Solo Clownfish Pairing

[EricR]

I have a solo, female clownfish and am considering trying to pair with a small/juvenile.
*researched this a bunch but figured I'd poll the experts to help sway me one way or another

Current female clown:
- Black Ocellaris
- I've had since small/juvenile for 3.5+ years (across 2 tanks)
- Never been with another clown
- 40 gallon tank with 3 other fish

Current aggression notes:
- Hand-biter for sure which seems to be the norm
- Faces off with tailspot blenny but only briefly and nothing major
- No aggression to Banggai and pajama cardinals

 

[mjszos]

My anecdotal evidence is that I had success pairing an established female with a juvenile.. I put the juvenile in an acclimation box near the established females primary hang out spot for about a week, then I released it. She pecked at him a bit, but I didn't see any major aggression.

Your mileage may vary, if possible to acclimate them together in a tank/location that they can be separated in the event things get out of hand, that may be ideal.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

My anecdotal evidence is that I had success pairing an established female with a juvenile.. I put the juvenile in an acclimation box near the established females primary hang out spot for about a week, then I released it. She pecked at him a bit, but I didn't see any major aggression.

Your mileage may vary, if possible to acclimate them together in a tank/location that they can be separated in the event things get out of hand, that may be ideal.

I like the idea of using an acclimation box. I think that would be the best possible way to pair a new clown with one that is established in your tank.

 

[blecki]

Go for it, but be prepared for her to reject and out right murder your offering. It might take two or three tries.

 

[mjszos]

I like the idea of using an acclimation box. I think that would be the best possible way to pair a new clown with one that is established in your tank.

Actually, now that I'm thinking about this I may have put them in the acclimation box together (one of the ones with a dividing wall), but I don't 100% remember.

My female clown was never aggressive towards me until after she was acclimated with the juvenile - she'd swim between my fingers but never nip. Now they're the dynamic duo where 1 of them swims between my fingers while the other sneak attacks.

 

[EricR]

Thanks for the replies so far.

I do have a home-made (pretty big) acclimation box that I've used before so plan would be to:
- new small clown in acclimation box for a bit first (near female's territory is good idea)
- if first intro is rough, move female into acclimation box for a few days and try again
*not sure how many times I'd try before giving up and donating the small clown to someone but we'll see

P.S. I must not know how to properly present a poll since no one has voted yet -- DOH!
...will mull all of this over until after the holidays and likely give it a whirl

 

[EricR]

Another thing I probably should consider...
If I do end up somehow successfully pairing a small clown to my established female:
Will the pair be more aggressive than just the solo female,,, to other fish, I mean?

 

[exnisstech]

They tend to get more protective / aggressive when they spawn.
As to pairing letting one transition to female and adding a small male has been my preferred method. I've only paired clowns 5 or 6 times but I've never lost a fish doing it this way even when I've paired maroons. I won't just add two small ones and let them fight it out as they decide who gets tranaition. I have lost fish doing it that way but unfortunately it seems to be popular method which is probably why there are so many why are my clownfish fighting all of a sudden threads.
As mentioned I would use an acclimation box placed near the females area and place the male in the box.

 

[littlefoxx]

I think if you add a small male you will probably be fine. Just follow suggestions above, Ive paired multiple clowns this way