Clown Fish

[1geo]

Three months ago I started out with a twenty gallon cycled tank and 4, 1 inch Percula Clown Fish. Within the first 48 hours two of the Percula died. Two weeks later the third Percula died. I then ordered two more Percula from another vendor and when these came they were large, 2 1/4 inches. The small got along fine with the large but the two large Perculas have a war going. After a couple of weeks the remaining small Percula died. The two large remaining Percula take up stations at the opposite ends of the tank away from each other and every once in a while will attack each other; they really don't like each other. Its my opinion that the original 4 were wild raised stock. The were afraid of everything and stressed out all the time. They were put in a cycled tank with great water chemistry; and the chemistry is still great. The large Perculas were tank raised and even though they are very aggressive, they have no fear of anything. When I walk by the tank they don't run or hide and they have even attacked my hand when I put it in the water; these guys are tough. Still, with the constant battles going on sooner or later one will succumb and then I will only have one clown fish. Next time I buy clowns it will be tank raised Ocellaris, Geo. :frustrat:

 

[Bifferwine]

I really don't think it had anything to do with being wild caught vs. tank raised. Clowns are extremely territorial and you can only keep 2 per tank. Even in a tank my size -- 240 gallons -- if I bought two more clowns (I have 2 tomato clowns already), I'm pretty sure that they'd end up dead.

Especially in a tank as small as a 20 gallon tank. You can't keep more than two clowns together. It has nothing to do with wild caught vs. tank bred. It's in their nature to pair up and be aggressive towards anyone else, to the death.

I think we already told you this in an older thread.

When you want to add one more clown when you have one already, you should pick one that has the biggest size difference possible, since they are more aggressive towards animals of their own size.

In any case, like I said, it's not an issue of wild caught vs. tank bred. That has nothing to do with their nature of fighting each other if there are more than a pair held together. Even if you had started with 4 tank bred clowns, they still would have killed each other.

Read up on any fish website that gives their profiles -- they'll say no more than 2 per tank. Even the most basic, preliminary research on the clowns you bought would have shown you that. I don't mean to sound harsh, but I do know that this has been discussed with you before, so I'm not sure why you are unwilling to accept the fact that clowns fight, and they fight to the death, which is why you shouldn't keep more than two per tank. With some clowns, you can only keep one. They will never allow another clown to live with them.

Also, no matter what their size, adding 4 fish at once to a brand new tank, especially a small one, usually results in a death sentence to the fish. Add no more than one fish every 3 weeks. If you must add a pair, be sure to wait just as long before adding any more. But 4 fish at once in a new tank? Even if the tank is cycled, they likely won't make it.

 

[dustin_P74]

+1 biff

 

[cthegame]

+2 biff

 

[1geo]

I don't agree with biff on the wild verses tank raised Clownfishes. In Joyce D. Wilkerson's definitive book on Clownfishes, page 59, she gives a good discussion on why you should buy tank raised stock. From my experience, I agree with her. Geo.

 

[cthegame]

clowns are territorial which means they stay in the vicinity of their home and wont go to far off. This means that if you can simulate the ocean as closely as possible, a wild caught clown should be ok in the tank.

Not all wild caught fish will do ok in a tank of course but clowns will do just fine if conditions are right. just my :twocents:

 

[Teixeira29]

+3 biff

 

[yote]

It really dont matter about the wild caught vs tank raised clowns.More than 2 and and their going to kill each other.Plain and simple.

 

[Bifferwine]

I don't agree with biff on the wild verses tank raised Clownfishes. In Joyce D. Wilkerson's definitive book on Clownfishes, page 59, she gives a good discussion on why you should buy tank raised stock. From my experience, I agree with her. Geo.

Well of course you should buy tank raised stock. I agree with that 100%, and I'm not arguing against that. Tank raised are hardier and do better in our tanks. What I am saying is that ANY 4 clowns crammed into a 20 gallon tank will end up killing each other off. I have never made any statement indicating that wild caught ANYTHING in this hobby is better than tank bred. Quite the opposite, actually. Especially given that I have a Bachelor's degree in Ecology, and a Master's degree in Conservation Biology. Given the background of someone like me, it's absurd for you to put words in my mouth and try to say I was making a statement about wild caught vs. tank bred clowns. I suggest you read past Page 59 of that book, and take a look at the chapter that advises you on how many clowns you should stock in a small tank, because it appears that you skipped that page.

Please don't misconstrue the advice I have given. Re-read my post and tell me where I advised you to buy wild-caught clowns instead of tank-bred clowns. I'd be interested to know where that came from.

 

[Bifferwine]

Here are some quotes from some reputable websites that may help you understand why putting 4 clowns in a 20 gallon tank led to their death, not whether they were tank bred or wild caught:

Unless you have a very large tank it’s best to keep only one clownfish, or one mated pair per tank, as they can be very aggressive towards other clownfish.
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/marine/clowns/clowns.php

It is usually best to keep one clownfish per tank, though a pair can sometimes be kept if one is significantly smaller (male) than the former (female).
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/239117/product.web

It is usually best to keep one clownfish per tank, though a pair can sometimes be kept. Be prepared for aggression to follow even if the fish are added at the same time.
http://www.thefind.com/pets/info-buy-clown-fish

Keep only one in a small tank or, if you intend to introduce anemones, no more than a pair in a 30-gallon aquarium.
http://www.petplace.com/fish/choosing-a-clownfish-and-a-sea-anemone/page1.aspx

Having more than one pair of clowns per tank (which can and would happen if you have more than 2 clowns) will lead to fighting all the time.
http://www.fishforum.com/saltwater-fish/should-i-add-clownfish-ones-i-19425/

I don't know if those quotes are enough to convince you of what every other person on here is saying, but I hope you understand why your clowns are dying now.

 

[C24IaHawks1]

I have two clown fish in my 90 gallon tank and the female would constanly attack the male..this went on for about a month and a half and the male found refuse in my toadstool. Now they seem to get along better and the female has stopped harrasing the male...wish it worked that way in real life..lol, just kidding. +4 for Biff

 

[JAG107]

+5 Biff... Tank raised OR wild caught, 4 of them in a 20 gal is like a WWE cage fight. Tank raised fish are always unquestionably the best option, but clowns are aggressive, tank raised or not.
My experience: My established larger maroon clown beat the crap out of a tank raised percula, and one night it went carpet surfing.
A month later, I tried another wild caught true perc, it lasted 3 weeks before it jumped. That maroon wouldn't let those guys alone - ever. I saw no behavioral differences between the tank raised and wild caught during their brief, stressful life in my tank.
Just my $0.02