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Brightwhite
05-13-2010, 06:53 PM
Is it possible? And if so how do you do it so no one dies. Tnx :)

ponokareefer
05-13-2010, 07:42 PM
Are you talking different kinds, or multiple clowns of the same species?

If it is the same species, add them all at the same time, and you'll be fine. If you are adding some in after the fact, add smaller ones, and try to re-aquascape some.

If it is of different species, it is more difficult. It can be done but you have to do a lot of things:
-try to add them at the same time. If not, then and try to re-aquascape some.
-have a long enough tank, minimum 4 feet. The larger the tank, the more likely you are to succeed. What size of tank are you attempting it with?
-get less aggressive species, such as percs, false percs, skunks. If you try Tomatoes or Cinnamon's, you are going to have a very difficult time.
-cross your fingers, and be prepared to get some out if the aggression will not stop.

Brightwhite
05-13-2010, 09:05 PM
I have a 20g with one misbar perc and one semi-picasso. I wanted to add either a semi-snowflake or just a reg true perc.

fishoholic
05-13-2010, 09:18 PM
I would say your tank is way to small for multiple clowns. What ponokareefer wrote is what I usually find to be true. The bigger the tank you have the better it will be for multiple clowns and the more peacefull clowns do better with one another then the more aggressive ones and it helps when you add them all at the same time.

I tried a black and white clown with my percs in my 230g tank and they never got along, the black and white always picked on the percs even though they hosted at opposite ends of the tank. However I have skunks and percs in there now and they all get along. But 230g is a lot bigger then 20g and I think if my tank was smaller they might not get along.

ponokareefer
05-13-2010, 09:43 PM
As fishoholic wrote, 20 gallons is too small to try this with. You're likely to see a lot of fins go missing in a short period, or one jump out.

gobytron
05-13-2010, 09:54 PM
I think that if you initially added them all at once, you might manage...
Especially with captive bred clowns.

You still might if you remove the current residents, re aquascape completely and then add all 3 simultaneously.

Clowns are funny as once the dominant female becomes mature, it's really up to her which males are worth keeping around and which should be chased away.

IME, the actual species has less to do with this than the actual mating preferences of the big momma.


It's worth a try, just be ready to deal witha dead fish or return the clown to the lfs or another reefer if he gets rejected.

Brightwhite
05-13-2010, 10:45 PM
Ok. Well what will happen if they don't get along? The other two will pick on him and he will die?

Nebthet
05-14-2010, 06:09 AM
Your tank is definately too small for anything over two clowns. You should have a minimum 56g (36x18x22) but the longer the better.

I have 4 clowns in my tank right now and there is minimal aggression.
I had the one big female in there first at the beginning of last may, and then I got a couple baby onyx clowns, thumbnail size, and added them in, but within a container within the tank for 4-5 months until they were big enough to not get eaten by my other fish.
I then added another Picasso in July of that time frame and never had any problems with any of them.

Now the babies have paired up and the Big Female SI Onyx and Picasso have paired up.

Rogue951
05-14-2010, 06:48 AM
I've had 2 ocellaris clowns for 3 years now and wanting to try pairing them up I bought 2 more small ones from J&L. they're all one happy 4some almost smothering my poor bta. lol.
they look quite happy all together.

gobytron
05-14-2010, 01:58 PM
I'm not proud of it, but I kept 3 clowns in an aquapod 12 for 3 months when I was a noob...

No aggression whatsoever.

reefwars
05-14-2010, 02:05 PM
i have 4 clowns in my tank a skunk ,a mated pair of cinnamons,and a large tomato.they honestly hate each other and stay to their own sides of the tank if one leaves and crosses anothers territories they attack, so the skunk stays in his anemone and the pair in the middle with the tomato on the end if my tank wasnt 6 ft long im sure they would kill each other over night.in order to get clowns of diff kinds to stay alive in the same tank you will need lots of hiding places and space, feed them where they are dont force them to leave their territory,if a fight breaks out split them up for a bit before someone losses a fin or dies.having them host things is good and bad they want to protect their investment so when another clown comes around they will fight honorably so i keep a number of things for them to host if need be.

in all honesty in a 20g tank i would stick to the less aggressive species or stick with the same ones or a tank divider they are easy to install in a small tank i had to go that route once and i just cut small holes in the divider to keep water flowing good.

gobytron
05-14-2010, 02:14 PM
Guys...
You are not guaranteed aggression from clown just because you are putting them in a smaller tank together.
When they are added, the level of each ones sexual maturation and the overall size of each specimen play major roles in whether they will form a family unit or not.

There are no guarantees one way or the other.

I say you rescape and give it a shot but be prepared to pull out any fish that gets rejected by the mature female.

I highly reccommend picking up this book
http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/lit-cfb/Clownfishes+by+J.+Wilkerson+%28Softcover%29.html

and doing some reading on clowns and then based on your interpretation of the facts, do whatever you think is viable

reefwars
05-14-2010, 02:19 PM
i totally agree with gobytron your not guaranteed aggression and your not guaranteed acceptance you can only try and see what happens if you lose a fish lesson learned if they thrive then another lesson learned.

Brightwhite
05-16-2010, 07:13 AM
well after a long debated trip to the fish store i decided to buy the clowns and see what happened. here i am 2 days later and everyone likes eachother. no aggresion, and everyone has their own sleeping space :)

SeaHorse_Fanatic
05-16-2010, 07:32 AM
I have 3 False Percs in my 210g mixed reef with no problems. Sometimes they all go in the same anemone. Sometimes they pair off. Sometimes they each take a different host. No rhyme or reason. No problems or aggression. Luck of the draw.

Anthony