Maroon or Clarkii?

[El Langostino]

I just have a quick question about which clownfish pair I should choose to and stick with in my 90 gallon, but first the preface...

I have three small tangs; yellow, kole, and vlamignii (Already have a dream system in the works to prepare for him 2-3 years down the road).

I've always loved going into stores and seeing HUGE clowns in their display tanks. Especially Maroons and Clarkiis since they become truly massive.

Right now I have a 2-3 inch Maroon that I'm pretty sure is female because it has become significantly darker in the month or so I've owned it. She gets along very well with all the other tank inhabitants, even a small false percula .

I'm really more of a Maroon and Clarkii lover because of their size, so I'm thinking about giving the false perc to a friend. I'd love to have a 6-7 inch maroon clown with mate swimming around in my tank.

My question is (I know finally..), what are the odds my peaceful 3 inch maroon female will become an unholy terror upon the sea in the next 3 to 4 inches of growth? Will having a mate make her more pugnacious? Will my other fish be able to defend themselves and is there record of aggressive Maroon Clowns attacking and killing even large tangs?

Since I'm pretty sure I'm going to remove the false perc for his own safety, I just want to know if I should try and get my Maroon a mate, or remove it and get a clarkii pair? Since they are both fairly aggressive, will it matter if I have one pair or the other?

Thanks a lot

 

[stykthyn]

choice of fish will probably be based on personal preferance. both will get large and both will be fairly hostile. I have a 4 inch maroon that is downright evil, she tolerates my purple tang, but has killed 2 potential mates and chased off countless others.
If you want paired fish I would say that 2 juv clarks would be the best bet

 

[Roughhawk]

My Marooncouple is very peaceful and attacks virtually none of the other fishes exept other Clowns.. SHE is about 4-5" HE's maybe 1,5..
Next time i would buy clarkii because at the lomgtherm they are looking more handsome to me!!

 

[SEAFLOWERS]

I have kept both kinds over the years and they both can be very territorial by themselves. When I have added another to make a pair they seem to get even meaner, and watch out if they lay eggs!

 

[ClownReef®]

I like Clarkiis, they have alot of personality...But maroons are gorgeous, so..tough choice..lol

 

[ERTLEY]

Maroons can get very hostile with age!

 

[DMK]

maroon.

 

[El Langostino]

I guess I'm leaning a bit more towards just trying to find my already established GSM Clown a mate. I forgot to mention that my Maroon is of the gold stripe variety and tank raised so I find this one to be so much friendlier than others I've seen.

I could be so wrong as we'll soon find out, but I almost think that introducing a less than 1 inch specimen will work fine. I really can't envision my Maroon attacking it. On occasion she even swims with my false perc. I had hoped maybe I could get a very unique pairing situation with them, but I don't think it has worked out at all. They only manage to tolerate each other =)

Roughhawk,

I agree with you on the long term appearance of the maroons. I wish they wouldn't get quite so dark, as the bright red color in juveniles is great. I still really love the ornate fins, etc. Just watching them move is mesmerizing.

Thanks everyone UND, vielen Dank fuer die Antworten ^_^
(Leider im Moment spreche ich nur ein klein wenig Deutsch)

Please feel free to provide more input if you have any, ciao.

 

[dantodd]

Only suggestion I would make is to remove the false perc. if/when you get your GSM to pair. Clownfishes generally get more aggressive after pairing.

 

[El Langostino]

Yeah, I'm taking the False Percula back to my LFS in exchange for a 1 inch GSM Clown next week and then paying the remaining difference.

 

[El Langostino]

I removed the Ocellaris Clown today and took him back to my LFS for store credit and he already found a new home, that was quick.

They also had a small shipment of GSM clowns but unfortunately I think they were all slightly too large to have a safe pairing episode with my 2.5-3 inch Maroon.

I'm going to wait until next Thursday to see if a smaller one comes in. I'll keep this thread updated so everyone can see if my pairing works out or not.