Clarkii pairing???

acolotto · Apr 28, 2015

Hey guys,

I have a 3 to 3.5" Clarkii clownfish that I have had for 3 yrs now and i want to get him/her friend. I had two when i first got them but one did not make it past a couple months. Now i have been looking at getting a Galaxy Clarkii Clown from liveaquaria which says they have small size ones available which would put it around 3/4" to 1" big. So my question is would it even stand a chance and if so could a galaxy clarkii pair with a regular clarkii? I know you can mix percs but until recently I didn't even know there were multiple types of Clarkii's. Thanks for any help in advance.

acolotto · Apr 28, 2015

also would you guys recommend getting another clarkii at all? I know they can be aggressive but my current clarkii is constantly swimming around with my tang and doesn't bother anyone, and has a 6" RBTA he has lived in since added to the system back in 2012 (recent pic below)

My tank is 90 gallon with about 20 to 25 gallon sump, run prodibio system, tons of sps corals and fish list is
1 Clarkii
2 YWG's with pistol shrimp
1 Two Spot Bristletooth Tang
1 Six Line Wrasse
1 Scooter Blenny

acolotto · Apr 28, 2015

bump???

SantaMonicaHelp · May 14, 2015

bump for you too. Not sure the answer for you question but hope you get it soon

-YK

joshbbert · May 14, 2015

Also curious about this, I have a cinnamon id like to pair

acolotto · May 14, 2015

Im gonna go ahead and give it a shot as soon as liveaquaria or another vendor gets a galaxy clarkii's in. I went ahead and bought a social acclimation box from elite aquatics. So with the seperation the size difference hopefully wont be that big of a deal and they can pair up, quickly. But the box i got i should be able to leave the new clown in there for weeks so it should work out, hopefully. Will keep you guys updated

joshbbert · May 14, 2015

Good luck

pickupman66 · May 14, 2015

So, in my experiences, I have successfully paired two clownfish. the first was a Female maroon who lost her mate shortly after adding to my tank. I bought the smallest GSM I could find and added him directly into my 75g tank. it was instant love. there was no harassment at all. they never laid but got really protective of their anemones.

the second pair was for my Darwin clown. I had gotten the female on a tank trade and had her for about 2 years before finding a mate. again, I got the smallest one I could find and added him into the 180 DT. instantly again, he went to her and they paired up nicely. I have had this pair for about 3 years and they have been laying consistently for the last 18 months or so. my family and I hope to raise the babies some day.

I hvae a Black ice I plan to do the same with here in the coming months. Hopefully i will be 3 for 3. Heck, she may get a mate from the Darwins.

acolotto · May 14, 2015

pickupman66 said:
So, in my experiences, I have successfully paired two clownfish. the first was a Female maroon who lost her mate shortly after adding to my tank. I bought the smallest GSM I could find and added him directly into my 75g tank. it was instant love. there was no harassment at all. they never laid but got really protective of their anemones.

the second pair was for my Darwin clown. I had gotten the female on a tank trade and had her for about 2 years before finding a mate. again, I got the smallest one I could find and added him into the 180 DT. instantly again, he went to her and they paired up nicely. I have had this pair for about 3 years and they have been laying consistently for the last 18 months or so. my family and I hope to raise the babies some day.

I hvae a Black ice I plan to do the same with here in the coming months. Hopefully i will be 3 for 3. Heck, she may get a mate from the Darwins.

Did you have a nem with these clowns? Thats what im more worried about is that itll attack the new clown because more then likely the new clown will be trying to get in the nem

pickupman66 · May 14, 2015

On the initial pair of maroon clownfish, yes I did have an anemone. However on the second pair I did not.

acolotto · May 14, 2015

pickupman66 said:
On the initial pair of maroon clownfish, yes I did have an anemone. However on the second pair I did not.

awesome if the maroons can do it, im sure the clarkii's will be fine then basically same tempermant. Thanks for the responses, helped me decide for sure that i'll be adding another clown. Now if i could just find a vendor with galaxy clarkii's for sale, missed my window 2 weeks ago when they were avialable, **** rent! lol

pickupman66 · May 14, 2015

Good luck with it. Remember I am NOT an expert. I offer no warranty on my advice just my experience. Your best luck is to make sure that you get the smallest fish that you can so that you are more assured that it will be male.

acolotto · May 14, 2015

pickupman66 said:
Good luck with it. Remember I am NOT an expert. I offer no warranty on my advice just my experience. Your best luck is to make sure that you get the smallest fish that you can so that you are more assured that it will be male.

Trust me i know, ive been in the hobby for 6 yrs and the whole thing is hit or miss lol but it helps to get advice and tips from experienced reefers as yourself.

acolotto · Jun 7, 2015

Alright finally got my a galaxy clarkii male in DT, day 1 was yesterday and my established clarkii (she) did not like him at all chased him around most of the day, little bit of nipping of the fins nothing worth intervening on. Today day two established clarkii is now more welcoming, lets new clarkii swim out in open more and even swim together but then she will reasseret her dominance and chase him around rocks and no more nipping. As well as male clarkii has been doing his little roll to side and siezure to show he knows established clarkii is dominate. Seems to be going well, i think by end of next week they'll be forming a nice pair. No sharing of anemone as of yet, but new clarkii is eating very well, as are all of the fish.

Windy · Jul 4, 2015

Glad its working. I paired a 4 year old clarkii with a small clarkii about 6 mos. old. I put pvc tubes in the tank for hiding but the new fish was dead in a week. I am going to do it again, but this time I am using a divider and they will be divided for 3 weeks. Then a small hole will be opened. This method has been used with some success by others.

davocean · Jul 7, 2015

Glad it worked out for OP.
In this type of situation the safest way to add a new male is to float one in a breeder box or similar in close proximity to the established female.
You can usually tell if the female looks accepting to the new male.
Sometimes it takes a couple/few days of doing this, and it's easier to retrieve the new clown if she is obviously trying to attack/kill it.
Post some pics!