Buy them locally of course if you can (support our local shops!), but if that does not work out Dr. Mac and Sons often has
captive bred pairs for sale.
Alternatively, if you have a little patience, get one fish, raise it up to a large size (with good feeding, they do grow quite fast), and then get another really small one and play matchmaker. The wonderful book "Clownfishes" by
Joyce Wilkerson tells about how to pair them up. As you might know, with all of the other clownfish species you are normally guaranteed a pair if you simply start with two very young fish and grow them up together (the dominant fish of the two becomes the female, the subordinant becomes the male), but this does not work with maroons. Wilkerson says that unless two maroons are very different in size when introduced they will fight. With a big size difference though the smaller fish (male) is much more likely to accept the dominance of the much larger female, and this apparently is a prerequisite for having her accept him. The recommendation is to have a big size difference and provide a safe refuge in the tank that the small male can escape to if chased (e.g. some sort of cage he can get in but she can't). It sounds like some females will adopt a much smaller male with little to no aggression ...as long as he submits to her superiority without protest!
I have two maroons right now that are very different in size. I will be trying to pair them up very soon in a 40 breeder with a big rockpile in a corner that the small male will be able to get into without being followed. We'll see how this goes!
By the way...
Personally, I would only buy captive bred clowns. The only exception might be for a species not available anywhere except as wild caught fish, and then I would only buy the wild fish if my definite intention was to make a serious effort to breed them and raise up young. I think it is irresponsible to buy wild caught clownfish when there are so many captive bred ones available.
