Introducing New Fish to a Tank

[LymanBay]

My 15 gal tank has a variety of corals but only 2 tomato clowns each hosted by bubble tip anemones.

I firmly believe that you shouldn't add more than 1 fish every other month so that the bacteria base can grow to handle the increased bio load. It has been 2 years since I've added fish.

I found myself getting bored and decided to add another fish. After research, compatibility charts indicated that a puffer fish would get along with the existing clowns. I selected one at the LFS and monitored it for about a week to be sure it was healthy and then took him home. 2 days later, I found it dead in the filter.

My water quality is excellent and I'm sure the Puffer was healthy. I'm guessing the two clowns killed it, even though there weren't any signs of trauma. I'm guessing it was a territorial issue as the puffer liked hanging in the rocks behind where the anemones and Clowns are.

My Question: If Clowns and Puffers are compatible, and it was a territory issue how can I introduce new fish to the tank without them getting their butt kicked by the Clowns?

 

[monique]

your tank is very small for 2 clowns each with their own anemone. specially when you have one of the more aggressive bigger clowns which you do. you will have a very hard time getting any other fish in there. also if they dont pair up expect them to start fighting and possibly you will lose one. these guys get fairly big { 5-6 inches} and the bigger they get the meaner they get. if you insist on getting more fish, then remove the clowns, move the stuff in the tank around, get the new fish in there and then put the clowns back. if you want a tank with clowns and other fish you might want to look at selling those two and get a pair of clowns that dont get so big and have a much milder temperment. ocellaris clowns would be a better fit for what you seem to want. your tank is a nice size for a couple or three small fish that like to swim in and out of the rocks and 2 small species clowns. if you do decide to swap them out and your new fish are a lot smaller then dont worry about it. just put all the new fish in at the same time. your tank is well cycled and clownfish have heavy bodies. they take up a lot of mass for their size. i have 2 clarkies that are aprox 4 in long. i could put in about 8-10 fire fish in there and still wouldnt be as much mass as those guys. if you want to keep the clowns you have then put the new fish in a clear container so the fish can see each other. leave it in ther till the clowns stop going after it. but i will worn you, if the clowns spawn expect them to kill every other fish in the tank. they will see them as spawn eaters and the tank is too small for the other fish to get away

 

[LymanBay]

Thank you for the detailed response.

I've had these clowns for about 3 years now. They have not spawned up until now so I feel it is unlikely that they will spawn at all.

The clear plastic container is something that crossed my mind. I also thought about reorganizing the aquascape, destroying their know landmark boundaries of their territory. Then adding all fish simultaneously to reestablish new territories. I'd rather not do that as I am afraid of damaging soft coral and anemones attached across multiple rocks.

All things considered, I think I will try the plastic container idea. But now I have a question regarding its use:

Should I put the container in the established area of the Clowns of on the opposite side of the tank?

 

[monique]

w ith a footprint that small i dont think it will matter. the whole tank is their territory. and the water will push the container around a bit. when the clowns stop bothering it and you think you are safe then give it another day. and move the container around. lots of times they will stop bothering it and you move the container and they will start again. this is a good way to get fish into any established tank. my tank is 7 ft long, 2 ft wide and 30 in high. my clarkies spawn ever month, regular as clockwork. they protect a 16 in circle around their nem and they dont like other fish in there. i placed the nem in a little bulkhead of rock right at one end and he likes it there. never moved. so the clowns only protect at the one end in front of the rocks. but they make ocassional forays all over the tank. and stick your hand in there and see what happens. they both think they are cujo.

 

[LymanBay]

I have another at the LFS that I am picking up tomorrow. I'll let you know how it turns out.