What age/size do clowns start to pair up?

[Matt Miller]

I've got 3 clowns coming next Friday, 2 frostbite and one Darwin.

They will start in my 13 gallon qt and I want to pair up the two frostbite for my cube.

They should all be under 2" when I get them.

Is it possible they will pair up before the 45ish days I'm planning on quarantining them?

 

[Jekyl]

Usually a pecking order is determined rather quickly.

 

[ThePurple12]

It is very possible. Mine were probably 1.5" when I got them. They immediately started to form a pair.

You're not planning to keep 3 clowns in one tank, right? Just making sure!

 

[Matt Miller]

It is very possible. Mine were probably 1.5" when I got them. They immediately started to form a pair.

You're not planning to keep 3 clowns in one tank, right? Just making sure!

No, the frostbites are going in the cube and the darwin will stay in the 13. I just might have to put them in the cube and the darwin in the 13.

It'll screw up my qt plans but I think it's small enough I can treat for parasites and just watch them in the cube so I don't end up with the wrong pair.

Thanks for the quick responses.

 

[Jekyl]

Are you planning on having them all in the same tank at some point?

 

[Jekyl]

May be best to keep together from the start.

 

[Matt Miller]

May be best to keep together from the start.

I could keep them in qt till I notice they start pairing up, that would probably at least give me some quarantine time.

 

[saltybees]

If you get 2 relatively the same size they’ll generally pair up in the first month, 3 is asking for issues especially in a little tank

 

[Jekyl]

If going in the same tank keeping all 3 together would at least ensure only 1 would end up female.

 

[Matt Miller]

If you get 2 relatively the same size they’ll generally pair up in the first month, 3 is asking for issues especially in a little tank

They should all be around 1-1.5"

The plan was to keep them together about 45 days then move the 2 frostbite to the cube.

It just now dawned on me they could pair up wrong.

 

[Matt Miller]

If going in the same tank keeping all 3 together would at least ensure only 1 would end up female.

They are just starting together, 1 will stay and 2 will move to my bigger cube.

 

[Jekyl]

I don't think pairing is an issue.

 

[saltybees]

One will be dead before they pair up if you keep the 3 together.

 

[Jekyl]

Plenty of people have kept clown harem tanks. You just can't have 2 females in the same tank. At a young age that isn't determined yet. As far as I know.

 

[Jekyl]

If you notice a problem just get some egg crate and make a barrier

 

[saltybees]

A harem isn’t 3 lol, anyways good luck.

 

[CrashTestBennie]

If going in the same tank keeping all 3 together would at least ensure only 1 would end up female.

You can have 2, 4, 5 and up together, but 3 is never good to keep together. The 2 will kill the 3rd.