2 different clown pairs?

[Jersh]

I was just wondering if I would be able to keep two different clown pairs in a 180 gallon tank. Would having two pairs make them more territorial/aggressive towards other fish?

 

[eatbreakfast]

I have kept multiple prs of clownfish on several occassions. It generally works fine with the smaller clown species in tanks over 4ft in length. I would still recommend getting the smallest specimens possible to minimize aggression.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

If I were to risk it I would pick minimally aggressive clowns such as ocellaris and pink or orange skunk clowns. Definitely would avoid maroons and clarkii.

 

[mbingha]

Long term it's not likely to work (think years not months). The only time I've seen it work long term was with some from the same brood.

 

[Dmorty217]

Long term it's not likely to work (think years not months). The only time I've seen it work long term was with some from the same brood.

+1, unless the tank is very large (400g+) with lots of rock work and hiding spots it won't work long term. I had two "pairs" in my 220g wasn't long before there was one "pair" and then the fighting commenced.

 

[Jersh]

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll just plan on one pair.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Perhaps my experiences have been luckier than most. In a 54g corner I have had a pr of black ocellaris and a pr of reg ocellaris together for the past 3 yrs with no problems,

In a 72g bowfront I have had a pr of ocellaris and a pr of pink skunks for the past 2yrs.

And in a 90g I have a pr with a female black ocellaris a male reg ocellaris and a pr of pink skunk clowns for the past 3 yrs.

Every time I have tried multiple prs of clowns it has worked, I just stayed with the smaller species, added them as close together as possible, tried to get them as small as possible, and if added at different times, try to add the new ones at the opposite side of the tank close to lights out.

 

[SDguy]

I had a pair of percs and a pair of pink skunks for about 2 years in a 4' 150g. No issues. They stayed on opposite sides of the tank. Admittedly the skunks didn't breed though... not sure if that would have changed things or not.

 

[Toddrtrex]

I had a pair of percs and a pair of pink skunks for about 2 years in a 4' 150g. No issues. They stayed on opposite sides of the tank. Admittedly the skunks didn't breed though... not sure if that would have changed things or not.

Meanest pair of clowns I have ever had was a mated pair of pink skunks. They indirectly killed a golden dwarf angel (( chased it into their S. haddoni )). They were great for the first year I had them, getting along with the dwarf angels in that tank. But, once the spawning started, they were holy terrors. Ended up selling them to a local breeder.

 

[small alien]

At the Seattle aquarium, they have a cube about 60 gallons with a pair of maroons in an rbta and a pair of ocellaris in a carpet. They are literally next door neighbors. One front left, the other back right. Been in there for a number of years without problems. I do not know if that is the norm.