[Bamaguy]

I am starting a 90 gallon tank and was curious about the addition of clowns. I would like to add four but am not sure which are the hardiest for a FOWLR that will eventually become a reef. Also which functions the best without a anemone. I may add one down the road but right now I don't want to chance it. I had a anemone die in my first saltwater tank years ago and kill my fish. How should the clowns be added?

[reefnoob1991]

Anemones should be added after 6 months of having your tank...the water will be more stable. A group of clowns (if 4) will pair up

[Taras1]

Ditto Brandon. At Least 6 mos of break-in for your tank before you add your anemone.

If you'd like to add a school of clowns, get them all as tank raised juveniles and add them in together with the host anemone. It's interesting to watch them develop. In most cases, one will become the largest, which is your female. Only one female develops, the rest remain male, of which, one will become the second largest and therefore the dominant male. The others remain much smaller and are subdominant males. The interesting thing is, that if the female dies, the dominant male will change sex to a female and one of the remaining males will become the dominant male. The reverse is not true - once a female develops, she never becomes a male.

I've had both Tomato clowns in a previous tank and now have Maroons. You should not mix species.

Make sure you do your homework regarding which anemone hosts which clowns. Here's a link which can help.

http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/marin...mbioticMap.htm