How does clownfish sex changing work in a colony

[GothFishKeeper]

I’m a bit confused on clownfish sex changes work… I know if you just have a pair the dominant one is female and the other is male, but what about a colony? I was under the impression that any number of clowns had one female, one male, and the rest ungendered, but I am now told that “there will always be more females than males in a colony.” Do they all pair up if there’s an even number? What about an odd number? How is it decided? If anyone can give me a full in-depth rundown of how it works, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[tbrown]

I’m a bit confused on clownfish sex changes work… I know if you just have a pair the dominant one is female and the other is male, but what about a colony? I was under the impression that any number of clowns had one female, one male, and the rest ungendered, but I am now told that “there will always be more females than males in a colony.” Do they all pair up if there’s an even number? What about an odd number? How is it decided? If anyone can give me a full in-depth rundown of how it works, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

From my reading, the "largest" male or most dominant male becomes female. The second most dominant becomes a sexually mature male and all other remain as "juvenile" males, unable to breed.