How to pair GSM's?

[Reeftanker3295]

Ok so i figured id learn this now so i dont get a giant war in my tank when i start it up. How do you pair maroon clowns? I've read that the best way is to get one about 3 inches in length and let it establish its territory for about a month then get a tiny fish like an inch and a half in size then take the small fish and put it in a container so that you can put it in the tank and let the two see eachother but not interact and when the female calms down you can release the smaller fish? Is this the best way? I want to reduce the risk of fighting as much as i can in this tank.

[Fat Tony]

the best way is to buy them both as juveniles and they can determine who's boss... but here's the biggest question.. seriously, are you ready to feel the pain delivered by these fish? You probably won't be able to keep another fish in the tank, and tank maintenance is a PITA with GSM's... Just trying to forewarn you to the neg. side of having them..

[Reeftanker3295]

Yup, this setup is only for the reason of having these 2 fish, i found that vividaquariums sells pairs, so ill try that out. This setups going to be a pair of maroon clowns, 150 or 250w metal halides, RBTA or GBTA, and my corals from my biocube, since my biocube is having an extremely hard time with cyano all over the place and the corals arent doing well.

[jenglish]

I could be wrong but I think a biocube is going to get a little small for a pair of GSM. The females get pretty big and are raging witches.

[Reeftanker3295]

What would be the best clowns to get for a tank this size then? I was looking at onyx clowns and black saddleback clowns and black and white ocellaris clowns, what would be best?

[jenglish]

GSM are as far as I know the largest, most aggressive clown. I think all of the others you emtnioned were good options. I might start out looking at the BTA, and what it hosts in nature. THis will give you the best chance of them taking to the nem.

[Dragonist]

Buy them as juveniles before they have the golden stripe. I purchased my clown originaly and thought they were regular maroon clowns. I recall on the ora site they state they develope it with in the first 6 months. Mine currently have it female is a dark maroon and male is a lighter variation!

[Dragonist]

Link to what I was referring to http://www.orafarm.com/clownfish_species.html.
The text I was so to speak quoting.(super fragment!!!!)

All of the Maroon Clownfish bred at ORA™ are of the Gold-stripe variety. Normally, Maroon Clownfish vary in color from bright red to dark maroon with three narrow white stripes. The fish found in the area of Sumatra have gold color stripes, and the ORA™ broodstock are from this area. The gold color of the stripes sometimes will not develop until the fish are about 9-12 months old. ORA™ fish are shipped at about 6-7 months, so they are showing the juvenile white stripes. They all will develop the gold color in time, starting at the head stripe.

These very popular fish are easy to keep in aquariums, although they do not get along with each other. Unless a hobbyist can get a mated pair, it is best to keep them one to a tank. It has been observed that the gold-stripe variety seem a little less aggressive that the white banded type. One of the largest clownfish species, adult females can attain a size of over 6 inches. In nature they are found in association with the Bubble-tip anemone ( E. quadricolor).

With the aggressive female guarding her nest, and her much smaller male mate fanning the eggs, Maroon Clowns have some of the largest spawns ever recorded for clownfish. A typical spawn may contain 1,500 eggs, and spawns of over 6,000 have been observed. This species also seems the most likely to show mis-bars, and has a higher percentage of incomplete striping than other species.