Multiple clowns

[Mr_Cool]

I posted this on Reef Central, too. (I want as many ideas as possible.)

My tank is 96"x14"x16" (about 86 gallons) and I've had a large pair of Gold Stripe Maroons in there for about 9 months. They were a little big for the RBTA I had, and beat it up right away. So, I got them a nice, big, Long Tentacle and they love it! They've been hosting in it for about 6 months. They really only left the anemone to eat. Most of the time, they're either wiggling around in and around the tentacles or, they're hovered above it like they're protecting it. :)

Anyway, I picked up a pair of clowns yesterday that were hosting in an anemone. We don't know if they are True Percs or Oscillaris and I don't have an ID on the anemone. :p

It only took about 15-20 minutes for the GSM (the male, anyway) to find the BTA. I kind of figured he might try to take over the anemone, and sure enough, he did. Now, the clowns don't have a home. Well, actually, they do. It's the bottom corner of the tank underneath the Maxi-jet Mod! The GSM's don't seem to bother them there. (I don't think the GSM's like all that flow they get when they sometimes come out to chase them.) :mad:

So, here's the deal.... the female GSM has stayed in the Long Tentacle, and the male GSM goes back and forth between the two anemones. The two anemones are 4 feet away from each other and are hidden from each other's view. Is there any way I can keep both pair of clowns each with there OWN anemone? :confused:

[p00num3lli]

wait... ur story confuses me.... you said you have two gold stripe maroons? and you just went and bought false perculas? well if thats it thats a mistake, the maroons will probably fight them and probably win. and i think you said you wanted to find someway to get the marron clowns to host the same anenome? well ive heard plenty of stories of one of the pair of clows will host something different than its mate. id say the only way to keep them together is to get rid of the other anenome that you dont want, then the other one will be forced into the oher anenome.

lol idk if those are the questions you asked, but hoped it helped.(even after reading 2 tmes i still didnt get the top:bigsmile:)

[pagan.n.damaged]

Sadly just from what i've seen your always going to have that issue. They are the larger of the two sets so they are going to take over both anenome's . If they are spread as far apart as possible maybe look at moving one of the power heads to create a little more current by the other anenome since your GSM's don't like it.

[ErikH]

Those are highly territorial when it comes to nems. I highly doubt there will be a time where they just keep away from each other. You never know though you may get lucky.

[BigKGlen]

I have 2 1.5" percs in a GBTA. I finally found a RBTA and added it and 2 smaller percs into my 180. It took just short of 2 days for the possesion game to play out, and now all are in where they were planned to be.

[Mr_Cool]

That's what I was hoping for, Kevin. I was a little worried about the GSM's, though, because they're so much bigger and were in there first.

I'm watching them. We'll have to see how it all works out.

[apedroza]

I don't think the GSM's will ever let the perc get into the anemones. Maybe if you had introduced another pair of GSM, but the percs are so much smaller they really don't have a chance to get close to the anemone. Maybe you can try putting a stony coral like frogspawn or torch coral for the percs up high near the powerhead. My old pair of clowns hosted in all sorts of stuff.

[Mr_Cool]

What if I got another anemone? I could try a frogspawn, though.

I've never had percs or ocellaris clowns host in anything, though. Since they were in an anemone once, maybe they'll try something else.

[copperband]

when i had my false perc she hosted in my branching hammer coral.

[des]

in the wild there is one pr in like a thirty foot radius not a four. Sorry but I think 4 clowns and 2 nems in one tank just doesn't work

[britfish]

I have four percs and 3 BTAs in my 70G reef. The percs all get along great but have shown no interest in the BTAs. They prefer to host a leather coral!

[Mr_Cool]

Well, the large LTA has decided to move closer to the new nem. That means the GSM's hang at one end of the tank in the anemones, and the other clowns hang out at the other end of the tank. Before the LTA moved, it was about 3 feet from where the new clowns hang out. Every once in a while, one of the GSM's would swim over by the clowns, just to kind of let them know who's boss. They haven't done any damage, and the new clowns certainly are not stressed.

Now, they're more like 7 feet apart, and I haven't seen the GSM's go out of their way to bother the new clowns, either. I'm really thinking about getting another anemone for the new clowns.