Pairing Clowns

[@ombomb]

New tank is due to arrive in a couple of weeks and one of the things I've been thinking about is finding a mate for my clown fish (sold as true perc, but I think it's a false).

I'll be moving the existing fish to a whole new environment, so I'm assuming this is the only chance I have of successfully introducing another.

I understand the best way is to have one much larger than the other so there is a clear dominant fish, but other than that I'm not sure how best to go about it.

Does anyone have any advice for me?

Also I could do with a link to how to conclusively identify false / true percs if anyone has one.

 

[Musho3210]

buy the smallest one you can find (to an extent, dont buy a tiny one that bands arent even fully formed yet) the larger one will grow into the female and the smaller one will be the male. They should pair by then.

 

[@ombomb]

has anyone successfully done this in the past?

any tips?

 

[Colin_T]

You can introduce a new clownfish any time as long as it isn't the same size and sex as the one in the tank.
Don’t buy a clownfish that has been on its own for a month or more because it will have changed or be changing into a female.
I usually buy the smallest one I can find and put them together. The bigger fish will chase the smaller one around for a few days before they settle down. If you can buy one from a group then it is better because there will be less chance of it having started to change sex. Never buy the dominant clownfish in a tank because it will probably be female.

The only way to can tell a true percula from an ocellaris is to see where it came from. If it came from the Pacific Ocean, (Great Barrier Reef or the eastern side of New Guinea) then it is a percula. If it came from the Indian Ocean then it is an ocellaris.
The other way is by price. A true percula will cost at least twice as much as an ocellaris.

 

[Musho3210]

You can introduce a new clownfish any time as long as it isn't the same size and sex as the one in the tank.
Don’t buy a clownfish that has been on its own for a month or more because it will have changed or be changing into a female.
I usually buy the smallest one I can find and put them together. The bigger fish will chase the smaller one around for a few days before they settle down. If you can buy one from a group then it is better because there will be less chance of it having started to change sex. Never buy the dominant clownfish in a tank because it will probably be female.

The only way to can tell a true percula from an ocellaris is to see where it came from. If it came from the Pacific Ocean, (Great Barrier Reef or the eastern side of New Guinea) then it is a percula. If it came from the Indian Ocean then it is an ocellaris.
The other way is by price. A true percula will cost at least twice as much as an ocellaris.

i dont think thats a very reliable way to determine the difference since its easy to mix up locations and both are bred all over america (chances are if you see one in the store, its probably tank bred)

Plus they have different number of spines, which is the more accurate way of determining.

 

[Colin_T]

the only way to count the fin rays and teeth is to kill the fish and stick it under a magnifying glass. The only way to tell the difference in live fish is by the above mentioned method, ie where they came from and price.

If they are tank bred fish then you have to take the word of the breeder/ supplier as to what species they are. But perculas will still cost more than ocellaris because they are harder to get initially. Therefore the breeder will want more for them.

 

[Musho3210]

its actually not hard at all to see and count the spines, without a magnifying glass. Just take a decent picture of one and count.

http/saltaquarium.about.com/cs/clownfish...l/blpercula.htm