[computron]

Hello Everyone, Wife and I are starting a salt tank (thanks for the all the info in the guide Mr. Gripp). We have been looking at the different Fish and belive we want to have mostly or even all Clown fish in the tank, And could use some help with some of these Questions
1 Are there any Species of clown fish that will not live together?
2 About how much water Per clown and anemones Should i have?
3 Can Clowns Cross Bread? If So With this many Clowns Should I expect some cross Breading?
4 Any Other info would be great!h

[mtfabel]

First off most clowns will not accept other clowns in the tank,unless it is large tank, with the exception of true percs(I think, someone will correct me if Im wrong). Not sure about the water per clown thing. I have never heard of any type of clown cross breeding.
I personaly have 2 black and white clowns and 1 maroon gold stripe clown in a single tank. But my tank is a 180 gallons and even this is borderline sometimes. I have seen them quabble with each other on a few occasions.

[ilovemash]

Clown fish are known to go in small schools sometimes so yes this is very do-able. Rule of thumb with fish in a tank, or at least with mine, is 1-2 inches of fish per US gallon. A few things you should note though. First clowns can be very territorial when it comes to an aquarium, so add them all at the same time or close to it, if you add them at separate times you risk have territorial feuds between your fish. The one clown that I know of that is really not compatible with other clowns is the Maroon clown fish, and/or Gold Stripe maroon clown fish, these clowns are extremely territorial and should be kept alone or if you are lucky enough in a mated pair. Other than that I am pretty sure most clowns will be ok with each other. You may want to monitor the tank at first to see if there are any discrepancies between the fish. With clown fish there is system of dominance, the largest clown is the female followed by smaller males in the species. Another problem you may encounter is the dominant female of one species fighting with the dominant female of another species, just something you may want to take note of when adding fish. As for anemones, that is a tough one. You would probably want to add quite a few anemones to the tank, but realize unless they are mated the clowns will rarely share an anemone. Also you risk the chance of not one clown adopting the anemone, but that will be rare in your case.

[blind1993]

also try to just stick with false and true perks they are the best.

[rlcline76]

Too bad, I have a clownfish I need to find a home for...you are a little far away.
This is my experience. I can kill just about anything, but I cannot kill my clowns. My tomato has gone on a murderous rampage this week and needs to find somewhere else to be. Clowns are OK, my kid likes them, but if I were you, I would be tempted to only keep one kind of clown. As the other members have said, clowns are territorial. My other clowns have terrorized other fish to death.

If you do get these clowns to tolerate, it could be short lived. I would be concerned if one or a couple of then became ill and had to be seperated for QT for a few weeks to a month. It doesn't take too long for the others to not miss them and to take over the tank. You might have trouble reintroducing them.

I'm sorry, I am living this and I am ticked off. I am coming from a bad place today!

Becky

[Tecton]

My pair of clowns will not adopt my bubble anemone. Mater of fact they swim day and night. I don't think they ever rest. How can I get my pair of clowns to adopt the anemone?

[JNeslen]

Hi Computron,
What you are hearing about incompatibility of clownfish is accurate. And, you may discover new territorial problems as clowns grown.
One brief reply I thought quite nice was just stick with Ocellaris (Common or False Percula) and True Percula. I would wait until your tank is all cycled, then add the clowns you want, staying on the conservative side, numbers-wise. as they will grow. Adding more clowns, even of the same type, over time can be risky, as the established ones have their territories.
Also, I have had good luck purchasing fish over the Internet. I was skeptical at first, but the prices were so good I tried it out, and have overall been happier than with my local stores.
As for anemones, in terms of what I have read and experienced, they are quite difficult to keep. You not only need strong lighting so the anemones can culture the algae in their tissues they feed on, but nutrients in the water are part of it also.
If you want to try anemones, go with the cheaper Atlantic anemones first, I have seen clowns accept them.
I don't mean to be a wet blanket, but anemones are tough in a non-reef tank (at least they have been for me) and I would like to see you avoid spending money on an invert you might well lose, as I have.
But, others may have a brighter scenario, which would interest me greatly.
Best of luck with your clowns, I have always loved them and even bred them some years back.
Jeff

[DEWAYNE]

I Do Agree With The Info. That You Have Received, I Have Tried More Than One Type Of Clown In My 110g. Tank......... No Luck, The Bigger These Guys Get, They Seem To Get More Aggressive.

[lynnvangsnes]

I have not had good luck with more than one clown in a tank. It was a 70 gallon tank, and I had a perc and a maroon. The perc went in first, and a couple weeks later the maroon went in. the perc mercilessly attacked the maroon. It did so much damage to the gills that the maroon was dead quickly. I do not recommend multiple species of clowns, unless your tank is huge.

[Cl0wnx3]

ive got 4 diff species of clown in mine i would stay clear of differnt shaped clowns living together such as a clarki and true percula etc. Your best is to buy them all at once at small sizes and introduce them all at the same time so they can establish there own territories all at once

[gimmito]

Computon, Congrat's on getting your wife to agree to a saltwater tank !
1. As stated clownfish can be "very" territorial. A good beginner clownfish is a true or false percula. Species should not be mixed unless it is in a very large tank (example 180 gal).
2. Just from experience, get the largest tank you can afford and have space for. The larger the tank the more space for your fish, more room for error, etc.
3. As, far as I know only false and true perculas will crossbreed.
4. Recommended reading Clownfishes by Joyce Wilkersen and the website Wetwebmedia, Aquarium, Pond, Marine and Freshwater Fish, reef tanks, and Aquatics Information