Multiple Clown Fish?

jsteph24

jsteph24

Member
I have one perc clown fish right now, and I have heard mixed reports on mixing more than one of the same type of clown or mixing the different breeds of clowns. On SWF.com under the fish description, it says that perc clowns (and some others) do well with one or more and often like groups, and then the LFS tells me to only have one or a mated pair. I don't want to add fish that are going to beat eachother up! Does anybody have any suggestions?
 
sltwtrfan

sltwtrfan

Member
If you introduce different species of clowns at the same time i hear the chances of them doing well together are much better...It is when a clown declares dominance over the tank after being in it all alone that it is risky.
A guy i know has a 65 gallon.... 3 pairs of clowns (2 Tomato, 2 Saddle backs, 2 orange and whites)...
He has very good rock work though, which most likely makes their living situation much better.
 
rbaldino

rbaldino

Active Member
I've succesfully kept a tomato and a false perc. Here's how it went...
Many years ago (over 10 years) when I got into saltwater, the second fish I got (after a pair of yellow-tail damsels) was a false perc. I tried a flame angel after that, but he didn't make it. I wanted a red fish, so I got a tomato clown. That was in a 20 gallon tank. I soon moved up to a 30, then a 50, and eventually scaled back down to a 29, and still had the two clowns. Last December, I suffered a prolonged power outage and lost the false perc, who I'd had with the tomato for 10+ years. The tomato survived, and within a couple of weeks I got another false perc. The tomato and the new perc do fine together.
My experience is probably the exception to the rule, but it's probably not that unusual to keep two different clowns together. I think not ever having had an anemone helps. That way, the two clowns have never really had something to fight over.
 
jsteph24

jsteph24

Member
thanks for the replys!!! I have the one perc and recently added another and they are doing good so far. A little picking went on at first, but now they are swimming together and getting along. They are about the same size, one is a little bigger, so I hope I do not run into problems later on down the road when they become female!!! Thanks again!! :happyfish
 
captainemo

captainemo

Member
I have a pair of tomatos and pair of percs at work. They stay on opposite sides of the LR and hardly ever interact. They each have their own spot.
 
rbaldino

rbaldino

Active Member
Originally Posted by Ice4Ice
I give up .......

You'll be sorry ...
He may be sorry or he may not, there's no way to know for sure. For every person who says you can't do it, I hear another say they've done it (including myself).
 
bach

bach

Member
Have 3 purcs. They were fine together for a long time, then one got a little bigger and a pair was formed. They pick on the other. If you add any more clowns do it in a nutral environment first, like a quarentine tank. We added a little 4th clown and I forgot that rule and the three in the tank killed it. By the way that 3 secound memory for fish thing is bull....they were "hunting" for the little guy for 20 min or so after I removed him (still alive when I took him out). Cute but mean.
 
stieger

stieger

Member
I put in 2 false percs, with one bta. A week ago I put in anoter false perc that was even smaller than the other two, and it's fine. A couple days ago I put in another bta, and they are all happy swimming among the tentacles.
Stieger
 
lawman

lawman

Member
I have a sebae clown and currently have a coral beauty angel on hold at lfs. Someone mentioned earlier about a flame angel not making it with a clown. Should i re-think my coral beauty on hold?
 
lawman

lawman

Member
Originally Posted by Ice4Ice
Coral Beauty & Clownfish will do fine together. Multiple dwarf angels are not advisable.
Thanks
 
chinpokomon

chinpokomon

Member
Originally Posted by jsteph24
They are about the same size, one is a little bigger, so I hope I do not run into problems later on down the road when they become female!!! Thanks again!! :happyfish
They should sort out their --- in the next few months if there is enough size difference one will become female (larger) the other will become male (smaller) the size difference will become greater over time. If they stay the same size ya got girls! Unless you have a 100+gal setup with lots of rock work I'd stay with one host and one mated pair.
 
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