Clownfish Circus (harem) Club!

chizerbunoi

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Depends if your adding lots or a few. If a few then no because they will claim the territory and aggression will occur right away, vs growing up together if a single batch with nothing but them in the tank.

I do recommend adding anemones later when your tank is stable.
 

dominion813

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I’m starting a circus my self I have five in there right now I’m haveing a little bit of a aggression problem as of today the two osalarus I have started picking on my Picasso they recently started this sinse my blizzard clown won’t allow them to get in the rbta I have not sure if I can do anything to make this work besides rehoming them the three that are fighting now we’re added at the same time there was two already in my 90 gallon
 

AJ192

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I’m starting a circus my self I have five in there right now I’m haveing a little bit of a aggression problem as of today the two osalarus I have started picking on my Picasso they recently started this sinse my blizzard clown won’t allow them to get in the rbta I have not sure if I can do anything to make this work besides rehoming them the three that are fighting now we’re added at the same time there was two already in my 90 gallon
I think you are experiencing aggression because the fish are of different color variations (clowns are extremely racist fish) and that there are not enough clowns in the tank to disperse aggression. I think your best bet based off all my research would to rehome all the clowns and get 20 or so of all the same color variation; either from the same clutch or very small in size. The reason I suggest so many is because it will disperse aggression similar to African cichlid tank.
 

dominion813

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Funny thing is is my African cichlids are less aggressive than this I have a one fifty gallon right now with a variety and no deaths yet but if this keeps going I may have to start over but that could get costly domt ya think buying 20 clowns at one shot lol
 

AJ192

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I wouldn’t be able to get away with buying a few at a time or
I don’t think so but I’m not exactly sure. I have read that you should add them all at once, but your way might work. Does anyone else wanna chime in? I’m planning to purchase all 32 at once because I’ve read that works and then shipping cost for me is reduced.
 

KingTideCorals

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I miss my harem so much...

Had a gorgeous group of 3 misbar black occelaris and two midnight clowns.. Were such a fun group lost them to heater getting unplugged while I was out of town on hurricane relief work..

This thread makes me want another one badly!
 

Shaun_in_Cali

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I have worked to create a natural environment and gotten schooling behavior before. Not saying you guys might not be right in the end, but I think I'll stick with it for a while and see. Here's my tank from 2011:


Beautiful tank. Thanks for posting the video.
 

Hot2na

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I recently had an ocellaris and a perc in my 75...both the same size (small 1")...they got alond fine for months ..even slept next to each other at night in a clamshell...throw in a gig anemone...and BAM !! WW III has erupted overnight....
 

dominion813

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So I ended up going with 9 Picasso clowns from the same clutch I have them in with my maroon clown (blizzard) and a ton of anemones everyone is getting along just fine with the occasional pec and twitch heee and there !! Thanks for all the advice
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jenniferreichardt

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I’m cycling my 60 cube. Planning on clown harem with ocellaris. How many can I put in there? I’m thinking 20...too many? It’ll be full if bta’s soon.
 

D-Nak

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I’m cycling my 60 cube. Planning on clown harem with ocellaris. How many can I put in there? I’m thinking 20...too many? It’ll be full if bta’s soon.
Just go slooooow. Once the tank is ready for anemones (and I don't mean once the tank is cycled, but once it's mature enough for anemones) add a few BTAs and let them get established. Then, and only then, should you consider getting the clownfish.
 

ClownSchool

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Let's start a thread on R2R for those who are trying to successfully keep a group of clownfish in a tank.

Historically, a pair of clownfish per tank has been the best way to successfully keep clownfish, especially more aggressive types like Maroons. However, there have been occurrences where reefkeepers successfully put together "harem" tanks, or circuses.

Famous tanks:

Bulk Reef Supply 120 Gallon

https://aquarium.bulkreefsupply.com/reefing/Clownfish-Harem-Tank?af=tab:videos

Mobert (Mona)'s tank
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1259398
I have a pair of Clarkii clowns. Is it common for them to host in different anemones?
 

agame2021

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My game plan:
I have a 150 gallon tank with a 30 gallon sump. Filter socks for filtration that I change 2 times a week rn.
Currently preparing tank for a clown harem over the next year. I now have 4 rose bubble tip anemones and am going to buy more of different color variations. I want to give the tank a slow build for a year let the nems build up and split to really cover the tank.
rn I have a purple fire fish goby and a foxface rabbitfish(to keep the rocks clean… wish yellow tangs weren’t so expensive rn). I am waiting on a pair of clowns I am going to keep and maybe try and breed for a clutch in the future(I will keep these clowns and buy them in a BTA grow out tank later). I want to keep a clutch of all the same ocellaris clowns for a year or two then build up for a clown circus! I am thinking of upgrading the tank and doing 3-4 groups of 9 different colored clowns. I’m thinking frostbite, mocha gladiator(my wife’s favorite), a black snowflake and maybe some black frostbites once some more people start breeding them regularly.

anyways I feel like it will take me a good 3-4 years to feel comfortable trying out the circus tank but I am excited for it! I hope to have a really big tank at that point, like close to 500 gallons. The difference will be once I have that tank I am going to keep some tangs and cuc to try and keep things a little balanced in the tank. With that much space I don’t think I will have an issue with a little bit of a mix and the 3-4 different groups of clownfish.
 

DeniseAndy

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I have a pair of Clarkii clowns. Is it common for them to host in different anemones?
Yep. The female will decide which she wants and then take all of them as she pleases. The male will just go into whichever she lets him. :)
 

firehawk922

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I tried to introduce a group of 11 small clownfish to an established couple but an immediate outburst of brooklynella took 10 fish away.

That was some months ago and now I have a trio with no signs of aggression until now.


I watched many of your videos and they are awesome. The baby cardinals was a great one too.
 

Freshwater filter only or is it? Have you ever used an HOB filter on a saltwater tank?

  • I currently use a HOB filter on my reef tank.

    Votes: 51 25.1%
  • I don’t currently use a HOB filter on my reef tank, but I have in the past.

    Votes: 51 25.1%
  • I have used a HOB on fish only or quarantine tanks, but not on the display tank.

    Votes: 48 23.6%
  • I have never used a HOB on a saltwater tank.

    Votes: 49 24.1%
  • Other.

    Votes: 4 2.0%
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