Is this normal

[willygwak2]

So I got a clownfish yesterday so it and my current clownfish could pair. I know they’re supposed to fight for a while to decide which will become the dominant female, but they only for an hour or so. Now they’re swimming together constantly, so I think they’ve already paired, but the woman who sold it to me said the average least amount of time was around a few days. Will they continue swimming together or will they start fighting at a later time?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

So I got a clownfish yesterday so it and my current clownfish could pair. I know they’re supposed to fight for a while to decide which will become the dominant female, but they only for an hour or so. Now they’re swimming together constantly, so I think they’ve already paired, but the woman who sold it to me said the average least amount of time was around a few days. Will they continue swimming together or will they start fighting at a later time?

Can you post a video? Pairing in clowns isn’t always clear and a video might give us more insight. Hosting on YouTube works pretty well.

 

[willygwak2]

So make a YouTube video and link it?

 

[Bruttall]

Clown Fish (I think) take about a year to reach adolescence. That's when they start fighting for dominance. Until that happens they are just like a couple young boys, playing in the pond. Mine are about 7 months old and I have not noticed one increasing in size to indicate it is the female yet, and I have not noticed them being very aggressive with each other.... yet.

 

[willygwak2]

Alright I’ll look foward to it

 

[Mongo1.0]

With my clowns, the answer is yes and yes. They swim together sometimes and the female picks on the male multiple times a day. Most of the time the male stays in the bottom right of the tank with the hammer coral and stairs up the sand. The female roams around the tank.

 

[Bruttall]

I just made this, enjoy.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

So make a YouTube video and link it?

Yes, just make the link public. You can try posting a video here directly, but it seems some computers/phones have issues with that.

 

[willygwak2]

Tell me if this works

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Tell me if this works

Yes, the video worked, but I couldn't see much definitive. They look pretty young to be forming true pairs, but I also didn't seen any overt aggression with either of them. Watch that damsel though - sometimes those can beat up on small clownfish.

 

[willygwak2]

The damsel has been a problem in the past, getting rid of it when I upgrade to a bigger tank soon. It’s just too hard to get rid of with the caves in the rock structures, and I have two anemones on that rock structure, as well as 7-8 corals. It becoming a little less aggressive after getting that second clown though