i have a very large maroon clownfish that i would like to buy a mate for…shes very brutal to all other fish…
if you were going to buy a mate would you buy one smaller or larger than the one i have…
this will be going in a 200 gal. tank so if one got beat up, the other would be able to get away to a certain extent…
any ideas?
Buy the smallest one you can fine! I had always heard that pairing Maroons can be very difficult, but it could not have been easier for me. My female was about 2.5-3" and i introduced a male that was about 1". They took to one another instantly with zero aggression and have been inseperable since. They started to spawn about a year or so after i paired them.
Yep, as long as you choose the smallest one in a tank of multiple maroons, you are more or less guarenteed to get a male that will pair up with your female. If you are worried about aggression, get a beta breeder that hangs on the side of the tank. That way your female can get used to seeing the male being there before she can actually nip at him. Once the inital aggression dies down, release him into the tank and they should get along fine in a short while.
I have a mated pair of maroon clowns the female is about 4 inches long and the mail is about 1 inch and a half long. The larger one will be the female and she’s not gonna get any nicer. They are a very mean clown.
so would buying a mated pair be the best way to go?
Would be easier but there still mean[quote=“billrob71, post:6, topic:2367”]
Would be easier but there still mean[/quote]
yo bill, are they mean to each other or would they be tank aggressive toward other species of fish??
[quote=“moliken, post:7, topic:2367”]
[quote=“billrob71, post:6, topic:2367”]
Would be easier but there still mean[/quote]
yo bill, are they mean to each other or would they be tank aggressive toward other species of fish??[/quote]
No not mean to each other, just anything remotely near there anem host.thnx mr secretary, sir, chief.
:::
Paul - i touched on this a while back in a lengthy post but i can take a moment to share. IME, there should be a clear distinction between territorial and aggressive. it is also my opinion that this distinction is the foundation for and i gives credence to the idea that reworking your rock structure and solve aggression issues. if a fish is territorial, it likely will. if a fish is aggressive, its only a bandaid. aggressive fish will always be aggressive. the only solution is to house them with appropriate tankmates. territoral fish, on the other hand, can be kept very successfully in a community tank as long as you put thought into the setup.
my maroons can be nasty. the big one has broken my skin many times and would go out of her way to attack me every single time i put my hands in the tank. however, the same fish nuzzles against my hippo tang. the only “aggression” i have seen in from my maroons over the years is that, like Bill said, they will chase certain fish away from their anemone. in my case, they only chase my chromis, and if i didnt know better, i think the chromis does it on purpose to antagonize the clowns. they will chase fish from their territory. in an appropriate sized tank they should not cause any stress to even the most peaceful tankmates. however, if you put a marron in a 20g tank, their territorial behavior might seem more like aggression because they are likely to consider the entire tank thier territory. in this case, the same behavior might have more dire consequences if the relentless chase and stress more docile tankmates.
these are just my thoughts on the subject of course, but i wil point out that when i recently moved my clowns into the 265g that they wont give me more than a passing interest even when im caught tresspassing:) i havent been bitten once.
shawn, that’s great to hear. thanks. always wanted a pair of maroons. does the bite hurt, btw? and thanks for a fine meeting also.
My Maroon is both aggressive and territorial. A real pain in the arse. If you don’t already have it, I highly recommend getting an occelaris instead. If you do already have it, good luck. Mine also rearranges like no other fish I’ve had. Shells, snails, hermits, sand, she moves it all.
[quote=“moliken, post:12, topic:2367”]
shawn, that’s great to hear. thanks. always wanted a pair of maroons. does the bite hurt, btw? and thanks for a fine meeting also.[/quote]
LOL Paul only bleeds till you get stitches 
JK. Mine never hurt me more like a scare. They seem to get ya when your not paying attention.
mine almost bit my finger off. sike. not much will happen but it will scare the krap out of you. mine will reall olny bite me when i dont feed it,lol (i feed every other day).
One of our clients has a large 72" very deep tank. Any time I stick my hand in to attach a new coral I use a large stick on the other hand to fight off the Maroon clown that lives in the tank and get my hands out asap. It is nasty. It defends a large leather it hosts in the center of the tank, but it doesn’t matter where in the tank you are it wants you away from it.
I’ll word it this way. They are the most aggressive at defending there large territories.
now i really am torn. jon says yes on the purple tang and no on the maroons. the vehemence of negative opinions on a purple tang in a 75 made me say no way, even though jon’s pt is in great shapi in a 75. now the thought of a pair of nasties worries me too.
i want some suggestions of a decent size pretty fish or pair that will coexist with just a few other smaller fish, but also can’t bother corals or clams. maybe a decent algae consumer, like a small tang. needs to be more/different color than a yellow eyed kole to please susan.
i plan on a mandarin down the road, so i’m reading up on those.
HJack
As far as a coral safe fish and a good algae eater nothing could be better then a tang or a rabbitfish. Rabbitfish will depend on the species for a 75g though as plenty of them will outgrow the tank. Foxfaces can be bold in color and should do well in a 75g tank. Off the top of my head most other fish will either not be as large, colorful, or just risky with your corals and inverts.
Going a little smaller certain blennies might help a little with the algae and can be nicely colored. Stairy blennies can get pretty big and Midas blennies come in some beautiful colors.
I also really like Ellen’s wrasses. Lots and lots of color and movement.
As far as the mandarins go, are you planning to hook up a fuge? Have you ever seen any live mysis shrimp in your tank?
jon, i have a fuge w/ lr and chaeto, just put in 600 copepods split between the 2 tanks. i am just waiting and learning. no no live mysis shrimp have i ever seen.
I don’t have tons to go around and I am not sure how long they will last in a bag, but I can try to get you a couple at the next meeting. Perhaps someone else with a larger fuge will be able to step up and get you some more. Double check to make sure you don’t have some. Take a look in the bottom corners of your tank at night time after the lights go out with a flash light. They typically swim in swirly patters kind of like a bird sweeping back and forth collecting insects.
Mysis shrimp would be a great microfuana to make sure you have to assist in feeding both your fish and your corals. Often times due to the harshness of a cycle or poor quality of LR one might start their systems with certain things are missing. This is why people recommend purchasing LR from multiple LFS from multiple countries of origin when possible. I wouldn’t add any now though as you increase your chances of adding pests. Just consider live sand exchanges in the future and selectively try to get the larger inverts you would like from other hobbyist.