Mixing clown species?

[Last_Tang_o]

I have a 55g tank with two Clarkii clownfish in it. One was very large and dominated not only its smaller mate but all other fish in the tank (sometimes to a point of hurting them). I moved her into a new 30g bio-cube, along with a BTA, and she is very happy there now. 4 weeks later I tried to move the other Clarkii from the 55g to the bio-cube, but it got attacked (fins nipped, looking awful). So, naturally, I moved it back to the 55g. Does this mean the fish from the 55g turned female, and now I have two females in separate tanks? Given that I do, is it safe to introduce a pair of juvenile ocellaris clowns to my 55g, or the newly formed female will harass/kill them?

 

[Zestay]

clarkiis are meanies

 

[Chupacabras]

A month is certainly long enough for a fast grower like the clarkii to morph to female so chances are pretty fair that you've got two females on your hands.

I wouldn't try to introduce two occ to a single female clarkii. Best bet, can you trade that female in for a new juvi clarkii?

 

[Last_Tang_o]

re: clarkii are meanies

re: clarkii are meanies

Yep... but they are avid "gardners". I used to have an arrow crab in my reef tank, and he used to trample all over the corals. Until the clarkii pair came along. The one I think turned female (in the 55g) won't let him near the corals (s)he is to this day cruising around, "supervising" the "garden". I'm thinking about adding a pair of juvi clowns to this tank, and I am concerned that they would be either harassed or killed by the bigger clown. Does it matter what species (other than Clarkii's)?

 

[davocean]

Those clarks will thrash the occs.
Trade one for a very small one and use specimen container to intro.

 

[Last_Tang_o]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9524026#post9524026 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by davocean
Those clarks will thrash the occs.
Trade one for a very small one and use specimen container to intro.

I feared as much! "Use specimen container to intro" -- do you mean introduce the juvi one to the old one in the 30g?

 

[cschweitzer]

I would doubt(although possible) that the clarkii turned female in that time. Personally, I think it could be one of many factors besides sexual morphing.
1 Smaller space: going from a 55G to a 30G may be cramping them
2 Female aggression: Females of all species of clowns can be aggressive, clarkiis moreso than most. She used to dominate the tank she was in, now there is less to dominate(i.e. just the clarkii) whereas her previous domination was dispersed throughout more fish.
3 Above reasoning from a different aspect: maybe she is just reclaiming dominance over a fish that has relaxed his fear of the female
4 Unfamiliar face: hasn't seen the other clown in a while and freaked out.
5 Bad mood: fish can sometimes let their moods be known, sometimes in ways we would rather not appreciate.
6 Turned female: Possible, but had to make it lower on the list than some other possibilities because an average clownfish will usually not turn in a month and usually is sped along by the introduction of a less dominant partner. I found that males can lay in a dormant male state for months without the female in the tank and before a submissive clownfish comes into play.

But, as Joyce Wilkerson claimed, a clown can change in as little as a month(usually done in the wild with a group of young babies when the dominant female dies).

 

[davocean]

Yes, that's what I meant.
Just in case the older one gets fussy to a new fish.
Clarks are pretty territorial.