[jlombardi29]

whats the best way to get a pair of clowns and how long would it take young clowns to pair up

[BLKBRDTA]

Depends on the inhabitants of the tank. The ideal option would be a separate display for Clowns only, and no more than four Clowns in it. Two will become dominant and the other two will become subordinate. If there is an anemone in the tank then aggression may be increased by the dominant pair and the underdogs can stress and starve. Basically two Perc's are ideal, and a separate breeder tank is extremely helpful. Some Clowns breed within a couple months of introduction (depending on maturity status) and others take upwards of a year to do so..

[jlombardi29]

my tank is 75 gal my fish are a yellow tang coral beuty and two false pec. I have had one of the clowns for about 3 years and the other about 1 year and have never seen any agression in the tank at all

[BLKBRDTA]

Perc's aren't usually aggressive, I will revise my previous statement, they can become territorial over an Anemone, or in my case a corner of the tank if paired. If you had a Chromis and/or Damsel in there you would probably see some tail chasing being done by the Clowns. Other then that it is pretty much just luck of the draw, some don't and some do. I don't mean to be a killjoy.. I have bred Perc's three times now, and still have had some unsuccessful pairings.

[Morgan Itzel]

Originally Posted by jlombardi29

whats the best way to get a pair of clowns and how long would it take young clowns to pair up

Try and get a large clown you like and then find a smaller one at least half the largest ones size. If you are adding a small clown to a established large(female) clown give the small guy some hiding places and try and disturb the territory of the female if she is being aggressive. This will give them some time to adjust.

The ideal situation is to get a large and small clown and pair them in a quarantine tank. Never add a non-quarantined clown to an established clown. You are asking for trouble. Not to mention you might lose more than just a clownfish.

Make sure you keep and eye on the male. If he is in the upper corner of the tank hiding you should pull him and try another small clown. Also, watch for frayed fins.

Some clowns are easier to pair than others.

[gtojudge79]

i have a pare of purks that have been pared for going on 6 years and they have never layed eggs. is there somthing i can do to get them to do so? they are in an 85 gal reef tank. the tank has 2 anemonys and some non agresiv small fish including the clouns there is 6 fish in the tank.

[Morgan Itzel]

Originally Posted by gtojudge79

i have a pare of purks that have been pared for going on 6 years and they have never layed eggs. is there somthing i can do to get them to do so? they are in an 85 gal reef tank. the tank has 2 anemonys and some non agresiv small fish including the clouns there is 6 fish in the tank.

First try increasing your feeding schedule for your clowns. Feeding 2-3 times a day will help them get closer to spawning condition. Try to mix it up with meat based foods and algae based foods. Clowns need algae in their diet.

Work on a simulating a plankton bloom every couple of days. This can be done with cyclop-eeze(frozen), live baby brine shrimp or masago. Masago is Capelin fish roe and can be found and many asian supermarkets.

Hope this helps.