Adding a 2nd Ocellaris Clownfish

[WLachnit]

Thought I would post here as well.
I have a 300g mixed reef and had a pair of A.Ocellaris clowns for ~9y. I recently lost one...I believe it was the male. My understanding is that the one still left will be female either way. So, what is the best way to add a male? In other words, I want to make sure that it has not morphed into a female. I always QT everything so from the time I purchase it to the time it goes into my DT will be 4-6 weeks. I am assuming that I would need to purchase a juvenile? And, how do I know it is a juvenile. Finally, will the old clownfish pair up? Or is she just too old?

 

[JZinCO]

It is safe to assume that your female will stay female even in the presence of a larger female. There has been no documented protogyny in clownfish that I am aware of.

The safest way to introduce a clownfish would be to select an identified male. The only way to be fairly confident is to observe multiple clownfish in a tank. They develop a sex-based hierarchy with one dominant female, one subdominant male, and inferior stunted juveniles. A juvenile could be fine to add in but the big size mismatch might be worrisome.

Unfortunately, most fish stores don't offer you the option of choosing from a community of clownfish. Your best bet is to avoid a female (lone fish or the larger of a pair) and hope for the best..

edit: I just picked up on your QT. I've read a study that showed instant behavioral/chemical signs that predict sex change in individuals but in the 180 days of the study, no physical sex change occurred. Reading another study they state "After the disappearance or removal of females, their mates took more than 1.5 years to attain the minimum functional female size (about 75mm in standard length)." So my guess is that it's likely you don't have to worry about a male or juvenile turning into a female while in QT.

 

[WLachnit]

Thanks for the response...very helpful. Any idea how long they live in captivity? I got the lone female as a juvenile 9y ago.

 

[anbosu]

Thanks for the response...very helpful. Any idea how long they live in captivity? I got the lone female as a juvenile 9y ago.

I've seen reports of 30 year old clowns in captivity, but those are obviously outliers. When you add the new clown, it should quickly do the submissive head shake. If it doesn't and there is posturing for an extended period of time you may have two females.
I recently had to replace my big female black ocellaris and found a really small clown to pair with her mate, who I was pretty sure had begun transitioning. After introducing the juvenile to the aquarium it was instantly submissive, but this was in my son's biocube 29, not my big tank.

 

[ProSaltWater]

When getting a new clown get a smaller one so that the current one in the tank has an easier chance of becoming dominant.