Clowns, again.

starfishprime

starfishprime

Member
Ok, after some reading and a bit of research I have stumbled upon another difficult clown question. The clowns in particular are A. Ocellaris, but that makes no difference. I have read countless times that you can't put more than one pair of clowns together, but my question is this what about if you add juveniles? The reason I was asking is because from what I have read, is that there will be a bigger dominant clown in the group (the female) and the next biggest will be the male. The rest of the smaller juveniles stay a neutral ---, changing only when the female or her mate have died. Working at a LFS, I see these groups all the time, and I admit I do notice some nipping here and there but that is in way smaller tanks than the hobbyist would keep at home. Anyone have any insight?
 
ibanez

ibanez

Member
They are all male, not nuetral from what I understand. When a group in your home aquarium becomes a pair, they will bully all other clowns in proximity. In pet stores, they don't really establish a home and pair up the way they do in our home aquariums. At least that is the case most of the time from what I have seen.
 
mr.clownfish

mr.clownfish

Active Member
yeah ur not supposed to keep more than 2 of the same species of clowns fish in the first place. unless u have a pair and u raise there babies. that works.
 
starfishprime

starfishprime

Member
Originally Posted by Mr.clownfish
http:///forum/post/3242620
ok so whats the question? LOL
I have a pair and I am looking to add more, I know this should have been all done when the clowns were first introduced to the tank. I still dont know if Im going to add them, I was just wondering if anyone had any experience adding new clowns to an established tank, AND if they had any luck having more than 2 in the tank.
 
killer whale

killer whale

Member
Originally Posted by starfishprime
http:///forum/post/3242588
Ok, after some reading and a bit of research I have stumbled upon another difficult clown question. The clowns in particular are A. Ocellaris, but that makes no difference. I have read countless times that you can't put more than one pair of clowns together, but my question is this what about if you add juveniles? The reason I was asking is because from what I have read, is that there will be a bigger dominant clown in the group (the female) and the next biggest will be the male. The rest of the smaller juveniles stay a neutral ---, changing only when the female or her mate have died. Working at a LFS, I see these groups all the time, and I admit I do notice some nipping here and there but that is in way smaller tanks than the hobbyist would keep at home. Anyone have any insight?
If your question is directed toward the nipping, that would be a result of the clownfish setting up their hierarchy. Even though the juveniles remain nutereal they still follow a chain of command. And your right room is always an issue l
 
killer whale

killer whale

Member
Originally Posted by starfishprime
http:///forum/post/3242641
I have a pair and I am looking to add more, I know this should have been all done when the clowns were first introduced to the tank. I still dont know if Im going to add them, I was just wondering if anyone had any experience adding new clowns to an established tank, AND if they had any luck having more than 2 in the tank.
The tank bred clownfish seem to do fine with other clownfish when adequate room and adequate hiding places are provided. True Percula however are much more aggressive. I've had success in the past, adding additional clownfish to an aquarium by rearranging the tanks decor. This made the aquarium's old residents worry more about finding a new home, so they had less time to harass the new tenants.
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by starfishprime
http:///forum/post/3242588
Ok, after some reading and a bit of research I have stumbled upon another difficult clown question. The clowns in particular are A. Ocellaris, but that makes no difference. I have read countless times that you can't put more than one pair of clowns together, but my question is this what about if you add juveniles? The reason I was asking is because from what I have read, is that there will be a bigger dominant clown in the group (the female) and the next biggest will be the male. The rest of the smaller juveniles stay a neutral ---, changing only when the female or her mate have died. Working at a LFS, I see these groups all the time, and I admit I do notice some nipping here and there but that is in way smaller tanks than the hobbyist would keep at home. Anyone have any insight?
What you see at the lfs are JUVIS. Juveniles of most clown species will be ok together until they mature and pair off. The pairs, especially the females, become very territorial. the territorial instincts seem to increase with time. I know there are exceptions (usually short-term); but I think it is a bad idea to keep more than one pair of clowns in any tank. Of course, the bigger the tank, the better the chances and Ocellaris will usually have a higher tolerance for other clowns than most. But IMO & IME, even two pair of mature Ocellaris in a large tank will often lead to just one pair remaining.
 
srfisher17

srfisher17

Active Member
Originally Posted by killer whale
http:///forum/post/3244423
The tank bred clownfish seem to do fine with other clownfish when adequate room and adequate hiding places are provided. True Percula however are much more aggressive. I've had success in the past, adding additional clownfish to an aquarium by rearranging the tanks decor. This made the aquarium's old residents worry more about finding a new home, so they had less time to harass the new tenants.

Tank bred Clowns are sold in almost every species, not just ocellaris.
 
starfishprime

starfishprime

Member
Originally Posted by srfisher17
http:///forum/post/3244801
What you see at the lfs are JUVIS. Juveniles of most clown species will be ok together until they mature and pair off. The pairs, especially the females, become very territorial. the territorial instincts seem to increase with time. I know there are exceptions (usually short-term); but I think it is a bad idea to keep more than one pair of clowns in any tank. Of course, the bigger the tank, the better the chances and Ocellaris will usually have a higher tolerance for other clowns than most. But IMO & IME, even two pair of mature Ocellaris in a large tank will often lead to just one pair remaining.
thanks, so from what I've seen, the whole gender neutral thing is only temporary; with the clownfish eventually maturing and trying to pair up? This definitely clarifies things for me thanks.
 
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