NOW, what the H*#L

[Capt.Nemo]

so,
all fish, including paired Clowns die in display.....Brook. live and learn.

thought I was learning.
got quarantine tank set up
bought 2 new Tomato's, maybe not fully paired but been together in same tank for 2 weeks at LFS.
got them last Wednesday.
watching them this morning and what seems to be normal bonding actions. look over again and the slightly smaller one....DEAD

***

 

[Capt.Nemo]

would one have killed the other if it had not changed to female yet?

 

[Cheebs]

The larger one had likely already assumed the role of female. Female clowns, particularly certain species (tomatoes, Maroons, etc) can get really picky and aggressive with choosing their males. I lost a small male to my female Maroon a long time ago, before I had done my research... I had to take it much slower the second time.

It does suck that you bought them other and it didn't work out, but they likely re-assessed their relationship in the new environment and weren't fully paired (or mated) beforehand.

 

[Capt.Nemo]

they had said that they were tolerating each other but weren't fully paired yet.

I guess now the question is...

do I try to get a single male and try to pair them?
or
take this one to LFS and try to locate another pair?

I like the tomato's but they are a bit more difficult to find.

 

[Cheebs]

I would try pairing them yourself, but very slowly. Make sure you look up some guides, but you would need to introduce the male in a separate container that is view-able by the female, like a breeding box, and go from there.

 

[Capt.Nemo]

I have read the guide here on pairing, and I will read it again.

but no matter where you read, it is the suggestion that you add them at the same time. I really did figure, IF, and if the LFS was telling the truth. if they had been together for 2 weeks, there would be a good chance.

we shall see if my normal LFS that I go to weekly gets some in tomorrow. I will look at there sizes and see. I don't have many LFS to choose from. when the last shipment came in and there were no Tomato's, I decided to drive to Nashville to what I though was a reputable store.

we shall see what happens. time to practice more patience. appreciate your input.

 

[ThRoewer]

The larger one had likely already assumed the role of female. Female clowns, particularly certain species (tomatoes, Maroons, etc) can get really picky and aggressive with choosing their males. I lost a small male to my female Maroon a long time ago, before I had done my research... I had to take it much slower the second time.

It does suck that you bought them other and it didn't work out, but they likely re-assessed their relationship in the new environment and weren't fully paired (or mated) beforehand.

It is quite common for paired fish (and even shrimp) to get agressive against each other when stressed out from catching/shipping and then finding themselves in an unfamilliar environment.
It is usually best to keep them seperated for a while until they have calmed down.