Sexing question

[usatennisfan]

How many times can a clown change sex? I think I recall reading somewhere that they can only change once. I ask because I have a maleperc perc, false I think, and his mate died about three months ago and I was looking to pair him up again. Would this amount of time make him become a her or not? And would making a pair again go best if I got another false or can I try to mix them? Thanks for the advice guys.
-Stephen-

 

[bues0022]

Well, first off - an "false" as you are calling it is actually an Ocellaris, not a percula. The whole false percula name thing is terribly confusing, and should be avoided if at all possible. Generally speaking, clownfish go from male to female only once in their lives. There have been sporadic anecdotes about some going back again, but from what I've read this has been extremely rare and only in some species (not yours). If it's been alone for 3 months, it could be in the transition phase right now, so your easiest way to pair it back up is to get a smaller juvi which will be the new male, and your current male will become a new female.

 

[WaffleWalffle22]

+1 to what was said above. Once a clown changes to a female, it can't change back to a male.

 

[usatennisfan]

Thanks for the info guys. I just picked up a true juvenile ocellaris today, thank you for clearing that up bues0022 I hate using incorrect terms and feeling confident that it is correct btw. He is betwixt 1/2 and 3/4 of an inch, came from a local breeder, and my other one is about 1.5" Because of the size difference and the fact they are the same sex I am doing a super slow acclimation. I have the little guy in a clear perforated breeding box inside the tank just so the larger one gets used to him and doesn't rough him up a bunch. How long should I keep him in there, would a week suffice? I'll try to throw up a picture later if I can figure out how to do so from my phone.

 

[Rippinfrags]

I wouldn't wait a week to release him, much too long IMO. I only waited roughly three hours and everything went rather smoothly. By the way I have the same kind of fish as you, oscellaris. If it was a different species of clownfish, then maybe a slower introduction would be necessary. I suggest keeping a close eye on them when first introducing and making sure you are prepared to intervene if necessary. I hope all goes well, good luck!

 

[usatennisfan]

Update: so I have had the little guys in and separated for about five hours and my big clown stopped charging it after about ten minutes. And now the big one is going up next to the carrier wall and doing the "happy clown dance" that he does near the brain and hammer that he hosts. Has anyone ever seen any sort of personality change in their clown after they switch sex?