Mixing Clown fish

fishoholic · #1 12-15-2007, 01:38 PM

I have just got a 230g and we're planning on adding the fish from our 2 tanks to this one. The only real problem I'm worried about is that we have one saddle back clown in one tank hosting an anemone and 2 perc.'s hosting in zoos in the other. I'm worried that if they go in the same tank (even one as big as a 230g) they will most likely fight to the death. I plan on adding all the fish on the same day (to reduce any territorial fights) however if the clowns start fighting I'm not sure if we'll be able to get them out of the tank in time, or possibly at all, lots of LR and coral to navigate around. Is it best to sell one of the clowns and not risk it or do I take a chance and see how it goes?

I know someone asked about multiple clowns in tanks not too long ago, but I can't remember how it turned out.

digital-audiophile · #2 12-15-2007, 02:30 PM

I had problems mixing clowns in a 90. I tried Tomatoes and Ocellaris and the poor false percs got their asses handed to them on a daily basis. I remeved the Ocellaris for thier own safty. A 230 is a great deal bigger than a 90 though so your experience might be totally different.

kjcote · #3 12-15-2007, 04:13 PM

we have a 200 gallon tank with a pair ocellaris and a pair of black and white clowns, they rarely bother each other. each have their own anenome to host in and are spaced about 3' apart.

Myka · #4 12-15-2007, 04:33 PM

A friend of mine has a 120 with a pair of wild true percs, and a pair of black oscellaris. Each pair has a host anemone, and are spaced about as far apart as they can get in that 4' tank. I think if you can get an anemone for the second pair to host, then there shouldn't be a problem.

fishoholic · #5 12-15-2007, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Myka

A friend of mine has a 120 with a pair of wild true percs, and a pair of black oscellaris. Each pair has a host anemone, and are spaced about as far apart as they can get in that 4' tank. I think if you can get an anemone for the second pair to host, then there shouldn't be a problem.

Our friends anemone just split and he said he would give one to us, so I think we'll try getting the second pair to host in it and then when we set up the new tank we'll put the clowns on opposite ends.

Myka · #6 12-15-2007, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishoholic

Our friends anemone just split and he said he would give one to us, so I think we'll try getting the second pair to host in it and then when we set up the new tank we'll put the clowns on opposite ends.

...and hope the anemones like the positions you choose for them!! :P Dang anems moving around could cause a clown war.

fishoholic · #7 01-05-2008, 04:44 PM

Thought I'd give an update. Our large saddle back clown is on one side of the tank with his anemone host and our 2 perc.'s are on the opposite side with their zoas host. The clowns so far have barley noticed each other, none of them want to move that far away from their hosts. Still debating on weather or not to take our friends anemone for the perc.'s to try host in, or just leave them be with their zoas. Also the odds of our friends anemone staying on the opposite side of the tank from our other anemone as well as the odds of our perc.'s even hosting in it... well it all seems like fairly slim chances to me. Not sure I want to risk it.

Nauticus · #8 01-05-2008, 05:25 PM

The smaller clowns like Darwin's percs and ocellaris are generally more peaceful and will not stray as far from their hosts. I do not know much about saddlebacks as I have never had them but if they are anything like cinnamons or tomatos they can be a bit more agressive and willing to wander when they get larger.
I think though since the ratio is two to one the saddleback should be more solitary and have less leverage.

As for the anenome, take it. The percs will not necessarily host in it. I have had clowns choose frogspawn and hammer corals over and above the good old anenomes.

Slipstream · #9 01-05-2008, 08:01 PM

Yah, id take the Anem as well, id also think about getting your lone clown a partner. They like having friends better than being alone.

fishoholic · #10 01-06-2008, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slipstream

Yah, id take the Anem as well, id also think about getting your lone clown a partner. They like having friends better than being alone.

The saddleback clown might kill off any male partner I could add in the tank for her, and I'm positive if she didn't do him in my perc.'s would. They already killed a poor cleaner shrimp that got to close to their (host) zoas. I believe the only reason the clowns aren't attacking each other is #1-they were added to the tank at the same time #2-It's a 230g tank and the things they host in are on opposite sides of the tank.

FYI even though my saddleback clown is larger then my perc.'s It's my perc.'s that are vicious. Anytime my coral beauty (even though he's bigger) gets to close to the perc.'s zoas he receives a nip in his fins or body.

Whereas whenever any other fish come near the saddleback and her anemone she just stays in it and doesn't try to personally attack anyone, however once and awhile she will try to hit them with the arm of the anemone if they get too close.

For now we are not going to take our friends anemone, we literally have no where to put one. Our tank is very full of softies and lps and I would hate to see any of our corals get stung by a wondering anemone.