When are Clownfish sexually mature?

WallysWorld · Dec 12, 2018

I've had a couple of Davinci clowns for about 6 months now. Got them when they were very small. They are never separated by far in my tank, they go everywhere as a pair. I've seen them doing that "jerky body rub" thing for a couple of months. Are they mating? When do they become sexually mature?

Thanks

Coastie Reefer · Dec 12, 2018

Mine have been together for going on 2 years... and I still don't know for sure which is the female. I've heard of people not having clowns lay clutches of eggs for upwards of 6 years... Being sexually mature, and having a breeding pair are two different things though I guess.

davocean · Dec 12, 2018

Sounds like bonded, after they spawn they would be called mated.
About 2 years is when they are sexually mature, possibly slightly sooner.
If yours were small they were probably already about 6 mo old when you got them.

I don't think I've ever had it take more than a year and a half or 2 years at most before spawning happened.

Blue Lip · Dec 15, 2018

I think it depends on the type of clownfish as well. I received my latz clowns when they were tiny. I would guess about 6 months old. Had them about 4 years before they started breeding.

davocean · Dec 15, 2018

Yes I read in Joyce Wilkerson's book "clownfishes" (A good read for anyone wishing to learn more on breeding clowns) that she stated it may vary w/ species, and that she had a clarki pair spawning at 15 months of age, so it does seem to vary a bit.

JerseyClowns · Feb 25, 2019

WallysWorld said:
I've had a couple of Davinci clowns for about 6 months now. Got them when they were very small. They are never separated by far in my tank, they go everywhere as a pair. I've seen them doing that "jerky body rub" thing for a couple of months. Are they mating? When do they become sexually mature?

Thanks

This is subjective based on species, but I've had fish I've bred start to spawn in less than 2 years. I've also had pairs together for much longer that never spawned.

AngryMike2016 · Feb 25, 2019

When you catch the male looking at playboy.

Coralreefer1 · Feb 25, 2019

My Clowns are all sterile! I have never had any spawn. They just hang out together and hit the all you can eat buffet when I feed them daily, then swim about in their Green Star Polyps and Anthelia homes. They would rather watch my cats than have babies.
Maybe their parents never gave them the lessons about the birds and the bees? Maybe neither one wants to become dominant thus becoming female? Maybe they decided to hold off until the Minnesota Vikings win a Super Bowl for once? Maybe the female is infertile? Maybe celibacy comes into play Here? Maybe I’m in the wrong time zone for them to breed? Maybe they are unattractive to each other? Or possibly, they want to date other fish in the sea! It might be that they are living out the Groundhog movie every day hence impregnating is not in the cards?
Things aren’t as bleak as they seem however, because I do see Asterina Stars multiplying as well as copopods in my tank.

shred5 · Feb 25, 2019

It so depends on the pairs, how fast they grow, types of clowns etc.

Just because clowns swim together does not mean they are bonded at least early on.

I find juveniles will swim together until they start working out the pecking order.

I have a pair of Wyoming whites that I been trying to pair for breeding and when I first go them they swam and slept together.

A few months later all hell broke loose. It has been going for a long time now to the point where I am starting to worry the one that is becoming or is female will not accept the male.