Clownfish Pairing Question

[lallen_74]

Hi all! I've been scarce lately, and may not have a chance to answer for a couple of days; I've had some neck problems and I'm going in for surgery tomorrow...[gulp]...wish me luck!

 

Meantime, I have clownfish issues. I bought a pair of juvenile ocellaris misbars for my IM Nuvo 10g, and they did very well for over two months. They played together, hosted my Duncan together, etc.. Very adorable!

 

But then the larger of the two started growing larger still and becoming very aggressive. From everything I read, I assume "she" was truly becoming a she, morphing into the female of the pair. The smaller one started hiding behind the rocks; otherwise, she bullied him pretty badly. He seemed healthy, though, and would come out to eat every day, but then one day...no second clownfish. I couldn't find him or his body anywhere. After two days of no sighting, I assume that he perished somehow, and my CUC got to him before I could find him.

 

Now, my question: if I get another juvenile to put in with the (presumed) female, would it be best to wait a few weeks? Will she continue developing into a female now that's she's started, even though there's no other clown involved? If I wait until she's settled in, will she be less aggressive?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Matteo]

Usually a good rule when adding a clown to an existing clown is make sure they are similar size. If anything you get a smaller one and it becomes the submissive male. If you do get another clown, turn the lights off or rearrange some rock work when you add him and let things settle then turn lights back on. Good luck!