How territorial are Clownfish compared to their damsel kin?

[Zionas]

While the territorial tendencies of damsels are often discussed, I wonder how much more or less territorial Clowns are compared to their kin. How much territory would a pair of Clownfish use (approximately) and is it species dependent?

Are Clowns like the relatively more peaceful species of damsels where they stick to a rock or cave, controlling maybe like a foot of space horizontally (in both directions)?

 

[reefviper101]

While the territorial tendencies of damsels are often discussed, I wonder how much more or less territorial Clowns are compared to their kin. How much territory would a pair of Clownfish use (approximately) and is it species dependent?

Are Clowns like the relatively more peaceful species of damsels where they stick to a rock or cave, controlling maybe like a foot of space horizontally (in both directions)?

Hi zionas
I have 2 clowns 2 cromas 2 yellow tail damsels. In a 36 g bowfront they get along great share whole tank now thats not true with all damsels had a neon and black whit strip damsels had to get rid of both bullies hope this helps

 

[mort]

It's a tricky question because in the wild clowns would be in their anemone but not move to far from it but in our tanks they often don't have an anemone so roam further.
For me it's also a question that depends on a couple of variables, are the clowns breeding? and are you adding new fish? As we are only talking about the peaceful damsels then I would say they are far less trouble than the average pair of clowns over their lifetime. I've not really had issues other than the odd chase, when adding new fish, from my chrysiptera damsels but my clowns have relentlessly gone after many new fish added and took chunks out of their fins (and this is when they aren't even breeding). They see no issue with swimming five feet to take a lump out of me if they are breeding and I had a single cinnamon clown in a nem that live in a 8ft coral tray, up one end, that would swim those 8ft to do the same. I had a pair of nasty dascyllus damsel in another 6ft tray that would only attack you if you got within a couple of feet.

It does very massively with the pair of clowns, some bite us if we put our hands in the tank but others don't really care. The pairs I have now (blackfoot skunks and Darwins) don't cause any issues to any fish, or me, even when they have eggs.

 

[Haydn]

I feel this is an impossible question to answer reasonably because there must be over 250 species of damselfish, which inhabit almost every area of a reef and beyond. Some species are very territorial, others much less so. Some species are less than 2" some get to 10".

There are at least 30 different species of clownfish identified in the wild, each species has different territorial needs- eg. a skunk clown will hold a much smaller territory than say a Maroon. Then throw in tank bred clowns which I have found do not host as protectively (except Maroons!)

 

[vetteguy53081]

Clowns are just as bad if not worse as they especially during pairing and spawning will literally kill a fish and bite your hands

 

[mainereefer]

Depends on type of clown... gold stripe maroon will kill anything in its space my female killed 4 males before she bonded... nevermind put any other fish in her tank.
An occy. Clown are generally peaceful when breeding they wont let anything within 12" of her spot she will defend but not to the death like a gold stripe maroon.
I just picked up a mccullochi and what I've read they are even meaner than a gold stripe