Re-Pairing a 5yr old Saddle back clown will male turn female and still grow?

[happyface888]

My brother had a pair of saddle back clowns for 5 years and the female one jump the tank. The female was a good 2 and a half I believe and the male was probaly a inch to a inch and and half. So now the males left alone, my question is after getting a small juvi saddle to pair it back up the male will turn female right? So once that male turns female can it still grow to the size of the old female which was 2 1/2 inches? or will it still be the same size of an inch and a half??

 

[reefman13]

I will probably grow to some where around the 2 and a half inches your old one was. But be prepared for them to end up getting to like 3" and 2" I have seen some pretty big saddle back pairs....

 

[happyface888]

Hmm so age doesnt matter right? So after the pair up with a juvi the little male will turn female and reach the size of the orginal female if not bigger correct? I thought that after the male turns female, it cant grow anymore because its 5years old.

 

[FishAreFriends2]

Clown fish sure are confusing I also thought that once the male turns female it ain't growing I mean its 5years old shouldnt all the growing be done when its a juvi? Can someone explain the concept of how a 5year clown is still able to grow once paired?

 

[MarinaP]

Re: Re-Pairing a 5yr old Saddle back clown will male turn female and still grow?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11323589#post11323589 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by happyface888
My brother had a pair of saddle back clowns for 5 years and the female one jump the tank. The female was a good 2 and a half half

Fully grown females are at least 4". Your measurement is incorrect.

Get a juvenile if you want to establish a pair.

 

[happyface888]

so eventhough the little guy is 5years old it can still turn female and reach 4inchs?

 

[traveller7]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11327664#post11327664 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by happyface888
so eventhough the little guy is 5years old it can still turn female and reach 4inchs?

Quite possibly, but there are a few things that don't seem to add up.

Might be a good idea to put up some pictures to get an ID of the fish. Even my male saddleback was almost 3" at the end of year 1. Female well over 3".

Diet, water conditions, etc., could be stunting growth, but it is best to start with a postive ID.

Good luck.

 

[happyface888]

 

[traveller7]

Classic black A. polymnus in that picture :>)

If you are trying to pair it up, get one much smaller and be cautious on the introduction. They can be quite brutal with each other, even after they are paired. If that one is not a female yet, the introduction of a certain juvenile will likely push it along in the process. Keep an eye out for the growth spurt.

fwiw: There has been at least one documented event of a pair breaking up when the Male turned Female and killed the former mate. You may already have a female on your hands. Be cautious if trying mix it with a larger specimen.

They show up in the trade as "panda clowns", "black percs", and numerous other improper names, make sure to get a wysiwyg picture or buy it in person.

Good luck.

 

[littleshark]

Yea, thats a black saddleback. Ive had my female at 1 inch for 3 months and after i added a juvi to the tank one month ago she grew to 2 inches. So they can still grow more. And the bigger male will turn into the female and the juvi will become the male.

 

[happyface888]

Thanks for the info when I first got them they had a yellow face but now its more of a dull yellow.

It sucked when the female jumped, that was my bros favorite fish in his tank. Its odd that a old fish can still have a growth spurt.

 

[happyface888]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11328801#post11328801 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by littleshark
Yea, thats a black saddleback. Ive had my female at 1 inch for 3 months and after i added a juvi to the tank one month ago she grew to 2 inches. So they can still grow more. And the bigger male will turn into the female and the juvi will become the male.

Thanks for sharing your experience, I'll have to look for a small one. The male is pretty small 1 and 1/2inches so I hope I can find a really small juvi.

 

[traveller7]

Small black saddles are available once you sort through the naming conventions.

The growth spurt when changing or maturing to female is quite amazing.

Here is an old shot of my babies, notice some have two stripes, some three:

 

[happyface888]

wow I wish I could do a school of clowns and a anemone, looks amazing. My bros started like that also. It sounds amazing since a 5year old male can still have a growth spurt once changed into a female. Who would of known, I only thought juv's could do it.

 

[traveller7]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11329118#post11329118 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by happyface888
wow I wish I could do a school of clowns and a anemone, looks amazing.

It was fun while it lasted, once they started pairing up after a few weeks/months/years even the 300gal was not large enough.

fwiw: 40gal would be the smallest space I would try to keep mature Black Saddlebacks.

 

[littleshark]

wow, nice photo traveller7. Im waiting for my pairs to breed, and when they do ill try to raise their babies so i can get a school of saddle myself

 

[happyface888]

It'd be nice if they stayed friendly

 

[traveller7]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11329615#post11329615 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by happyface888
It'd be nice if they stayed friendly

Believe me, I tried :>(

I don't think A. polymnus are good long term candidates for such a colony. Maybe in a big big tank, with a big enough anemone colony to allow them some rest, but small enough to keep them from maturing from juvenile stages. I did not find the right balance.

 

[FishAreFriends2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11329001#post11329001 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by traveller7
Small black saddles are available once you sort through the naming conventions.

The growth spurt when changing or maturing to female is quite amazing.

Here is an old shot of my babies, notice some have two stripes, some three:

Thats amazing, wish I had something like that. Must of been nice while it lasted

 

[Haddonisreef]

I have had mine for about 3 yrs and have lost most of the yellow in the face. They had a RBTA for a anemone for a while till i found a blue hadddoni They never did the whole matting dance till the carpet came into the pic. I hope to also rasie a fry of my Polynmus