A Percula Problem

[Indytraveler83]

Good afternoon,

About a month ago I lost one of my platinum Percula clownfish. No idea why, he simply disappeared after seeing him healthy the day before.

I had the two Perculas for about 2 years, and got them when they were very,very small. He was the smaller of the two, but both have grown very slowly and the remaining fish is still around 1.5-1.75 inches. They are in a 90 gallon mixed reef.

I'd seen the normal clownfish sparring that young ones tend to do, but it never got severe and never resulted in damage or changes their behavior towards each other. They never really acted as though they were paired, and never hosted anything. No other fish in the tank really seemed to challenge them either, despite being some of the smallest fish there.

I'm not sure how to proceed from here. I'm not a fan of having a single clown, but unsure if I should try to re-add a single one, or add another pair in? And if I add a pair, do I stick with Percula or add a different variety? With the cause of disaperance being a mystery and holiday shopping/ shipping being a pain, I'm in no rush. Just wanted input on what to do when I do add again.

 

[Brett S]

I had a pair that was mated and spawning and I lost the smaller male. I added another small male and there was a bit of chasing and sparing at first, but the female accepted him pretty quickly and now these two have also mated and spawned.

I think the important thing to remember is that with clownfish the females are larger and dominant. Having two females would be a problem, so you want to make sure to add a male. If you do wind up with two males the more dominant male will turn into a female, but it sounds like the one you have is already female.

When I added my new male I got him very small to be sure he was male... probably not much over an inch long and even though my female was a good 3 or 4 inches she still accepted him and mated with him.

 

[Uncle99]

3/4” of the same species, same colour is best for pairing chances, however, the most important would be size and species.

As long as the new is much smaller, it should remain male, and the other may turn female, or already has done so.