bumed out

[Denbf58]

came home today to find my female clown dead she ate fine last night was swimming fine no signs of stress. all other fish in the seem ok the male looks a little lost going from one patch xeinas to another . i had had that fish since 2008 do you think the male will take another mate they where a breeding pair

[Peter T]

It sucks to hear about a fish dying. I am pretty attached to my clowns despite the times I hate them for biting the hell out of me.

I think there is a very good chance that your male and possibly future female will take another mate. If you add another clown, I would suggest you add another male and in time the bigger one will become female and very possibly pair up.

[Denbf58]

should i get one the same size or smaller

[Peter T]

Originally Posted by Denbf58

should i get one the same size or smaller

Personally, I would add one that is a smaller to make sure you are adding another male. That way after you are done with quarantine, you can be sure the new one is still a male since your old male may well be on the way of becoming a female. I am not sure of the time it takes to change from male to female, but I don't see any reason to really risk it and end up with two females.

When it comes time to introduce your new clown to the display tank, you can introduce it inside a plastic container drilled with holes to allow water flow to move freely. It will provide a safe haven in case it takes some time for the clowns to get use to each other and allow you to watch for signs of aggression.