If I have a larger maroon and a smaller maroon and the smaller one runs from the larger one and doesn’t fight back at all is that indication that it’s a male and the pair could work? She chases him off but doesn’t actually bite him they both have perfect fins
Maroon clownfish question?
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chizerbunoi
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One way to pair them up is to put egg crate in a corner of the tank. That way the smaller one can run back and forth. It will hide in the egg crate if it’s getting beat up too much.
Maroons are one of the hardest to pair up. So you will need a lot of patience.
Maroons are one of the hardest to pair up. So you will need a lot of patience.
Interesting. I guess I just got lucky. I've had a single lightning maroon in my tank for about 8 months. It's nearly 2" in length. Saw a nice small one at my LFS (just under 1") recently, and decided to take a chance that I could pair them, knowing this reputation. After QT, I introduced the small new clown to the DT after lights out on a Friday evening on the opposite end from where the large clown hangs, knowing I would have all weekend to observe and intervene if needed. Some of the other fish harassed the little maroon early on, but then it settled in. I came back with the flashlight a couple hours later to see how it was getting along, and it had already found the larger maroon. They were already dancing and courting, no biting at all. A small chase here and there, but nothing to worry about. Now, 3 weeks later, the smaller "male" owns the long tentacle anemone (sleeps in it, is always on the fringe of it), while the "female" swims around at a much larger radius from it. They still dance and chase non-threateningly, and the other day I noticed a slight mark near the head of the female, so I'm thinking the smaller male may have gotten her during some rough courtship one night. Simplest pairing I have ever witnessed though.
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Congratulations on the pairing and good job on the timing, placement, etc. of introduction. Do you plan to actively breed this pair and attempt to raise the fry? They are gorgeous fish!!!
No plan to actively breed. I'm sure they will breed, but the fry are unlikely to survive in my DT. Too many predators, and I wouldn't know where to begin on collecting and nursing them to maturity. They definitely are gorgeous, and if I could raise them it would definitely help finance other things for the tank, but that was never my intent. Just happy healthy fish.
Beautiful as they are though, they are "mean". The female bites me EVERY TIME my hand goes in the tank. Great incentive to keep hands-off.
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Wow! Ok, so maybe photography is a better avenue to pursue with this pair rather than breeding!
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I've paired Maroon Clowns several times with no big issues. There are just a few finer points that can help if you take them into consideration. The bigger problem is usually dealing with the females aggression towards other tankmates when she gets into breeding mode.
You don't mention how large they are, but Maroons don't sexually mature as fast as other clowns. At the size most are sold in the retail environment, they may not even be fully male yet. Your two fish will begin that pair bond, but the real close pairing takes longer as the fish are still maturing into their sexes. It's counterintuitive, but the bigger the size difference, the more smoothly it will go.
Per the suggestions in Joyce Wilkersons book, I did my pairings all the same way and did not have any problems. I purchase my "female" first and let her hit the 3" mark in my care. Then I introduce a juvenile that is about an inch long using an acclimation box (or strawberry basket back in the day). My experience doing it this way was that the pairing was done in a matter of days with no fighting. Once I had a female come over, take the terrified male "under her wing" and escort him over to her corner of the tank in less than ten minutes...
This way takes a bit more patience, but I like having time to fatten up the soon to be female. I can also use this time to search for a really well marked and healthy male.
Good luck with them, and just keep a close eye for the time being...
You don't mention how large they are, but Maroons don't sexually mature as fast as other clowns. At the size most are sold in the retail environment, they may not even be fully male yet. Your two fish will begin that pair bond, but the real close pairing takes longer as the fish are still maturing into their sexes. It's counterintuitive, but the bigger the size difference, the more smoothly it will go.
Per the suggestions in Joyce Wilkersons book, I did my pairings all the same way and did not have any problems. I purchase my "female" first and let her hit the 3" mark in my care. Then I introduce a juvenile that is about an inch long using an acclimation box (or strawberry basket back in the day). My experience doing it this way was that the pairing was done in a matter of days with no fighting. Once I had a female come over, take the terrified male "under her wing" and escort him over to her corner of the tank in less than ten minutes...
This way takes a bit more patience, but I like having time to fatten up the soon to be female. I can also use this time to search for a really well marked and healthy male.
Good luck with them, and just keep a close eye for the time being...
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Great advice! +1 on the Wilkerson book - “Clownfishes: A Guide to Their Captive Care, Breeding & Natural History”
