Mix clowns! Don't Mix clowns! ?????

[spanky]

We love clowns. We've got a pair of small aqua-cultured perculas now, and we'd love to add some others.
On this site I went to the fish section, clicked on the percula, and read the notes. Right at the top it said, "Don't mix with other clownfish." Then, in the paragraph right below the warning, it says how great Perculas are at mixing with other clowns in the same tank.
That's pretty bizarre, but it's representative of the conflicting advice I've been reading. :notsure:
What say ye? Can we add a Maroon or a Tomato. Maybe a Black Percula?

 

[slammy16]

I think its kinda a gamble to add a maroon. I had 1 false percula and then later added a maroon they were fine for a while until my maroon took refuge in my bubble coral then he was very defensive of his new home. I eventually bought a LTA for him and he moved out and is now livin in it but, every now and then goes back to check out his old stomping grownds. Once he was living in these things it was like he got a new personallity he no longer would tolerate little NEMO swimming within a foot or so of his home. So NEMO was trapped up at the top of the tank or in the corners all the time and getting stressed out, so i went out and got me a 12g nano and now everyone is happy. Tomato's i dont have really any experience with at all but, a firend of mine had one and it did the same thing pretty much as mine it turned psycho and attacked his percula so he got rid of the tomato.
Just my 2 cents.
GOodluck

 

[spanky]

Thanks Slammy. Do you think the result would have been different if your tank had been larger or if you had several large, hospitable anemones? I'm thinking that we might be able to create several seperate clown habitats in the same tank by keeping several host anenomes in seperate areas of the tank. Do you think the maroons will leave their host to seek out a fight in another corner of a 150 gallon tank? How about a Black Percula? They're kinda neat too...

 

[thegrog]

Several anemones in a tank is quite an undertaking. You will need lots of lighting for a 120. As for the territory, maybe. Marroons are the most aggressive type of clown. You may have luck with a perc and say a clarkii.
Black clowns are really color variations of perculas and/or false perculas so no real difference.

 

[slammy16]

Well i think its kinda up to the anemone if it stays in each corner of the tank, my LTA will move from time to time. My maroon would swim a couple of feet away from his anemone to get at NEMO and you could just watch him stare at nemo as he would swim overhead, I really dont think it was healthy for either fish. One thing i heard also was not to keep odd numbers of clowns dont know how important or true that is just know i read it somewhere.

 

[spanky]

Originally Posted by TheGrog
Several anemones in a tank is quite an undertaking....
Why?
Our LFS will have four or five anemones in a five gallon space... and the lighting requirement is the same whether I have one or ten, right?
Also, the SWF.com note on perculas says is internally consistent - says they are good with other clowns and "don't mix". Which is it? If the black percula is just a color variation does that mean that they are more or less likely to get along with the two Perculas I have?
I have a grand total of about 11 inches of fish in a 150 gallon tanks with a bunch of inverts, so I can add another pair of clowns if that what it will take to keep the peace.
Maybe a pair of Clarkis?

 

[itchy]

I have a tomato mixed with my percs....this was a totaly accident as I thought the tomato had died because he was MIA for a while. So I bought my perc, when I moved I found the tomato living in my filter. Now to answer your question, the tomato was fine for the longest time. The very minute I added my BTA she became psychotic. She not only chases the perc away but will attack my hand if I put it anywhere near the BTA. She ahs become a major problem. Now she will not go after any of the other fish unless they are close to the BTA but will go out of her way to attack me. If I could catch her she would be packing her bags....just some food for thought.

 

[slammy16]

I think if you got another pair black ocellaris you would be ok. I just wouldnt go with the maroon or the tomato, like i said before im not King Neptune by any stretch of the imagination just from my experiences things havent gone as well as planned with these 2 types of clowns.

 

[spanky]

Thanks guys. Better safe than sorry... Maybe a pair of black perculas is the ticket :yes:

 

[ljn0221]

i have and occolaris with a black percula clown they love each other they hose the same anemone