# Clownfish



## killjoy391 (Jun 6, 2007)

wat would be the best way to obtain a pair of ocellaris clowns? or could i just buy two small ones and let them pair?


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

killjoy391 said:


> wat would be the best way to obtain a pair of ocellaris clowns? or could i just buy two small ones and let them pair?


Try to observe well for any clowns pairing up in the lfs tank. It is, in my opinion, the only possible way to determine that they have paired off. I have not seen any possible means to determine their genders. There is one site, however, that did explain that females tend to be larger and more dominant compared to the males. Genders will often change if no male is available.


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## dhritiman_d (Aug 6, 2007)

Lupin I agree with u. But on one thing I cross u i.e gender will change if female is there.


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## caferacermike (Oct 3, 2006)

I say stay away from LFS pairs unless you can see a huge difference in sizes. Generally all small clowns are males and over time (could take years) one will become a female but only if conditions warrant such a change. The only "pairs" I'd buy from a shop are returns from a well known customer, be it a tank tear down or new direction, but they must state that they've laid eggs. You could always buy a few from the shop and let them enjoy their years together and see what happens. If you buy from a shop to "make" pairs it'd be better to buy them at different times and from different places so as not to stress the original gene lineage. Fish tend not to be as bothered by inbreeding as much as other animals but why do it if you can avoid it? Most clowns are now captive bred and raised specimens, keep in mind that if they are all the same size and colors, then they are probably from the same parents.


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## killjoy391 (Jun 6, 2007)

so ur saying its not a good idea to try to make a pair? at the lfs i saw that they had about 50 small specimens in a single tank and was thinking of buying 2 or 3. would that not be a good idea then?


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## caferacermike (Oct 3, 2006)

Nowhere did I say "not" to make a pair. I said it would be advisable to "create" your pair using fish from different sources to hopefully create a stronger bloodline "if" you plan to breed them. 

When you see several juvenile clowns in a tank at the LFS you can be assured they were captive bred and are all from the same "batch". You cannot be assured how strong the specimens will be due to the possibility of inbreeding. With this being possible it would be wise to try and mix up the bloodlines of any "pairs" you attempt to make. Check to see if your LFS (if you can trust what they tell you) can order wild caught or F1 clowns for you, they will be a bit more expensive. As I said above, inbreeding does not generally cause as much damage in fish as it does in mammals but why do it if you have a choice?


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## killjoy391 (Jun 6, 2007)

ok so i understand that it would be better of to get each from a different store but should i get ones of different size and if so which one would i put in first?


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