So can ocellaris clowns be kept in colonies?

[Winwood]

I know there is a blanketing effect when it comes to clowns being kept in pairs and for good reason, but it sure seems like ocellaris clowns seem to tolerate one another better than other species. One of my good friend's father has had a breeding trio for over 7 years and I've seen many, what I would consider, amatuer aquariums housing 3 or more occ's harmoniously.

I have tried keeping true perc in numbers on 3 seperate occasions in what I would consider a large tank, a standard 125, with no success. Even the low ranking individuals would shred each other. I had marginal success with pink skunks but even they tended to punish the subordinants.

I would appreciate any input from anyone with experience.

 

[phender]

I have not tried to keep colonies in a tank, so I can't comment on that, however there is something else that many people don't realize.

We see pics and videos of clowns in the wild living in colonies. What we don't see is that those colonies are not stable. I read a paper (sorry I can't reference it) that showed that members apart from the breeding pair were often ousted from the anemone and replaced with other subordinates. In our tanks these ousted fish usually die of stress from being bullied since they can't leave.

So although it appears that clownfish colonies are the norm in the wild, because of the instability of the colony, it is not easy to replicate in our confined tanks. If you have a very passive pair, it can work, but it seems to be the exception rather than the norm.

 

[seamonkey84]

I'm assuming you have read the sticky at the top of this fourm, 27 clowns... It works for awhile and if all introduced as juveinals it can be done in big enough a tank. The there's fewer fish than started with but still going. Then there's Marvin with his Picasso clown collection...