Clown went Floor Surfing :(

[A13X]

So this morning my wife found my female on the floor dried up and stiff as a board. They had been mated for close to five years. Laying eggs every two weeks or so. So a very sad day.
Has anyone had any experience in getting an older clown pair up with a new one? Or should I just let him be?
Any input is greatly appreciated.
Thanks

This was just yesterday

And today

 

[code4]

So sad. Not sure what would happen for sure. But if it were me I would try another as close to the same size as the male as possible. Might help keep aggression down. And maybe a cover. Not sure where I saw it but there is a company that makes custom tops. Not hoods! I have had mine for around 5 years also, so I truly understand.

 

[Tahoe61]

Sorry. :-(

You should be able to get a small clown and pair the two, the existing male will take a couple months to become the female. Try an introduction or breeder box.

 

[greenhorn reefer]

You could get a small male so that the old male can turn into the female. Gender swapping is the new rage.

 

[4FordFamily]

Sorry for your loss. I would have gone the other route and snagged a larger clown from a local club (people are always selling clowns) but the smaller male to change sex is a pretty strong idea I like better. Less chance for serious aggression I suspect.

 

[Greybeard]

I love the look of open top tanks. My old cube was open... until I got sick and tired of picking up dead fish off the carpet. My new system is open top right now, but won't be for long. I'm probably going to spring for a screen top from Artfully Acrylic. They're pricey, but they look nice.

 

[Angelo Fatica]

I've had this happen before. I just added a clown that matched the size of the dead one as best as possible so there were no gender changes. They fight for a bit but they got used to each other after a week. I also had this happen with another pair and it was the female who got EATEN by my ex snowflake eel. Needless to say I added a huge percula and they got along right away. And for the eel, he was kicked out of the community and brought to another person [emoji23]

 

[Katrina71]

Sorry

 

[jd371]

I had a bonded pair and lost the male last year. Although my tank is covered he got out through a gap ( HOB overflow ) and I found him on top of the screen in the morning. I fixed the part with the gap so it wouldn't happen again and bought another Clown the same size as the one that jumped. They took to each other without any issues.

 

[nitro]

I feel ya too, I lost 3 fish that way and I have a cover. First a large clown then 2 jaw fish.

 

[VP616]

Sorry for your loss. You could try to buy a similar size clown as the one that jumped and see if they're compatible. A breeder box is a great way to introduce fish to see if there will be any aggression issues, as stated before.

Of course, if that doesn't work, then trade it in for a smaller clownfish than the one in the tank now and hopefully they pair with the established clownfish turning female.