[petlover516]

hello. i have a 125 gal saltwater and was wondering if i could have 2 different species of clown in one tank if i placed hosts on 2 seperate sides of the tank( i was thinking ocellaris+clarkii with bubbletip+frogspawn).

 

[archer772]

I wouldnt do it but hey thats just me Clarkies can be aggresive and the ocellaris are not so they might not do very well with the clarkies. I wouldnt only keep one type and then just a pair, the only time I have seen it done was with percs and ocellaris in 300+ gallon tanks.

 

[petlover516]

ha ha! we did it today! we went to BTJ's jungle looking for a smaller ocellaris to pair off with our much bigger one as well as a frogspawn coral. they did have one signifigently smaller ocellaris inhabiting a long-tentacled anemone, but the outside of the the clown was very rough and ugly-looking, suggesting a disease of some sort. instead, we found a small clarkii(also inhabiting a long-tentacled anemone). we took him home, floated the bag for 20 minutes(in which the ocellaris approached the clarkii and than moved away), and the 2 clowns are staying by each other's side(i did see the oc. dart at the clark and than stop short.)

 

[morishidol]

Their is always exceptions to the rule but the rule is no you should not mix different species of clown fish in the same tank,,,have I seen fish tanks that people have had over the years have 2 or more different species in them Yes,but I would not recomend it unless you want to spend some money trying to acheive this,,,just like your not suppose to mix large angel fish in with one another but yet over the years i have seen 5-7 different kinds of angels all in the same tank together doing fine,,just remember with this hobby what works for someone else doesnt mean it will work for you everyone needs to find their own nich in the hobby and what works for them.Trial and error are the best teachers in this hobby i have found in my 25 years of doing salt!! Take care-Jason.

 

[petlover516]

the ocellaris is a big and agressive female-the clarkii is small and very peaceful. is the darting mating behavior?-i have heard about how a female ocellaris will dart at the male. does this mean the female thinks the small, orange clarkii is a male ocellaris? the 2 are always side by side. oh, and when does a clarkii start to turn black? we saw a black clarkii about the same size as ours in a reef tank, though the the tank was for buying only the corals and the fish weren't for sale.

 

[mmagaletti]

I disagree with the idea that you should not mix clowns. You just have to be smart about it.

Its all about space. Keep in mind that Female clownfiash establish a territory, usually around their anemone, and they typically dont stray far, maybe a few feet. I personnaly have a pair of Black and White Ocellaris in a 58 gal with a pair of true percs. There is a little aggression in the center of the tank but one pair has their side and the other has theirs. I made sure that the aquascaping impeded their vision across the full length of the tank. If they can't constantly see one another they settle in better and become more tolerant.

A 6 foot tank, with live rick and coral breaking up the view from one end to the other, provides plenty of realistate for 2 pairs of clowns of either the same species or different.

Another tendancy of fish is to show aggression toward fish of the same color and shape. By selecting to clown pairs that have different shapes and color patterns, you will reduce the chance of deadly clashes.

 

[petlover516]

well actually alot has happened. the ocellaris died of clownfish disease long ago. the clarkii started to hang-out with our dog-faced puffer. than the clark got a big bump on his head and it split open and he died.

 

[JIM]

I disagree with the idea that you should not mix clowns. You just have to be smart about it.

Its all about space. Keep in mind that Female clownfiash establish a territory, usually around their anemone, and they typically dont stray far, maybe a few feet. I personnaly have a pair of Black and White Ocellaris in a 58 gal with a pair of true percs. There is a little aggression in the center of the tank but one pair has their side and the other has theirs. I made sure that the aquascaping impeded their vision across the full length of the tank. If they can't constantly see one another they settle in better and become more tolerant.

A 6 foot tank, with live rick and coral breaking up the view from one end to the other, provides plenty of realistate for 2 pairs of clowns of either the same species or different.

Another tendancy of fish is to show aggression toward fish of the same color and shape. By selecting to clown pairs that have different shapes and color patterns, you will reduce the chance of deadly clashes.

My 2 cents worth, I agree in a tank as large as a 125 two different clown species could be kept. One at each end and try to put a line of site block such as rock work between them. they will stay, as is mentioned above close to home..

 

[petlover516]

well my dad actually wants to get a pair of true percs for his tank. but he has a coral catshark that took down a domino damsel and 3 mummichog minnows with ease, so im pretty sure he'll devour the clowns.

 

[salth2o]

well my dad actually wants to get a pair of true percs for his tank. but he has a coral catshark that took down a domino damsel and 3 mummichog minnows with ease, so im pretty sure he'll devour the clowns.

Don't underestimate clown fish. They can be real tough fish. I had a maroon striped clown that backed a trigger away from his anemone on more then one occasion. I have a tomato at this very moment living with a huge Angler, and a 2 foot zebra moray.

 

[ladyonyx]

Clowns can be funny. I've never kept more than one species in a tank together because I've never had a tank I felt was big enough for that. 125g is possible I think, although their personalities can change quite a bit as they get bigger and more aggressive. You can put two pairs of juvenile clowns in a tank together, and you'll never have problems, and they'll get along great, until one day one of the females decides to pick a fight and things go sour. I've seen this happen before. A friend of mine had a pair of Clarkiis and a pair of Tomatoes in a 250g (??) tank and the female Tomatoe decided to take out the Clarkiis after happily living together for 4 years. Granted, these are two naturally very aggressive species. Clowns can be unpredictable that way.

 

[keithbritton]

i have been watching a tomato clown (in the aquarium where i am researching, not at home) and he will routinely attcak an imperator angel which must be al least 20 times his body mass if it comes within 1-2 metres of his group of anemones. he seems peaceful with the various 3 stripe humbugs which live in the same space, and at least one of which sometimes joins the clown on the angel offensive.

 

[keithbritton]

also, considering wild behaviour.. I saw some amazing aggression from red sea picassos a few weeks ago, they were attcaking everythign that moved, including my ankles and each other. and the water was so shallow they weer swimming with the top quarterof their bodies above the surface quite a lot of the time. One got into a fairly protracted tangle with a yellow mouth moray, and neither wanted to back down (the morays wont retreat from me, even if I put a camera a few cm from their head) but eventually the picasso won theday.

 

[drhank]

It's a matter of territory. I have one each of three different species and there is no fighting. The tomato claims my sebae anemone but if he's in a good mood will stay on one side and let my clarki lay claim to the other side. My pink skunk is hosted by my toadstool. It 's a real sight to see. My wife wants an Ocellaris as well and I will probably add one just because I'm tired of hearing her complain. Of course I probably have over 350 lbs of live rock and there is a lot of cover so there is an abundance of hiding places.

I really wouldn't recommend anyone else trying what I'm doing. Unfortunately, my wife is of the opinion that once a fish goes in the reef, it's there till it dies. She names them all so I can't get away with removing anything without incurring her wrath.

Normally, I would not recommend more than one species of clownfish per tank.