Maroon Clown Pairing

bstodds15 · Sep 1, 2019

I currently have a Lightning maroon clown in a 30 gallon tank. It's still a juvi, but wanted to get some input on their pairing. Are the designer Maroons easier to pair? Or still just a huge pain?

I'm fine keeping this one alone, but have been curious about if a pair is feasible. I'll be building a 125 FOWLR in the future, and it would be awesome to grow them into that tank.

Peach02 · Sep 1, 2019

my understanding is that all clowns pair the same, since your one is alone it will be harder since it is likely female now so you will have to get a male otherwise they will kill each other. designer clowns may be harder to pair since their instincts may not be as strong however they will still have the urge to find a mate.

chizerbunoi · Sep 1, 2019

Maroons are difficult to pair. Even having two juveniles, the one that will become a female might end up killing the other. I would suggest getting one that is smaller than 2 inches to be safe. It doesn’t matter what type of maroon clown you choose to pair it with. Go with what you like, unless your planning to breed them for profit.

If the one you have is larger than 2.5 inches, there is a possibility it’s a female already. If it starts to bully the new one, catch the female and put it into a containment box inside the tank. Leave it there for a week before you try to reintroduce. Might have to repeat this 3 or more times, or just regime one of them if they don’t get along.

andrewkw · Sep 1, 2019

When I tried to pair lightning maroons I separated them 3 times and the last time the female was beating the males dead body when I checked on them.

I’m actually going to try again soon I have a new small one in qt. There is a much larger size difference between the 2. Good luck to both you and me

bstodds15 · Sep 2, 2019

So the one I have currently is definitely not sexed yet, I'd say it's roughly only an inch and a half.

It's been in the tank with a cherub angelfish, elongated dotty and a orange spot watchman and it's the least food aggressive of all the fish. If I introduced a female over 2.5" maybe they would pair easier? I could keep the new female in a containment box for a while after she is QT'd.

Would introducing an anemone help with the pairing process at all? Or just give them something else to fight over?

tricia19632004 · Sep 2, 2019

bstodds15 said:
So the one I have currently is definitely not sexed yet, I'd say it's roughly only an inch and a half.

It's been in the tank with a cherub angelfish, elongated dotty and a orange spot watchman and it's the least food aggressive of all the fish. If I introduced a female over 2.5" maybe they would pair easier? I could keep the new female in a containment box for a while after she is QT'd.

Would introducing an anemone help with the pairing process at all? Or just give them something else to fight over?

I am just getting my tank process going. Pukani cures and will start cycling soon. Once water is right, my first fishes will be maroon clownfish. So I just had a very similar conversation with the owner of Fishworld in Midlothian Virginia a few days ago (Joe). He is assisting me since this is my first reef tank.
Joe says that particular clownfish has only ever paired with other maroon clownfish for him. I’ve also been to another fish store recently and the owner there showed me her maroon clownfish, very young, but kills every clownfish she tries to pair. I’m sure they are all not so difficult, but just in case, I asked Joe to get me 2 already paired before they come to my tank. He also said he would would get anemone set up before he brings them.
I hope that helps.

vetteguy53081 · Sep 2, 2019

As with all clowns and fish in general, it is hit and miss. Some will pair easily and others will never based on tank conditions, compatability and species

tricia19632004 · Sep 2, 2019

tricia19632004 said:
I am just getting my tank process going. Pukani cures and will start cycling soon. Once water is right, my first fishes will be maroon clownfish. So I just had a very similar conversation with the owner of Fishworld in Midlothian Virginia a few days ago (Joe). He is assisting me since this is my first reef tank.
Joe says that particular clownfish has only ever paired with other maroon clownfish for him. I’ve also been to another fish store recently and the owner there showed me her maroon clownfish, very young, but kills every clownfish she tries to pair. I’m sure they are all not so difficult, but just in case, I asked Joe to get me 2 already paired before they come to my tank. He also said he would would get anemone set up before he brings them.
I hope that helps.

I didn’t mean for that to be a negative reply so I’m sorry if it came out that way. I only meant that they seem to range from one extreme to the other when pairing. But it does make me wonder if the owner at the other fish store was trying to pair her maroon with a different color clownfish?

tricia19632004 · Sep 2, 2019

vetteguy53081 said:
As with all clowns and fish in general, it is hit and miss. Some will pair easily and others will never based on tank conditions, compatability and species

I’m very much still a novice. I have book knowledge only for the most part. What tank conditions are you referring to?

vetteguy53081 · Sep 2, 2019

tricia19632004 said:
I’m very much still a novice. I have book knowledge only for the most part. What tank conditions are you referring to?

