Opinion on tank inhabitants? Maroon clown/mandarin?

[drm]

I understand that sometimes maroon clownfish can be aggressive, although less so in pairs?
I have currently a blue spotted kole tang
mandarin dragonet
coral beauty angel
misc corals, crabs, snails
Do you think that it would it be (relatively) safe to add a pair of gold bar maroon clowns?
Tank is 100 gal.
TIA

 

[austinsdad]

Thought about tank raised pers? My pair was very friendly. I too have heard horror stories about YSMs and their agressive behavior, particularly when mating or guarding eggs.

BTW, how long have you had the coral beauty and with what corals? No nibbling?

 

[Hara]

Seeing as you would be adding them after everything else is settled, I think you will be alright. I would also suggest adding them at the same time,

 

[robertfah]

I would agree with the other posts, I think your tank is large enough and as long as there's enough rock for them to make their own territory, then they shuold be ok. If you plop them in there and they are aggressive then move the aquascape around (if possible) to let them all reestablish their territories.

 

[drm]

austinsdad-I had a Coral Beauty with some of the corals, with no problems. That fish died after I went on vacation and my fish-sitter had a water overflow calamity. New Coral Beauty just finished quarantine and is doing great in the tank so far. Time will tell a little more, I suppose.
My thought was to wait another 3-4 months and then add the pair of Maroon Clowns (as a pair, hoping to decrease aggression). I did consider tank-raised true percs, but when I saw the gold maroons, I thought they were so beautiful.....
I also wanted to make sure the mandarin would be OK and not get picked on, as I also love this fish.
Thanks all.

 

[afilter]

Obviously all fish are different, but it should not be a problem as Hara stated. I have a similar setup and my pair of maroon's co-habitat well.

Are you getting the clowns already paired. IMO that could be tha hard part as they do not always pair easily on their own.

Good luck,

 

[drm]

Yes, the plan is to get them already paired, if I can find them. Most of the places I can find online that sell them as a pair are sites unknown to me, which makes me a little hesitant. I think that I am going to first try to see if my LFS can locate a pair for me. Any other suggestions?

 

[MT79]

I agree w/ what most others have said. I've had a maroon clown for over two years and she is not aggressive at all w/ other fish. Although she will steal the food from my fingers as I try to target feed my anemones and other critters. Out going, personable fish IMO/IME. Good luck.

 

[afilter]

pairing maroons can be tricky. I was lucky enough to get mine from a comunity of juvenials. There were only three left and the two seemed to be exhibiting the signs of pairing. Almost 2 years later they are doing great.

Any chance you have a lage enough QT that can support 3 or more juvenial maroons for a few months to develop your own pair? Then return the exras to the LFS? Might be cheaper. I know I only paid $16/fish for mine when they wanted $70 plus for an established pair.

 

[drm]

That's an interesting idea. I do have a 30 gal quarantine tank, which I suppose should work, don't you think? I really have enough live rock at this point to support both tanks, I think, so that shouldn't be too difficult. I suppose there would not be anything else for me to do to encourage pairing? Just leave it up to them? Any idea on the likelihood of success this way?

 

[afilter]

I would think the odds are pretty good if you started with 3 or 5 small juvenals 1-1.5". I do not believe they really sex until about 2"+ This is basically how I obtained mine. The LFS had a shipment in a tank no bigger than 30g and picked mine after observing for a couple of days when they were down to 3.

Hiding places will be key and LR would not be needed. PVC work great for this as well and will allow for treatment if needed while in QT.

In theory even two could even pair if bought small enough from the same tank. People get in trouble when they try to get larger more mature clowns and then pair them.

If you go with the multiple fish route just make sure you have a plan for the odd fish out.

HTH,

 

[morgan24]

liveaquaria.com sells them in pairs for 59.99 i think

 

[drm]

I was thinking live rock for the QT if I needed to keep them there past the 4 week mark. (You indicated keeping them there for a few months until they pair up?) I find watching all the numbers in a QT very stressful, so I don't think I could do it with just PVC more than 4 weeks.
I looked at liveaquaria and didn't see them listed as a pair. (Specifically looking for the gold banded maroon clowns). I suppose I could email them and ask.
Thanks for your help.