Pairing injured clownfish

It was with other fish, but no clowns. None of the lfs in my area ever order many skunks. I like them, but this whole process would have been much easier if my wife didn't want them lol. If I need to get rid of this one I'll have to order one, unfortunately I'm getting contradictory advice on what size to get. And to make matters worse, both arguments for sizing make sense.
 
When pairing clowns, it's always suggested to get a much smaller one than the original. Not sure where you're getting varying info...
 
Minh said to get a larger one, top of this page. I'm guessing since the older one is still so small after 3-4 years. He doesn't seem to be growing due to the original damage. Maybe he missed the part about the original clown being 4 years old?
 
New one now has damage to it's face. Red patch under the jaw. I'll try to get a pic. He is the one doing the submissive moves now, almost exclusively. Think it might be time to remove him. :(
 
Last edited:
OUCH!! It might've finally submitted, but that still doesn't mean she'll accept new one. & mouth locking is usually a sign they're both females.

Yea, I think the 2 yr gap between your previous posts was missed. I've never heard of adding a larger clownfish to existing one. All the reading I've done here & in Joyce Wilkersons book, & my own experience, says add smaller w/ larger one...NEVER add same size or larger clownfish to existing one...
 
Last edited:
No more mouth stuff going on. The old one is the only aggressor now. They're still both doing the submissive turning/twitching though, swimming together. I'll go ahead and turn off the lights and remove the new one.
 
I'd almost say wait a bit longer, since older one is only aggressor now; & more submissive twitching is happening...But tough call...If he gets any more dinged up I'd definitely take him out.
 
Yeah very wierd. I just fed for the last time today in order to turn the lights out. The stuff I was feeding earlier was small stuff that a lot of the fish don't eat, so the bigger ones hadn't eaten yet.

Then as I'm sitting there watching, the old one is also doing the submissive twitching. No fighting/biting from either. But the old is chasing the new for short stints. followed by one of them turning and twitching.

They're generally staying close to the bta. If the new one tries to actually go in it, it will get chased about 6 inches away eventually but not right away, and then one of them always dances.

I would say that if the old one definitely rejected the new one and didn't want it in it's "territory" of the bta it wouldn't let it get that close, or stay for a while.
 
It seems like they're 'working it out' & may be best buds by end of weekend, or at least tolerated...;) But I know how you feel--it's always stressful watching the fighting & hoping one doesn't get too injured. Good luck!
 
This video is only 1:20 long but it's basically what's been happening for the last 45 minutes.

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/JGE7ilxSWfo?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
SwampyBill said:
It seems like they're 'working it out' & may be best buds by end of weekend, or at least tolerated...;) But I know how you feel--it's always stressful watching the fighting & hoping one doesn't get too injured. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the help! I think I'll watch closely for the next few days and update here. I have to work until 3pm tomorrow so I'll probably just leave the lights off until then. Unless of course there's a miracle and they both sleep in the bta!
 
This vid definitely shows better behavior than 1st one. That one was almost hard to watch. btw, that missing tail hasn't hindered her feistiness at all!! ;)
 
SwampyBill said:
This vid definitely shows better behavior than 1st one. That one was almost hard to watch.
Click to expand...

Yeah that first vid was like a replay of how my deformed one ended up deformed years ago. Nope, very feisty. Chases the 5-6" vlamingi and chocolate tang away from the nem. Albeit not very fast!

I felt bad watching her try to chase the new one. She was trying so hard and the new one was like "Oh, you're still chasing me?" haha.
 
You always always want to go super small, they cannot change back from female, it is a one way trip No Gender->Male->Female->Death. And with an injured one, I always suggest super small so that there's less risk to the injured fish. I've had a successful pairing (As far as successful goes with no babies yet lol) an injured 4" Clown to a tiny .75" clown, just a tiny little thing, and now he's grown quickly and is above the 1 inch size.

If they really start locking jaws and damage is getting worse, chances are the new one is female. Just keep an eye on it.
 
Yea, clownfish behavior is fascinating stuff, yet sometimes painful to watch...But it's so cool watching them pair up & their continued mating dances throughout their lives.
 
No aggression today. But they are pretty much staying on opposite sides of the tank 50-60% of the time. Every once in a while the old one will come over to check out the new one and either lunge to get it to submit, which it always does, or it will do a little dance. Sometimes they swim around together for short periods. The new one completely ignores the old one unless the old one initiates contact. Not sure if that says anything.

Also the new one hasn't claimed any kind of territory. Kinda just wanders around like it's lost, but gave up trying to find where it is, if that makes any sense. Still healthy and eating like a pig.

The old one was always glued to her anemone before adding this one. Never ventured more than six inches away, even during feeding.

This raises a question. If the new one is tolerated but they don't pair up, do I pull it or just add another small one to pair up with the female? Or I could add two small ones to make two pairs. Tank is the one in my sig. I know Minh has lots of percs (iirc) in the same tank, but I'm not sure if they are all pairs or how they were added.

On a good note I'm pretty sure my bta is splitting! I've been feeding heavily in an attempt to induce splitting for about two weeks. Last night and today during the day it crawled behind the rock it was on. I can still see about 1/3-1/2 of it though. Do they usually hide completely when they split?
 
Nah, don't add another one to the mix. If you decide to swap out new one, just get a much smaller juvie. I also wouldn't add more to pair up, even in your size tank. While some have done it, I wouldn't chance it, IMO.

I had a RBTA that split in plain sight. Not sure what's normal, or if they get shy & wanna be private...;)
 
It's definitely splitting. Selling the clone is going to fund my h. mag. :)

Is there any case in which either one would decide not to pair but would still submit/dance/follow the other?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

JeannineC
Clownfish eggs?
2
Replies
26
Views
2K
Anemone
Anemone
griss
This Clownfish is Driving me Crazy
2
Replies
38
Views
3K
Hong Kong
Hong Kong
wvned
Not sure what to do
Replies
8
Views
1K
OrionN
OrionN
NancyT3
Stocking advice and sequence to add
Replies
10
Views
2K
NancyT3
NancyT3
vlangel
75g Lurking danger and Leafy Seadragons
8 9 10
Replies
195
Views
8K
griss
griss
Back
Top