New pair of black occs with existing pair of pink skunks?

[mrwilson]

I understand that the conventional wisdom on clowns is that at adulthood, they should be kept singly or in a pair, except perhaps in a very large tank. Checking to see what the clown experts' opinion might be as to flouting that conventional wisdom in this case:

In my 115 gallon display tank, I have a pink skunk pair that I have had for over a year. They take turns hosting one or the other of my BTAs. No egg-laying, ever. In fact, although when I first got them, one was considerably larger than the other, and they hung out together all the time, in recent months the once-tight pair has seemed to drift apart. They are close to the same size now, and often can be found going their separate ways in the tank. Neither has ever displayed the slightest sign of aggression to any new tankmates (or to any established tankmates, either, for that matter).

I'm thinking of adding a pair of black occs. It's likely a true pair (although with no observed spawning), and they have been in captivity for at least six months.

My understanding is that in general, pink skunks and occs are among the least aggressive of clowns. Likelihood of non-aggression (and thus, success)?

 

[Toddrtrex]

I have a pair of mated pink skunks. For the first 2 years that I had them -- before they started spawning -- I would have agreed that they aren't all that aggressive. However, they have been spawning for the last 5 months or so -- they are now as aggressive as any other clown that I have had. When I paired up my Potter's angels, I had bigger issues from the pink skunks then I did from the existing Potter's. And the existing Potter's has some nice chunks out of its tail from the pink skunk chasing him away from their anemone.

So, in short, I don't think it would work.

 

[tpdpercula]

I have a pair of Orange Skunks and B & W Ocellaris in my 150. The skunks are hosted by one of three S. haddonis and the B & W's are hosted by one of two RBTAs.

 

[rkelman]

I think there is a chance of it working out.. They may not be aggressive towards other fish but adding another pair of clowns as you will find out is a whole other story. Skunks are generally known to be pretty placid as are Ocellaris so it may work. There are exceptions for individual personality of course. You'll just have to watch and make a decision if the fighting gets out of hand.

 

[rrcg50]

i think rkelman said it perfectly. keep a close eye on them

 

[vaporize]

i had some ora skunk clowns, i swear that they are some of the most sly & deadly clowns i ever owned. Note the key word is sly & deadly not aggressive.

a 1" orange skunk clownfish killed a blue stripe that is 6X its size, yes that thing was 5-6". The small skunk clownfish just hide in the holes and whenever the big one swim by it comes out to take a bite off her and then run back hiding, the large one can never catch it. i would never thought that it have a chance to kill one that is 6X its size but it did, and for the first 3 years, they are in the same tank without any big problems.

ended up draining the tank to remove it.

tomato & maroon might be aggressive but they fight like warriors, i.e. face to face combat. Little skunks... they are like guerrilla fighters sneak out and kill you.

 

[rkelman]

"guerrilla fighters "

Lol I had a Damsel like that.

 

[mrwilson]

Interesting, thoughtful (and as expected, mixed) replies all - thanks. Seems like spawning of either pair makes compatibility less likely.

Toddrtrex, my "pair" of pink skunks seems to be acting less and less like a mated pair - how did yours behave in the time leading up to when they first started spawning?

Any thoughts on whether the addition of another anemone would increase the chance of success?

 

[Toddrtrex]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15156599#post15156599 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mrwilson
Interesting, thoughtful (and as expected, mixed) replies all - thanks. Seems like spawning of either pair makes compatibility less likely.

Toddrtrex, my "pair" of pink skunks seems to be acting less and less like a mated pair - how did yours behave in the time leading up to when they first started spawning?

Any thoughts on whether the addition of another anemone would increase the chance of success?

Mine have pretty much always acted the same towards each other -- a little chasing once in a blue moon, but it only lasts for a second or two.

If they are different species of anemones.... I am not a fan of that, have tried that in the past, and they started to move around right after the introduce of the second one.

If they are the same species it may work, or the dominate pair could try to take over both anemones.

 

[tpdpercula]

I agree with Toddrtrex. I had the B&W in an acrylic box for around 4 months in my 150g with the Orange Skunks. The anemones have been in there since the tank was aquired a couple years ago. Though both pairs feed in the water column together, they have their own set of territory and would most likely defend their area if prevoked. Just be aware that if you decide to attempt it you must be aware that they like to hide behind live rock if you try and catch them. You might have to mess up your tank to catch one of the pairs and that is always a pain and you never get things back to the original way it was before.

 

[rkelman]

"Seems like spawning of either pair makes compatibility less likely"

I wouldn't be so sure about that. I think the only thing that keeps my Black pair from killing the Orange ones (which I am thinking more and more are Percs) is the fact that they have an established home base and are laying eggs. (which I've found keeps them at home even more)

I think the second anemone helped because it kept the Orange guys grounded somewhat.

The Black pair were initially showing great interest in the Orange guys BTA but have since decided to let them have it (well maybe rent it) for now. I think its a real possibility they could take over both.