How aggressive are Clarkiis in a larger tank?

[Chihuahua6]

I was just wondering how aggressive these fish can get. I would like to add a pair to a group of BTAs in my 280 but the other fish are so peaceful (except for the Purple Tang) that I'm very cautious with what I add. Are they that bad or do they only get aggressive when other fish come too close to their Anemone?

For reasons of aggression I chose not to add Maroon Clowns. I do prefer Tomato Clowns to the Clarkiis but again I heard they can be quite aggressive too. I want to have a natural combination of BTAs and Clowns, as in what's found in the wild.

 

[moonyguy]

They are pretty protective and in my 75 they raise a lot of sand storms by moving a lot of sand. But they are so cute to watch.

 

[stagefright13]

Clarki's are a very good choice for hosting a Nem quickly. And can be aggressive. How aggressive is another story. Depends maybe on if you dump a new fish into their territory. But you however Are dumping them into someone else's home turf.

And yes they will protect the Nem! But that would be a good thing for you. You wouldn't want any other fish going in it and getting stung or worse anyway... And they kinda live in it anyway or close by. And in your large tank they may be perfectly ok. They can stir the sand and dig a nest etc. But is only a problem in a small tank.

Just make sure the Nem is larger than you think is necessary because they will pound it.

And they are a joy to watch.

 

[Chihuahua6]

Thanks for the info. Digging in the sand is fine to me. I have a very shallow bed of coarse sand so there's no harm in having them dig it up. It's too heavy to blow around.

That's a good point about having a large Anemone so they don't aggrevate it too much. I was going to have several of them on their own rock establish themselves for a while before I added any Clowns.

So do you guys feel Tomato Clowns would be a problem? I think they're prettier than Clarkis but I don't want any problems.

 

[vetdog]

Temperament / Behavior : Can be peaceful but will become aggressive with other fish that approach it's space. Avoid mixing the various clown species. If you have a mix of different clown species in your tank, they will fight. If you have a host anemone in the aquarium with them, they will defend it. It usually works out best if you have only one or a pair of clowns in your tank.

 

[Chihuahua6]

Thanks vetdog. I actually have no intentions of adding two types of Clowns. I like the look of the Tomato Clowns better but I was leaning toward Clarkiis because I thought they would be less aggressive toward my other fish just going by what I have read.

 

[mobert]

I had a pair of breeding Clarkii and they only chased off other fish that were anemone predators like angels and butterfly fish. They would definitely beat on any other clown fish. They also bit me when I reached in the tank. They were OK with Tangs, Mandarins and Cardinals.

 

[Toddrtrex]

My mated pair of clarkiis are pretty passive. While they aren't happy when another fish comes near their anemone/nest they don't go nuts about it. The only time I saw them go crazy was when I had a 3 stripe damsel in that tank. The poor thing was only allow to be in one corner of the tank, if it ventured out of that spot it would be attacked.

 

[Chihuahua6]

Thanks guys. It sounds like the Clarkiis might work especially considering the size of the tank. I might start a similar post asking about Tomato Clowns but I get a feeling the response will be different.

 

[Toddrtrex]

I personally hate Tomatoes ( and Cinnamon ) clowns. Just too mean, plus the ones that I had in the past were too found of moving my frags around.

Granted my Clarkii pair will do that once in a while, but only if I put a new one by their home -- as oppose to moving ones that were on the other side of the tank.

 

[stagefright13]

My adult female has been known to knock a figi branch rock right off the top of the rock pile. If it doesn't like where it is. But Clarki are the best clowns to get if you want them to host a nem. Cause they will host anything. Make sure you don't have coral that moves...

 

[stagefright13]

And of course every fish is different. There are no guarantees in the world of saltwater! But Clarkii's are my favorite clowns and never cease to amaze me.

 

[mobert]

Clarkii have a lot of personality. Mine used to work together to push their egg laying tile around.

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13399947#post13399947 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mobert
Clarkii have a lot of personality. Mine used to work together to push their egg laying tile around.

I agree about the personality. And my pair is really carefree -- they were laying eggs yesterday when I came upstairs to feed the fish. Of course they stopped what they were doing to eat. Then when back to spawning. Heck they will even spawn as I am doing a water change.

 

[Chihuahua6]

It sounds like a pair of Clarkiis is on my future fish list. Thanks for the input.

 

[Philwd]

My clarkiis are very aggressive. Had them 4 years and the female chases the wrasses regularly; even when they are not close to the nem. Have taken over half a 150G tank. They also worked as a team to lift frags and carry them halfway across the tank!!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

they raise a lot of sand storms by moving a lot of sand.

Why are they moving sand?

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13476458#post13476458 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Randy Holmes-Farley
they raise a lot of sand storms by moving a lot of sand.

Why are they moving sand?

Because they are clownfish and like to tick us off.

But, I notice that when my clowns have done that it was when they were spawning. Currently I have a pair of Clarkiis and a pair of pink skunks, only the Clarkii pair is doing that, and they are the only ones that are spawning.

Years ago I had a spawning pair of GSMs, and they did the same thing.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Ah, OK. none of my clowns have ever been interested in the sand.