It finally hoasted!! PICS!

[God of thunder]

Hi there.

i just wanted to share my joy with you guys.
I had given up all hope that my occelaris would ever host my GBTA, but yesterday when i got home from work, what do you know, the little clown had found a new home, i´m super happy about that :) :) :)

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=19103023&uid=9237572&members=1

[Mr..Tang]

Time for a lady friend!!!

[God of thunder]

Isn´t he already a lady?
That´s another question, if i´l get a second clown, should i take a smaller one?? and since this clown has started hosting, isn´t it more likley that a new one would do the same?

[rssjsb]

Ain't it cool? Mine took over a year. Now they won't leave the nem except to eat.

[joeyg4583]

How long have you had him on his own? How large is he? Just to be safe as a newbie I would probably get a smaller one.

[God of thunder]

he is just above an inch and i´ve had him for 4-5 months

[garygb]

Good for them. Yeah, if you've had the clown for a while, it would be smart to get a smaller one and the new one will quickly learn its place as the submissive male.

[sruiz]

I would go bigger, if your new fish is too small your fish you have now maybe to agressive and might never give your new smaller fish the opportunity to host in the anemone possibly even kill him.Its not as easy as you think when you try to pair fish. Getting a bigger fish might make it less agressive towards the smaller you have now because the enviroment will be new and different so it does not feel like it has to proctect its enviroment. Easier transition for both fish.

[garygb]

According to Joyce Wilkerson, it's better to put a smaller fish in with a larger one. The larger established clown is the boss from the beginning and the small one quickly learns its place. You would be wise to separate them initially with glass so they can see one another but not actually touch. When the smaller one is doing the submissive body shaking, then remove the glass at a time when you can keep an eye of the two of them. Ocellaris aren't particularly aggressive, but with some species it can be a real risk adding a new fish.

[garygb]

BTW, I mentioned Joycen Wilkerson in the last post, her book Clownfishes has everything you want to know about clowns including how to pair them and breed them. For clownfish husbandry the book is par excellance.

[God of thunder]

The fish have now had a mate, a female which was quite larger then him, she jumped for freedom some months ago and died, would this change any thing??? Will he be come female on his own?

[God of thunder]

bump

[garygb]

Good question, it might still be a male or it could be changing to a female. When left alone, a single fish will become female. Still seems like the safest thing would be to get a small one, which is definitely still male and put it with the larger one you have. Your larger one will then become female if it hasn't already. They can always become female from male, but once they are a female there is no going back to male, from my understanding.

[OranguTang]

Is that not an LTA?

[God of thunder]

No, it´s a gbta, it loses it´s bulbs in captivity, very sad.

[OranguTang]

I have seen that...but never them taper to a point like LTA. Anywho very nice pair!

[cdcq12]

How big is your tank? I was considering putting a new clownfish in with my existing. I only have a 24, but it isn't stocked too much. I've had the current clownfish for almost two years. Will it be a problem?

[fancyfish]

How long have you had the clown? if he is a baby you can get one the same size or slightly larger. If you have had the clown for any length of time you need to get a smaller on. all clowns start out male. if the clown lives by itself for any length of time it will most likely be a female. congratulations.
cdcq12 you can get a 2nd but it will definitely have to be a baby to ensure it is a male. I have two clowns one of which I had for at least a year prior to the 2nd. they acclimated fairly well. the large female would not let the male host for several weeks. They now are a pair and have laid eggs at least a dozen times in my tank

[God of thunder]

Mine is just above an inch, wouldn´t it be safer to get a smaller one?

[cdcq12]

I have had the clownfish for a little under two years. He's or she is pretty big. =) My tank is only 24 gallons though. Would adding a baby be a problem, or would they get along just fine?

[garygb]

cdcq12, if you have had the fish just under two years by itself, it is a female. You would definitely want to add one that is small.

[cdcq12]

ok, so i assume that there won't be territory issues? and what if they lay eggs? will the 24 gallon be too small. What should I do if that happens? Will they take care of them by themselves?

[garygb]

Don't count on raising the babies unless you set up dedicated breeding tanks. They will likely lay eggs eventually. The male is the main one that tends to the eggs. It takes 8 or 9 days for ocellaris to hatch. They hatch in the middle of the night and, in my case, I never see the fry unless I turn the light on in the middle of the night when they hatch. Mine usually spawn every 12 days or so.

[cdcq12]

ok. I was reading a spawning thread, could i just let them spawn and live by themselves and not worry about raising the fry right now? I mean, I don't have the proper stuff at the moment. It won't be bad for my tank to just let things be how they are?

[garygb]

No, it will be fine to let them spawn and do what nature intended. In the wild, once the fry hatch there is no more caring for the young. They hatch in the middle of the night in the wild and free float with the plankton for a week or so before they start to hunt for an anemone of their own.

[cdcq12]

But I assume that some of them will die. My nitrate/ammonia/etc. level won't spike because of it will it?

[garygb]

Probably all the fry will die unless you set up a dedicated series of tanks for it. No, it will have no impact on your nitrate, ammonia, etc.

[cdcq12]

OK thanks.