Buying Mated Pairs?

[jslomo420]

What experience have you had with buying mated pairs? Do they spawn readily in their new home or is it better to buy two and let them mate up on their own?

[km133688]

my experience:

Got the tank off ebay already stocked. Had 4 fish, one was a large tomatoe clown. Other three fish died, clown lived. Got her a real small companion. She chased him for three days. All he wanted to do was eat. 3 weeks later they were living together. 6 months later they spawned. Now they are spawning every 3 weeks for me.

You can buy mated pairs, just do internet searches. You can make your own if you have a little more patience.

To get them to spawn takes time, and a decent environment. Beyond good water quality and good food, I have found the following can help:

1) remove any aggressive fish that compete with them
2) If your lighting can support it, get an anemone, yes they don't need one but mine love the two they have and I think anemones not only increase fish's fealing of saftey, but improve their healty by stimulating mucus growth (just a guess). You should research anemones first, and be prepared to make your tank anemone safe, and you will need to feed it too.
3) when it comes time to get them spawning
a) raise the tank temp +2 degrees
b) drop some DTS and a hatch of BBS into the tank three days in a row just before lights out to simulate an algae bloom
c) lengthen lighting +2 hours

CB fish are definitely hardier if they are really CB.

Good luck, Kevin

[jslomo420]

Will buying them already mated speed te process up much or does the stress of shipping negate that advantage? They will be in a tank all by themselves and unless I come across an inexpensive light they will be without an anenome for the near future.

[km133688]

I don't know. I figure if they are already mated that is a good thing. Do you have the Joyce Wilkerson book "Clownfishes"?

I seem to recall that there may be a short rebonding period for some species, specifically maroons. If you are in a hurry then getting an already mated pair can't hurt. The issue is simply that new surroundings require getting used to. If there are no fish in the tank besides these two then you are way ahead of the game in that regard. No one will pester them or be perceived by the clowns are threats even if they aren't. Lighting is important for clowns as it gives them a cycle of day/night to work with. If you have no anemone then your are feed to use any lighting, just use a timer to make a consistent rythm.

I had fun Friday visiting an LFS I don't normally get to. They had about 6 pairs of different kinds of clowns. Someday I may go after a clownfish breeding award of some kind but that is years away.

My best advice is, just have fun with it and know that in time, if conditions are good, they will breed.

Good luck, Kevin

[phender]

Unless you are buying your "pair" from a breeder who is reducing his broodstock, you will not likely get a "mated pair". You will get two fish that somewhere down the line were put together by the collector, wholesaler or LFS. Most of the clowns that come in are simply not big enough to be breeding females. Breeding size females of even the smallest clowns (ocellaris and percula) are around 3" before they will start to lay eggs. Clarki and tomato type clowns need to be around 5" long.

It will be just as fast for you to buy a large breeding sized female, of whatever species you choose, another fish about 2/3 to half the size of the female, and put them in their new tank at the same time. It is important that they are both new to the tank at the same time. They will shortly for a pair and since the female doesn't have to grow much, they should be ready to breed in 2 months to a year. This goes for all clowns except maroons. It works sometimes with maroons, but not always.

[km133688]

Well said, I tried to say that but you have said it much better. Especially the point about size of breeding female. And about putting them in together. It also works if the female is established in the tank first. Then the male/juvenile is added several months later.

It took six months for my small male to grow to breeding size. The female was already big enough when I got her. My male tomatoe is about 1/4 the size of his wifey. It is so cool to see the contrasting sizes.

Phil clearly has more experience with clowns than I. Thanks for piping in an cleaning up my explanations.

Kevin

[jslomo420]

yes I have Wilkersons book, it was a christmas present and it got me excited about trying to breed clowns I know that I'm in for a long journey but the experience seems worth the effort. I think it is inlandaquatics that I was seening "pais" and "mated pairs" for sale I assume the "mated pairs" would have to include a female but I will look into it. The only females I see for sale at my LFS are always maroons and I don't think i want to go that direction. I'm in no real hurry but one of my goals for '06 was to succesfully raise at least one batch of clowns we'll see if that works out.

[bededog]

Mated pairs are easy to come by and aren't terribly expensive. Breeding pairs on the other hand are very expensive. Size isn't nearly as important as age and condition when it comes to spawning, however a female that is old enough and in good enough physical condition to spawn will typically be big for that species. It is amazing how quickly a pair of clowns that have been fed sparingly in a reef tank for years can grow when fed enough food to bring into breeding condition.

I would suggest that instead of looking for the biggest fish you can find, why not try and find someone that has either an old pair or an old single fish (which you know is a female) and a tank raised juvenile of the same species. Then, put them together in a tank where they won't be bothered by other fish and feed the heck out of them. Sooner or later you will have a breeding pair of clownfish. By doing it this way you are also getting two fish that are likely to be disease free.

Just my two cents, good luck.

[jslomo420]

I plan on buying captive bred regardless of how I purchase them. Thats my reason for this project as an entry into captive breeding even as a hobbyist I think alot can be learned. Hopefully I will be able to find a female but if not I hope to be able to raise a breeding pair

[bededog]

Just keep an eye on the for sale board. There are people selling livestock from tanks they are breaking down all the time and usually they have a clownfish of some type. The people that are selling single clowns are typically the easiest to get and are also the cheapest. Is there a specific species you like the most?

[Jim Z.]

I tried tp be the matchmaker and failed miserably!! The female was overly aggressive and the smaller fish was not aggressive enough to hold his own against the aggressor. I did purchase a pair of tomato clownfish and so far everything is going well. The female has doubled in size while the male has barely grown. Unlike the first pair, the latest matched pair share an anemone and both defend it against any invaders....Jim Z.

[criccio]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6524608#post6524608 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bededog
Mated pairs are easy to come by and aren't terribly expensive. Breeding pairs on the other hand are very expensive.

I'm pretty sure "mated" and "breeding" refer to the same type of pair, one that is spawning. A pair that stays together, but has not spawned is referred to as a "bonded" pair.

[bededog]

Sorry about that. I have seen countless times where someone has used the term "mated" in reference to a pair of clowns that have not spawned. I always assumed that any pair of clowns that had gone through the process of accepting each other and the corresponding roles (dominant/sub-dominant) were considered to be "mates". My mistake. I did not know that there were actually hard definitions of the terms.

[criccio]

bededog, nothing to be sorry about at all. I didn't mean for my post to sound harsh, because I didn't mean it that way. That's just the info I've taken away from reading posts by the clown breeders. :D

[bededog]

I feel bad when I post something that isn't correct because I see folks piping in all the time that seem to be answering questions simply to add another post to their total regardless of whether or not they know what they are talking about. I took no offense to your post.

Did you find a pair of the clarki clowns that you were looking for yet?

[jslomo420]

I havent decided what species I'd like to start with something "easy" but.. great idea though i've never even looked at the for sale board but that seems like a great place that way I can get an idea of the fish's personality also. I hope to get my stand built this weekend at start cycling the "love nest" so i've still got some time to figure out who will be the lucky couple. any suggestions or experiences would be great. I have two tanks and I'm not sure which to use, like i said the clowns will be the only fish, should i use the 20L or the 30 High? I had been leaning toward the 20 but last night i remembered I had the 30 in the attic. water volume isn't that big of a deal since i'll have a 20 gallon sump regardless of which I choose