Can you pair up a maroon clown that was previously paired up?

[r2nj]

Long story short, I acquired a mated pair of maroon clowns last summer. When I recieved them, the larger female was severly beat up through the transport. She lasted only a few days, then passed. Since then, the male has been doing fine, and has been without his mate since last July. I believe male clowns turn into females if they are by themselves, no other clowns.

First, I'm not sure if a male would turn into a female after they've been mated and the female passes. Can someone advise? Secondly, if that is that case, would I be able to mate the (newly turned) female with a newly introduced smaller male? I know the maroons are some of the tougher ones to pair up. I'd love to try to pair mine with another, if in fact it's a female now, and if it's possible without harm.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[elegance coral]

Yes, yours is either a full blown female, or well on the way. Your best shot is to get the smallest maroon you can find to pair it with. You can try keeping the little guy in a breeder basket for a while so they can get to know each other.

 

[r2nj]

Yes, yours is either a full blown female, or well on the way. Your best shot is to get the smallest maroon you can find to pair it with. You can try keeping the little guy in a breeder basket for a while so they can get to know each other.

Okay, thanks EC. That's what I read. Just wasn't sure if/when the maroon would turn into a female. So, if it's "well on it's way", do you think it's still okay? Or should I wait longer? Is there any way to easily tell. Thanks.

 

[elegance coral]

Okay, thanks EC. That's what I read. Just wasn't sure if/when the maroon would turn into a female. So, if it's "well on it's way", do you think it's still okay? Or should I wait longer? Is there any way to easily tell. Thanks.

We can't tell when a fish completes the transformation from male to female. They typically just go through a growth spurt, while the sex change takes place. For our purposes, when any adult clown is left alone for a couple of months, we should assume it is female.

There's no need to wait any longer. With clowns it's a dominance thing. As long as you don't add a clown that the resident clown would see as a threat to its dominance, you should be okay. That's why you need the smallest one you can find. If they are close to the same size, or if the new clown is larger, things could get real ugly.