Mixing Clowns

[Treebeard]

I had a percula and an ocellaris in my 46 gallon tank for 7 months and they got along great, as long as the smaller ocellaris stayed away from the perc's anemone. Until a couple of days ago,they both seemed healthy, but the ocellaris suddenly died for no apparent reason. Both of these guys were introduced to the tank about the same time, and fighting was not a problem. I would like to get another Clown, but I am wondering if buying another Perc would be the safest bet, since the other one is pretty much the boss of the tank. I would like to get a maroon or a clarkii, but not it it is going to end up beat all to heck by the perc.

[Keri]

I had a percula and an ocellaris in my 46 gallon tank for 7 months and they got along great, as long as the smaller ocellaris stayed away from the perc's anemone. Until a couple of days ago,they both seemed healthy, but the ocellaris suddenly died for no apparent reason. Both of these guys were introduced to the tank about the same time, and fighting was not a problem. I would like to get another Clown, but I am wondering if buying another Perc would be the safest bet, since the other one is pretty much the boss of the tank. I would like to get a maroon or a clarkii, but not it it is going to end up beat all to heck by the perc.

This is likely the problem, whether you saw it or not the smaller fish was stressed, maybe didn't eat as much making him more likely to get sick. I would get another perc,mixing clowns is always risky, why mess with something that works? (Besides, percs are beautiful) Get a smaller perc than the one you currently have - one that's still male and you should have better success :)

[merryj99]

Well we had one of our Percula's pass a while back and just got another today, it is smaller (about half the size) but the larger one just chases it around the tank, is this normal at first? Maybe he will be going back tomorrow...or should we just let them work it out, I don't want anything bad to happen to the little guy.

[OCDP]

I had a pair of True Percs, and lost the male. I went and purchased a tank bred Ocellaris for the female, and had not a single problem. They went through little bits of the female chasing him around, but they settled in and were a pair until I shut the old tank down.


merryj99: I would keep a close eye on the male. So long as there is only male and female (male being noticeably smaller than female) they should sort it out. I am not a clown expert so don't hold me to anything, but I think they should be fine. Sounds like the female is breaking him in, showing him whose boss. Just keep a close eye on them and go from there.

[merryj99]

Well they seem to be getting along much better not, not so much chasing and they are seeming to be co-existing. Now I have another question, I am not sure which clown we lost the make or Female as we never did find the body...so does the bigger one just automatically become the female and the new smaller one the male. We had the other pair for about 5 years.

[dsaundry]

I just posted on a thread for another member [noirsphynx] trying to pair up a Gsm clown, I think my method would work well for any member of the clown family..