Clownfish pairing

[Boomerang]

I have 4 Clowns. 2 Frostbite & 2 Standards. Are 4 have been in the 90 gallon bow front for 2 or 3 months now. I'm curious to how this will effect pairing & bonding. They pretty much get along & haven't seen any aggressive behavior. All for are very young to. My question is do I need to separate them or let them do they thing? Thanks

 

[Ron Reefman]

Sure, they get along fine when they are young juveniles.

But one of those 4 juvenile clowns will eventually change into a female and will start to harass the other 3. One of those 3 will become the male she mates with and the other two will VERY likely be harassed to death.

I'd separate them into 2 pairs. They can be both the same or they could be mixed. It makes no difference.

 

[kevgib67]

^ This.

 

[Boomerang]

Sure, they get along fine when they are young juveniles.

But one of those 4 juvenile clowns will eventually change into a female and will start to harass the other 3. One of those 3 will become the male she mates with and the other two will VERY likely be harassed to death.

I'd separate them into 2 pairs. They can be both the same or they could be mixed. It makes no difference.

Should I make a small basket type cage for them or move to a completely separate tank

 

[Ron Reefman]

Should I make a small basket type cage for them or move to a completely separate tank

You have to keep the pairs of clowns separated from each other. I assume you want the clowns to pair like to like rather than cross breeding. If you do that now, then one member of each pair will become female and then the other will become male. If you don't, then the female will pick the juvenile she wants and you'll be stuck with it and have to remove the other 2 clowns to keep them alive.

In a very big tank, like 180g or more, it's possible to have 2 pairs and they will set up territory at opposite ends of the tank. But even then, that doesn't always work.

Do you have a second tank that will be a long term home for the 2nd pair?