Mixing Clowns?

[Colts_U]

Hey guys! I've heard somepeople say that you shouldn't mix clowns, and others say its fine. I had 2 True Percula Clowns and sadly one died during a poweroutage due to a wind storm. Since then, I have been trying to find a mate for the remaining Percula and am having trouble finding one locally at the LFS ( I dont trust online fish stores and shipping is OUTRAGIOUS). So, I was thinking that since my percula doesnt have very strong black lines like some do (it looks like a very healthy occelarus) I thought I could maybe introduce an occelarus or if I could a maroon clown. Tell me what you think, your opinion really matters I only want what is best for the fish.

Thanks!

 

[garybuk]

Hey guys! I've heard somepeople say that you shouldn't mix clowns, and others say its fine. I had 2 True Percula Clowns and sadly one died during a poweroutage due to a wind storm. Since then, I have been trying to find a mate for the remaining Percula and am having trouble finding one locally at the LFS ( I dont trust online fish stores and shipping is OUTRAGIOUS). So, I was thinking that since my percula doesnt have very strong black lines like some do (it looks like a very healthy occelarus) I thought I could maybe introduce an occelarus or if I could a maroon clown. Tell me what you think, your opinion really matters I only want what is best for the fish.

Thanks!

I have two tomato clowns(pair) and two commom (tank bred) clowns, the both pairs and fine togeather! and i didnt do anythink special to add them to the tank!

tomato clowns ware already in there! then few months later i added the common clowns!

Hope this helps!!!

 

[GShorty1981]

From what ive read occelarus and Percs are pretty much the same fish other than colouration and are fine together and will hybridise readily wheras the more chunky Clowns like Tomatos,Clarkii etc will bully and kill the smaller clowns.

If you have a large tank you could mix them up as they would have there own territorys,if you got something liek a 3ft tank it will be a blood bath.

But everything points to Percs and false Percs being fine together.

 

[Crazy fishes]

The fact is mixing Clowns is a bit hit and miss; as is evident in the wildly differing opinions. The safest way to deal with this is NOT to add another clown, but like most people you will add one regardless. Percula and Ocellaris Clowns are actually the smallest and most tolerant of clowns. If you had a pair before then they would presumably have been male and female. Your Clowns would have had a difference in size, sometimes this is small but is apparent. Which fish died the larger or the smaller? It does not change my advice it is an academic interest. The bottom line is that when the fish died it created a space in the 'hierarchy of Clowns'. If it was the smaller one then the larger one remains the female and if it was the larger one that died then the smaller will change to the female. You need to get a percula or ocellaris clown that is small, the smaller the better, because you know that it is a juvenile and may actually be accepted.

Steer well clear of the other clown species particularly maroons as you will be sending a fish to its death!!

Regards

 

[Colts_U]

ok good to know. It was the smaller one that died and I think part of the reason was from stress. It seemed to me like they were spawning because I noticed the male and female doing a wierd twiching and vibrating dance; though this could be signs of agression, im no expert! Anyway, I dont think that buying a smaller one would be good because of how aggressive the percula one is right now. It would keep beating down on the smaller one and nipping to the point that it got out of hand. Plus, during the poweroutage, it was hard to keep him alive. She is very aggressive and I would like to be able to get more peaceful fish (he is supposed to be semi-agressive). So, I thought that if I get a bigger occelarus and the percula could switch to a male, there would be less aggression in the tank.

Tell me what you think!

 

[Colts_U]

Oh really, wil they hybridize? Thats what I was hoping for. there really isnt a huge difference between true perulas and occelarus except for perculas generally have thicker black lines, but mine looks just like an occelarus!

 

[Crazy fishes]

Once a clown has moved up the hierarchy (eg juvenile to male or male to female) they can NOT go back so if you introduce a bigger fish they WILL just go at each other until one dies!! This is why I said the smallest fish because it will accept, more readily, being subservant and hopefully ( fingers cross) the female will accept him. It is not possible to say what she will do and if she was spawning then I would not bother as she is unlikely to accept any other fish. You could see if your LFS would trade her in for a spawning pair or two juveniles?? Just an idea.

