Clown harem with other fish?

jkentfite · Nov 24, 2020

This may have been addressed somewhere but haven’t seen it specifically.

I’m starting an approx 500 gallon tank as a reboot from my previous 200 gallon that leaked.

I’m restarting with a good size tang gang and would like to add a clown harem (14 or so) ocellaris.

My question is: I have two ocellaris clowns that I’ve had for almost 3 years. They’re still kicking in my holding tank awaiting the new big home.

Should I add the 14 young clowns from same clutch, then wait a few weeks to introduce my older two? All at the same time?

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

Water should be going in to new system Saturday.

mort · Nov 25, 2020

I think you have the most sensible approach there. I've not done a clown harem but read about them many times and most people seem to believe that adding all the clowns from the same batch is the best way to go. As you want to add older clowns as well then it gets more tricky but you have a lot of space, which hopefully will work and by adding them after the young clowns I think you increase your chances of success further.

Saying all that however there are a few threads on here about the same subject and they suggest the pair will relentlessly attack the small clowns. It's tricky to predict as I've seen more than one clown pair in a big tank that didn't even look at each other. It will for sure be smoother if you omitted the older clowns but if you do add them then I'd have a backup plan.

jkentfite · Nov 25, 2020

mort said:
I think you have the most sensible approach there. I've not done a clown harem but read about them many times and most people seem to believe that adding all the clowns from the same batch is the best way to go. As you want to add older clowns as well then it gets more tricky but you have a lot of space, which hopefully will work and by adding them after the young clowns I think you increase your chances of success further.

Saying all that however there are a few threads on here about the same subject and they suggest the pair will relentlessly attack the small clowns. It's tricky to predict as I've seen more than one clown pair in a big tank that didn't even look at each other. It will for sure be smoother if you omitted the older clowns but if you do add them then I'd have a backup plan.

Thanks for the thoughts. I am starting to hesitate and might end up keeping my older two in my separate smaller display fuge section. I was planning on doing a smaller species specific tank in my fish room with rhinopias/scorpionfish but now I’m just not sure. It might be tough to catch those clowns in this tank just bc of size...