What age/size do clowns start to pair up?

Matt Miller · Feb 25, 2021

I've got 3 clowns coming next Friday, 2 frostbite and one Darwin.

They will start in my 13 gallon qt and I want to pair up the two frostbite for my cube.

They should all be under 2" when I get them.

Is it possible they will pair up before the 45ish days I'm planning on quarantining them?

Jekyl · Feb 25, 2021

Usually a pecking order is determined rather quickly.

ThePurple12 · Feb 25, 2021

It is very possible. Mine were probably 1.5" when I got them. They immediately started to form a pair.

You're not planning to keep 3 clowns in one tank, right? Just making sure!

Matt Miller · Feb 25, 2021

ThePurple12 said:
It is very possible. Mine were probably 1.5" when I got them. They immediately started to form a pair.

You're not planning to keep 3 clowns in one tank, right? Just making sure!

No, the frostbites are going in the cube and the darwin will stay in the 13. I just might have to put them in the cube and the darwin in the 13.

It'll screw up my qt plans but I think it's small enough I can treat for parasites and just watch them in the cube so I don't end up with the wrong pair.

Thanks for the quick responses.

Jekyl · Feb 25, 2021

Are you planning on having them all in the same tank at some point?

Jekyl · Feb 25, 2021

May be best to keep together from the start.

Matt Miller · Feb 25, 2021

Jekyl said:
May be best to keep together from the start.

I could keep them in qt till I notice they start pairing up, that would probably at least give me some quarantine time.

saltybees · Feb 25, 2021

If you get 2 relatively the same size they’ll generally pair up in the first month, 3 is asking for issues especially in a little tank

Jekyl · Feb 25, 2021

If going in the same tank keeping all 3 together would at least ensure only 1 would end up female.

Matt Miller · Feb 25, 2021

saltybees said:
If you get 2 relatively the same size they’ll generally pair up in the first month, 3 is asking for issues especially in a little tank

They should all be around 1-1.5"

The plan was to keep them together about 45 days then move the 2 frostbite to the cube.

It just now dawned on me they could pair up wrong.

Matt Miller · Feb 25, 2021

Jekyl said:
If going in the same tank keeping all 3 together would at least ensure only 1 would end up female.

They are just starting together, 1 will stay and 2 will move to my bigger cube.

Jekyl · Feb 25, 2021

I don't think pairing is an issue.

saltybees · Feb 25, 2021

One will be dead before they pair up if you keep the 3 together.

Jekyl · Feb 25, 2021

Plenty of people have kept clown harem tanks. You just can't have 2 females in the same tank. At a young age that isn't determined yet. As far as I know.