Bud's Reef
New member
I have had a presumed wild caught female GS Maroon Clown for about 6 months and really wanted to get a male and try to pair them. My first attempt was unsuccessful from the beginning since I ordered what was a very small one and it developed Brookynella after the first week in QT. Unfortunately, it didn't survive the treatment.
Finally, one of the locals LFSs got in about fifteen small tank bred ones and I bought three of them, one to try to pair with my existing female and the other two to hopefully become a pair themselves.
After thirty days of QT and based on what I read here and advice from others in our local club, I started introducing him to the female. I first used a Kritter Keeper that I drilled holes in and epoxied some plastic strips to the back so I could use the three suction cup bracket from a Maxijet to hold it in place. The first day in the tank the female regularly charged the keeper but the second day she would just swim up to it and the little one would shimmy and she would back off. I took that as a good sign and tried to release him. The female immediately charged but stopped just short and let him swim beside her. I thought I was really going to be lucky, but no. After a few minutes she went after him with what appeared to be a clear intent to kill him. So I put him back in the keeper. After two more days, I made a cage out of egg crate that the male could swim in and out of but the female couldn't get into. He stayed in it just barely coming out occassionaly and after a couple of days the female would come up to him and he would go out to meet her. Most of the time she would let him swim beside her but he never ventured far from the cage and would always go back to it.
After about a week he started staying out of the cage during the entire day interacting with the female but would still go in at night to sleep. For a couple of nights it looked like the female was trying to coax him to stay with her after the lights went out but he would eventually go back to the cage to sleep.
I decided it was time to take away the cage and for the past two days they have been pretty much inseperable so I think they have officially become a pair. Woohoo!
Thanks for all the great info and ideas on how to do this!
Finally, one of the locals LFSs got in about fifteen small tank bred ones and I bought three of them, one to try to pair with my existing female and the other two to hopefully become a pair themselves.
After thirty days of QT and based on what I read here and advice from others in our local club, I started introducing him to the female. I first used a Kritter Keeper that I drilled holes in and epoxied some plastic strips to the back so I could use the three suction cup bracket from a Maxijet to hold it in place. The first day in the tank the female regularly charged the keeper but the second day she would just swim up to it and the little one would shimmy and she would back off. I took that as a good sign and tried to release him. The female immediately charged but stopped just short and let him swim beside her. I thought I was really going to be lucky, but no. After a few minutes she went after him with what appeared to be a clear intent to kill him. So I put him back in the keeper. After two more days, I made a cage out of egg crate that the male could swim in and out of but the female couldn't get into. He stayed in it just barely coming out occassionaly and after a couple of days the female would come up to him and he would go out to meet her. Most of the time she would let him swim beside her but he never ventured far from the cage and would always go back to it.
After about a week he started staying out of the cage during the entire day interacting with the female but would still go in at night to sleep. For a couple of nights it looked like the female was trying to coax him to stay with her after the lights went out but he would eventually go back to the cage to sleep.
I decided it was time to take away the cage and for the past two days they have been pretty much inseperable so I think they have officially become a pair. Woohoo!
Thanks for all the great info and ideas on how to do this!
