How many Clownfish can you Keep?

Pianoman · Feb 17, 2009

Alright I've heard alot of different answers but how many clownfish can you keep in a 75g? There will be obviously a few tangs and some other fish but I've heard that if you keep two or more pairs of different types of clowns they will fight, is that true?

W Ellis · Feb 17, 2009

In a 75g i would not keep any more than 1 pair. They will most likely fight and end up in 1 or more fish be killed. I have seen people keep more than 2 of the same species in the same tank but more often than not the same thing ends up happening.

gflat65 · Feb 18, 2009

I know of tanks that have 45 or so in them (tanks are in the 300 gallon range). The theory is that if you spread the hate out, they do okay. I've heard from a reliable source that they have been running for two years without much incident. I wouldn't try it, though. A pair is all you want to try to house in a small tank. I know people who have had three or four (usually of different species) that do okay for a year or so, then start fighting. Maroons and cinnamons are so aggressive that they will shred anything in their tank (including you). They pound little submissive maroons and cinnamons (resp.) relentlessly, IME, when trying to pair them up. I've got a pair of occelaris that attack me every time I put my hands in the tank...

Pinstripes · Feb 18, 2009

I have 2 Black percs, 1 Clark and 1 Maroone in my 75 gallon. Very lucky to have them in there without them beating each other up.

Pianoman · Feb 18, 2009

gflat65 said:
I know of tanks that have 45 or so in them (tanks are in the 300 gallon range). The theory is that if you spread the hate out, they do okay. I've heard from a reliable source that they have been running for two years without much incident. I wouldn't try it, though. A pair is all you want to try to house in a small tank. I know people who have had three or four (usually of different species) that do okay for a year or so, then start fighting. Maroons and cinnamons are so aggressive that they will shred anything in their tank (including you). They pound little submissive maroons and cinnamons (resp.) relentlessly, IME, when trying to pair them up. I've got a pair of occelaris that attack me every time I put my hands in the tank...

I think its funny how my two baby local home grown clowns barage me every time I either feed them, pick up a coral that fell or something... Any tips on how to get them to quit? Their peculas, and the only reason I could think they are attacking me is because I gave them a GBTA....

gflat65 · Feb 18, 2009

You just learn to live with it. And even when you know they are about to hit you, you're still going to jump... I kind of builds a different relationship with them.