Would it work? (Pairing tomato clowns)

[Reeftanker3295]

My LFS got a really big shipment of fish today and saw some nice tomato clowns that were the same size of mine, i would really like a pair of them but since my tomato has already been in the tank for a while will this not work?

[Jadinop]

Probably not. If yours has been alone for a few months, it is most likely a female or on the way to becoming one. This cannot be reversed and if you buy another female, they will not get along. Your best bet is to get a young clown so you can be assured to get a male. Size is not the only determination of sex, that is why you need a young clown, not just a smaller one.

[Reeftanker3295]

So if i buy a baby tomato (they have some 1-2") they will pair up? But wont the smaller one be thrown around because of its size?

[Jadinop]

Actually, a much smaller young clown is less of a "threat" to an established clown. There will be little if any fighting for dominance since the new clown will quickly submit.

[Reeftanker3295]

Hmm ok maybe ill try it then, i like clown pairs

[Jadinop]

Here is a neat trick for pairing some of the potentially aggressive clowns (tomatos, clarkii's, maroons, etc). You can pick up one of these kritter keepers at most pet stores and even Walmart. Put the new clown into the cage and sink it in the tank with a small rock. You can now safely monitor the clowns together and once they settle down, you can release the new clown.

http://www.petmountain.com/product/s...rectangle.html

[Reeftanker3295]

I have LOTS of small plastic tanks with lids that i can sink in the tank, saw this at my LFS and didnt know why they did it, thanks for the advice! Also, in the future i really want to make my biocube into a tank with a GSM clown pair, would this work? And what kind of anemone would best suit them?

[Jadinop]

IMO, no. A Biocube (even the 29) is not big enough for a pair of Maroons. Have you ever seen a fully grown 5 to 6 inch Maroon clown? They will not be happy for long in such a confined space.

[Reeftanker3295]

Will a pair of black percula clowns and a BTA work?

[Jadinop]

B&W Occellaris pair would be fine. Anemones in small tanks are a lost cause IMO but many people are willing to give it a shot.

[aquawolf]

Black clowns, most likely they will be Occelaris, would work much better in that tank, but you may not want the nem. My GSM female is about 4 inches now, and is the beast of my 75 gallon tank. She patrols the entire tank, and bites hard. This causes me to accidentally frag my corals fairly often.

[Reeftanker3295]

My anemones have both done great in my biocube, plus i kind of need one since this tank wont have much coral for a while as i will be focusing more on my upgraded tank, whatever it may be (thinking of a 75-150 gallon native tank) So this tank would be boring without a nem

[Elegance Coral]

Originally Posted by aquawolf

She patrols the entire tank, and bites hard. This causes me to accidentally frag my corals fairly often.

I'm sorry aquawolf. From your side of the computer that probably isn't very funny, but from my side.......

[Elegance Coral]

I just wanted to add something here. The only way you can have an idea of the age of a clown fish is if it's captive bred. There's no way of knowing the age of a wild caught clown. You can have a 6" wild caught clown that is younger than a 1" wild caught clown. There's simply no way to know.

[aquawolf]

I know EC, it is definitely not funny when it happens but somehow I keep getting over it. I believe I have been threatening to evict the pair for nearly 2 years now, and still haven't done it. It just frustrates me at times to only be able to have 3 fish in my 75 gallon reef.