Calling all clown experts - what's going on?!

[brett559]

About 4 months ago, I bought a bonded pair of clownfish - a true perc and a black/white ocellaris. I was told by my LFS that the black ocellaris was the female - she was slightly bigger. They get along fine, and I did observe the true perc doing his litttle shimmy/shake thing, which I understood to be an act of submission to the dominant female (black ocellaris).

Last week the true perc finally began hosting in my RBTA (yes, I realize that's now how I'm supposed to say it - but you know what I mean). The black wanted to as well, but the true perc was having none of it. Today, the black really wanted to enter the nem, but the perc just kept forcing him out.

What's going on? Will a subservient male actively keep a dominant female from entering an anemone? Was the perc the female all along? Will the perc eventually let the black in the nem? Any ideas?

p.s. - My prior tank had two true percs and when one went into my green BTA, the other immediately did too. They both happily hosted (wrong again, I know!) in the nem together with no issues.

 

[ThRoewer]

The percula must be a racist and being opposed to interspecies parings.

 

[CoralsAddiction]

No worries. I had a pair of Wyoming White clowns (A. Ocellaris) and the male did the same thing. You will see very soon that the female will take over.

 

[loveaddressbox]

Years ago I had two tomatoe clownfish or something like that and the female was always under the anemone near the rocks, while male was on the anemone all day, I really don't know a lot, but I never see them together, even that they had pups once.
Why you say it is wrong that both were happily hosted?
Sorry to ask on your post lol

 

[brett559]

The percula must be a racist and being opposed to interspecies parings.

Ha! I thought the same thing at first.

 

[brett559]

This is weird. My orange perc chills in the nem pretty much all the time. The black occy wants in, orange is not having it. So I go to my office after lights out, and I look inside, both clowns are snuggling in the almost-closed anemone. Very weird. Maybe they are bashful and want to keep their "relationship" a secret.

"Hey, meet me in the BTA tonight after dark" (wink wink)

 

[ThRoewer]

My first percula pair was just the other way around: during the day the male was allowed inside the flowerpot but at night the female kicked him out. It was like they were dating but he wasn't allowed for a sleep-over
Now that they have a gigantea they are both in it all the time - and quite literally "all the time".