What is best way to find new mate for widower ocellaris?

[iamwhatiam52]

What is the best way to get a new mate for an established male who has lost the love of his life?

My male ocellaris is alone now after "Big Momma", his mate of over 4 years suddenly died. He is just done guarding their last batch of eggs, and has a 15 gal with a monster rbta all to himself. The pair had been in a 180 but had to be removed because Big Momma would attack the yellow tang if it got to close to their nest and nearly got sliced to death.


The obvious answer would seem to be introducing an immature fish asap.
Is this the best plan?


Should a few be introduced so he can pair up with the most compatible?

If I add a young ocellaris or perc, will he stay male, or does the dominant/established fish become a female?

I am not going to be raising the babies, so species of the mate is not a concern.

A friend has another widower mature male that is not doing well where it is. If they are put together, will one become female?

 

[meenamjah]

adding juvenile would probably be best... and I really wouldn't put more than 2 clowns in a 15 gal.

putting two males probably wouldn't be a bad idea if their sizes are quite different. I've had 2 same sized clowns fight to the death before.

 

[Mavrk]

I would get a juvenile smaller than the male (same species of course). If the male remains submissive, the newcomer will become female. But more than likely the male will become female, and the newcomer the male. Either way you end up with a pair.

The other way is to find a larger clown that has been alone (i.e. probably female). As long as your male hasn't turned yet you will be fine. If you go this route, then you should do it sooner rather than later. The only problem is that in a 15 gallon, a larger clown may not be happy whereas a juvenile should be okay.

 

[davocean]

Safest bet is find a small new occ, like as close to about an inch as possible.
Specimen container/breeder cont is safest way to intro.

 

[iamwhatiam52]

Thank you all for the advice.

I As long as your male hasn't turned yet

How soon will a lone clown "turn"?

 

[NirvanaFan]

How soon will a lone clown "turn"?

I agree with what everyone else has said. Get a small juvenile.

I believe I have heard anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.

 

[iamwhatiam52]

I believe I have heard anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.

In other words, if I get a juvenile today, he could change before his/her prospective mate is out of QT!
What a shame............... He was such a great dad.

 

[NirvanaFan]

He'll be a great mother too. Juveniles take a while to change from sexless (or non-dominant male) to females. You'll likely not have any problems by buying a juvenile, quarantining for the right amount of time, and then adding it with the now female (or soon to become) female.