need opinions... aggressive clown.. want more fish

TOURKID

TOURKID

New member
hi all :) hoping to get some good opinions. heres my situation

45 gallon tank.
1 maroon
1 anemone
15 hermits
3 snails
2 hitchhiker crabs
polyps

i bought 2 maroon clowns from lfs that were in a 15 gal. tank for two weeks

i brought them home, acclimated, added to reef tank (i know, should qt, never will not qt agian) ANYWAY

The bigger maroon was so vicious to the ever so slightly smaller clown that it became an issue and I had to return the smaller clown for fear of its life. (even tried keeping the bigger maroon in a spagetti strainer for a week while lil dude healed and picked a spot)

So.. I took lil dude back and traded lfs for a bubbletip.

my single clown hosted immediately.

So theres my background. Now, the maroon I have is my only fish, she got a bacteria infection and is in QT for the next 6 weeks (treating with maracyn 2 and shes def. going to make it)

I really would like more fish. No more clowns unless i try to mate her when shes bigger.

Ive been to nervous about it because I dident want her attacking anything else.
Im wondering if I get a fish or two while shes in QT, then add her back in if it would make a difference.

Any suggestions on types of fish? I like dottys, but I already had my experience with these... will hafta be the last fish in the tank for sure.....
 
Maroons are the most aggresive clown of all. The are also difficult to pair. Ideally the male needs to be no more than 1/3 the size of the female.

An anemone seems to make their aggresion worse. It is going to be tough to add another fish.
 
she never liked me, and her attitude has really changed with me since shes been in qt all week. she doesent try to bite me anymore, and she swims to the glass when she sees me...

I know... its a lost cause. one fish....

I thought when they had an anemone they were to busy with that to worry about a fish (excludeing another clown)

hopeless?
 
Agreed. I just removed my saddleback pair (these guys are second only to maroons in agression) from my 65g because they were tearing the place apart. They shredded the dottyback's tail, bit the damsel, butted heads with the flame angel, but the one fish they never bothered was my pixy hawkfish.
If your maroon is in QT right now, you could set up another QT, quarantine a new fish or two, add them to the tank and let them get settled and then reintroduce the maroon. No guarantees, but it might work. Certainly if you put her back first, she'll see any other fish you add as an intruder in her territory and do her best to make them leave.
 
I would say there are alot of variances with this. Just because your clown was aggressive to the other clown doesnt mean it will be the same with a fish of a dif species. I also have a female maroon. Very nice tank mate to all with the occasional exception of chasing fish away from her favorite spot of the day. And the chases are nothing bad. Now put in a little maroon to try and get a pair she killed the poor little guy. Its going to be trial and error no matter what. Just pick your fish wisely and id suggest adding the other fish first and rearranging rocks before adding her back.
 
i rearranged the rocks. and her anemone changed locations too.

I dont have the equipment for another qt handy. but i might by tonight. :D

thanks :)
 
try and find fish with a completely different body shape

dottybacks
hawkfishes
jawfish
shrimps

something that wont actively compete for space and food. In a 45 a maroon or any large clown for that matter will be extremely territorial.
 
I agree, I work in a LFS and I can't tell you how many people bring in their clarki and maroon to trade for something else due to their behavior problem! I would say 45G is kind of small for maroon clown to share with other fishes since they are so territorial with anemone. Even if you successfully add other fishes it will surpress it and really stress them out, causing problems like ick. I agree that you should try something completely different in shape and size and even better is different diet like blennies or sand sifting gobies for starter.
 
Snowflakes won't eat fish. Although, I have heard of them taking a chunk out of a fish during a feeding frenzy. This can be avoided by using a feeding stick for the eel.
 
I had a snowflake eel in my 75 from about 6" when I got him to 18" when I removed him. Never went after my fish, but he was WELL FED, with first Krill, and then Silversides. At 18" he was eating 3 large Silversides every other day.

He was removed because he started to knock stuff over, not good for my SPS! I do miss him...
67564DSC_0271.jpg


As for the Maroon I had, I had to remove her, because the tank became HER TANK, and she was beating up my Fox Face and Kol Tank (2x her size!) :(
 
geez. this doesent sound good for me at all :D My maroon is completely healed and fished her meds. b4 qt i could have traded her. now i feel like we bonded. but my anemone is so much happier without her. this is tough!

I love the sand sifters. but my lfs steared me in the direction of crushed coarl, and they are to big to sift

to scared to get a tang, one wiped out all my fish when iwas beginning.... eels kinds freak me out. im stuck
 
I'd avoid sand-sifting gobies. Our saddleback pair killed our pair of sixspot gobies before we could get them out. They've got their own tank now because they just don't play well with others, hopefully you'll have better luck with your maroon :)
 
Very aggressive maroons are difficult to deal with. I don't think that in a tank that small, even having fish of other shapes will help that much. I don't think my hand looks a lot like a clownfish, but I've had maroons that wouldn't hesitate to attack it as soon as it hit the water.

I agree with Jeremy that they usually become more aggressive once they're in an anemone.

Dave
 
Well, if thats the way its gotta be.... I guess Ill have to get another tank :D doesent sound that bad! really tho, its weird. after her maracyn treatment, and me being the only thing aroung besides her plastic cave shes been really nice to me!

Ill probrobley try to pair her twice then give up. gonna let her get bigger... saw a convict tang today.. I wanted it soooo bad. It was about twice the size of my maroon. But since shes occuping my QT right now... wouldent have worked.... id love to get a tang in th tank tho. Just a tang and 2 clowns :D

I was thinking... when i try to pair up my clown... Im going to buy a smaller maroon...

QT it for 4-6 weeks, then indroduce him, and then take it back if it doesent work?! thats crazy.. so much for 2 week garentees
 
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