Clown question
- Thread starter 11julie11
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I cannot believe I know an answer to a question. I am so excited!! This is my understanding, they are both male and female. The one that grows the biggest is the female, the male is the smalest. I don't understand how they do this but they do. So do damsels! Exciting stuff!! Hope this helps
All clowns are born sexless. After a while the more dominant one will change into a female. The second most dominant one will become a male. The rest will remain juveniles or, if they begin to turn they will be killed by the pair. A clown can go through its whole life as a juvenile, never becoming either a male or a female.
There is no known way to physically tell if one is male or female. The only true way to tell is to look at their relationship to another clown.
There is no known way to physically tell if one is male or female. The only true way to tell is to look at their relationship to another clown.
jbax
New member
I cannot believe I know an answer to a question. I am so excited!! This is my understanding, they are both male and female. The one that grows the biggest is the female, the male is the smalest. I don't understand how they do this but they do. So do damsels! Exciting stuff!! Hope this helps
clownfish are sorta related to damsels:wave:
where did you get this information?
AquaReeferMan
Got Reef?
jt_milstead
New member
He is correct clownfish are born sexless. The dominant fish will become the female.
shifty51008
12-5 Chiefs record
short answer is yes
rssjsb
New member
Actually, I thought they were born male. One will turn female and grow larger.
A lot of times they are called male and the most dominant male will become female. I believe this to be untrue as if you put two males into a tank with a female then the female and one of the males - likely the more dominant one - would kill the male. Though on the other hand, even if you put a juvenile in there an established pair would kill it unless it was a big enough tank.
However, I'm not prepared to argue 100% that they're not male. Wilkerson calls them sexless. The fact that the female and the male will grow and the rest of them will stay the same size seems to prove this point.
Technically, I believe any pair of clownfish - even Maroons, which are a different genus than the rest - can be paired up. However, you are most likely to have success with a pair of the same species. Outside of that, the same complex is next most successful (perculas and ocellaris (b&w) are the same complex), and after that it's hit or miss.
A lot of times a clown will consider another clown of a different species to be inferior to them and therefore will not accept them as a mate.
Various locations about the web and in books. I try to breed clowns and have kind of made it my hobby.
jbax
New member
there are more variables that determine what the gender of a clownfish will change into.
After a while the more dominant one will change into a female. The second most dominant one will become a male. The rest will remain juveniles or, if they begin to turn they will be killed by the pair. A clown can go through its whole life as a juvenile, never becoming either a male or a female.
if your aquarium is big enough you can have multiple females and males (pairs). also if the female is not satisfied with the male she can replace him with/without killing him. also there some cases of the male turning female and killing the orig famale, then pairing with a male. also if you read further a juvenile's gender is based on what its enviroment lacks. there are alot of variables to consider.
After a while the more dominant one will change into a female. The second most dominant one will become a male. The rest will remain juveniles or, if they begin to turn they will be killed by the pair. A clown can go through its whole life as a juvenile, never becoming either a male or a female.
if your aquarium is big enough you can have multiple females and males (pairs). also if the female is not satisfied with the male she can replace him with/without killing him. also there some cases of the male turning female and killing the orig famale, then pairing with a male. also if you read further a juvenile's gender is based on what its enviroment lacks. there are alot of variables to consider.