I have two breeder pairs of clowns and the tank salinity , NO and Ni and age of tank become factors

KrisReef · Sep 2, 2019

bstodds15 said:
So the one I have currently is definitely not sexed yet, I'd say it's roughly only an inch and a half.

It's been in the tank with a cherub angelfish, elongated dotty and a orange spot watchman and it's the least food aggressive of all the fish. If I introduced a female over 2.5" maybe they would pair easier? I could keep the new female in a containment box for a while after she is QT'd.

Would introducing an anemone help with the pairing process at all? Or just give them something else to fight over?

This sounds like a better plan, letting the new female make a more into his territory.

Someone on here in another thread noted the difficulty of pairing different breeds of clownfish is likely related to the failure of different breeds to recognize mating cues

bstodds15 · Sep 2, 2019

KrisReef said:
This sounds like a better plan, letting the new female make a more into his territory.

Someone on here in another thread noted the difficulty of pairing different breeds of clownfish is likely related to the failure of different breeds to recognize mating cues

so you're saying 2 lightning maroons would pair easier then a lightning and a gold bar?

chizerbunoi · Sep 2, 2019

I would actually prefer to purchase a full grown female and pair this way. Unless you want to watch them grow up.

Typically you have to remove the female into the isolation box. I wouldn’t introduce an anemone yet. The juvenile doesn’t have a territory to claim yet so aggression could be reduced.

Another way is to just put an egg crate wall up in one corner of the tank.

KrisReef · Sep 2, 2019

bstodds15 said:
so you're saying 2 lightning maroons would pair easier then a lightning and a gold bar?

Yes, “like with like.”

Each specie of clownfish have their own behavioral cues. If the wrong signal for submission is given then the female will continue asserting dominance until the proper signal (cry “Uncle”, or “Mercy”,the code words are spp specific) is given. No signal means the weak fish dies or jumps out if it can.

This is a summary of the situation described on here by a clownfish breeder, and from a biological science background it makes a lot of sense to me.

Another observation is that these fish are picky and if they don’t like each other then their behavior will typically look a lot like that observed among the Royal Family. One will disappear or be off on a fling the weekend after the royal nuptials if they don’t find the other one more than convenient. They take their mates seriously and our picks are often as successful as a marriage among royalty.

bstodds15 · Sep 2, 2019

KrisReef said:
Yes, “like with like.”

Each specie of clownfish have their own behavioral cues. If the wrong signal for submission is given then the female will continue asserting dominance until the proper signal (cry “Uncle”, or “Mercy”,the code words are spp specific) is given. No signal means the weak fish dies or jumps out if it can.

This is a summary of the situation described on here by a clownfish breeder, and from a biological science background it makes a lot of sense to me.

Another observation is that these fish are picky and if they don’t like each other then their behavior will typically look a lot like that observed among the Royal Family. One will disappear or be off on a fling the weekend after the royal nuptials if they don’t find the other one more than convenient. They take their mates seriously and our picks are often as successful as a marriage among royalty.

Saying that they are different species doesn't make sense. A Gold Bar Maroon Clown Fish, and a Lightening Maroon Clownfish are still both Premnas Biaculeatus. I'm asking if their color variation makes a difference in their bonding. I'm not trying to bond a lightening maroon with a difference species of clownfish.

Maroon's are classically more aggressive then other clownfish species (percula, occelaris etc..). Tank raised designer occelaris' are typically less aggressive then their wild caught counterparts. That was the root of my question"are the designer Maroons easier to bond".

bstodds15 · Sep 2, 2019

vetteguy53081 said:
I have two breeder pairs of clowns and the tank salinity , NO and Ni and age of tank become factors

Do water parameters really influence bonding that much? I understand breeding it would make a difference, but I'm not trying to go down that route.

chizerbunoi · Sep 2, 2019

I have 3 adult pairs in a 55 gal separated by egg crate. Lots of hair algae and macro algae growing everywhere. But the anemones don’t mind it. The fish don’t really move outside of their anemones.

Nutrients and water quality are not an issue if you don’t mind the algae. I just keep up with regular water changes and prune with each water change. I also feed daily. I like fat fish.

mta_morrow · Oct 11, 2019

It’s well documented that maroons are the most difficult to pair.
You can mix and match maroons.
the best rates of success are when the female is significantly larger than the male.

DreadedReefer · Jan 28, 2020

Hello. Does moving the rocks help? I have a large maroon ( at least 3") that has been in my DT for almost 3 years. Do you think I have a chance pairing it?