Clowns in a 300+ tank

winland

New member
Can I keep two sets of clowns in a 300+ size reef tank?

I have a pair of maroon yellowstrip clowns and would like to get a pair of black & white Ocellaris Clowns.

Will this work in my large reef tank?

winland
 
Safe answer is no, not with maroons.

However, in 300+ gallons of display there MIGHT be enough room for each to establish their own territory. Things might get out of hand when the maroon pair reaches sexual maturity and starts looking to spawn, though.
 
Mixed lots of clown pairs in my 300gal, was never stable long term. Anemones moved, clowns moved, pairs fought over breeding locations, etc.

In my experience, not worth the hassle it will eventually bring.
 
OK, so far it is 2 negatives and 1 positive.

You might think if you can keep multiple tangs in a big tank or multiple angels, you could keep 2 pair of clowns. But I guess it is a question of "breeding pairs" that make the difference?

Still looking for other opinions/experiences.

Thanks guys,
winland
 
i'v seen a 180 gal with a pair of tomatoes with a pair of occelaris. no problems, they just kept to their side of the tank. the tomatoes would even spawn.

i have seen a 180 with 3 occelaris and a single tomato clown. it was also LOADED with anthilia (sp?) and a monster anemone.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13023145#post13023145 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by winland
OK, so far it is 2 negatives and 1 positive.

You might think if you can keep multiple tangs in a big tank or multiple angels, you could keep 2 pair of clowns. But I guess it is a question of "breeding pairs" that make the difference?

Still looking for other opinions/experiences.

Thanks guys,
winland
Hehe...there is only one vote that matters, the clowns. Each one votes to become the dominant female and if they don't win, they wait...maybe as a male, maybe as a juvenile but they wait for the opening. If you would like to try and manipulate the scenario, we can chat about short term strategies.

If you want long term success, get two tanks, you'll need them for your described scenario.
 
not with a pair of maroons...maybe a pair of true percs & a pair of false percs or something similar...but not a pair of maroons and a pair of other clowns...
 
It can be done. I would agree with everyone else that GSM's are a bad actor in the scenario though. To make it work you must have the environment needed to keep different sorts of anemones though, this is essential. These anemones come with sketchy survivability which is another issue you'll face. I'd reccomend a tank with Haddoni, BTA and Ritts. This reccomendation is based on where these anemones occupy our home reefs. Haddoni-btm, BTA-Mid to top and Ritteri very top.

Some tips.

-Pre Host all clowns. This may entail using a seperate tank to get them acclimated to their new home. You NEVER want free swimming clowns in your tank. So you must choose clowns that have known preferences in the list I included above.

-Seperate all pair by at least 2-3' add line of site obstructions as well.

-Pick clowns that have a know proclivity to a type of anemone.
So hypothetically you would have

GSM-BTA
Percs-Ritt
????-Haddoni/LTA/Sebae

I kept GSM-Haddoni Perc-Ritt Nigripe-Haddoni For around 2 years in a 215. They were all nested breeding pairs. This makes them the most confrontational of all clowns. Everyone is correct there were some sketchy moments. At the one year mark the GSM made a run at the Nigripes anemone. To my surprise they went to war and the Nigripe female won. Things settled down and they lived for another year till the hurricane claimed my tank.

I wish you luck. Please make an educated choice and do research if you plan to pursue this.
 
Back
Top