How big for two pair

[John&Steph]

How big of a tank do you think you would need to keep two pairs of clowns? I am looking to upgrade to a 210 and wanted to add a pair of picasso or black and white. I just don't want them to fight it out. Is that a big enough tank or is there such a thing.

 

[davocean]

In my last 180g, 6x2x2 I had probably the best opp for doing this, as my nems stayed put at each end of tank, however, my maroon pair would cruise back and forth to both nems, so I never even attempted it.
There are rare times when these size tanks work out for more than one pair, but you never know when they will mature and decide to become aggro/territorial.
No matter what size tank, there is always risk.

 

[pimpman75]

yeah maybe a two hundred gallon or something around that size.

 

[deviilsadvocate]

Yeah your best bet is to put the two nems that the clowns are hosting (if any) on either side of the tank and introduce the two clown pairs together in the tank, at opposite sides, at the same time... This may or may not work.. I had two pairs of clowns in a 75gallon and they got along great for about 6 months, then I came home one day and my black misbar clown had the two percs up against the glass, smacking them with his tail.. Not a cool site.

 

[davelin315]

Same kinds of clowns for both pairs? I don't think it'll work... maybe different kinds of clowns, but I would think that two mature pairs of the same type might have issues. Of course, in nature they're fine, but I believe that when they're together in more than single pairs it's because there's a dominant female, a dominant male, and a bunch of juveniles.

 

[csdavis]

Yeah your best bet is to put the two nems that the clowns are hosting (if any) on either side of the tank and introduce the two clown pairs together in the tank, at opposite sides, at the same time... This may or may not work.. I had two pairs of clowns in a 75gallon and they got along great for about 6 months, then I came home one day and my black misbar clown had the two percs up against the glass, smacking them with his tail.. Not a cool site.

I am sorry but that sounds hilarious, I just had a mental thought of a clown getting its a$$ handed to it by the tail of another clown LOL. On the other hand, I would think that it would be hard to keep two sets of clowns of the same type in a tank in which they had the opportunity to see each other. I would think that you wouldn't be able to keep both females alive since one would inevitably have to win but best of luck.