Cant figure out if male or female clownfish

[mort]

Females and males generally don't look any different in terms of shape.

They do, it's easy to see in mature percula and ocellaris clowns. The females are deeper bodied and have more bulk on the top whereas males are more slender and look longer bodied. Other clown species may look nearly identical but an experienced breeder can normally tell in mature specimens.

Have a look at wild pairs and it's easy to see

False clown anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) pair, female with smaller male swimming past sea anemones, Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia Stock Photo - Alamy

Download this stock image: False clown anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris) pair, female with smaller male swimming past sea anemones, Misool, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia - E45MKN from Alamy's library of millions of high resolution stock photos, illustrations and vectors.

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[DSC reef]

Maturity of a tank has nothing to do with keeping an anemone. Keeping parameters correct and stable is everything to do with keeping an anemone.

This is highly debatable and I agree it can be done by experienced hobbyists but to suggest a mature tank doesn't matter is untrue. I've put a RBTA in a tank after 1 month but I've been doing this a long time, had mature rock as well. IMO telling someone who's experience level you don't know, has dry rock that is still bleach white that as long as the chemistry is stable then your fine most likely won't end well. There's things we all do in the hobby that work for us but I also don't recommend everyone try what I do as well. Opinions and discussion is great but there is no one size fits all in reefing.

 

[D-Nak]

They do, it's easy to see in mature percula and ocellaris clowns. The females are deeper bodied and have more bulk on the top whereas males are more slender and look longer bodied. Other clown species may look nearly identical but an experienced breeder can normally tell in mature specimens.

Have a look at wild pairs and it's easy to see

I should have been more specific. You won't be able to tell the difference between male and female just by looking at the fish. There are no physical characteristics. If you have a male and female together, especially if they are breeding, then yes -- of course the female looks different because they are bigger, fatter, and at least with my breeders -- the females heads change shape as well.

But again, if you're just looking at one fish, or even two random fish together that aren't an established pair, you won't be able to tell if they are male or female.

 

[Crabs McJones]

I think we need to please get this thread back on track and quit with the back and fourth. It's been my experience that a tank being ran by a new or inexperienced reefer should wait until at least the 8 month mark when parameters have stabilized and lighting has been dialed in. Now a seasoned reefer with sever years and tanks under their belt could easily add a nem immediately. It's all subjective and determined by the reefers experience. Not to say some new reefers dont get lucky out of the gate, it does happen. Back to OP's questions if you have two clowns and one is larger than the other the larger clown is the female and the smaller is the male

 

[Flippers4pups]

I think we need to please get this thread back on track and quit with the back and fourth. It's been my experience that a tank being ran by a new or inexperienced reefer should wait until at least the 8 month mark when parameters have stabilized and lighting has been dialed in. Now a seasoned reefer with sever years and tanks under their belt could easily add a nem immediately. It's all subjective and determined by the reefers experience. Not to say some new reefers dont get lucky out of the gate, it does happen. Back to OP's questions if you have two clowns and one is larger than the other the larger clown is the female and the smaller is the male

Agreed.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Just a gentle reminder to keep the discussion civil. Thanks!

 

[mort]

I should have been more specific. You won't be able to tell the difference between male and female just by looking at the fish. There are no physical characteristics. If you have a male and female together, especially if they are breeding, then yes -- of course the female looks different because they are bigger, fatter, and at least with my breeders -- the females heads change shape as well.

But again, if you're just looking at one fish, or even two random fish together that aren't an established pair, you won't be able to tell if they are male or female.

I do completely get what you are saying. We can't in isolation tell the difference between sexes of the average clown unless in breeding age/condition but we don't know the age or anything about the clown in the picture. So I'm not sure where our difference in opinion really is. We both agree mature clown pairs can be told apart by someone who knows their fish but my point is they don't need to be side by side to see these different characteristics (once mature fish which is the important bit) and from the one photo posted by the op that clown has a more female shape to my eye using your above criteria of body fatness (could just be a chunky male yes) and head shape (this is the classic thing to look for to me) plus it seems to have a deeper body shape that i see in females as opposed to a long slender male shape. Yes it's not 100% certain without seeing other clowns around it to see their size and shape but the op was looking for opinions and that's my best guess without knowing more.