Possibility of Maroon Clowns Pairing up?

[runn3rb3an]

I purchased a pair of GB maroon clowns around christmas time last year and one of them died a few months later.
the one I have now was the smaller one but it has grown quite a bit and is now about mediumish sized.
Will I be able to get another clown to try to pair with this one or will it be impossible? both of them are going into a 180 or larger shortly and the one I have is hosting a long tentacle anemone if it makes a diffrence.
If I can should I get a much larger or smaller clown to pair with?
thanks a lot

 

[louti]

How big is mediumish?

 

[runn3rb3an]

2 1/2 to 2 inches? not as big as the female one was. about half way inbetween the size of the bigger one and the size he was

 

[nw2salt08]

This one is working it's way to a female. When the female dies off the male will change sexes to become the dominant one. If I were you, I'd get a smaller maroon and try to pair them. I would try to do this as early as possible because the bigger she gets the more aggressive she'll be. Get the smallest male possible so there's no confusion as to who's the boss. My female maroon clown is 3 1/3 inches. Yours will be that size quicker than you realize. After you pair them, monitor them closely. Sometimes pairing goes off without a hitch and then sometimes they dual to the death. Maroons are the most aggressive of the clownfish species. Hope this helps!

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by Nw2Salt08
http:///forum/post/3143896
This one is working it's way to a female. When the female dies off the male will change sexes to become the dominant one. If I were you, I'd get a smaller maroon and try to pair them. I would try to do this as early as possible because the bigger she gets the more aggressive she'll be. Get the smallest male possible so there's no confusion as to who's the boss. My female maroon clown is 3 1/3 inches. Yours will be that size quicker than you realize. After you pair them, monitor them closely. Sometimes pairing goes off without a hitch and then sometimes they dual to the death. Maroons are the most aggressive of the clownfish species. Hope this helps!
+1

 

[runn3rb3an]

yup exactly what I was looking for thanks a lot. I didnt know if I should wait or not though so their would be a bigger size differential so theres less fighting, so they both know ones boss I guess

 

[nw2salt08]

If you wait longer you run the risk of her actually killing him. She'll be more aggressive the longer she stays in the tank without a mate. I would try to get a small male asap. Since she's not fully mature yet it may make it easier to establish dominance without death and the pairing can go better.

 

[rlablan]

do not get a very young male though, make sure that they are appropriately sized for one another. The new clown should be smaller, but if you get a very small one, she will beat up on him (which is normal) and he make not be able to handle it and he will die. You will want a pretty sizable guy who looks like he can take the beating.

 

[nw2salt08]

Definitely nothing smaller than 1 to 1 1/2 inches. She's still developing so you'd want them to grow together. Even if you did get a sizable male it's still possible for her to kill him. They're extremely aggressive. Pairing is possible but you have to do asap and monitor. If you're super concerned about aggressiveness try to put the male in with the lights off and let them adjust that way or move your rock around so she has to reestablish territory. The confusion can distract her from being aggressive and they can establish territory and dominance easier this way.

 

[runn3rb3an]

ok thanks guys. I'm going to wait untill I get my new tank set up before I add the new clown though. I SHOULD be getting at least a 220 this week so I'll put them in there together. Im already pushing it with a 37 corner with a lunare wrassse, damsel, longnose hawkfish, and GB maroon I think, all a pretty good size already.
Also what do you think about adding a pair of B&W clowns to the 220 along with the maroons?

 

[nw2salt08]

I don't ever recommend putting more than one pair of clowns in a tank. Especially with maroons. I'm not saying that it's impossible to keep more than one pair. It does happen. But a lot of times a pair will wage war on the other pair and they'll dual to the death for the dominance of the tank. That's something you'll have to make a judgement call on. If I were to try in in a larger tank like you're getting then I would try to put them on opposite ends of the aquarium with their own anemones. I would also put the b&w's in first so they can establish their territory and then add the maroons last so they have the least advantage on territory. But the maroons may still try and kill them. This would be completely up to you. I don't know if I'd risk it.

 

[runn3rb3an]

hmm ok thanks. I might give it a try with a 7 foot tank if thats what I end up getting but may pass if its 6. Not too sure yet though. Oh and one last thing, I heard that more than one type of anemone cant be in one tank, is that true if they are at different ends of lets say a 6 foot tank? If it's best not to be tried will B&W clowns be able to host a LTA?
Thanks for all the help everyone!

 

[nw2salt08]

I've also heard the same thing. I wouldn't really know. My maroons are hosting a huge 7 inch bubble coral.

You could ask Rod Buhle or Meowzer. They're really good with anemone questions.

 

[runn3rb3an]

lol ok thanks