question about finding a mate for maroon

[reefloverd1]

I was wondering how the process goes to find a mate for my maroon clown. It is still very young, so should I start now or wait until it is older to try to find it a mate? Also, is it just a trial and error type thing or is there a specific method to it?

 

[SidCat]

How big is the maroon clown that you have already?

 

[reefloverd1]

Its about 1 1/2 to 2 inches.

 

[SidCat]

I'm certainly no expert, but what worked for me is having two young fish and having a considerable size difference between the two.

From what the store told me, mine paired up pretty quickly, but that isn't always the case. You will need a way of separating them if things get ugly.

I will leave the question about specific methods to the experts.

 

[dsoz]

Divide the tank with light diffuser (egg crate). If one fish can get through the holes and the other can't then the small one can always retreat to the other side. It does not have to be exactly in half, as long as the little one can get away and have an area to himself.

Other than that, try to get one that is as small as possible.

Good luck. I love and hate my maroon pair. They attack my arm everytime I put it in "their" tank.

dsoz

 

[PACHY-FAN]

I bought a Maroon of about 3 inches from head to tail and put it in my tank and the only issues were from the Blue Devils. After a week I bought a small Maroon of about 2 inches and put it in the tank and the bigger one bullied him to no end relatively quickly and within an hour or 2 the smaller one looked like some kind of junkie with tattered fins and little scrapes on his side. What I tried was putting the male in a see through strawberry container anchored by fishing string to the top and lowered him about 2 inches every other day and when the bigger Maroon quit making attack runs, 2 weeks or so since bought the little one, I let the little one out and have had no problems since. I read that process in a Clownfish book and can say it works.

 

[reefloverd1]

Thanks everyone, I think I will try the strawberry container method, I always have those around..lol.

 

[codyjp]

I had a 1 1/2" clown that was all alone for about 1 1/2 years. In this time it had most likely turned into a female. On the recommendations of my LFS I brought home a little bitty fella for her. I first put him in a small piece of Tupperware stuff that was vented (a strawberry basket would have worked too). At first the big female went crazy and it looked ugly. I left them to stare at each other for a day then released the little guy with net in hand. It got ugly and after a few minutes the little male had a few torn fins. I netted him back up and put him back into the container. The next day I re released him. They biting commenced by the female, followed by the typical shaking that is to be expected from the male. But this time there wasn't any damage to his fins. This went on for several days. At first it was very alarming to watch but it gets easier to tolerate. The female would take the males entire pectoral fin into her mouth and the male would vibrate and then nip the female on the cheek. It looks scary but no physical damage is done.

The male then spent the next several days cowering in submission in the corner near the outflow tubes. Over time he got closer and closer to the female until she finally let him sleep in her anemone. He now sleeps inside with her laying on top of him to the point I can't see the male.

I'm still waiting for eggs but I think it might take him a while to be ready for that business.