Will they ever pair?

[James404]

So I have had my two clarkii's since june and they still havent seemed to pair up yet.

Firstly I made the mistake of getting two that were roughly the same size. One definitely has always been more aggressive then the other one and chases it around the tank occasionally, but never does any damage.

The aggressive one does seem to be a little bigger but they both seem to do the "twitch" to each other and they always sleep on opposite sides of the tank.

I'm hoping that they will eventually pair up but what do you guys think? They are still kind of small so I am hoping they were still sexless when I got them.

 

[Tahoe Reefer]

I've got a pair of clownfish that have been in the same tank for well over 18 months. There is little doubt at this point who is female/male however, they have yet to bond. I've read that putting a picture of a clown in a nem can help get your clowns to pick a host so I decided to try posting pictures of other clownfish pairs on my tank. Day 1 the clowns moved out of their opposing corners and towards eachother. Day 3 they were showing bonding behavior (twitching and submitting). This is a shot in the dark but it seems to be having an effect on their behavior.

When I got these fish there was little difference in the sizes but one was always more aggresive. Over the course of 1 1/2 years the aggresive one became the female and the little one has the scars to prove it.
From the sound of things they weren't both female when you got them so they'll eventually work it out.

Edit: my clowns were only 4 months old when I got them.

 

[SwampyBill]

It sounds like they're well on their way to pairing up; esp. since they're both doing the submissive dance, & even if there's some aggression from larger one (prolly the female now), no real damage. I say just be patient, sit back & watch the show. Clownfish behavior is definitely fascinating to watch. Good luck!