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ik this is an old thread, but I have an 11 gal cube, and my black and orange couldn't mix, the black would always jump out and die, same size, same species, but each time(twice) that I would introduce a black clown, he would jump or lodge himself into the rock... my lfs said that clowns are racist(not actually racist) and u can't make 2 colors live togetherNice looking Fish RFBF
You can - as demonstrated above - absolutely get them to live together and pair, but they actually are somewhat "racist:"my lfs said that clowns are racist(not actually racist) and u can't make 2 colors live together
For anyone curious, clownfish determine social hierarchy/desirability in large part by coloration (I'd heard it said by breeders trying to cross clownfish morphs that "clowns are racist" and it turns out it's actually kind of true).
Fun fact for anyone interested here, the UV reflectance of clownfish is also related to intraspecific aggression and their social hierarchy.***
(Clownfish can see UV light, and the color of the clownfish largely determines how much UV light it reflects.)***Source:
Higher ultraviolet skin reflectance signals submissiveness in the anemonefish, Amphiprion akindynos
When signaling submission, it is important to wave the “white flag.” In the Barrier Reef anemonefish, ultraviolet color patterns serve to signal submissiveacademic.oup.com
to add to this... a good LFS will put the clowns in the tank together in the store to ensure they aren't going to kill each other.You can - as demonstrated above - absolutely get them to live together and pair, but they actually are somewhat "racist:"
(Clownfish can see UV light, and the color of the clownfish largely determines how much UV light it reflects.)
Anyway, if you want to have some better odds of getting them to live together peacefully, I'd suggest getting a breeder box to put in the tank for one of the clowns - this allows both clowns to see and "smell" each other in the tank without being able to interact directly and hurt each other. After a few days, you should start to see their behavior go from aggressive to calm, and in some cases you may be able to tell they have bonded before you release the one from the breeder box into the main tank.
Edit: Also, with regards to adding clowns of the same size; if your current clown is large enough, it will have transitioned to female - adding another female would cause fighting; so you would need to add a smaller one to ensure it's a male.