You can get certain clowns to hybridize but it is a VERY limited combination of clowns. Also Maroons will NOT hybridize at all; they are the only species of Clown not belonging to the genus of Amphiprion. Instead they belong to Premnus and I believe they are the only member of this genus. The difference between maroons and the other clowns is that the Maroon has cheek spines as well as they won't spawn with other fishhence they are grouped separately.

Hope this helps

Regards

 

[GShorty1981]

Heres a Percula/Occerlaris hybrid (snowflake)

heres a Chrysopterus/Sandaracinos hybrid

 

[Colts_U]

hmmmm interesting. thanks for the help guys!

 

[littleme1969]

I would deffo say avoid both maroon and tomato clowns. They are both known for being real bullies and will chase down and kill others clowns if they take a dislike. I had a tomato myself for a while in a 5ft 100g and even with that size tank he would not tolerate another clown in the tank. Marrons again are known for being very nasty.
The comments above where good advise. get as small as possible and also try to buy from a place that has a tank full. That way no dominance will have occured and the chances of getting a male are much higher. Ive had sucess and mixing the commons, also I have 2 black and white sadle backs that have gone into that tank with little fuss. The black and white though a little more epensive and rare I have found to be supper hardy and tough little guys and they make a great addition to any reef. My female hosts a clump of pom pom xenia though she wont share it with the other 2.
Take your time and look around and always have a back up plan ready! quarantine tank or other reef to put the newbie into just in case it does not work. You can tell within the first few hours how its going to go. I found at first they where all over each other , then about half an hour later the bigger fish put the smaller ones in their place and peace was restored. If its bad news they will go for the kill straight away. I had one killed in 5 mins before I could get the other guy out

 

[sacramonel]

I think the thing when adding a second clown is to ensure you pick the other sex. The reason clowns coexist in such a tandem is that they are most probably a mated pair. Now you state the smaller of the clowns has passed. I believe that it would have been the male that passed. In your case I would get another male ( I could be wrong about the sexes but I do believe I read the smaller of the pairing is always the male). Secondly, just because a new purchase is small doesn't necessarily mean it is a male. It could simply be young and not have grown. As to the heirarchy concept, also remember you never know if the new purchase has made that transition yet. It would most likely have been in contact with other clowns at the LFS and could have started the change then.

Also, I have noticed that the bigger species of clowns (Cinnamon, Clarki, Maroon) are much more agressive towards smaller species (ocellaris, percula). And anything with a maroon (even another maroon) just will not work. The more agressive maroon will destroy any other clown unless in a rather large tank. I had the pleasure of taking a behind the scenes tour of the Adventure Aquarium in Camden New Jersey. They have a beautiful 100 gallon display of clowns and anemones. There were maybe 30, and none were the bigger species noted above. The curator (couldn't remember his name) stated bluntly that it was attempted with the bigger species but it was not good.

 

[humpy_the_humphead_wrasse]

think the thing when adding a second clown is to ensure you pick the other sex

um arent clowns born without a sex and cant they change depending on whats in the tank?

 

[littleme1969]

Once settled in a tank the dominant animal will always become female. So if you are trying to get another to mix then you should try and get a male. Best way to do this is to buy from a large tank of them that are yougsters. Doing this will mean that no sex will have been selected at that point so the fish you buy could become either depending on the tank you add it to. Once a female always a female and if the female dies the male will move up and become the female agin so again you need to get a male..lol its all a bit mad

 

[kubora666]

if a snowflake is just a hybrid why is it ridiculously expensive in the LFS ? surely it would be cheaper like most hybrids

 

[Crazy fishes]

if a snowflake is just a hybrid why is it ridiculously expensive in the LFS ? surely it would be cheaper like most hybrids

Possibly because they are a rarity amongst hybrids.

Regards