Black and White clowns

[Titus77]

Okay...so I was just watching my tank and noticed that the black clown was on the left side of the tank, and the orange clown was 2 feet away in the middle of the tank. They were minding their own business. But then, before returning to my computer, they were swimming next to each other. Does this mean that they are no longer paired? they still sleep next to each other. Should I move them to my bare 10 gallon? It is equiped with a "Little Time, Little Temp" thermometer, an Aquaclear 20 filter, and a heater. I can also put some PVC pipe in there.

 

[tufacody]

I think there is a big misconception about this whole "pairing" thing. It seems that too many people and dealers are of the opinion that if two clownfish of the same family are hanging out that they are somehow paired. This is not the case. If you have one occelaris and add a second occelaris, chances are you will find that the two fish are gonna be buddies. And if you get them as juveys you may or may not get them to spawn as they get older. But for the most part this whole "pairing" stuff is a bunch of BS. They are either mated, or they are not.

 

[rkelman]

"find that the two fish are gonna be buddies"

I believe most people think of this as being paired. Some are compatible and become "buddies" or "paired" and some don't. Some that are "Buddies" or "Paired" go on to mate and become a "mated pair"

 

[tufacody]

The only problem is that if you check your LFS and places like LiveAquaria you will see they are charging 3-4 times as much for a pair then the fish would sell individually simply because they are "paired". Most people will find that if you add two clowns of the same type (except, perhaps, the most agressive ones) the two will hang out like they are paired. Its just their nature. I have often seen 4 or more clowns of the same family acticng as if they are all "paired".

 

[rkelman]

I agree. That is just a money making scheme. Paired means almost nothing. Mated pairs are a different story all together. I see people selling regular pairs as "mated pairs" when they have never laid eggs. I have 2 regular Ocellaris now that were fighting till one was skinny / injured and surely would have died had I not intervened and put a divider in the tank. I'm going to try again in a couple months but I think I'm just going to have to sell the more aggressive one and try again.

 

[aingraffia]

So how does one know if they clowns are "buddies" and paired before it is too late and they fight each other??

I just bought a pair of true perculas yesterday. They hung out very close to one another all of yesterday and slept together last night but did fight a little bit. But I've noticed that today they have been quite distant from each other. Any advice/opinions?

 

[tufacody]

Usually if clowns are gonna fight, the are gonna fight until one is dead. A little nipping here and there is normal.

 

[crmjacks]

my pair sometime sleep in different anemones that are on opposite sides of the tank. watch for physiological signs....sexual dimorphism, to verify that your clowns are "pairing" and becoming sexually mature.

 

[Titus77]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13224059#post13224059 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by crmjacks
...sexual dimorphism, to verify that your clowns are "pairing" and becoming sexually mature.

Does that mean when the male starts to go underneath the female and turn belly up and vibrate a bit? My last pair of ocellaris (fell for the stupid tube anemone) used to do that.

 

[elegance coral]

The goal of all clown fish is to mature and become female. If they are given the opportunity they will take it. If they begin sleeping on opposite sides of the tank, it is highly likely that the pair bond will become broken, and the male will become female. If you want them to pair up and hopefully spawn one day, you will need to find a way to keep them together. If they set up different territories, you will end up with two females.

 

[Titus77]

They are back together. I guess his wife forgave him