Clownfish Harem ???

[NoobReeefer]

Seems like this would be a fun and fairly easy to maintain system if done correctly. Ive read a ton of threads and never really found the answer im looking for. Minimum size tank and clowns per gallon/space

I don't have room for a big tank so i was thinking maybe a RSR 250 would be a good size for my space. its 35" x 21" x 20" . 3 feet of real-estate seems like it could work as long as i aquascape appropriately, have a bunch of BTAs and setup an auto feeder to feed 5 times a day
I would cure my rock for a few months while setting everything up, aquascape and let it cycle, toss in a sand sifting gobie and a small tang or 2 to help with algae and generate a ton of waste. After 4-5 months i could get a bunch of BTAs, start with like 10-15 (they are cheap and plentiful in my area from local reefers) let them settle in for a few months then start looking for a clutch of clowns, maybe 15-20? Once i get a clutch i would then QT them and rehome the tangs.

Thoughts on 15-20 clowns in a 3' tank....?

 

[Bleigh]

I think that may be a lot of fish. Plus, clowns tend to kill each other as the fight for sexual dominance. I have 2 clowns in my 2 foot cube and they can get annoyed with other fish still. I would Imagine there would be a lot of fighting over who would become the female and dominant male as they grew also. Though, if you got them all before they matured, I’m not certain. Also, I’m not sure if clowns will stay immature perpetually.

 

[AC1211]

Get 20 from the same batch and keep the tang and goby too then keep nitrates low and you are good...

 

[pecan2phat]

I thought exactly like you are doing. I started with a RSM250 which is very close to the dimension and water volume of the RSR250.
Cycled tank and added a bunch of BTAs then I went the route of Snowflakes from the same clutch. Ordered 20 and received 23. They were adorable and stayed in a swirling ball for a week or more. As they started to grow, started to lose 1 a week and am now down to 12. There is still aggression going on so while you have a better chance with juveniles from the same clutch, it's still not foreseeable that it ends up with a happy ending IMO.

 

[NoobReeefer]

I thought exactly like you are doing. I started with a RSM250 which is very close to the dimension and water volume of the RSR250.
Cycled tank and added a bunch of BTAs then I went the route of Snowflakes from the same clutch. Ordered 20 and received 23. They were adorable and stayed in a swirling ball for a week or more. As they started to grow, started to lose 1 a week and am now down to 12. There is still aggression going on so while you have a better chance with juveniles from the same clutch, it's still not foreseeable that it ends up with a happy ending IMO.

what's your feeding schedule?

 

[New&no clue]

Did you watch the BRS video on clown harems? I started it but never finished, they might have some ideas and thoughts on there if you haven't seen it.

 

[pecan2phat]

Pellets in the late morning, same in the afternoon and frozen mysis at night.

 

[Maxx]

Based on anecdotal information from the interwebs, (and we all remember Abraham Lincoln's famous post "You can't believe everything you see on the internet"), clowns from skunk complex seem to have better chances at successful harems in captivity. From what I've seen, the two best options are A.nigripes, (Black foot clowns) and A.perideraion (Pink Skunk Clowns) do the best. However, from a phone call to Sustainable Aquatics, They suggested A.nigripes, or A.sandaracinos (Orange Skunk clowns) as the best candidates for a harem.
Recently, I was told from a local breeder not to go with the typical odd number of clowns as they will pair up and the odd numbered clown will be pushed out from the group.

I'll be trying this in the next few months with nigripes clowns.