What kind and should I add?

[illinifish]

I purchased this clownfish as a juvi about a year and a half ago. She has been the only fish in the aquarium for that time-she only has one eye so I was worried she would be overwhelmed by other fish.
I have upgraded her tank to a new 24g nano, and am considering trying to add another clownfish. However, I am not sure about what kind of clownfish she is (thinking False Percula) and I'm also not sure that after a year and a half she would want a friend or wouldn't be mean to it, etc.

Can someone confirm what type she is? Should I add another?

 

[dalston]

As you are introducing it to a new tank with no territories established you should be fine, just get one that is smaller than her.

And you are correct, false perc.

 

[illinifish]

Great- thanks for the info!

Another question though:

She has been in the new tank for only a few days. Is there a time frame that I need to get the new clownfish in there before she establishes territories?
I'm going to be trusting her to the care of my husband, the non-fish enthusiast for three weeks while I am out of town, and I also prefer to quarantine new fish....do you think if I get one now, quarantine it for a month, and then add it that it will still be ok?

THANKS!

 

[Lmecher]

This may be a little off your topic but I had to jump in. I have a black and white ocellaris. I had the fish for a few months and my daughter was observing it one day and told me it only had one eye. Believe me on this fish it is so hard to tell, it is very black. I paired it up with an orange ocellaris, you'd never know it is handicaped. IMO they display more natural behavior when kept in pairs, it is very entertaining, good luck.

 

[illinifish]

Cool!

Cool!

I am glad to hear it! Thanks for sharing- I was worried about how she would do with another one.
Yea I think she would be happier with a friend- she's really active, but seems to want to be friends with a cleaner shrimp so I think she's desperate

 

[illinifish]

Tank bred?

Tank bred?

OK-so just to clarify, when I go to get her a buddy I need to find another smaller False Percula.

Are there any other names for this? Is this the same as Ocellaris?

I would like to purchase an aquacultured fish if possible, as I am trying to be more eco-reef-friendly. I'm not sure if this is doable or not. I have seen several Ocellaris marked Tanked Raised, Tank Bred or Captive Bred/Reared, although I'm not sure of the difference of any of this terminology.

Thanks!

 

[wicked_NaCl_h2o]

Yes, you need to find a smaller ocellaris.
False percula is an Ocellaris.

 

[michellejy]

Most people seem to use tank raised and captive bred interchangeably. In theory, "tank raised" should refer to fish that are harvested from the ocean at the larval or juvenile stage and then raised to an age where they can be sold, and captive bred should refer to fish that are raised from eggs to an age they can be sold entirely in captivity. However, very few vendors use the term captive bred, so generally tank raised = captive bred. Usually when you are talking about clownfish, "tank bred", "tank raised", or "captive bred" means they were captive bred.

You can mix your ocellaris with any smaller variant of ocellaris (naked, snowflake, black and white, or regular orange ocellaris), or you could even mix it with a smaller percula variant (regular, Picasso, or onyx) since ocellaris and percula clowns are both part of the percula complex.

 

[illinifish]

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks Michellejy- that was very helpful. I had assumed as such, but never hurts to clarify.
I'm so excited to add a new fish and know that I have so many options.

One more question:
I have been scouting out my options, and I have seen two prospects. Both are TR Ocellaris. One is ultra tiny, maybe 1/2" or so, and of course, freakishly cute. The other, equally cute, is larger, and they are listed as being around 1" and 7-9 months.

Would either one make a better mate? I am concerned that if my existing fish is aggressive it might be tough on the little guy, but on the other hand, maybe the older bigger new one (still smaller than mine) would be more likely to give her more of a challenge as well.

Thoughts?

 

[michellejy]

I would generally go for the smallest possible because then you are fairly certain it is still in the asexual stage and will remain that way through the time it is in quarantine. Having said that, sometimes smaller ones can be more delicate. Either way, it doesn't hurt to have an area your baby clown can retreat to that the existing clown is too large to access.

There are some good stickies at the top of this forum about pairing clownfish. I also have a section on my site about it and great photos (mostly provided by RC.com members) of the different clownfish variants. You can click the little red house to check it out, if you are interested.

 

[michellejy]

Sorry, my mind sort of glazed over part of your post. A 7-9 month old fish is most likely asexual or male still, if you are leaning towards getting the larger juvenile. With ocellaris, they usually need to be over a year before they start to transition to female. (Most people say it takes about a year and a half before a female is mature enough to start breeding, although I'd imagine the transition begins before that point.)