Pairing Gold Bar Maroon Clowns

[nasher8860]

Ok I started a thread in Marine Fishes, and kind of got side tracked. so Im posting here now. This is the process of me trying to pair up a 3-4 in. GBM with a younger 2 1/2 in. one.
The first couple of attempts didn't really work out too well. The established one was pissed to say the least.So my last attempt to try and pair these guys is happening right now.
After removing almost all the live rock..besides some pieces I couldn't fit in the buckets. I caught all my livestock( yellow damsel,blue damsel.babie hippo tang,and the Maroon Clown. I am now waiting for the smoke to clear and I am going to re-aquascape the whole tank.
And with any luck the fish will not know where they are and take to there new home like normal fish do, along w/another tankmate.This is my last attempt at this in this tank.If it doesn't work I'll put him in my 27.
Anyway's here are some pics. First one's of what the Tank looked like before, I started.Oh yea did I metion sturring up the top layer of your sandbed isn't too pretty.

 

[nasher8860]

Alright all done...I left the new Gold Bar in while switchin' things around. when things cleared up he found the RBTA and is just hangin' out. I'm about to add the rest of the livestock right now. We'll see how it goes..

 

[nasher8860]

One of the coolest things I've seen while keeping fishtanks..I added the remaining livestock all at once just kind of dumped them in. They all seemed confused at first..just kind of exploring their new home.My eyes were kept on the original GBM.He finally found his anemone(w/the new guy in it)He first kinda chilled then attacked and the new one submitted almost instantly.Then the whole twitchy thing happened and they have'nt really bit or chased eachother yet. I'm really excited.So cool..

 

[Detri]

Well I hope this works out for you. It's kinda cool to wittness behavior like this in person. Good luck!

 

[cwrenge]

Well I hope this works out for you. It's kinda cool to wittness behavior like this in person. Good luck!

thats great.....hope you can keep us posted, i for one will be lookin forward to your new arrangements being shared ........ cw. ps. watch out for nitrates rising.... i rearanged my 55 reef and discoverd the nitrates raising .....had to do quite a few water changes often for a two week period to stabilize the tank.

 

[nasher8860]

Thanks guys so far everything is cool, no fighting,just mellowness. Nitrates are still at 0-5. Here are some pics of the new scaping.

 

[Rock-N-Ruin]

I've done it, it's hit and miss.. good luck... your better off if their different sizes like 2.5" and a 2" ... J

 

[cheeks69]

Then the whole twitchy thing happened and they have'nt really bit or chased eachother yet.

That's great to hear but keep an eye on them. In my case with a pair of Perculas they seemed to get along for a couple of days but then the female went ballistic and eventually I had to remove the male to save him from certain death.

Here's some great info on pairing clownfish:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=215098

Paring Premnas species clownfish (maroon clownfish):
Pairing maroon clowns is much more problematic than pairing Amphiprion species clownfish. Maroons are notorious for being very aggressive towards other clownfish. They are pretty much fearless and will only back down from an all out fight when presented with the overwhelming threat of death.

Separation Technique:
The only technique I am aware of that works the vast majority of the time with the least amount of damage as possible to use a separation and slow acclimation process to introduce a poetical mate to a maroon clownfish.

First you need to have a large female already established in your tank before trying a pairing. The clownfish should be at least 3” from nose to start of the cardinal fin. Next you will need to do a little preparation before buying a potential mate for your maroon. You need something to securely separate the two fish in the same tank while still allowing the fish to see each other and the new fish to get water flow. You can use a clear plastic specimen container with holes drilled in it for example.

Now go to the LFS and find the smallest juvenile maroon from a community tank that you can find. It should be no larger than 1” nose to start of cardinal fin. Acclimate the new maroon just as you would any other fish. Once the new maroon is acclimated to your tanks water, place the new maroon in the specimen container. Let the two fish see each other, place the specimen container near the females territory. Carefully watch the female’s behavior. If she is trying to attack the new fish thru the container, it is not safe to release the new maroon. Give her time to cool off from the disruption to her tank and addition of a foreign clownfish in her tank.

Now that the female has cooled her temper it is time to try an introduction. Get your favorite fish net ready and release the new maroon to the tank. If the fighting gets too bad you will need to rescue the new maroon and place it back in the container and try the next day. If after three failed attempts you can write off the new maroon as incompatible and you will need a new juvenile to try with.