mixing clown fish

[msmmze]

I have a 110G with a 55g sump that have two percula clowns in it. I need to take another tank down that has a maroon clown that I had for more than 5 years. Does anyone have an opinion of what would happen if I add this maroon to my 110G ( I also has a purple tang and a blue hippo tang in the 110).

[GrimReefer]

90% chance your maroon will attack, especially if its larger than your percs. if you have an anomie for the maroon and you add it on the other side from your percs it might help

[Chrispar]

From what ive read, Its hard even getting a maroon to get along with another maroon unless they were both added at the same time.

[msmmze]

I figured It would be a war> I am just attached to the maroon. Thanks for your advice.

[Derek]

From what I read in Clownfishes you can mix them you just have to do it slowly. If you have a piece of egg crate or something you can corner off a section to put the maroon in for a while, then keep him there for a week or two, then after they have gotten all of the "sniffing" and "rutting" out of the way you can let them out.

There is always the chance that the maroon will decide that it likes the other clowns house and eat them to get to it.

[Kkiel02]

I would never mix a maroon with another species. They are rather aggressive especially as they mature but I remember seeing on reefcentral a couple years back the maroon/perc breeding pair.

[JAY-ROC]

I have seen the 2 mixed before. They fought, but once they chilled out they were fine. The percs were the ones that were agressive. I think if you are putting the maroon in the tank that the percs already have their teritory I think they will do fine.

[+KeeperOfTheZoo]

How about mixing different sized clowns of the same type? I have an ocellaris (the one in my avatar) that is about 2" long. I'd really like to get another, but all the ones I see at fish stores are teeny tiny. How likely is it that the bigger clown would really hurt the smaller one?

Liz

[mFrame]

How about mixing different sized clowns of the same type? I have an ocellaris (the one in my avatar) that is about 2" long. I'd really like to get another, but all the ones I see at fish stores are teeny tiny. How likely is it that the bigger clown would really hurt the smaller one?

Liz

With Osc you should be fine getting another, just make sure it is significantly smaller. The larger will become female if it is not already and the smaller the one you get the greater the odds that it's a male. To try to insure this, don't get the largest clown from the store in the tank, get the smallest in a tank with other clowns. Do that and they should pair up no problem.

[+KeeperOfTheZoo]

Thanks Mike! Well, that sure makes things easy. Tons of little bitty clowns out there. Now I just have to get my quarantine tanks set up.

Liz

[+Dena]

My Perc beat the crap out of a maroon I added. I moved a nem on each side of the tank and he slowly started to leave the maroon alone, but by that time it was so stressed it got ich and croaked anyway.

[Meteorflower]

You might have luck with the new maroon if you divide the tank for a few days, or float him in an eggcrate basket or a colander. That will give them time to see each other without letting them fight. I've heard that can sometimes work with aggressive fish like triggers.

[JamesL]

I agree with everyone in that the Maroon might bully the others. But I have to add that I have a maroon and a skunk clown co-existing in my 75g. My little pink skunk is the last of 3 I had gotten, and he was in there first. The maroon was added later, and while is rules the tank and sometimes chases the skunk, he never does any harm. In fact the skunk lives in the same section of the tank as the maroon (due to viscous talbot damsels ruling the other side).