First Fish Order. Lightning Maroon Clownfish x2

[Jared's Reef]

Hey guys,

Hopefully somebody can give me some good advice. This is the first tank that I have ever had (Waterbox 30g AIO). I just ordered 2 lightning maroon clownfish from LiveAquaria for a significant discount. These are going to be my first fish. I knew clownfish could be territorial and tough to pair, but none of this crossed my mind while ordering. Now I’m reading all these horror stories about the female maroon clown killing the male clown. Do y’all think that the two should be fine since they are both entering a new tank at the same time? Also I would assume they have been raised/kept together at LiveAquaria’s facility. Or should I call and try to get my order cancelled. Would love to have these beautiful fish but would hate to lose one. They should arrive on Tuesday. Thanks for any help.

 

[Peace River]

First - welcome to R2R!!! Before I touch on the compatibility of the clowns, has the tank been fully cycled and is it ready for fish? If not, then to me that would be the main reason to cancel your shipment or find a temporary home for the new fish.

Lightning are beautiful fish, but they are maroons and maroons are one of the more aggressive species clownfish. Normally I try to add one medium/large and one small when working with maroons, but starting with two small ones can work. Having enough room, plenty of hiding places, and be observant will all help towards success. Realize that they are clownfish so nothing is guaranteed and you should expect some aggression. Good luck!

 

[Tahoe61]

Having ordered 2 pairs of Lighting from LA/DD in 3 years I have been very pleased.

My first pair was aggressive towards each other despite their young age and size. An acclimation box solved the aggression issue.

My second pair which I have had for 2 months are passive with no issues.

Wonderful stunning fish, congrats.

 

[LegendaryCG]

My maroons were great tank police for my aggressive yellowtail damsel that killed several fish. The female would attack me though which got old pretty fast but I had gloves which helped. They are beautiful fish.

 

[Jared's Reef]

Thanks for the great insight guys. I picked up an isolation box in case things get hairy at first but hoping that pairing goes well. As for the cycling of the tank, I originally wanted to cycle for an extended period of time even though I used Fritz Turbo Start, but when these guys went on sale I couldn’t pass them up. I dosed Fritz at about 4x the recommended amount and the tank has been cycling efficiently for several days now. I also added a huge amount of bio filter media. The tank is converting the ammonia and nitrites quickly and will certainly be in good shape by the time they arrive. I’m gonna do a really big water change before they arrive and load up on carbon. I’m a pharmacist by trade so concentrations/dilutions/dosing is second nature to me. I’m really looking forward to getting these guys in. I will update with pictures once I get them on Tuesday.

 

[Jared's Reef]

Current Picture of the tank:

 

[Jared's Reef]

The clownfish acclimated to the tank well and seem to be comfortable. I picked up a box to keep them separated but have since let them into the open tank. They fought a lot initially but now pretty much just stick to opposite sides of the tank. When they get close, there is a little chasing but nothing serious. Hopefully they will pair soon. They are a beautiful set of fish.

 

[chizerbunoi]

Keep an eye on them. If one gets bullied really bad, take the female out into an isolation box. Make sure box stays in your main tank where the male can still see and submit to the female. You need to remove her from the territory or she might not accept the male again if you try to introduce them again later. I would wait a week before introducing together again.

Sad to say but Maroons are the hardest clownfish to pair unless they were purchased as a known pair.

 

[Chefwheredyougo]

I have a lightning maroon and thunder maroon. The thunder was about an inch and a half and the thunder was around 3/4 inch. I bought them at the same time, thinking it would be easy to pair them up. I was wrong. The thunder chased and nipped at him for awhile, and still does occasionally, usually just when food is around, but nothing serious. They've been together for 6 months now. Thunder is 2 1/2- 3 inches, lightning is about half that. Other than feeding they really pay no attention to each other. Every now and then the thunder will wonder over towards the lightning and the lightning will swim with it for a little bit, until she moves back to her half. This is becoming more and more frequent though, so hopefully good things are coming my way.
My tank is big enough for each to have their own half of the tank, which I would definitely think has to do with the lack of aggression between these two.


As for the aggression, I haven't seen a drop of aggression from the lightning, the thunder on the other hand is as nasty as it gets. Bites me numerous times every time my hand gets in the tank. Will follow me if I get within two feet of the tank, and occasionally try to bite my hands or face through the glass...

 

[Jared's Reef]

I kept the clowns in the isolation box all night with the divider separating them so they would be next to each other. This morning I let them be together for a few minutes and they did surprisingly well. There is clearly a dominant fish already. She would push the little male around with her nose this morning but no more nipping at fins. I’m going to let them stay divided in the box today while at work and monitor them in the open tank after I get home. I think we are well on our way.

 

[Bryn]

I kept the clowns in the isolation box all night with the divider separating them so they would be next to each other. This morning I let them be together for a few minutes and they did surprisingly well. There is clearly a dominant fish already. She would push the little male around with her nose this morning but no more nipping at fins. I’m going to let them stay divided in the box today while at work and monitor them in the open tank after I get home. I think we are well on our way.

So here we are in June 2020, how did it go @Jared's Reef

 

[Jared's Reef]

The fish are doing good. They never really paired up but they do get along. Sometimes the clowns will swim along together but most of the time they stay on opposite ends of the tank. Both are fat and healthy though.