How old is too old to pair.

[Gold Stripe]

I've got my pride and joy, a 4.5 inch Gold Stripe Maroon, in a 20 long while my new 75 stabilizes. Downgraded from a 180 due to 3rd child on the way and no time or money.

I was thinking of trying to pair her up when I introduce her into the new tank. LFS has a beautiful 2 to 2.5 inch Gold Stripe.

I figured I would wait until the 75 is good and stable. Shouldnt take too long as substrate and rock came from 4 year old 180. Then put LTA in there. Then small Gold Stripe. Then when the small GS looks comfortable I would add Arlington (Wife named her after her old highschool whose colors were maroon and yellow).

I know it will be a battle at first but if both fish are healthy they should survive it right?

Am I off my rocker here? Opinions?

 

[Gold Stripe]

17 views and no opinions/experience?

 

[marie]

I've had my clarkii for 8 yrs and I finally found a mate she can tolerate last dec.

It was touch and go for a few months. I thought I was going to have to pull the little male out but in the last few weeks they have started clearing a spot on a rock together.
This male that is working out is the smallest fish I've tried, he was less then 3/4 of an inch when I added him. The others (3 of them) were each over an inch long and my female nearly killed them

 

[Mike31154]

You may want to consider adding the larger Maroon to the 75 gal first. According to the book "Clownfishes" by Joyce D. Wilkerson you're on the right track with a large and small fish, but she also notes that when she introduced a large Maroon to a tank with an established smaller one, the small one would not yield and the attempt was unsuccessful. She does say that other breeders did have success using this method. It's possible that the 2.5 inch Maroon has already turned into a female and if so, there is no turning back. This is why she recommends the larger Maroon being the resident and adding the smaller one later.
Having said that, I introduced a second Maroon to my tank that was virtually the same size as the established fish. Both were small and I would consider them juvenile, around 2 inches at most. The original maroon had been in the tank about 5 months and was hosting in a BTA. When the resident first laid eyes on the newcomer, her white stripes turned gray!! There was a period of aggression and the new addition was not allowed near the BTA for weeks. He spent a lot of time pacing back and forth along the sides of the tank a safe distance away from the resident and the BTA. At lights out it was always touch and go for him to find a safe place to spend the night. He also took some flak from a Blue Devil Damselfish, but to his credit, he made it through the ordeal and the pair now both host in the BTA. They have yet to spawn, but the original (I call her Miss Piggy since she's a voracious eater) had a tremendous growth spurt and is now almost triple in size. She's now much darker in colour than the male who hasn't grown at all and is a picky eater.
Sure hope whichever method you choose, it works out. Having a pair, especially hosting in an anemone is so cool, even if they don't spawn.

 

[Mike31154]

My first attempt at posting an image. My pair of Maroon Clowns in their BTA.

 

[Gold Stripe]

Thanks! Based on postings and PMs it sounds like I should look for a smaller mate (1 inch or so) and introduce him after my larger clown. Better chance of getting a male with smaller fish, better chance of my clown ignoring him for a while, and better chance of him finding a place to hide where she cant get at him until she decides to give him a chance.

Any other experiences would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Mike31154]

"How old is too old to pair"
Here's another quote or tidbit of information from Joyce D. Wilkerson's book.
"....a very large, 8-year-old resident Maroon immediately accepted a small Maroon inadvertently placed in her tank by someone who did not know that Maroons should not be kept together. The huge, old, female Maroon immediately drove the small fish to her sleeping quarters and proceeded to protect and bring food to her young mate. Never did either question their status in the hierarchy. Within a year, the progenies from this May/December pairing were reared.
Such instant companionship is not the norm when forming Maroon pairs with a lesser difference in size, but it offers an insightful example."
Who knows, it might work just as well for you.