Multiple Clowns in same tank?

[bdare]

Is it possible to keep multiple clowns in the same tank? For some reason I thought they'd fight eachother.... I currenlty have a large pair of occilaris.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Only one pair of clowns per tank. Once the pair begin spawning, they will kill any other clowns.

 

[jt_milstead]

You are going to get many different answers to this question. I have kept multiple pairs in a 150 gal tank that each had a host on different end of the tank, but when one pair started to breed, all hell broke lose. Its just not worth it.

 

[phender]

I have a pair of percs and a pair of sandaracinos at opposite ends of a 60 gal tank. Each have their own anemone and both pairs have been breeding consistently for the past 5 years. There has never been any aggression between the pairs.

That being said, it is not a good idea to put more than one pair in a tank together. The chances of it not ending well are very high.

In my case I chose clowns that tend to be very bonded to their anemone. They only leave the tentacles to feed. In addition I chose anemones that were highly desired by one species and not normally used by the other. The more submissive(and smaller) clowns (percs) were allowed to establish themselves first before the orange skunks and their anemone were introduced. In addition the clowns don't really have a very good view of each other because the way the tank is set up and the location of the anemones.

So, can it be done? Yes. Should it be done? No, the odds are just too great that you will end up losing one or more clowns to the battles that are likely to develop when the clowns mature.

 

[C Dog]

99.9999999999999999% it does NOT work long term. Maybe for a few months but they will fight and or kill. Search this and find alot of people that have tried this.

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

I agree with phender,I tried adding my true percs in my 240 with my occs.They were placed at opposite ends of the tank where there was several rbtas.It lasted about an hour and the fight was on.They were moved back to their 28 gallon nano.

 

[bdare]

Thanks for the responses guys. I had a feeling it wasn't possible. Kinda what I believed all along, but recently I saw a few posts where people had multiple so I got my hopes up. I've never been one to HOPE my fish are the ones that will be the exception.

I do have a flame angel in my tank with clams and SPS, but only because I bought him from someone who had him and could vouch for his good behavior.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Obviously, C Dog may mean his statistics as hyperbole, but they are certainly incorrect as written. There are many threads on this topic, and certainly some strong opinions, but it is worth noting that it is not as simply answered as “no”.

Multiple pairs most often may not work out. But they sometimes do, and it may depend on the clown species (ocellaris clowns seem more prone to allow this than many other species) and individual personalities, the presence of certain anemones, and other aspects of the tank, when they are introduced, etc.

That said, the only time I tried it it worked fine long term, and I know if has for others as well.

I had a spawning pair of ocellaris clowns and a spawning pair of pink skunks that were only a few inches apart in a 120. The ocellaris could easily have moved away since they were not even in a host anemone, but rather in a leather. But they chose to stay put and the pairs coexisted for several years, each regularly spawning.

 

[bdare]

Obviously, C Dog may mean his statistics as hyperbole, but they are certainly incorrect as written. There are many threads on this topic, and certainly some strong opinions, but it is worth noting that it is not as simply answered as "œno".

Multiple pairs most often may not work out. But they sometimes do, and it may depend on the clown species (ocellaris clowns seem more prone to allow this than many other species) and individual personalities, the presence of certain anemones, and other aspects of the tank, when they are introduced, etc.

That said, the only time I tried it it worked fine long term, and I know if has for others as well.

I had a spawning pair of ocellaris clowns and a spawning pair of pink skunks that were only a few inches apart in a 120. The ocellaris could easily have moved away since they were not even in a host anemone, but rather in a leather. But they chose to stay put and the pairs coexisted for several years, each regularly spawning.

Hey Randy,

Thanks for the response. Although I'm certain there are instances where multiple clowns will get along I'm not really a betting man when it comes to my tank. Like I mentioned above regarding the dwarf angel.

There are many examples of people who've had success with dwarf angels in their tanks. Although the flame is my FAVORITE fish it was never a risk I wanted to take until I was offered a specimen which had proven he was well behaved.

With regards to multiple clowns I will take the same advice. I do love clowns. I have a mated pair of occelaris. I'm not very fond of them because they are just plain old fake clowns. I really want to get a snowflake clown or two, but it just isn't worth risking the communal bliss which I currently have with my fish.

Thanks again. BTW... I just may be your biggest fan :love1:

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

:lol: Thanks

Yes, I agree it is a good plan to not try to mix them, especially if you do not have a back up plan involving another tank.

 

[bues0022]

A rule of thumb to use: If you have to ask, you don't have enough information to try it.

You need to understand the risks, have exit strategies, and be prepared to loose one or more fish from being killed from one another (just to name a few things).

 

[bdare]

A rule of thumb to use: If you have to ask, you don't have enough information to try it.

You need to understand the risks, have exit strategies, and be prepared to loose one or more fish from being killed from one another (just to name a few things).

I agree which is why I posted the question here...