Clownfish color change

[reebow in nwfl]

Okay so I have a question for you experts. I'm new to saltwater aquaria and am still learning more every day. I have two tank raised ocellaris in my 55gal tank who have been there for about 8 months, they have been doing the dance of love frequently, hang out together at the top of my heater every night and are pretty close to the same size. Recently, one of them (Julius) has become a darker orange, and his/her body shape has changed as well, More oval and thicker than Slurpee who is more torpedo shaped and a lighter orange, the same as he has been. Is this a sign perhaps that after all of the dancing and playful nipping, they have finally decided who is going to be the female? I know they are still juveniles since they are only about 1 3/4 inches long and a long way from spawning if it ever happens at all. Both have hardy appetites and always get a variety of foods (flake, freeze-dried, and frozen) so I don't think their diets are lacking.
Any Thoughts????
P.S. (FOWLR)tank has been up and running for 10 1/2 months

 

[andygb54303]

if you are not fortifying your food with vitamins, that could be why they are getting darker. Get foods with higher beta carotine(sp)

 

[dp0350]

I just got a pair Ocellaris clowns yesterday. They seemed to get along fine but today they started fighting. Open mouth locking etc. I had hopes that they might form a pair. Did yours ever do this Reebow? Is there a way to be certain that they are both Ocellaris? I know its hard to tell sometimes.

 

[reebow in nwfl]

Please forgive me if I'm wrong but shouldn't they become more washed out if they are lacking something nutitionally? Also it seems to me that they bot should have the same color change since they are both eating the same diet.

As far as their fighting, this is normal they are trying to determine who is going the be the dominant of the pair, if they are the same species. Just watch to be sure that they are not injuring each other to the point of fatal consequences. If they get too carried away you may need to separate the two. Hopefully the behavior shouldn't last too long, then they should just start twitching like crazy when in close proximity.
As far as telling the difference between ocellaris and percula there is a good article here. http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/clownfishcare/l/blpercula.htm