LONG TERM success keeping multiple clown pairs?

[michellejy]

The question about keeping more than one pair of clownfish in a tank seems to come up at least every other day. Everything I have read/heard seems to indicate this is a bad idea in anything other than a huge tank, but there is always someone who chimes in with saying it worked for them/their friend/their sister's cousin's boyfriend's former college roommate.

So I'd like to hear experiences (positive and negative) from people who have tried to keep more than one pair of clowns in a tank, and if you could include the tank size and types of clowns, that would be great. The reason I specified long term is because I have no doubt people can manage it for a year or two, but I suspect the breaking point is when one or more pairs reach sexual maturity and then all bets are off.

 

[heap]

you'd have to ask me in a couple of years ;^)

as is, i have a pair of cinnamon, a pair of oc, and a pair of saddles in 1 tank....but it's a 240g 8 foot tank with roughly 30 anemones to choose from. the cinnamons and ocs have shared the tank for 2 years, the saddles added about a year ago.

the cinnamon and saddles are both breeding regularly, the ocs have laid a few clutches but never really got into a rotation.

knock on wood, but i've yet to see any aggression - some definite social oddities, tho (cinnamon female half claimed the oc male for about 6 months - she'd lay eggs, he'd fertilize them....and then the oc male/female would guard the eggs...until the cinnamon female ate them).

there isn't much doubt that absent that much room for individual territories, a plethora of anemone's to choose from, and broken sight line from one side of the tank to another...i'd have ran into problems already, tho.

i'm willing to try this test as long as they are - can't speak of long term success, and i don't suggest anybody take what success i've had so far w/ the combos listed above as advice to do the same...i may well end up having to trap one or more of them eventually should problems arise.

 

[Ron Popeil]

i maintain a 300 gallon or so aquarium with two spawning pairs of adult clowns in it. on the right side of the tank is a 5 inch clarkii pair in a green carpet on the left side amongst the swarms of rose bubble tips is a 5 inch maroon female and her mate.

they occasionally meet at the halfway point in the tank, but never do anything more than vibrate and show fins to each other. theyve been together for at least four years now.

 

[noboddi]

I don't think it is simply reaching maturity, they do that before two years is up. What clowns are in a tank for a while, they slowly expand their territory they will defend. When it expands to reach the other clowns, trouble happens.

The longer they live, the bigger the area will get. So you think you are safe, and then something happens. And anemones are a two edged blade. It makes clowns more secure, but also makes them more territorial.

You really need something on the order of the above mentioned 240 gallon tank to have long term success, and they live 20 years don't forget

 

[michellejy]

I have no plans to have more than one pair of clowns in my tank. This was mainly out of curiosity since I see it asked about so often.

I'd always heard that it was impossible in anything other than a VERY large tank (which seems to go with what the people who have responded so far have said), but it seems like every time someone with a much smaller tank mentions mixing pairs of clowns, someone responds that there shouldn't be a problem.

So like I said, purely curiosity on my part. I like keeping them in separate tanks since it gives me an excuse to have multiple tanks.

 

[OrionN]

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[OrionN]

I had several H. magnifica in my 400 g tank with two pairs of clowns, Ocellaris and Pink skunks, each pair in their own's anemone. The Ocellaris were having eggs regularly and the Pink skunks were not.