Clownfish pairing

Hurley12 · 03/26/2007, 09:23 PM

I know Matt is the resident clown expert so I am hoping to get his response, but I thought I would see if anybody else has had any experience with this. My dad called me tonight to tell me that his male clown had died over the weekend while he was out of town, and he is bummed because the pair was his favorite thing in the tank since they are hosting a huge gbta. Will she pair up with another one if he puts it in there or just beat it up? She is a black ocellaris and probably 4 in. maybe bigger she is huge. If there is a chance she would how big would the potential mate need to be?

gflat65 · 03/26/2007, 10:02 PM

Matt would certainly know better than me, but I would think so. In the wild, the next largest steps up to be the new daddy

. Shakes had gone nearly a decade without a buddy and took to a little GSM.

Hurley12 · 03/26/2007, 10:05 PM

Thanks Gary good to know, I hope he has as much luck. i kind of figured it might work just wasn't really sure

Fishboy42 · 03/26/2007, 10:49 PM

Thanks guys; I'm flattered

Sorry to hear about the loss of your father's fish Hurley, but you can pair the older one up with another juvenile as you suggested. Pairing is fairly easy with larger resident female fish (they don't have to be as big as Shakes, but...)

I would recommend that you make sure the new mate is very small, as it is less likely to put up a fight and more likely to submit to the "boss." Blacks seem to be a bit more aggressive than orange ocellaris sometimes, but pairing them isn't usually a problem.

I purchased a large black ocellaris that someone had traded-in to the Coral Reef, paired her up with a small tank-bred juvenile, and they spawned a few months later. I think you have good chances for a happy pair again.

Matt

Hurley12 · 03/27/2007, 02:27 AM

Thanks Matt, my Dad will be glad to know he has a good chance of pairing her up

Runner · 03/27/2007, 05:17 AM

Matt gave me a small maroon clown and it paired up readily with my large female maroon. And everything I read and was told before that was that 2 times out of 3 the established maroon clown would kill the new addition. I think using a juvenile was key to his acceptance. If I would have put in a larger one, there might have been trouble.

03/26/2007, 09:23 PM	#1
Hurley12 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 531	Clownfish pairing I know Matt is the resident clown expert so I am hoping to get his response, but I thought I would see if anybody else has had any experience with this. My dad called me tonight to tell me that his male clown had died over the weekend while he was out of town, and he is bummed because the pair was his favorite thing in the tank since they are hosting a huge gbta. Will she pair up with another one if he puts it in there or just beat it up? She is a black ocellaris and probably 4 in. maybe bigger she is huge. If there is a chance she would how big would the potential mate need to be?

03/26/2007, 10:02 PM	#2
gflat65 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Montgomery, Al Posts: 8,720	Matt would certainly know better than me, but I would think so. In the wild, the next largest steps up to be the new daddy. Shakes had gone nearly a decade without a buddy and took to a little GSM. __________________ Was it for this my life I sought... Maybe so Maybe not.

03/26/2007, 10:49 PM	#4
Fishboy42 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: East TN Posts: 1,338	Thanks guys; I'm flattered Sorry to hear about the loss of your father's fish Hurley, but you can pair the older one up with another juvenile as you suggested. Pairing is fairly easy with larger resident female fish (they don't have to be as big as Shakes, but...) I would recommend that you make sure the new mate is very small, as it is less likely to put up a fight and more likely to submit to the "boss." Blacks seem to be a bit more aggressive than orange ocellaris sometimes, but pairing them isn't usually a problem. I purchased a large black ocellaris that someone had traded-in to the Coral Reef, paired her up with a small tank-bred juvenile, and they spawned a few months later. I think you have good chances for a happy pair again. Matt __________________ Weekends are overrated Current Tank Info: 144g Bowfront Reef

03/27/2007, 05:17 AM	#6
Runner Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: East Tennessee Posts: 3,196 Blog Entries: 1	Matt gave me a small maroon clown and it paired up readily with my large female maroon. And everything I read and was told before that was that 2 times out of 3 the established maroon clown would kill the new addition. I think using a juvenile was key to his acceptance. If I would have put in a larger one, there might have been trouble. __________________ -Scott "During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." -George Orwell Current Tank Info: 24G Reef cube with Cree LED DIY Retrofit

03/26/2007, 10:05 PM	#3
Hurley12 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 531	Thanks Gary good to know, I hope he has as much luck. i kind of figured it might work just wasn't really sure

03/27/2007, 02:27 AM	#5
Hurley12 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 531	Thanks Matt, my Dad will be glad to know he has a good chance of pairing her up