Wanting two not one
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Ding2daDong
New member
If your clown is currently big then get one about half the size. Likewise if the clown is currently small then get a big one. They might fight for the first day or so and they should become a pair.
hth
-Matthew
hth
-Matthew
phender
Active member
Yes, they change sex as they grow. The biggest clown in an anemone is always female. The next largest will be the breeding male. Any other clown in the anemone will be smaller and not have developed reproductive organs, no matter how old it might be. There is a pecking order and should one clown die, the next in line fills its space. Should the female die, the breeding male becomes a female and the biggest "juvenile", becomes the breeding male.
phender
Active member
It is possible that your existing clown might try to protect its territory and go after the newcomer.
If that happens get a small clear plastic cup and put one of the clowns in it for a couple days to a week. I like to put the resident clown in the cup if you can catch it. This allows the fish to get used to each other without any damage being done.
Rearranging your aquascaping a bit will help the resident clown feel less territorial and more like it wants a friend during stressful times.
If that happens get a small clear plastic cup and put one of the clowns in it for a couple days to a week. I like to put the resident clown in the cup if you can catch it. This allows the fish to get used to each other without any damage being done.
Rearranging your aquascaping a bit will help the resident clown feel less territorial and more like it wants a friend during stressful times.
myreefcentral
Member
if that's the case, you might want to wait for your fish to get a little bit bigger before buying another "smaller" fish...
BigJay
New member
I'm with the original suggestion to buy a larger clown. That's what I did and it worked out all right. It's likely that the small fish is sexually immature, so it hasn't picked a gender.
A larger perc clown will likely already have a gender, if not then they'll work it out amongst themselves. The larger fish will end up being the dominant female, and the smaller male will be subservient to her.
The fighting in my tank lasted a day or two. Now the male "shimmies" next to the female, and nibbles on her gills when she gets aggressive with him. Yes, male clownfish have it tough, I almost feel bad for mine. It's almost like he's married. Poor guy.
When you get a female, don't expect to ever be able to put your hand near your anemone anymore without getting attacked and bitten.
A larger perc clown will likely already have a gender, if not then they'll work it out amongst themselves. The larger fish will end up being the dominant female, and the smaller male will be subservient to her.
The fighting in my tank lasted a day or two. Now the male "shimmies" next to the female, and nibbles on her gills when she gets aggressive with him. Yes, male clownfish have it tough, I almost feel bad for mine. It's almost like he's married. Poor guy.
When you get a female, don't expect to ever be able to put your hand near your anemone anymore without getting attacked and bitten.
mobert
Active member
Size does not always guarantee age or sex. If your small fish has already changed sex, a large female will kill her. That is why I suggest getting the smallest fish you can find. This increases your chance of finding a juvenile and if your current fish hasn't changed sex yet, they will decide who gets to be female.
Ah thank you for the info, see I knew there was more info out there. I went to look at the clown today and am not impressed he was certainly the right size but his gills looked to be running a little fast. They say they might get more in tomorrow so if I see a better one i will pick it out and have them hold it.
Okay I got another clown the other day and they seem to be doing okay. The new addition was trying to get close to the other and no real fighting has issued yet. (Good news) but... The new clown is looking skinny and doesn't eat. His color is a little off but he swims totally straight and happy. The only two things that seem weird is he wont eat and he keeps his fins in close to his body.
Can anybody give me some insight on this?
Also how long does any body think it will take for them to be a couple? Do they have to change gender first?
Can anybody give me some insight on this?
Also how long does any body think it will take for them to be a couple? Do they have to change gender first?
elegance coral
They call me EC
Just curious, does your LFS buy their clowns from ORA?
If the new guy starts eating soon and survives, they will be a "couple" before long. The pairing of clown fish is kinda like humans pairing up. It is a relationship that grows and develops over time. They will begin spending more and more time together. Eventually they will be inseparable. My older pairs are never more than a couple of inches away from each other. During this process the more dominant one will mature into a female and the submissive one will mature into a male. It will most likely be a year or two before you can expect eggs though.
If the new guy starts eating soon and survives, they will be a "couple" before long. The pairing of clown fish is kinda like humans pairing up. It is a relationship that grows and develops over time. They will begin spending more and more time together. Eventually they will be inseparable. My older pairs are never more than a couple of inches away from each other. During this process the more dominant one will mature into a female and the submissive one will mature into a male. It will most likely be a year or two before you can expect eggs though.
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Well I wasn't able to answer the question yesterday and I am still not able to answer it today. I called my LFS to find out who there supplier is and they said that they could not reveal that info to me.
I cant imagine why this is top secret information. about the only thing I can figure is that they are using some one like salt water fish.com cause they did say that it isn't a local supplier so they can keep cost down. I don't know what cost they are keeping down they are EXPENSIVE but I still buy there to support the local guy.
