[Bughead]

2 1/2 years ago I got a baby maroon. I always wanted a pair of maroons and read that to mate them it works best to introduce a tiny one to a larger one. (Gold band)

So I was in Petco the other day and they had a sale on tank raised maroons for $15. So I got one and did all this elaborate preperation to pair them up. I got a plastic box that strawberries come in, inlarged the holes so they were just big enough for the baby to get in and out, but the big clown (Jeanine) wouldn't fit. I put the box with the baby in it inside a plastic breeder cage and acclimated him to the tank for about 3 hours. During this time Jeanine never even came out of her hiding place.

So then I took the box with the fish out of the cage and laid it on the bottom of the tank. The baby immediately vacated the box and never again went near it. Jeanine's territory is the extreme right side of the tank. The baby swam around the middle of the tank for about ten minutes. Then Jeanine spotted him and went over and swished her tail at him. He swished back and followed her back to her territory. They've been a happily mated pair since.

Now every time I walk over to the tank, Jeanine swims in front of her husband and swishes angrily at me; the tiny guy just hangs behind her being "protected". TOO COOL!

My thoughts are that they mated so easily because of their extreme size difference. Jeanine is a good 3 inches and Itty-Bitty Maroon is just that--about the size of the end of my little finger.

According to Ms. Wilkerson (Clownfishes) it should be two or three years before the pair starts breeding. That will be neat, but I'm happy just to have a mated pair of maroons.

[jedimaster]

Fascinating, I was thinking of tryiong something similar with my maroon, Does the same technique work for a white stripe maroon?

[Bughead]

I would think so. According to Ms. Wilkerson, the two varieties do inter- breed. I'd still go through the precaution of careful introduction. I have a feeling that the ease of the marriage of Jeanine and Itty-Bitty is not all that common. Good Luck.

[jedimaster]

Do you think I should put the maroons together in there own tank? I have a 10 gallon I could setup with som LR and a power head, or should I just leave them in my larger community tank?

[Kate]

My story is a bit different, but it ended up good! I bought a Tomato Clown, several months ago, and where I live, it is really hard to get any salt water fish, because the stores are an hour away, and by the time I get there, most of them are already gone, but anyway, I wanted to get a mate for my clown, and they finally got some in! I guess in Tomatos, the female is darker red, and the male is bright red, and so I got a bright red one. First night in the tank, my female wasn't too happy, and was nipping fins, but the second day, she seemed to accept him, even though she shows him who is boss once in a while.

[Bughead]

Jedi-
Be sure you have a larger one and a smaller one. Originally, when I first bought Jeanine I got two baby maroons together. It was only two days and I had to rescue the other baby maroon, as Jeanine had it almost killed. I then gave that little clown to my daughter.

So, assuming you have a big and a little, you can introduce them into a ten gal tank. The advantage would be that it's easier to do a rescue if you have to. Once the pair is mated go ahead and put them back into the big tank. I didn't do it that way because I didn't want to have to catch Jeanine out of the reef tank--you know-- move rocks around and disturb the whole habitat. If you have the same situation, go ahead and introduce the little one (or bigger one, if that's the case) to the main tank. Just be sure you take precautions. Instead of the strawberry box, it may work just as well if you have plenty of rocks or decorations for the smaller fish to hide in that the bigger one won't fit.

Kate--
I don't think your idea of sexing the clowns is quite right. All clowns are born male, unlike most of the animal kingdom which starts out biologically female. Then the more dominant of the pair or group will become the female. Therefore, unless your fish comes out of the ocean and has already changed sex, you will have a male. Only when one becomes dominant will it turn female. So, even though I refer to my big clown, Jeanine, as 'she', she's probably still a biological male. And will probably remain male for a couple of months.

[Bughead]

Oh, also maroon clowns, Premnas biaculeatus are notoriously difficult to mate. Unlike any of the Amphiprion , which includes cinnamon, tomato, Ocellaris, Clark, and Percula. All of these can be introduced fairly easily. Just get two babies and they will work it out rather peacefully. My two baby saddlebacks in the big tank have "loved" each other from day one. It'll be fun to see if they will lay eggs in a year or two.

