Multiple Clownfish Pairs Within Same System

[GJevstachi]

Hello!

Just a question for future (just have one small 10 gallon tank now, my first saltwater) wanted to get input on tanks with multiple pairs of clowns! Can you do different varieties of clowns? Or better to keep all the same? Territory? As well as is it one pair per anemone that will host, So good to have a larger amount fo anemone? :D thanks in advance! (Hoping to get a bigger tank in the future and like to preplan) share your experiences & any photos to! :)

 

[fishguy242]

multiple pairs not likely,more or less a harem will work in larger system ,they will decide pairing :)

 

[MoreReefPlease]

You either have to completely overstock it with clowns, have a big enough tank where the groups can have their own territory (and usually have to be introduced at the same time) or just a pair.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

multiple pairs not likely,more or less a harem will work in larger system ,they will decide pairing :)

Yep! I've seen some really cool harem tanks.

 

[Bdroid]

my tank has 3 snowflakes and 2 lightning maroon in a 90 gallon. 4 out of the 5 has paired up. It’s doable but you definitely need to constantly keep watch to ensure the less dominant one doesn’t get beat up too much...it’s a though process

 

[ThRoewer]

I have a pair of Sumatra Goldbar Maroons living peacefully side by side with a pair of Philippine ocellaris:






The key is that each pair has an anemone the other pair has no interest in.
The Ocellaris have no interest in the BTA of the Maroons and the Maroons are not interested in the Ocellaris' magnifica.

So this works best with species that have very specific anemone preferences. It is much harder to do with species that accept a large number of host-anemones.

 

[drblakjak55]

Short answer. Not in a ten gallon. In the video above. Those pairs will not continue to get along

 

[ThRoewer]

... In the video above. Those pairs will not continue to get along

They have now been together for 9 months. There was a bit fighting at the beginning but at this point, they get along without even a threatening gesture.
I have seen a similar arrangement at the Steinhardt Aquarium in SF where fully grown maroons occupy anemones right next to others with skunks.
We will see how this continues, but so far I'm optimistic. In my experience, goldbar maroons are actually one of the less aggressive Anemonefish species.
There is actually a study on maroons sharing a BTA clone colony with a number of other anemonefish species (clarkii, perideraion, sandaracinos, and melanopus).

 

[jrlg]

I have 4 clowns, 2 Black and White Percula and 2 Ocellaris in my tank, but its 200G and 7 feet long, when I put them in the tank I gave the fish a stern warning the sump was the "timeout" tank and to play nice. For the most part they stay grouped together in a corner during the day and if someone needs room they will venture to the middle of the tank. but they all eat w/o aggression and at night all 4 will be in the same corner of the tank, no anemones in the tank yet and first and the pairs were added 4 months apart.

 

[Ardeus]

They have now been together for 9 months. There was a bit fighting at the beginning but at this point, they get along without even a threatening gesture.
I have seen a similar arrangement at the Steinhardt Aquarium in SF where fully grown maroons occupy anemones right next to others with skunks.
We will see how this continues, but so far I'm optimistic. In my experience, goldbar maroons are actually one of the less aggressive Anemonefish species.
There is actually a study on maroons sharing a BTA clone colony with a number of other anemonefish species (clarkii, perideraion, sandaracinos, and melanopus).

Is there a video of that?

 

[RollTideReefer]

I have a 5ft 140 gallon tank with four clownfish. They were all introduced at the start of the tank. Strangely enough, the large female rotates which two males she allows in her group. It seems that often times one of the three males will be cast out of the group for a couple of weeks and then it rotates. So three will be hanging out on the right side of the tank while one swims by himself at the opposite end.

 

[DeniseAndy]

They can get along short term. Meaning up to 2yrs. Then, the mating pairs will take over and kill any other female clowns on site. Seen it too many times. IME unfortunately.
Now, I do have 5 saddlebacks in my hadonni tank, so we will see in the long haul. They have their pecking order and ranks already, but no mating yet.

 

[code4]

I have not wanted to chance it. Pair of snowflake clowns in one tank for 9 plus years and a young pair for 2 years in my 140 gallon. Don't think I want to tempt fate with their well being.

 

[jrlg]

They can get along short term. Meaning up to 2yrs. Then, the mating pairs will take over and kill any other female clowns on site. Seen it too many times.

I will keep an eye on them and move a pair to the sump or another tank, they do the mating twich now but not seeing anything else

 

[ThRoewer]

Is there a video of that?

The melanopus can be seen at the beginning of the video.

And then there is this research paper: Cohabitation promotes high diversity of clownfishes in the Coral Triangle

And different species of anemonefish being close to each other is by no means rare in the wild:

And pairs of some of the species lumped together under A. clarkii frequently share anemones with pairs of other species: Coexistence of two anemonefishes, Amphiprion clarkii and A. perideraion, which utilize the same host sea anemone

 

[DeniseAndy]

In the wild it happens yes, just never seen it work long term in captivity. JME

 

[ThRoewer]

In the wild it happens yes, just never seen it work long term in captivity. JME

When I started my first reef tank in the late 70s everyone told me that you can't keep reef fish in pairs (aside from anemonefish and some damsels, mandarins, seahorses & pipefish, and others that are easily sexed). I never bought into that a tried it - successfully!
In the 90s I had even pairs of dwarf and large angels, other fish anyway.

If it works in the wild it works in captivity - you just need to find the right environmental parameters.

Also, in my experience, maroons are chickens that are afraid of their own shadow. Nearly all other anemonefish species I have or have had are more vicious. My current maroon female was always larger than the ocellaris female but in any confrontation they had in the past she was the one to give in and run.

 

[DeniseAndy]

I have seen really large systems contain more than one species in public aquariums. I just have never been successful in trying many ways with many species. I have a 7ft long 210g tank and still they eventually find each other and become killers. Took 1.5yrs once, but still did.
Not saying it cannot be done, only that in my experience have not seen it done successfully. I hope someone finds a way to do it and shares.
I would love more than one pair in the 210g I have. :)

 

[TrishK]

So we’ve had a pair of Ocellaris clowns. Don’t know if they were a mates pair. Had them awhile and never noticed egg laying. One is turning to a black and white. The other is staying orange and white and is definitely a female as she’s always been bigger and acts like the boss.

I thought I had read if you stayed with same species and your tank was big enough you could add another pair so I purchased ORA Premium Snowflakes. Put them in last night after their time in Qt.

The other two “hosts” the side of one of the overflows in our 180g so we put these two in last night after lights out on the opposite side by our torches and there they stayed.

Well this afternoon all hell broke loose when the orange ones found out there were new clowns. The bigger female new white one boldly will swim to the other side and then the two females fight like crazy. I had to put the whites ones in an acclimation box to get it to stop. I put them on the orange clowns side of the tank so they’d get used to them being around. How long should I keep them there? They’re very hyper fish and zoom about 90 miles a hour constantly and they’re not going to like the box for long. When we do take them out I plan to place eggcrate diagonal against the glass and sump on the other side so they are trapped with the torches for awhile and maybe decide that they like that side and the female won’t go looking for trouble. If that doesn’t work we’ll have to pull the original clowns for awhile and try that. Any different suggestions?

 

[DeniseAndy]

It will not work. They will need a different tank or new home. Long term, mulitple pairs do not work. Well, unless you have a giant tank maybe. In my 7' 210g never worked (for almost 2 years was good, then the dam broke). Just a matter of time. FME