How big does your tank need to be for multiple clown pairs?

[steveoutlaw]

I have a 200g tank with a pair of Percs that are hosting in my hammer colony. I'd like to add a b&w pair to the tank as well. How big does a tank need to be to give them enough space not to kill each other?

[MBVette]

On my old 220 I had 2 pairs. One standard osc. and 1 pair of dominoes. When I first put them in there was a little fighting but nothing major, after they they lived happily until a big ich outbreak when it took out the domino pair.

[smallreef]

Steve i think youd be fine as long as you dont do a maroon pair or another really dominate species like that...so with some B&W's i think youd be okay...the only issue with your tank is it isnt long as much as deep...so the old clowns hopefully havent scoped the whole tank as theirs...

[Chad]

Joe Yaiullo, who runs the 20,000 gallon Atlantis Aquarium on Long Island said he couldn't keep two pairs of Clarkii's in that system...

[Almon]

I have a picaso pair and a b/w trio in a 55g.

 

I have five clarkii (two pair) in a 220g.

[steveoutlaw]

Luckily the current pair is hosting in the hammer that's almost against the side of the tank, and they rarely leave it. I'm hopign this will give the others plenty of room to scout out a place to live. But, I would have to get them somthing to host in.

[davelin315]

I thought I could add to a 300 gallon and added a pair of pink skunk clowns. They couldn't get a foothold in my tank due to the presence of a mated pair of black ocellaris clowns but when the female died, the male got booted from his home and the skunk clowns took over. I then tried to add a pair of perculas and they couldn't get a foothold, either.

 

As with any fish we keep, you never know if you'll be successful or not. I have a 7' 300 gallon tank with tons of rockwork and the clowns were situated on opposite sides of the tank but it didn't help - they couldn't co-exist after the dynamic changed with the loss of a clown.