Did i make a mistake????

[preston469]

Okay so I set up a 55Gal Tank about 4 weeks ago and just added my first fish, they are 4 little clown fish about 1" long each. 2 Snowflake clowns and 2 white ocellaris clowns and this morning when the lights are coming on they have been fighting each other like crazy, I'd really hate to see any of them die, any help or info would be great!

Tank setup 55Gal
50lbs live rock
40lbs sand

parameters
ammonia 0
Nitrates 0
Nitrites 0
PH 8.1
1.024

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Too many clowns. You only want 1 pair in a tank that size. They're going to fight until you separate them or they kill each other.

 

[Diamond1]

Clown fish can be very aggressive to their own species.
I would only have 2 of them in a tank that size. Any more than that your asking for trouble.

 

[preston469]

Thanks guys gonna try and decide which ones to remove now :/

 

[ohio reefer]

I'd keep one snowflake and one white. And return the others. Multiple clowns can be done. But not long term, once a pair starts to mature or breed things will go south very quickly.

 

[HiddenUser]

Too many clowns. You only want 1 pair in a tank that size. They're going to fight until you separate them or they kill each other.

+1

Keep the snowflakes! :)

 

[preston469]

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Wow! Those are all beautiful...that would be a tough decision.

 

[preston469]

Wow! Those are all beautiful...that would be a tough decision.

I know!, it's gonna be very hard I might end up keeping the whites just because I have a pair of black ice snowflake clowns at home

 

[BENT STIX]

I kept 10 clowns in a 45. However... They did not fight because there were plenty of anemones for them all.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

I kept 10 clowns in a 45. However... They did not fight because there were plenty of anemones for them all.

Interesting...how long did you keep them there?

 

[preston469]

I do have 2 nems at home I plan to transfer at a later date tanks not ready yet I'd hate to kill my nems

 

[darren.funk]

Those platinum clowns are like 200$... You better not kill one, otherwise if you are I want one for free

 

[preston469]

They are separated already?

 

[djoutkast22]

Well the platinums are perculas and the snowflakes are occ's so there for the reason of fighting

 

[Trex]

Well the platinums are perculas and the snowflakes are occ's so there for the reason of fighting

Tell that to my mixed pair --- B&W O, and wild caught SI perc --- can't be 100% sure because of where the rock is placed, but it appears that they have been spawning for the last couple of months.

 

[tektite]

Well the platinums are perculas and the snowflakes are occ's so there for the reason of fighting

No, percula vs. occelaris is not the reason they're fighting. Just too many clowns, only one bonded/mated pair in a tank that size.