Adding 2 more clowns....

Djtonton · Aug 24, 2013

Alright so i wanted to get everyone opinion on this. I currently have 4 clown fish. 2 Booyah Clowns that are in my 14 gal bio cube which i have had for about 6 months and 2 booyah clowns i have in my 120 i have had for about a year and a half.

The clowns in the 14 gallon are a bit smaller than the clowns in the 120.

My question is if ITS DONE THE RIGHT way would i be able to take the 2 smaller clowns outta the 14 gal cube and put them in the 120.

My idea would be to use my acclimation box put the 2 small clowns in it and let them sit in front of the tank for about 2-3 weeks. once i can see the larger clowns not trying to attack the smaller ones i can add them to the tank?

Whats everyone input on this?

nawilson89 · Aug 24, 2013

I'm not a veteran to the hobby, but from what you have said, there shouldn't be any issue. 120g of tank is ALOT of space and the 4 should be fine. I don't think there is anyway 2 clownfish can take ownership of that entire space.

Though; I am not familiar with "booyah" clownfish. Are they a fancy form of Percula or Ocellaris?

Djtonton · Aug 24, 2013

I think so not good with names ill post some pics here in a few i know they can be teratorial but i think it can be done

Djtonton · Aug 24, 2013

Big guys

cant seem to find a pic of the small ones

Djtonton · Aug 25, 2013

anyone else have any input?

nawilson89 · Aug 25, 2013

Well they aren't Clarkii, Tomato or Maroon's.
They are either Percula or Ocellaris; though I am not good at distinguishing between the two. You'll be fine with four in a tank that size. I've seen 4 in much smaller tanks, about half that size.

tyler206 · Aug 25, 2013

I think two pairs of the clown in 120g tank is no problem, I have two pairs in my 72g tank

bct15 · Aug 25, 2013

You will eventually have problems, maybe not right away, maybe not in six months, but one day you will come home to some dead clownfish. Especially of it is two pairs, each which has a dominant female. Honestly there is probably about one hundred threads on R2R asking this same exact question all of which have the same answers.

realreef7 · Aug 25, 2013

I tried 2 pair of false percs in my 120g. They were fine for the first year but eventually the bigger female became more dominant and aggressive.

Trex · Aug 25, 2013

I, personally, wouldn't do this. In the short term, things could be all fine and good. However, once a pair starts to spawn, all bets are off. Things can/will go South very quickly, quicker than you can act --- a pair of spawning clowns can kill another clown(s) very fast.

jimmybling31 · Aug 25, 2013

I have a pair of picaso percs and a pair of mocha ocelaris in my 120 together and they basically each pair has its own 60 gallon space. They used to swim together, but they quit after about a month of being together.

Gazog2 · Aug 25, 2013

bct15 said:
You will eventually have problems, maybe not right away, maybe not in six months, but one day you will come home to some dead clownfish. Especially of it is two pairs, each which has a dominant female. Honestly there is probably about one hundred threads on R2R asking this same exact question all of which have the same answers.

I had 2 pair in my very first tank 25 years ago, a pair of Tomato and a pair of Skunk Clowns in a 90 with no issues other than the occasional tail nip during feeding. And up until about 10 months ago I had a 75 gallon with a pair of False Perc's and two GS Moron clowns with out any issues. Both time I added the second pair after the resident pairs had the run of the tank for at least a year. Most of the time after a short amount "FUN" time they all found a hiding place and as long as I fed both ends of the tank there were no issues.

nawilson89 · Aug 25, 2013

Was checking the forum thru facebook. Saw alot of posts on Facebook about accounts of it working out in much smaller tanks. You should be fine!

Trex · Aug 25, 2013

One thing to remember, is the time frame of things "working" out. IMO, anything under 2 years (( or when one of the pairs starts to spawn )) really isn't working. Clowns should live to at least 20 years in our care, so 2 years really isn't that long.

Of course there will be an exception here and there, but in my 20+ years of keeping clowns (( off the top of my head, 5 pairs spawned/ing )) is that in our tanks, it is best to stick with one pair.