Adding fish with established clowns

[Afkomjorgen]

Hello~
The order is in and I’m hoping to pick up my new fish next week. Thing is lfs hasn’t heard back from Ora to know exactly what I’m getting/they have in stock. So I may be getting variations to what I ordered.
BUT-
I have a 48 gallon tank (3’long) with a 14 gal sump. The new tank has been set up since July 2021 but the rocks, water and fish are established from Nov 2019. Mostly softies with macro algae.

>> I’m going to be adding fish to a tank that has been home to 2 feisty clowns for almost 2 1/2 years. Any tips on how I should do it?

>> Clowns take turns hosting several corals in the tank in a rotation, daily. They don’t have a ‘corner’. They’ve only ever had one tank mate for 6 months who got too big for their previous tank.

>> is it ok to add 3-4 fish at once?

>> stock list : coral beauty angel, canary blenny, orchid dottyback, watchman goby, pistol shrimp.

>> should the clowns spend an evening in the sump while I let everyone get situated?

Thank you!

 

[blaxsun]

Depends on the clownfish, but generally yes. You can move them into the sump beforehand or keep that as an option if they go ballistic towards the new additions.

 

[Afkomjorgen]

Depends on the clownfish, but generally yes. You can move them into the sump beforehand or keep that as an option if they go ballistic towards the new additions.

Thank you. Our male is dumb as rocks and sweet. He spent 6 months flirting with his reflection before he noticed the other fish in the tank. Our female is vicious.

 

[blaxsun]

Thank you. Our male is dumb as rocks and sweet. He spent 6 months flirting with his reflection before he noticed the other fish in the tank. Our female is vicious.

It's always the women...

 

[Afkomjorgen]

Ok so. Update. We went with an ORA dottyback and a wc bi-color blenny because that’s what they had. We also brought home a yellow watchman goby but there’s been no sign of him since introduction 2 weeks ago.

Our bi-color is pretty snappy with the other fish and has become the main bully. Our female clown has kept to her side of the tank and is only aggressive to defend it. Our male clown swims all over the tank, right into the blenny & dottback’s claimed areas & investigated them all day long. Dotty doesn’t mind but our blenny is picking on him pretty hard. I’m starting to see fin fraying.

this is pretty disappointing because I’m really in love with the bi-color. I love my clowns more though. Does this type of behavior simmer down over time or is this a risk to the clown’s health/life?

any chance I’ll ever see the YwG again? There are areas he could be behind the rocks but he hasn’t come out to feed.

 

[DeniseAndy]

Hard to say about the yellow watchman. He may come about, they can hide well. He also may have not made it. They sometimes come in skinny.
The bicolor may just be a bully, I have heard this, but I have never actaully had one. No experience with them. Clowns are not the smartest. May need to take blenny and remove for a bit then re add in.
Good luck with them all.
Nice tank!

 

[Afkomjorgen]

Hard to say about the yellow watchman. He may come about, they can hide well. He also may have not made it. They sometimes come in skinny.
The bicolor may just be a bully, I have heard this, but I have never actaully had one. No experience with them. Clowns are not the smartest. May need to take blenny and remove for a bit then re add in.
Good luck with them all.
Nice tank!

Thank you so much. I did think the YWG was really small for what I was expecting. ):

I may pop him in the refugium part of the sump for a bit then if it continues.