Clown fish pairing - should I?

[mermaid_life]

So one of my clown fish (male) that I've had for 16 years passed away while I was in vacation. I hired some professionals to take care of my tank and they didn't even notice... But that's another topic.

My poor clown is now roaming around lost. I dont think she even knows where she was hosted anymore.

So the question is, do I try to pair her with another or will she die earlier than the new one and I'll get stuck into this cycle of one always being older than the other and dying and I'll have to re- pair?

Do clownfish get lonely?

 

[exnisstech]

I don't know that fish get lonely or not. I lost a couple males over the years I had my maroon female and she had no problem taking a new mate. I lost my female ocellaris and the male seems fine and has taken over hosting in the GSP the female used to claim. If you add a male I'm sure the female will pass first just because of her age. Then the male will transition and you'll be back where your at. Rinse and repeat or keep just the female are the only choices I see.

 

[LeftyReefer]

I had a pair of clowns that I added over 6 years ago. 2 years ago, one went carpet surfing while I was on vacation. Came home and found one of my clowns on the floor. My remaining clown has been alone since. I recently purchased a smaller one in hopes of getting them to pair up.

The new clown is currently in QT, but almost ready.

Hoping the introduction goes without issue.

 

[mermaid_life]

I had a pair of clowns that I added over 6 years ago. 2 years ago, one went carpet surfing while I was on vacation. Came home and found one of my clowns on the floor. My remaining clown has been alone since. I recently purchased a smaller one in hopes of getting them to pair up.

The new clown is currently in QT, but almost ready.

Hoping the introduction goes without issue.

How are you planning to introduce?

 

[LeftyReefer]

How are you planning to introduce?

Put the new clown in an Isolation box for a day or so to see how the old one reacts then release and hope for the best.

 

[mermaid_life]

How are you planning to introduce?

Put the new clown in an Isolation box for a day or so to see how the old one reacts then release and hope for the best.

Let me know how it goes please!

 

[winxp_man]

Of how many pairs I managed to get, I will say this. No two fish are the same, and I think most of us understand this. Maroons being the hardest. Then what I have seen in most is that while vs cb is also somewhat a factor. My wild PNG Perculas paired in 2-3 min. It’s was nuts watching it. Designer CB my brother had took a few days.

Some factors, tank size, amount of other fish in tank you might have the clowns in, clown fish size, wild or CB. All these listed literally play a role on bonding. Now, are there expectations to these rules sure, we are dealing with living creatures that have the ability to do what they want.

 

[Silly clownfish]

I had an ocellaris who had been the only clown in my living room tank for over 20 years. 19 of those years, she shared with a flame hawk. I lost the flame hawk to jumping out of the small hole in the lid for the auto feeder. I was obviously very upset to lose a 19 year old fish, but surprisingly the clown also seemed sad. She was less active and just kind of hung out in one area of the tank. This went on for a couple of months. Getting a new flame hawk did not really change her behavior.

I finally got a small ocellaris, introduced in an acclimation box and she ignored him. When I released the little guy in the tank, he followed the older clown around. She mostly ignored him for a while. Eventually after many months, they did pair and started laying eggs every 9 days.

Just one experience, but pairing was successful with a female clown who had been any only clown for over 20 years.

 

[mermaid_life]

I had an ocellaris who had been the only clown in my living room tank for over 20 years. 19 of those years, she shared with a flame hawk. I lost the flame hawk to jumping out of the small hole in the lid for the auto feeder. I was obviously very upset to lose a 19 year old fish, but surprisingly the clown also seemed sad. She was less active and just kind of hung out in one area of the tank. This went on for a couple of months. Getting a new flame hawk did not really change her behavior.

I finally got a small ocellaris, introduced in an acclimation box and she ignored him. When I released the little guy in the tank, he followed the older clown around. She mostly ignored him for a while. Eventually after many months, they did pair and started laying eggs every 9 days.

Just one experience, but pairing was successful with a female clown who had been any only clown for over 20 years.

Thank you for sharing!

I ended up going to the fish store with my nephew and he picked out a clown that was not paired yet. When I brought it home, the size difference was more drastic than I thought in the fish store (fish was in a small box). The females chases the little guy a little but has calmed down over the last week. At night the sleep in the same corner. In the morning they separate. I guess time will tell if they truly pair!