[Elmo18]

Jedimaster,

10 gallons for a pair of Premnas clownfish in my opinion is too small. I have an adult pair in my 25 gallon, and I still think it might be too small. However, they are doing fine in there. You may get away with a non-adult pair, meaning they will be smaller. The female of my adult pair is about 4.5 inches long. She's pretty big.

- Elmo

[Kate]

That is true, I know they are born males, but with the Tomato Clowns, if you get one bigger one that is darker, and one smaller one that is redder, they more than likely will pair up, and the darker will be the female. Read that somewhere online, if I can find it, I will post it for you!

[Bughead]

Kate-
I understand what you're saying now. The coloring proably has more to do with the age of the clown rather than the sex. The younger lighter one would likely still be a male. The bigger one is still probably male, but would naturally move into the dominant role in the presence of a smaller clown, hense becoming the big mama.

Elmo-
I didn't intend for Jedi to leave the pair of maroons in the ten gallon tank. Only put them in long enough for them to become a mated pair; about a week or so. That could also be a quaranteen time for them. Personally, I wouldn't keep a maroon in less than 40 gals. But since they don't grow real fast, keeping them in a smaller tank at first should be OK.

[Elmo18]

Gotcha Bughead. Just checkin'

- Elmo

[jedimaster]

My intent was to only have them in there long enough to "become mated" and then transfer them to main tank as a pair. Kind of like a honey moon. fo the newly weds away from the rest of the clan. Or o\would it be better to just introduce the new one to the main tank?

[Bughead]

If you can catch your maroon out of the main tank, I think introducing them to their own 10 gal motel room would be the best. That way the existing clown isn't concerned with defending her territory as well as accepting a mate.

Here's what Joyce Wilkerson has to say about mating maroons in her book "Clownfishes". "If the pair contains two Maroons of unequal status, that is, if a tiny Maroon is paired with a large one, the small fish will usually yield in short order and they quickly establish a pecking order without life-threatening dominance contests. The smaller clown needs to be so terrorized by the larger one's size that it rapidly accepts its inferior position. The greater the difference in their sizes, the better. A Maroon longer than 2 1/2 inches is usually large enough to intimidate one smaller than 1 1/4 inches."

"Which Maroon should be the original resident of the tank? ---Based on my experience, I prefer that the larger Maroon be the resident and the tiny one be the newcomer."

"As the small, newly introduced Maroon will have no adequate defenses and may not likely be accepted immediately, a safe haven should be provided for his protection. A section of commercial eggcrate lighting panel (available from uilding-supply stores) walling off a portion of the aquarium makes a good refuge. The diminutive Maroon Clownfish would be small enough to pass through the half-inch divider openings, and he will quickly learn that the larger fish cannot follow to molest him in his haven. Alternatively, simply cover the open top of a strawberry basket (the plastic containers used for berries at food stores) with plastic wrap and a rubber band. Put the little clownfish inside the basket and place it in the aquarium. The small Maroon can emerge from his "cage" at will and flee back to safety when confronted."

"By repeatedly venturing into view, then scurrying away submissively, the small fish shows acceptance of an inferior position in the social order. If the female ignores the small clown as he positions his body perpendicular to hers and trembles as if terrified, the two are on their way to becoming a pair. If they fight, separate them and try a smaller male later."

I do remember reading somewhere in the book where she says that introducing the maroons in a quaranteen tank could be advantagous, but if removing your existing clown would be difficult, it would be easier to prepare the main tank in one of the manners she describes above. Hope this helps. Good luck!

[jedimaster]

Yes it does, thanks, ,I'll have to see if I am able to catch my existing maroon, it is about 3.5 inches right now so I think It'll be ok with a smaller one. How do you know when they are mated and I can move them back into the main tank?

[Bughead]

It'll be easy enough to tell; they won't be fighting.

I think the key here is a huge size difference. Your maroon sounds like she's about the size of Jeanine. So if you can find a baby tank raised clown, your experience might be quite similar to mine. Just a little positioning with no actual battle and no physical contact.

On a side note, this is sad- - i had a lovely female anthias whose territory was at the opposite end of the 55 gal tank. Well, she is no more. I think Jeanine eliminated her. Giving her a husband has made her more aggressive. She always tries to run me off with her tail swishing and evil eye when I get near the tank. Even when I'm bringing food. She had previously been rather peaceful.