approximately 4.2 cm (1.7 inches long) and need at least 10 gallons to house each fish.

Can You Give Clownfish A Freshwater Dip?

If necessary, you can give your clownfish freshwater. You need to be careful. To kill parasites and bacteria, it is common to submerge a saltwater fish into freshwater.

By osmotic shock, the clownfish will be able to eliminate external parasites by dipping in freshwater.

In other words, freshwater will be absorbed into the parasites’ body causing them swelling and burst.

In 7 easy steps, I will show you how to give your clownfish freshwater bath.

• A medium-sized container can be filled halfway with water from a suitable source. Chlorinate tap water before you use it.

• To lessen stress, try to replicate the original tank’s temperature and pH settings.

• To prevent ammonia buildup, add a small amount of ammonia neutralizing agent to the water.

• This step is not necessary, but it is highly recommended to add a small amount of antibiotic medicine to the water. This is because fish waste can contaminate freshwater.

• The water must be kept aerated throughout the process. It is best to attach an airstone to the aquarium pump to the container.

• Place the infected fish in freshwater and then remove them. Be sure to not overcrowd the container.

• For best results, the fish should remain in freshwater for at least 3-4 minutes. If your fish is showing signs of discomfort or stress, you should immediately remove it.

Frequently Asked Question

Let’s take a look at some frequently asked questions before we close this article!

Can You Recreate A Finding Nemo Marine Tank?

It’s impossible to recreate a Finding Nemo-inspired aquarium. There will be at least 12 compatibility issues. A Moorish idol fish, Gill, can be very difficult to raise in captivity.

Do not let this happen if you feel pressured or if you harbor the idea.

It will be a costly mistake.

Can Freshwater Fish Ever Be Able To Live In Saltwater?

Saltwater is not a good environment for freshwater fish like goldfish or guppies. Saltwater will cause their bodies to flush out the water. The fish will then die from dehydration in a matter of minutes.

Australian scientists recently discovered that goldfish have become an invasive species in estuaries where the salinity is much higher than they are used to.

Here’s more information.

What Saltwater Fish Can Live In Freshwater?

Saltwater species may be able to live in freshwater for a limited time. These fish are known as anadromous fish. These fish are born in freshwater and then migrate to saltwater to live out their lives. They return to freshwater to lay eggs.

Anadromous fish include sturgeon and striped bass, smelt and salmon, as well as shad, sea trout and three-spined sticksleback.

Final Words: Freshwater Clownfish?

Clownfish are saltwater fish. They can’t survive in freshwater tanks.

Freshwater can cause fish to explode when exposed to it.

Like most saltwater fishes, clownfish are given freshwater dip to eliminate bacteria and parasites. It is a very common practice, and I believe it is quite effective.

If your fish is in discomfort, transfer it quickly to a saline area.

And don’t get disheartened. There are some freshwater species that can be used in a saltwater aquarium, but they may not be available at this time.