Clarkii compatibility.

Kurt

Kurt

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Dec 9, 2003
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I currently have one Clarkii Clown fish. I like this type of fish, it has made a home in my colt coral. I wonder if I would be able to put several more in my tank with him. Or would it be a great risk. My tank is larger size 200 gallons. Any comments?/
 
OK no one has responded to my post yet. So I have been doing some reading on the subject. I would like to share my knowledge and ask for some more input.

This is what I know. Anemone fishes (including my clarkii clown) are from the damselfish family. They have developed the a unique habit of living in association with larger sea anemones. Mine has taken up residence in my colt which is not uncommon. Adults are rarely found more than 3 feet from their host anemone. Soon after hatching the larval fishes spend a period of time drifting with plankton. At metamorphosis the juvenile (which is always male) must locate and successfully join an established family of its own species already in residence in a suitable host anemone. The host anemone will be the territory of a breading pair. The resident adult male will either adopt the juvenile or drive him off to look for a family elsewhere.
The largest of the family will be the functioning female. The next largest will be the resident adult male. The rest I am guessing are called juvenile males. When the breeding female dies then her mate will rapidly develope into a functional female and one of the juvenile males will take the role of adult breeding male.

So from what I have read here then I would think that more than 2 can be kept in a family. Now as for mine I have had it for about 3 yrs now. Since I have only ever had one of his species then he should still be a male. I guess if I were to purchase a fish it would be best to get a more younger smaller male. Then mine will decide to adopt or chase him off. My tank is 6 feet long and his host colt is near one end so I think the tank is large enough to have 2 clowns in there even if they do not like each other.

I hope to get some input because I plan to order some coral next Saturday. I would really like to order another clown for reasons that they are a good hardy fish, reasonably priced, good looking, and interesting to watch. Is it possible to have a family of 5 fishes? Could I order a mated pair or would that just be trouble?
 
Hi Kurt,
I wouldn't try the "family" thing. Works in the wild on a huge anemone, but in a tank the least dominant fish will just get plastered by the breeding pair.

Your fish has been alone for a while, so it is very likely that it has differentiated into a female by now. Your best bet is to get a small juvenile, which will then become a male. There will be a little scuffling at first, but they should settle down quickly.
 
You make sense about in the wild the host anemone is larger for to be able to host a family of clowns. And hmmm I am thinking if I did get another clown and there is fighting, then that equals stress, disease. Also difficult to remove if there is a problem. For now I will order a small juvenile and see what happens. I will post later to let people know what happens. But another thing for mine to be a female would it not have to have been with another fish before? Can it change to female without a male around? Also from what I have read, it is the dominant male that chases the juveniles away. So if mine is female then introducing one juvenile male may work better.
 
The basic idea is that, left to their own devices, clowns will ultimately develop into females. A solo fish, without another fish pressuring it to stay male, will become a female. If there are two fish, the subordinate will develop into a male.

In your case, the best bet is to get a juvenile that has not made a choice, and your fish will "convince" it to develop as a male. There will be some stress during the period that your fish convinces the younger one who's boss, but it will quickly work itself out.

There is an excellent thread about pairing clownfish on reef central. You can find it here.
 
wow that was great reading. Well my plan now is to see if I can get that Juvenile clarkii for this coming Saturday. I now know for sure that a larger family will not work, at least not for a while.
 
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