Clown Advise!

[steven11]

So i am getting ready to set up my next tank and was wanting to keep clowns. What i am wondering is how different spieces will get along. i was wanting diff. percs and maybe maroons but i hear that maroons get really nasty. I have not decided if i am going to build this tank myself or just buy one because i want 100gal+ but tall.(more cube than a 125 is) I figured that i would be able to keep a lot of clowns in this tank. I am only going to do softies(exp. lots of xenia, anenomies, star polyps, mushrooms and zoas). Ofcoarse like always, there will be a few other corals mixed in that catch my eyes. That is what is so great about the hobbie. But i am guessing if i have a lot of hostable corals then it will be easier to keep more clowns. For everyone that is wondering about the real reason behind the clown tank; my wife likes clowns meaning if there is a lot of clowns i can get a bigger tank.

Thanks in advance
Steven

 

[nano_reeflover]

You can only keep one type of clown in a tank. I don't know about how many of that one type though. Maybe someone with more experience will chime in.

 

[ronj]

that is a good front for getting a tank..lol...anyway, you can get a 120g i think that is tall.... look at the sizes of these all glass tanks
http://www.all-glass.com/products/aquariums/index.html
clowns can be very aggressive in numbers no matter what species... it just depends...sometimes they get along...i have a clarkii and a tomato... they get along fine, but i had to get rid of one of my tomato's that was bullying the others...it depends on the size of tank also...they still might get harrased, but not as much in a larger system...also, be careful what corals you mix in a tight space... they will end up having chemical warfare to fight for space...some corals cannot be placed close to others...

 

[steven11]

Thanks!

I plan on having a bunch of long tentacle anenomes and corlas that sway with the current. I appriciate as much advice as possible.

Steven

 

[mmkeeper]

I have two pink skunk clowns and one oc in the same 46 gallon with no problems.

 

[ronj]

what kind of lighting for the anemones are you planning on having???

 

[steven11]

MH lights. I want the clean look with the shimmer if you know what i mean. I am hoping to find some one that i can pick there brain on what i realy need for a set up and equiptment to best suit what i want in a tank.(Get it as close as i can from the start) I know i want all softies, clowns and heniocus. maybe an angel of some sort like a flame.

Steven

 

[returnofsid]

It's not absolutely true that you can only keep one species of clowns in a tank. It all depends on the species. For instance, I wouldn't ever recommend keeping more than one species if you had Maroon or Tomato Clowns in your tank. However, I know of a few people who have had wonderful success keeping Occellaris along with Perculas or Skunks. I've also recently seen a tank with 3 species of Clowns and all seemed to be getting along just fine. They kept to themselves. The owner of that tank did say that one large Skunk had to be removed. But if I remember right, there were actually Occellaris, Skunks and Black Percs, all in pairs.

 

[barrierreefcf]

I have kept a large female Maroon Clown in a 110 with a pair of Ocellaris. I also kept a L female Maroon with a pair of Percs in a 300. I have also tried to establish this mix in other tanks and have had it not work out. Making your anemone selection based on the species of clowns you choose, or vice versa, gives you a better chance of them truly taking to the anemone, although they often accept substitutes. BTA's are great hosts for maroons, tomatos, and usually percs/ocellaris although they can be stubborn about how long they take to try out the BTA's. I have also had good luck with Percs/Ocellaris taking to healthy "Sebae" anemones. Remember anemones are usually pretty sensitive to high temperature. The halides will be great but only if you can control the temp (chiller,fans,AC). If you want to talk system specifics PM me. Thats what I do!

 

[brettandlyndi]

returnofsid is correct, I too have read and have experience in keeping more than one species of clownfish in a tank. In my 55g tank, I have an ocellaris clown and pink skunk clown, both about the same size, and they get along great.

 

[ronj]

i forgot to mention one of my clowns... i have the clarkii, tomato, and the ons stuck to my glass that holds the seaweed for my tangs....lol j/k

 

[steven11]

Thank you all for the advice. I guess its a matter of live and let die.

Steven

 

[Elmo18]

Hi Steven.

I got your PM and will PM a bit later.

However, i wouldn't say "live and let die". Sounds like a James Bond movie. Seems pretty irresponsible that way.

In a simple fashion, choose a color you want, choose an attitude, choose water column, and please get an appropriate host

Best,
Ilham

 

[returnofsid]

When it comes to Clowns....I don't think you could ask for better advice that that given by Elmo!!! I've sure learned a lot about clowns from a great article he's written on the subject in the workshop section of RF forum!!

 

[steven11]

By live and let die (which is a GnR song ) i ment that it sounds like even if i do everything right like inter mixing like breads, compatible hosts, and tank size i still may have problems with individual clowns getting along. what i am trying to do is avoid as many bad issues as possible that way i dont loose any fish and waste money on good ideas that just dont work.