Clown fish questions

[ponokareefer]

You should only keep 2 clowns in one tank. Any more than that and eventually the dominant pair will kill off the other clownfish.

[Acipenser]

Originally Posted by ponokareefer

You should only keep 2 clowns in one tank. Any more than that and eventually the dominant pair will kill off the other clownfish.

I have seen multiple clowns kept together successfully !

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by Acipenser

I have seen multiple clowns kept together successfully !

3 is a bad number for clownfish they almost always kill off the third or stress him out bad.the bigger the tank and hiding the better the chances.

[Ryan]

I agree with reefwars although if you must attempt 3 A. ocellaris are probably your best bet.

True Perculas are notorious for having 3 then all of a sudden the female kills the adolescent (3rd clown) in preperation for breeding.

A. ocellaris pairs will almost treat the 3rd as a nurse allowing it to help tend/gaurd the nest. Some pairs wont let the 3rd join in.

I know a breeding trio up for sale right now where the little guy is accepted by the breeding pair if anyone is looking.

[reefwars]

Originally Posted by Ryan

I agre with reefwars although if you must attempt 3 A. ocellaris are probably your best bet.

True Perculas are notorious for having 3 then all of a sudden the female kills the adolescent (3rd clown) in preperation for breeding.

A. ocellaris pairs will almost treat the 3rd as a nurse allowing it to help tend/gaurd the nest. Some pairs wont let the 3rd join in.

I know a breeding trio up for sale right now where the little guy is accepted by the breeding pair if anyone is looking.

a breeding trio thats prety cool trusting female for sure

[lee9]

Originally Posted by Acipenser

I have seen multiple clowns kept together successfully !

Yeah, I thought I saw a program on TV that said in nature clownfish typically live in social groups in their anemones. A large female and a smaller male which is the dominant pair and then a number of decreasingly smaller males. I wonder if this is ever imitated in an aquarium environment?

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by lee9

Yeah, I thought I saw a program on TV that said in nature clownfish typically live in social groups in their anemones. A large female and a smaller male which is the dominant pair and then a number of decreasingly smaller males. I wonder if this is ever imitated in an aquarium environment?

Correct except the smaller fish are not males nor females they are "adolescents" waiting for one of the pair to die and take place of the male.

In the ocean there is a huge amount of room for the smaller clowns to swim away vs in our aquarium. Not to mention 10 adolescent clowns in the wild vs 1 or 2 in our tanks.

Another cool fact; studies have shown in areas where clown fish hosting anemones live without a hosting clown pair the anemones get eaten and the other way around. Those small little clowns help protect the anemone and the anemone returns the favor.

[lee9]

[quote=Ryan;677340]Correct except the smaller fish are not males nor females they are "adolescents" waiting for one of the pair to die and take place of the male.

I thought they were all born as males and then change to females if the conditions are right. Most of the articles I have read have stated this. Although they have been just Internet sources though so I'm not sure how accurate they are.

Either way they are interesting little fish that's for sure.

[Ryan]

I guess you could think of it like that but in the Joyce D. Wilkerson book its stated that clowns are born with both sexual organs but they are not fully developed until they fish sort out who is male or female and who stays adolescent.

Who knows whos right. I have never actually cut one open to see.

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Everything I've heard for years tells me that they are all born "genderless" then the largest one develops into a female and the second biggest turns into a male. If the female dies, the male turns into a female and the next largest one develops into a male. If the male dies, the next largest develops into a male and the female stays the same. I've had this happen in my tanks before so I have personally witnessed these types of gender transformations.

Right now, in the cube tank, the two largest have bred and adopted the RBTA (although they have a third roommate). The other four or five small Ocellaris stay away from the mated pair and live on the other end of the cube tank.