Maroon Clowns

ghost48

New member
I am setting up a new tank and my wife likes the look of the maroon clown.

Will a pair of them work in a 85 gal or will they get too big.

I am planning on a reef tank
 
I started off my tank with a pair of maroon clowns and haven't looked back since( 1.5 years+). Both have thrived and get along fine with the few other species in the tank.
 
As beautiful as they are they just get meaner as they get older. I only have a single one, but she has killed all my corals and I haven't been able to put so much as a new rock in there for over a year.
 
gsm's tend to have a better rep than the white/grey striped maroons
my pair are model citizens but the bosses of my tank, only bit me once when I touched their anemone.
 
85g is more than big enough for a pair of maroons, but do beware that these are tough fish and you may be limited as to what you can put with them. I have a pair housed on their own - IME these are completely different fish when they're not constantly defending their territory. The only time I see aggression in my pair is when I have the audacity to step too close to the tank, or try to clean it!

Don't let their reputation frighten you, maroons are stunning fish with amazing personality, and as long as you find them appropriate tankmates you should be fine. They're not good neighbors for small, delicate fish; you want fish that can hold their own against a pair of pitbulls. Dwarf angels, tangs, damsels, wrasses, blennies and basslets would all probably do fine. I wouldn't house gobies, dragonettes, firefish, cowfish, or fairy wrasses with maroons.
 
mine are with:
1 yashe goby
1hectors goby
1 solar wrasse
1 filamented fairy wrasse
1 yellow twosopt hog
pair lubbocks wrasse
1 golden dwarf angel
 
Well mine was pretty good, aside from killing corals till about year 5. Then she started rearranging the rock, knocking stuff over. She has knocked over several rocks that are easily 2 times her size. And recently she has taken to ramming me when I put my hand in my tank. No biting yet, but it's only a matter of time I'm sure.
 
Thanks for the help, I really would like to have a pair and it is also so my wife can enjoy the tank as well.
 
I have a pair of maroons and my female is about 3.5" she never bit me until about 6months ago. Now she regularly charges my hand and nips my skin. It seems to get harder every time. SHe also is contstantly moving stuff around. The only other fish in the 30 gallon is a 2" 6 line and they do fine
 
my white striped female is over 8 yrs old, she's 5+ inch and while she is the boss of the tank, she's not overly aggressive to anyone but other clownfish to which she's lethal to most However several months back after taking over the nem that my Clarkii pair called home she allowed them to move back in and they shared it at night. I've tried unsuccessfully to pair the female maroon up over the past several yrs after her mate died with no luck so.......

several weeks back i ordered a mated pair of Solomon Island Maroons from Dr Mac and the male was crushed in his bag during shipping. couldn't well put two female maroons in the same tank so i had to put her in the frag tank where I'd just moved the the Clarkii to, i lucked up and got a tank raised juvi from the LFS that the female took to instantaneously and the 4 of them get along in the tank great, there is no aggression at all other then the normal Clarkii female letting the male know who's boss between the two of them.

my old female:
2zr1i7s.jpg
 
I'd keep are real close eye on the 4 clowns. Once the maroons start getting the "breeding" itch they will most likely kill the clarkii. Unfortunately more than two clowns getting along can turn deadly overnight.
 
the Clarkii were in the same tank as the above pictured female for the past 6 yrs that I've had the Clarkii, when they were introduced to the same tank the Maroon still had her mate and they were spawning every two weeks but thanks for the warning.
 
the female maroon from above and the Clarkii pair nestled up in the carpet at night:
2pyqbtd.jpg


and that facial expression you'd expect when you catch such an act:
2d7zcqc.jpg
 
JetCat...that's really cool!

However, it is important to note that this is absolutely the exception to the rule, and is likely not to last long term. I hope it does, it would be really cool, but I wouldn't recommend it anyone else give it a shot.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10943768#post10943768 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Slakker
.............this is absolutely the exception to the rule, and is likely not to last long term.

at what length of time would it be called 'Long Term' ??

also if you happen to go back and read my first post i clearly stated she's lethal to most other clownfish, but non clowns she's never had a problem with, nor have any other maroons I've had. I've got a 12+ yr old female Tomato clown and the two can't be within sight of each other, they'll fight the glass between the tanks if they can see the other trying to get at them.
 
I had a pair for several years, 6 I think and then the male died one year ago this week. The female became the biggest bully in the tank, mean to every fish and rock/coral around. Much meaner within a week after her mate died and it continued until I traded her in last month.

Tried to give her a new mate and bought a small maroon clown which she literally ate, took three or 4 large bites out of him/it before I could get it back out of the tank and into the refugium.

I think they may be calmer if kept with a mate, simply from that experience.
 
hmm. i think my female was calmer after she mated, but now that they are breeding she gaurds her home with a fury. the wrasse bugs her the most. she doesent bite it, but chases it for sure.

i have 2 gold striped maroons. the female is 2+ years old, and maybe 3-3 1/2 inches.

I wouldent trade them for NOTHING. Id have a hard time keeping up the reef without them :)

she does toss corals she doesent like to the other side of the tank. and i have no sand bed on one whole side of the tank :D heres the most recent. I just moved and the new sand bed looked great!! for 2-3 days..... lol

DSCF2765.jpg
 
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