Clownfish Dilema

[ansonluna]

My Onyxclowns are paired up, although one is not bigger than the other so I don't think one has turned into the female. Anywho, I bought a True Perc from Reef69 and now my Onyxs are beating the True Perc up. If I get a Blk/Wht will that keep the fighting down, by add more members to the pecking order or is my best bet to find a good home for the True Perc?

[Thunderkat]

Found this on another forum:

Mixing clowns
Hi Bob,
<Lego>
My Question is a classic that I've seen mixed answers to. Here goes: Is it possible to have two distinct mated clown pairs of different species in a 55g Long tank? Specifically a mated pair of tank raised Ocellaris clowns and a mated pair of tank raised black Saddleback clowns? The tank will have lots of live rock which can be arranged to break up territory. I would be adding the two pairs into the tank at the same time.
<Not a good idea... if the tank were twice this size...>
These are two of my favorite species of fish. I have visited a store that has both species in one tank, and they appear to get along - the workers at the store said that Maroon clowns are the ones that don't mix well. Yet I always here the simple phrase "don't mix clowns" .
<Can be mixed when small... best not to as "mated pairs"... I suggest trying other species/families>
I'm not planning on keeping any anemones, so that shouldn't be a factor.
<With or w/o anemones... Bob Fenner>
Thanks, J.T. Gilkeson

[ansonluna]

well my tank is a 125. the true perc and the onyx stay pretty much on opposite sides, but i woke up this morning and the perc's fins are nipped.

[jaded]

even if they learn to get along for now... the pair will fight the other clowns in the tank once they reach breeding age.


P.S. This is not first hand knowledge... but its the overwelming answer I got to the same question a week or so ago.

[CD]

is my best bet to find a good home for the True Perc?

IMO I would find another home for the "outcast" (three is definitely a crowd in this scenerio). Your Onyx pair is just going to continue beating up on him until he dies of either stress or injuries. Adding another clown won't make matters any better, and will likely just cause more fighting. On occasion, I have read of success stories keeping two pair in a large system (200+ gals.), but they were added to the system as juvies, and all at the same time. Your Onyx's have established your tank as their territory now.

I have read that in the wild, clowns were found to defend a territory of up to 10yds. from other clowns not in the immediate "family", which would consist of only one female, and sometimes up to 3 males. She will mate with only one of the males (which will be the dominant male). If something were to happen to her, then the dominant male would become the female, and the next male in line (they have a pecking order) would then become her mate.

Wendy