Buy 2 Perc's or 1 First then the other later?

[alvin]

As the Title shows, Should I go ahead and buy 1 Percula Clownfish. Let it grow a bit. Then later one buy a smaller Percula, so they can pair up. Or should I just go ahead and buy 2 at the same time?
The problem I have is that the LFS here in Sacramento has percula that seem to be the same size.
So I was thinking to buy one, so it will be the dominant one when I add the 2nd. What do you think?

 

[steve2121]

i bought 2 together. tiny tiny tiny when i got them got exact same size. they quickly paired up and have not left eachothers sides. they sleep together. eat together. roam around the tank together. theyre always together. Ive got much larger fish in the tank and when feeding time comes they work as a team to take their own little stash of food away for themselves.
i just got them an anemone. lets see how this goes. they both keep staring at it but no action as of it.

 

[taznut]

Originally Posted by alvin
http:///forum/post/3180614
As the Title shows, Should I go ahead and buy 1 Percula Clownfish. Let it grow a bit. Then later one buy a smaller Percula, so they can pair up. Or should I just go ahead and buy 2 at the same time?
The problem I have is that the LFS here in Sacramento has percula that seem to be the same size.
So I was thinking to buy one, so it will be the dominant one when I add the 2nd. What do you think?
buy them at the same time... if you add them at 2 different times the older one will probably beat on the new one... and i think it is more likely for them to pair up if they are added together (dont know for sure on this though)...
i added mine at the same time and they have never nipped at each other... did the same with my tangs...

 

[9supratt4]

+1 same time.
You defintely want to buy both at the same time....if you can...get one slightly bigger than the other.

 

[alvin]

How much bigger does the bigger one have to be. Can it just be slightly? Like I said, the LFS here has some, but it looks the same. Hmmm....

 

[kaingers]

+1 same time.
If they are similar in size, they will figure out who's who. If there is a larger fish in the community tank, get that one and any another. Something I like to do is observe them for 10 or so minutes and see who likes to hang out with who. It then becomes difficult to remember which ones you wanted when the LFS starts trying to catch them.

 

[alvin]

Yah I've done that before. I found a fish that I really like, but once the LFS puts their net in, I lose track of the fish. I remember I did that with a pair of Cardinal fish, but unfortunately when I got it home, they started to fight. In the LFS they looked cool, but I guess he caught a different one.
Ok, looks like I will get them at the same time then.
Thanks for all your help once again.

 

[tank a holic]

IMO the smaller the better, but it is vital you get them at same time

 

[sepulatian]

They can be added seperately, as long as one is much smaller than the other. They will fight like crazy though before the female allows the (still) male to live with her. It is so much easier to just get them young and let them work things out themselves.