Clownfish war !!! Experiment

[Frizzy reefnewb]

I knew you couldn’t keep multiple clownfish that the chances are slim the past year I’ve kept 7....so the first year no problems at all everybody got along it was great until the black/white one started chasing my baby orange one (not in the mood to look up the specific types) so I took him out put him in the sump...now that same baby orange one who was being bullied turned into the bully started attacking my 2 baby black ones that I love so knowing this was gonna happen I released back the black and white one...now it’s a full out war between my 2 orange ones and the black and white one who was in jail for 2 months...it was a experiment that I guess didn’t work but was interested to give it a shot ....so lesson learned you CAN keep multiple clownfish until they mature then good luck ...just thought I’d share it’s only been a day maybe they’ll work it out?

 

[Fish Think Pink]

I knew you couldn’t keep multiple clownfish that the chances are slim the past year I’ve kept 7....so the first year no problems at all everybody got along it was great until the black/white one started chasing my baby orange one (not in the mood to look up the specific types) so I took him out put him in the sump...now that same baby orange one who was being bullied turned into the bully started attacking my 2 baby black ones that I love so knowing this was gonna happen I released back the black and white one...now it’s a full out war between my 2 orange ones and the black and white one who was in jail for 2 months...it was a experiment that I guess didn’t work but was interested to give it a shot ....so lesson learned you CAN keep multiple clownfish until they mature then good luck ...just thought I’d share it’s only been a day maybe they’ll work it out?

What is your plan B or C (if plan B was sump... but there are 7)?

Perhaps its time for another tank or four... or significant upgrade tank size...

You wrote "work it out" ... another name for that is Darwin's survival of the fittest... but is that really fair given all the stress they'll go thru not being able to get away from each other. If the bullies bite the others too much, you'll need a plan where/how to QT/HT for healing so they can be re-homed/sold.

This was great lesson in things are always fine right up until they are not. People post advice, but rarely do they come back a day, a month, a year or 5 later and say, by the way, ignore that earlier advice as evolved into not good idea/advice

 

[dvgyfresh]

Same happened to me , tried to keep 4 clowns in a 40b with over 10 anemones , they fought over the biggest one

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Yup once they reach sexual maturity and its time for one to become the queen its game over.

 

[Frizzy reefnewb]

I’ll remove all 3 and keep the peaceful ones in there...then see if the cycle continues then I’ll have 4 that never fought ...gonna see if they’ll will be peace or will the calm ones go nuts now who knows I’m just learning....they’re the same size the ones fighting I see no damage yet once I see signs of distress I’ll get them out no fish are gonna die just alittle fighting ....

 

[vetteguy53081]

I introduced 12 at one time and got lucky. Another tank of mine has 8 jumbo and little to no squabbles. In the clownfish world, size does matter. But, it's not what you think. For clownfish, the females are larger than the males. So if you have a large clownfish or a clownfish that has been alone for a long period of time, chances are that it is a female.
Female clownfish are much more dominant than their male counterparts. They greedily try to eat most of the food that gets into the tank (which is one reason the males don't grow as large). They will often aggressively protect their "home", whether that be an anenome, a nesting site, a clay pot or the entire fish tank. If it attacks your hand when you're trying to clean the glass or it won't let any other fish near its spot, you most likely have a female clownfish.
Then comes who's the boss. The female rules in most cases. This is how the social hierarchy works for clownfish: There is one dominant female clownfish, partnered with a male, who is the next most dominant fish. The female is larger (often much larger) than the male. Next are non-mating males and juveniles. They are usually smaller still than the dominant male. If the male mate were to die, the next dominant male would become the mate (if the female accepts him). If the female were to die, then the dominant male would change to female and the next male in line would become the mate.
Of course, that is in a perfect world, the open reef. In our tanks it is not always that simple. If you introduce two fish at the same time then one will likely become the female and the other male. This does not guarantee that they will mate. You will be able to tell which is the female because she will be much more aggressive. Often, the female will barely let the male eat and sometimes will almost control where in the tank the male is allowed to go. This unfortunately in many cases will go on until the male submits or is killed by the female.

 

[Frizzy reefnewb]

Yup once they reach sexual maturity and its time for one to become the queen its game over.

This is what happened but I honestly thought it was wayyy over a year they were FINE no aggression at all then one day boom crazy stuff must of laid eggs or something

 

[Fish Think Pink]

This is what happened but I honestly thought it was wayyy over a year they were FINE no aggression at all then one day boom crazy stuff must of laid eggs or something

puberty... We all go a little crazy during puberty <wink>

 

[Frizzy reefnewb]

puberty... You must not have a sister... We all go a little crazy during puberty <wink>

I have 2 of themmmmm

 

[DaddyFish]

I had five in a 90, two B&W, three O-clowns. The largest (B&W) took out one smaller O-clown. Fast forward six months and moved all four remaining to a new 215 gal. About a month and boom, smallest O-clown dead. So I got a wild idea when I saw this gorgeous Blizzard Clown a bit smaller than the male B&W. Well Yeti (the Blizzard) didn't last a week before someone speared him in the side. Now back to three, two B&W, one O-clown. And all that's in a 6-foot 215-gal tank!

Clowns are stoopid. Clowns are mean. Clowns are pretty and mean. I used to have a Maroon named Rachel (after Jennifer Aniston on Friends). She would bite me all the time. She even took out a small Picasso Trigger!

Clowns are the chihuahua of aquariums.