Who Gives A Fish Forums

Just makin sure i'm on the right track here. I got a pair of tomato clowns and they're chillin with their own anemone, but now i've added two new nemo type clowns (tank bred) to the mix. The bigger of the two tomato clowns is goin after the smaller nemo clowns, pretty aggressively.

Does this mean i gotta choose between keepin the tomato clowns or the nemo clowns?

I'm afraid so. Clownfish can get pretty territorial when they've got an anemone or coflake to call their own. I've got a skunk clown that's always chasing off my wrasses - they're two to three times his size, mind you - if they get too close to his coflake. With other clownfish, it's even worse.

yeah, get rid of one pair, they just don't mix well, clowns can be pretty territorial when it comes to their anemones.

Mixing clowns can be a hit or miss, but tomatoes generally have the size and strength advantage over nemo clowns.

I got another anemone for the nemo clowns and the other pair went in it. how long would it take for the nemo clowns to host the new anemone, will they even go in cos they're really small

Honestly, adding another pair of clowns to your tank was quite reckless, especially given their territorial nature. Your original pair is monopolizing everything, which is typical behavior. I'm shocked you even considered adding a second pair - whoever suggested that idea is clearly misinformed.

Your original clowns will likely continue stressing out the nemos until they die. Mixing clowns is a red flag, and the odds of success are extremely low - we're talking 1 in 1000. Unless you get two exceptionally shy or friendly clownfish, it usually doesn't end well.

I'd strongly advise taking one of the pairs back to the shop or moving them to a new tank. As it stands, this won't have a happy ending. It's baffling that you'd even think to add new clowns to a tank with established territory holders. Clownfish will defend any area of any tank, regardless of its size.

Sorry if I sound harsh, but the first thing you should've learned about clownfish is to never add more after establishing some in a tank.