Want to add another clown fish

Chrisfish · Dec 2, 2015

Well my captive bred ocelleris clown fish pair are no longer a pair.

One became a kamikaze pilot and was found on the floor this morning. And yes I have a top, too long of a story to explain how he got out but he and my Molly Morris Blenny had been going at it for days and was kind of fun to watch so I have a feeling that last night while the lights were off they went to town, corals were turned over and Lewy (Blenny) was looking pleased with himself. So my question is can I add another clown fish? It's not about breeding them I really like them. And could I add a snowflake clown instead? Thanks .....

oscarinw · Dec 2, 2015

You could. If the one that died was the largest of your 2, you are probably safe to add another similarly sized or smaller (a snowflake would be fine) There is always the possibility that your existing clown may get territorial with the newcomer so perhaps moving the current resident to the sump for 3-4 days while the other gets acquainted with the new house and also letting them see each other for a few hours with a physical barrier such as an acclimation box might be your best shot at the move.

onthemovetech · Dec 3, 2015

Lol. Similar situation here... Started with a paired Nemos and one jumped ship at night. I waited a few days and felt my only clown was lonely so went to the lfs and picked up a different breed (snowflake) and added him/her in and the first day was interesting cause they were both watching each other... Peeked at night and both were sleeping opposite sides. During the next day I fed and both fought for a bit but it's been 2 months now and they can't leave each other's site. Oscarinw is correct about choosing either a smaller or bigger one cause one has to dominate. If they are the same size it will be another fight night in ur tank at night. Best of luck.

Chrisfish · Dec 3, 2015

Thanks for both of your inputs, I think the one behind is lonely now so I will get (I think it's a she as it was the larger one) her a friend and will let you know how it goes.

KSReefing · Dec 7, 2015

I had waited a year to replace a snowflake clown that jumped out of the tank. I got a significantly smaller one than the one in my tank. It can be done fore sure. The one I added was half the size of the one I had before and she is defensive when I put my hand in the tank. So as you could tell I was nervous about adding the snowflake with the snowflake and it went well. I just floated the bag awhile longer so she could look at him and just kept an eye out for a couple days.

Chrisfish · Dec 7, 2015

KSReefing said:
I had waited a year to replace a snowflake clown that jumped out of the tank. I got a significantly smaller one than the one in my tank. It can be done fore sure. The one I added was half the size of the one I had before and she is defensive when I put my hand in the tank. So as you could tell I was nervous about adding the snowflake with the snowflake and it went well. I just floated the bag awhile longer so she could look at him and just kept an eye out for a couple days.

Thank you so much for your input, after everyone's positive responses I'm going to purchase another one. Wish me luck.