How Many Clowns

[Meadowlark]

my LFS recommends when stocking Clowns to go with odd numbers. Seems like the general opinion here it's best to go with Clown pairs. Which is best?

 

[Andrew]

Only keep clowns singly or in pairs. Clownfish are a damsel fish and like others of their kind, they will single each other off and kill the weaker links until there a pair or one aggressive clown left.

 

[papagimp]

Andrew's correct. If you had a very large system, let's say about 300+ gallons, you could probably have several. Specifically if they were Ocellaris, they can be kept in numbers, preferably in a larger tank. Smaller tanks just don't have sufficient room for them to have separate "territories" and they all bicker and fight over the same territory instead. And yes, they'll find a "home" or coral to host in, but their actual territory strechtes beyond just this. So in my opinino, not best to keep in odd numbers, unless it's just one. Other wise an even number of just 2 would be best. And definatly best not to intermix species unless you have a very large tank.

 

[sonic1634]

ok i have a question i have a seabay anmone with a false (sp) clown or nemo icould i add another of the same kind in the tank or would they fight over the anmone

 

[kau_cinta_ku]

add one that is smaller then the one you have. otherwise your chances are you will have 2 females and only add another clown of the same species. except for true and false perc which can be mixed

 

[papagimp]

If you have a single percula, depending on the age of the fish, if it has reached sexual maturity yet or not.....(have you had him/her more or less than a month?)

Keeping a single specimen will in all likelyhood end with you having a female percula, or a "nemo-ette". This being the most likely case, you'll want to find a juvi percula to add, one definatly smaller than current occupant. This will increase the odds that you will end with a pair of clowns as the perculas (like so many others) are hermaphroditic. You'll have 1 dominate female in a group of clowns, 1 dominate male, and then a bunch of subordinate sexually unmature males. If somethign happened to the female, the dominate male would "convert" to female, and pick the next dominate male. Once they change to female they cannot change back to male though.

The only reason I'd see them fighting over the anemone is if you ended up with two females or two different species.

 

[kevin2000]

You should consider finding another LFS that specializes in SW.

 

[fatdaddy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10247734#post10247734 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kevin2000
You should consider finding another LFS that specializes in SW.

Agreed. Beware of LFS advice until they prove themselves otherwise.

My cynical side thinks they wanted to sell you two instead of just one.

Only a single pair (never two large ones, females) and only one species.

 

[sonic1634]

the false i have now ive only had him for a bout month and half or so he only 1 1/4 in what would yall recomened the lfs store said that he came from the "Big Blue" he told me that he dose not order from any captive raise stores i dont know of that mean anything to anybody