How to pair a clownfish?

emsilkina

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My female ocellaris clownfish jumped out of the tank today. I would like to find my male clownfish a pair. How can I ensure that both of them will be able to live together? Do I have to add another Ocellaris clownfish or can I add a clownfish of a different breed?
 

Mr. Mojo Rising

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you can't "ensure" they will live together, lol. Clownfish can change sex from male to female if they decide to pair up, so you can go ahead to add one, they will hopefully get along but its possible they won't. You can mix breeds, its no problem. In fact, there is a "clownfish" recipe chart online, which shows all the possible results of mixing different clownfish types, its very interesting. Good luck
 

KrisReef

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Your title lends nicely to a discussion about making a clownfish into a pair. About the only sure method of ensuring the desired outcome is to cut the male in half, making a pair out of the one. :)

Because they can change sex, the male who was dominated by the jumpy female is now the dominant clownfish in the tank. Adding any other clownfish of any breed will result in a struggle for dominance between your male and the new fish. If you add a smaller fish, it is possible that you will add a small female who will almost certainly not be eager to give up her sex for the larger male and a battle will ensue. If you do add a smaller male, you still will have two fish who may fight for dominance or may just fight because they really don't like each other. Either way, you get a fight and guessing the outcome isn't as simple as just adding a smaller fish or a new fish and expecting the two to be able to get along.

It can work but if it will work is not predictable until the outcome is known.

Pairing the same species is said to be easier as each clown species has its own unique mating dance moves that indicate submission or dominance that each of the fish need to recognize in order for a relationship to work. If they don't recognize the dance done by the other fish, they may keep fighting each other until one or both fish are mortally wounded and the dance ends when the fish die. Starting with the same species should help with the two fish recognizing each others cues and signals so often folk recommend against cross species pairing.

As mentioned before, the other issue is that there is no guarantee that the fish you pick as the new mate for your current fish will actually work. Think of your mom picking your spouse. Her selection criteria may not fully suit those traits that you might look for in a mate. Same mathematical probabilities are at work with your selection of a new mate for your clownfish.

That said, picking a new mate isn't difficult it just isn't a sure thing. New fish almost always fight during introduction time and we need to be ready to react to however they decide to behave towards each other if the going gets to difficult.

200.gif
:)
 

dhnguyen

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Get a small juvenile ocellaris and definitely one that is much smaller than your remaining clown.

This is exactly what I did when my female clown also went carpet surfing many years ago.
Mine are now a mated pair and just started laying eggs yesterday.
 
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emsilkina

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Btw, I forgot to mention but the clownfish I have left in my tank is pretty small. I think he's less than 6 months. Would it still be an issue if he's not really mature enough?
 

dhnguyen

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Btw, I forgot to mention but the clownfish I have left in my tank is pretty small. I think he's less than 6 months. Would it still be an issue if he's not really mature enough?
you could always get one that is much larger than yours. The larger one will in turn change into a female if it isn't already.
 

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