lonely clown

[sarcophytonIndy]

OK, so i have a four year old occ clown that used to be the female (larger) half of a mated pair, but about a year ago the male disappeared, never to be seen in the reef tank again. Is there any hope of introducing a new male into the tank and having it end well ?

 

[lpsouth1978]

It is definitely possible, but make sure that new clown is considerably smaller and is not already a female in a tank with a bunch of other clown. I would probably look for a juvenile clown and see how it goes. Be prepared to separate them if things go south. Maybe try introducing the new clown in an acclimation container, or critter keeper, and see how she reacts to it.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

It is definitely possible, but make sure that new clown is considerably smaller and is not already a female in a tank with a bunch of other clown. I would probably look for a juvenile clown and see how it goes. Be prepared to separate them if things go south. Maybe try introducing the new clown in an acclimation container, or critter keeper, and see how she reacts to it.

Solid advice, I did exactly this. I left the new, much smaller clown in the acclimation box for about 2 weeks so my female could view it and get accustomed to it before I released it into the tank.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

I did this and it worked out just fine. They sparred a bit for the first week or so, but eventually got friendly and she's laying eggs regularly now again.

 

[Uncle99]

Also, same colour, same species, (along with sexually immature male....aka a lot smaller) increases chances of a pairing....

 

[Crooked Reef]

What they all said. There will be some dominance displayed by the female just so the new male knows she is boss. I don’t know if you have ever seen clowns pairing up but the male will do some weird things sometimes, laying on its side and shaking and such. When I first started out years ago I thought mine were killing each other.

 

[davocean]

Not just smaller than your female, but small enough to still be male, usually no bigger than an inch and an quarter to be sure.

Many mix colors and even occs to percs, so you are not confined to exact same, though same species might go easier, color should not matter at all really.

Agree acclimation box and observe should always be done