Maroon stripe clown and Green carpet anemone

[Smork81]

Ok Ive had the two Maroon striped clowns for about a month now and the carpet anemone for over 2 months i think. The clowns hosted as soon as they got out of quarentine and into the display. My question is...When will they mate if ever? I was told by the LFS that they were a "pair" they did not say maited pair but just a "pair"

The large one is georgeous and is almost 5 inches long..the smaller one is about 3 inches maybe even smaller..How will I know if they spawn? Or are they even a pair that could mate later on?

any advice would be appreciated

 

[heap]

if you have two maroons in a tank without vicious hostility, they're paired ;^)


to be serious...watch their behavior towards each other. if they are constantly close to each other, and they are hosting the same anemone w/out a lot of aggression (some can be normal - a female 'darting' at a male isn't uncommon. a female chasing a male continuously... that's not good) they're either paired, or working on it.

at that size, i'd guess they're physically capable of breeding already. it'll just take some time for them to get used to their home.

as to signs of spawning, look for shared cleaning of a site around their normal hosting area. when they're both working on cleaning off a rock face or section of glass, that's typically a good sign a spawn is on its way.

also, keep an eye on the male...(from a distance, and not during a feeding) if you see him constantly going to a spot near (but not in) the normal host, he's likely tending to a clutch of eggs. i do have a maroon pair that share this responsibility, but the others i have it's the male only that tends to them.

just my experience, but an increase in meaty foods tends to encourage spawning, as does running a temperature a few degrees above what a reef may enjoy (80-81), and a lower salinity than what i'd do for a reef dedicated tank (1.021-22). it would depend on your setup/circumstance if these are good ideas for you or not, tho.