Clowns hosting on a toadstool

**bonzai** · 04-27-2009, 07:20 PM

I am wondering if my clowns are a little special. I have 3 clowns, don't know if they are true, false, anything, just know they are clowns. We actually got them from a petco locally. All 3 since we brought them home have hosted in my toadstool. We had 1 big toadstool that they all called home, then some of it wasn't getting any light so I fragged a few pieces off. Now the clowns seem to be hosting in all of them. When the big toadstool sheds, they go to the small frags. But they always sleep inside the big toadstool, it will close up at night and all 3 can always be found either inside or right on the edge of it. Is this normal???? I've put up some pics to demonstrate.

**Phurst** · 04-27-2009, 07:47 PM

Yep, perfectly normal. In adition to anemones, I've seen clowns host in toadstools, euphelias, xenia, clove polyps, goniopora and even a clam. They're not picky.

I'm not sure if you're aware, but once the clowns mature, 2 of them will pair up and will likely harass the 3rd until it dies. They're fine in singles and pairs, but that's it.

**rayme07** · 04-27-2009, 08:25 PM

I agree its normal. Most of the time all clown fish coming from petco are tank raised but to me those look tank raised.

**bonzai** · 04-27-2009, 09:29 PM

Phurst, am I better off then getting another clown? That way I have 2 pairs. I could get him now and put him in my QT until the move, then add him right before I add the others after the move. My concern is that the bigger clown is a little territorial, he picked at my flame angel at first, but after a little while they seem to get along fine. I have been told that I cannot add another fish to the tank because I have the angel. Would that hold true with the move? There will be a new setup to the LR and I could add the new clown to the tank before the angel. Is this a good idea?

**Phurst** · 04-27-2009, 09:39 PM

No. In groups, there will always be only one female, then the other males will fight it out. 2 is the max except in very large tanks.

**bonzai** · 04-27-2009, 10:13 PM

Ok, chalk another one up to wrong info from the LFS. I was told that they needed to be kept either single or in 3's. I don't remember the logic he used, but it made sense at the time. I guess I will just keep an eye out to see if one get singled out, and if and when that happens, I have a reason to get another small tank just for him.

**Phurst** · 04-27-2009, 10:22 PM

Sounds good. Keep a close eye though, it won't take long to go from buddies to enemies.

**Amphibious** · 04-27-2009, 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by bonzai

I have 3 clowns, don't know if they are true, false, anything, just know they are clowns.

They are Amphiprion ocellaris, the Ocellaris Clown.

**bonzai** · 04-27-2009, 11:03 PM

Yeah, as soon as I read the above posts I started pricing out a nanocube. We don't want to get rid of whoever the outcast is, so we will get him his own home. I think one may already be outcast, the one with a break in his white stripe hangs out my himself a little more and is the one that hosts on the smaller toadstools more often. I will keep an eye on them.

**CarmieJo** · 04-28-2009, 01:46 AM

The photos are good! I especially liked the 1st one!

**lance** · 04-28-2009, 04:13 AM

yep they do that no harm will be caused to the leather.

lance

**Amphibious** · 04-28-2009, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by Phurst

I'm not sure if you're aware, but once the clowns mature, 2 of them will pair up and will likely harass the 3rd until it dies. They're fine in singles and pairs, but that's it.

This is generally true but there are many exceptions to this rule. The biggest one is the size of the tank. I believe your tank is a 55 gal. Given you are feeding them properly, my bet would be that the "pair" will bond and the third would only need to stay away from them. In a 55 gal there is enough territory for him to do that. Before spending the money on another system, I would wait and see how it goes.

I have 4 clowns in my 135. They have bonded into two "pairs" and even co-mingle on occasion. The only aggression shown is in sparring, which is normal. The weaker pair retreat and there are no further problems.

I say save your money, for now.

Dick

**bonzai** · 04-28-2009, 12:56 PM

Thanks Dick. I will let them be for now and just see if anything happens that requires removal of one of them. It's good to know that they can live together, lets just hope they do. I may look into getting another large toadstool so that the other clown has a larger place to host.

**saltaddict** · 04-28-2009, 09:51 PM

My baby clown also host a large toadstool and my large clown host very large mushrooms and they both will protect their homes to the end. Anytime my blue hippo, which she does to aggravate, goes near their residents the clowns come out and the chase is on.

**bonzai** · 04-29-2009, 11:08 AM

I think when I move, I will put the toadstools on opposite ends of the tank to help prevent fights. I have 1 large toadstool and two smaller one (the 1st pic is of one of the small ones, both about the same size). I have started to notice that the larger clown, and one of the smaller have started to hang out together and leave the clown out (the one with the break in his white stripe) so hopefully they will be peaceful about it. Weird how it happened just after I started this thread, or maybe I just noticed it after I was told to look out for it.

**saltaddict** · 04-30-2009, 06:49 AM

Originally Posted by bonzai

I think when I move, I will put the toadstools on opposite ends of the tank to help prevent fights. I have 1 large toadstool and two smaller one (the 1st pic is of one of the small ones, both about the same size). I have started to notice that the larger clown, and one of the smaller have started to hang out together and leave the clown out (the one with the break in his white stripe) so hopefully they will be peaceful about it. Weird how it happened just after I started this thread, or maybe I just noticed it after I was told to look out for it.

Maybe the others just noticed his stripes were different.

**bonzai** · 04-30-2009, 09:19 AM

You mean my clowns are racists? They don't like him just because his color is different?

**CarmieJo** · 04-30-2009, 06:46 PM

LOL, it's possible! But when I had 3 the bright orange one paired up with the paler orange one leaving the other paler orange one as the odd man out...

**saltaddict** · 05-01-2009, 07:53 AM

Originally Posted by bonzai

You mean my clowns are racists? They don't like him just because his color is different?

Could be - I would think that fish would notice that. If they can identify their own species then certainly they notice if one has a messed up stripe!