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View Full Version : Clown pair for $125 at LFS?


Kenpo guy
04/12/2015, 08:29 AM
Found this $125 pair of clowns yesterday. One is a frostbite the other a mocha. Is this normal for two different clowns to pair and is that price reasonable? My wife fell in love with them but I'm a bit concerned over price. That and we cant add them to our tank yet so no quarantee theyll be there when we are ready to add fish. They would probably hold them for us if we bought them but we're just getting ideas right now.

Mark_C
04/12/2015, 09:19 AM
Had a discussion regarding this recently with the owner of a high end LFS. General consensus seems to be that you shouldn't mix clowns, but, he also stated that the hobby has been breaking traditions all over the place of late. He's had a few clowns in his shop that paired oddly and seemed to do fine. Discussion occurred as I had lost an ocellarus clown.

So I picked up a small Darwin clown, which is still considered an ocellarus offshoot. When introduced to the tank the remaining clown immediately took to it and they're inseparable since.

Don't know if that helps, but at least its some info for you.

billsreef
04/12/2015, 10:03 AM
Your talking about two different color morphs of the same species. Therefore it's not mixing of two different clown species, and perfectly normal and fine. As to value, that's in the eye of the buyer.

Kenpo guy
04/12/2015, 10:19 AM
Well it sounds like this pair might be a good choice for us then. I don't particularly care for the frostbite clowns but my wife loves them and I really like the mocha clown and she's "ok" with it so this might be a match made in heaven. We each get what we want in a clown pair. We just have to decide if they are worth $125 to us and our marital bliss.

snorvich
04/12/2015, 12:57 PM
Your talking about two different color morphs of the same species. Therefore it's not mixing of two different clown species, and perfectly normal and fine. As to value, that's in the eye of the buyer.

This.

tonysi
04/12/2015, 01:14 PM
Both clowns look nice to me, but my advice is "happy wife,= happy life"

brianr24
04/12/2015, 04:17 PM
I plan on stocking my tank with pair of oc clowns. I was just going to get two clowns at same time. I don't want them to mate. But I also don't want a fight. I know u should get one smaller than the other for larger to become female. I guess I'm asking do u have to get them as a pair?

Dkuhlmann
04/12/2015, 04:32 PM
Actually get them both small so they can sort it out, unless already paired

brianr24
04/12/2015, 04:50 PM
Ok thx

snorvich
04/12/2015, 06:32 PM
Actually get them both small so they can sort it out, unless already paired

Exactly. Otherwise you risk having both clownfish having already progressed down the road to becoming female.

Kenpo guy
04/12/2015, 10:21 PM
Update...

Went to the LFS today to look at this pair again. This is a mature pair of Ocellaris clowns. The frostbite being the smaller male and the mocha being the larger female. Female is about 3 1/2 inches and the male is about a full inch smaller. Asked for more details and found out that this pair came from a customers tank and they've been at the store for a couple months. I have no way of knowing if they are truly a mating pair any more than the store does. Said they would go down to $112 for the pair. Very nice fish and we both really like them so we decided to buy them. Sooner than I planned but I think they will do fine. Water is still solid and these will be the only fish in our tank for a while. We almost went with a wrasse and a green chromis to start but we just weren't feeling it. I'm sure some here will warn that this was a bad move so early on with my tank. Water is still solid and I will be keeping a close eye on the water parameters. I just didnt see the sense in waiting three more weeks just to wait. My water cycle isn't going to change with no change to the bioload. I figured I needed to put something in. A $7.99 Chromis would have been the cheeper safer route but we really liked these clowns.

BigCountry74
04/13/2015, 08:51 AM
yeah I would not invest 112 in fish just coming out of cycle unless your really experienced. just my .02

start with that cheap wrasse. then perhaps get the clowns in a few weeks. at that price, they will still be there :D

Kenpo guy
04/13/2015, 09:23 PM
Yeah I agree. Probably not the safest move but I have a really good freind with an established tank that said he would take them in for me if something goes haywire with my tank. They are actually doing really well. Eating good and the tank parameters are still solid. I knew the risk and I have a crisis prevention plan in place. My wife is really happy and after 25 years of marriage thats a big plus!

kmbyrnes
04/14/2015, 06:40 AM
my wife is really happy and after 25 years of marriage thats a big plus!

^ +100

anbosu
04/14/2015, 07:40 AM
Clowns are really hardy, I don't think you're taking much of a risk here - congrats on the new fish!