2nd pair of clownfish with occellaris

brad

Active member
A year ago, I lost a mag that was home to a pair of occellaris. I have since replaced the mag with a BTA but the occellaris showed zero interest.

I am debating getting another mag or trying a gig at some point. However I love the bright color of the BTA and plan to keep it (or them) and am considering a 2nd pair of clownfish for my BTA.

If I add another pair of a species that naturally adopts a BTA, what are the odds my current pair will kill them? What are the odds they will kill my current pair? Any suggestions for species to try?

The tank is 270 gallons, but only 4 feet.
 
Any other pair you add will likely kill off the anemone-less ocellaris.

It could only work if you give the ocellaris a magnifica or gigantea and the second pair is of a species that only accepts BTAs as hosts (maroons, tomatos,...).

I have that kind of situation in a 40B with a ocellaris pair in a magnifica and a pair of gold bar maroons in a BTA: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2699216
They have a somewhat uneasy truth at this point and the by now smaller ocellaris only hold their ground because it is an uphill battle for the maroons.
But because the tank is small and the BTA with the maroons is pretty much in the shadow of the magnifica this is likely to go south one day and I will have to rehome one of the pairs or give them a larger tank where they can coexist further apart.
Generally, I would not recommend 2 pairs in one tank as that rarely ends well.
 
You could add two juvenile clowns hoping they would eventually turn into a pair. I added 3 pairs (false ocellaris, saddleback,pink skunk) as juvenile to a 55 gallon while they were small before sex change. But now that they have metamorph and paired off, there is a lots of aggression. My tank is a dedicated nem tank so there are over 70 nems for all of them.

Honestly I agree with ThRoewer that it is not recommended. Why not put a picture/ipad of ocellaris hosting in a BTA up against the tank where the fish are. They will eventually get it and start hosting the BTA.

Also, if you get a gig or mag, you can put it next to the BTA and keep them together.
 
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