Mixing 2 different color clowns.

[choward1980]

I just got 2 Clowns. A black and white OC and and a orange and White OC. They seem to be doing fine in my 29 BioCube. Will I have a problem getting them to pair. Also what kind of Anemone would you recommend me get to Host them.

 

[ohio reefer]

They'll be fine. They're the same species, just different colors. A good beginner anemone is a bubble tip. Most oc will adapt into hosting it. However a standard biocube may not be sufficient lighting wise. Many have had success with bubble tips in biocubes so it may work. All other hosting anemones require much more light or are too large for the biocube.

 

[Alpha Aquaculture]

ohio reefer is right you shouldn't have a problem with getting them to pair. All clownfish are born male or gender neutral and will only become female through dominance and aggression so its a natural thing for them to fight. Some clowns pair easier than others. Generally pairing can be harder in smaller tanks. If your tank is 10g or larger its usually pretty easy. So in your 29 gallon you should be fine! If you run into a problem just let us know!

 

[redfishbluefish]

Fully agree....I've had a mixed marriage since 2008. A black and white and a mis-barred orange and white.

 

[choward1980]

Thank you all for your input. So far Ive had them for 5 hours and they will not leave each others Side.

 

[choward1980]

Nice looking Fish RFBF

 

[stewy14]

Nice looking Fish RFBF

ik this is an old thread, but I have an 11 gal cube, and my black and orange couldn't mix, the black would always jump out and die, same size, same species, but each time(twice) that I would introduce a black clown, he would jump or lodge himself into the rock... my lfs said that clowns are racist(not actually racist) and u can't make 2 colors live together

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

my lfs said that clowns are racist(not actually racist) and u can't make 2 colors live together

You can - as demonstrated above - absolutely get them to live together and pair, but they actually are somewhat "racist:"

For anyone curious, clownfish determine social hierarchy/desirability in large part by coloration (I'd heard it said by breeders trying to cross clownfish morphs that "clowns are racist" and it turns out it's actually kind of true).

Fun fact for anyone interested here, the UV reflectance of clownfish is also related to intraspecific aggression and their social hierarchy.***

***Source:

Higher ultraviolet skin reflectance signals submissiveness in the anemonefish, Amphiprion akindynos

When signaling submission, it is important to wave the “white flag.” In the Barrier Reef anemonefish, ultraviolet color patterns serve to signal submissive

academic.oup.com

(Clownfish can see UV light, and the color of the clownfish largely determines how much UV light it reflects.)


Anyway, if you want to have some better odds of getting them to live together peacefully, I'd suggest getting a breeder box to put in the tank for one of the clowns - this allows both clowns to see and "smell" each other in the tank without being able to interact directly and hurt each other. After a few days, you should start to see their behavior go from aggressive to calm, and in some cases you may be able to tell they have bonded before you release the one from the breeder box into the main tank.

Edit: Also, with regards to adding clowns of the same size; if your current clown is large enough, it will have transitioned to female - adding another female would cause fighting; so you would need to add a smaller one to ensure it's a male.

 

[mues]

You can - as demonstrated above - absolutely get them to live together and pair, but they actually are somewhat "racist:"



(Clownfish can see UV light, and the color of the clownfish largely determines how much UV light it reflects.)


Anyway, if you want to have some better odds of getting them to live together peacefully, I'd suggest getting a breeder box to put in the tank for one of the clowns - this allows both clowns to see and "smell" each other in the tank without being able to interact directly and hurt each other. After a few days, you should start to see their behavior go from aggressive to calm, and in some cases you may be able to tell they have bonded before you release the one from the breeder box into the main tank.

Edit: Also, with regards to adding clowns of the same size; if your current clown is large enough, it will have transitioned to female - adding another female would cause fighting; so you would need to add a smaller one to ensure it's a male.

to add to this... a good LFS will put the clowns in the tank together in the store to ensure they aren't going to kill each other.

I spent 30 minutes in my LFS pairing clowns the day I bought mine

 

[Brandon3000]

Should be no issues at all. Seconding the comment about good LFS's pairing certain ones together to ensure compatibility.