maroon Clownfish help

[Gray999]

I have a maroon clownfish that ive been trying to get to pair with another maroon, the first and only time I tried I kept the smaller clown in a acclimation box for almost two weeks, and when I let it out the other maroon killed it pretty quickly. It was a lightning maroon clown and the older one is just a basic maroon, so I dont know if that had anything to do with it. Any ideas to get the maroon to pair?

 

[exnisstech]

She may have to remain single if an acclimation box doesn't work. Are you sure the one you added was still male? I picked the smallest most docile one out of a group when my female lost her mate after a few years. I added a little tiny one and she accepted it. It looked funny because he was so small. My female was gold stripe the male plain.

 

[Gray999]

She may have to remain single if an acclimation box doesn't work. Are you sure the one you added was still male? I picked the smallest most docile one out of a group when my female lost her mate after a few years. I added a little tiny one and she accepted it. It looked funny because he was so small. My female was gold stripe the male plain.

Im pretty sure, the one I currently have is still male too, the current one I have is maybe a inch and a half, and the one I tried to add was maybe a inch

 

[exnisstech]

May be worth waiting until you're sure the current one has transitioned to female before trying to add a male. It's how I like to do all clown fish if possible. Adding two males doesn't always go well tho it seems to be how most people do it. They are perfectly fine kept individually.

 

[Gray999]

May be worth waiting until you're sure the current one has transitioned to female before trying to add a male. It's how I like to do all clown fish if possible. Adding two males doesn't always go well tho it seems to be how most people do it. They are perfectly fine kept individually.

Ive always thought clowns only transition to female if theres a smaller male present, I guess i'll just wait then

 

[exnisstech]

No they will always transition to female if kept single. I would still use the acclimation box when you do introduce a male.

 

[Gray999]

No they will always transition to female if kept single. I would still use the acclimation box when you do introduce a male.

Ive had the maroon alone for around two months in a 40g before moving it to a 120g now, is there a expected time that they transition to a female?

 

[exnisstech]

I wait about a year but am not sure if there is a documented time frame on how long it takes before a single transitions to female. Perhaps @Jay Hemdal knows?

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

I have a maroon clownfish that ive been trying to get to pair with another maroon, the first and only time I tried I kept the smaller clown in a acclimation box for almost two weeks, and when I let it out the other maroon killed it pretty quickly. It was a lightning maroon clown and the older one is just a basic maroon, so I dont know if that had anything to do with it. Any ideas to get the maroon to pair?

Hopefully your maroon is the only fish in the tank. They're evil. lol

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I wait about a year but am not sure if there is a documented time frame on how long it takes before a single transitions to female. Perhaps @Jay Hemdal knows?

Sorry - no, I've had dismal results in trying to pair maroons in the past, I haven't tried in a long time.....

 

[exnisstech]

Sorry - no, I've had dismal results in trying to pair maroons in the past, I haven't tried in a long time.....

Is there any recommended time frame in general for any clowns that a person could say it's been in for xx months therefore has to be female? Or is just one of those things that varies between each fish and can also be affected by environment? Thanks

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Is there any recommended time frame in general for any clowns that a person could say it's been in for xx months therefore has to be female? Or is just one of those things that varies between each fish and can also be affected by environment? Thanks

Sorry, I don’t have hard data on that either.

I think that clowns kept by themselves for say two months, are likely to become female. Now, I’ve seen a few of those “females” revert back to male when exposed to a more dominant female (assuming they don’t get torn up in the process of sorting things out).

Most of my work with clownfish over the past 20 years was keeping pairs in small public aquarium exhibits and then breeding them now and again. I did try to keep 50 tank raised ocellaris in a 150 gallon with 30 bubble tips, but 12 years later I think they are down to about six pairs.