Clown Pairing ?

[Shootcat]

I purchased 2 ORA Misbars the other day. I came home a week later and 1 decided to go carpet surfing. I made a net to cover the tank, with only 1/4 inch opening due to my light legs on the glass thinking 1/4 shouldn't be a problem! I went back to the lfs and purcahsed another ORA misbar from the original batch i got and tossed it in with the other one. The previous clown was very aggressive towards the new inhabitant, which i believe is normal for the juveniles as they begin to pair. I woke up this morning and the newest one found a way to jump out, through the 1/4 inch gap :twitch:

My question is should i purchase another clown from the same batch right away and make sure all gaps are covered for them to pair, or can i keep the one in there now for a month or two and purcahse a new juvenile to pair with the older clown at a later date?

Do they have to be similar ages and same ORA misbar to pair with eachother? and will the single clown in the tank go female if by itself?

Thanks in advance for your help, i would just like to make sure i make the right decision now before its to late to get them to pair! Thanks!

[baondayko]

Single clown should go female if by itself. I am in process of pairing my large female clarki to a juvenile clarki (7 yrs old..minimum). I was worried about some aggression, but there has been absolutely none.

Good luck.

[tufacody]

What species of misbar?

[Shootcat]

ORA false perc! I forgot to add that !

[crsandoval]

Hey Sean...

[davocean]

I personally would wait or add one smaller.
The first 2 could have even got chased out if the one you have got ticky declaring dominance.
Don't feel too bad about net, I lost a pair of helfrichi's first week through 1/4" also.
Can't stop em all.

[Shootcat]

Thanks davocean!

I'll take your advice and give it a month or two before i toss a second in there!

[sedor]

Its a hit or miss type situation. I don't think time will really do anything except add to the problem while the original clown develops his territories. Is it possible to bring the fish back to the LFS and trade for another pair? If that can't happen, you may want to make a couple changes to the rockwork or something to throw off the territories of the original clownfish. Then again, sometimes it works out just by tossing another in there.

[CockyBrock]

I'm in the same situation with a pair of Tomatos....and they fight like the devil and are very territoral...especially the smaller one...

I think it's just a matter of time...and I'm going to rework my rocks as well...especially as I add more corals...