clownfish gender question

[Tentacles]

heres his backup:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...hreadid=215088

he also says its in the book Clownfish by Dr. Wilkerson, but he hasnt quoted any text or said he has the book so im waiting on that part

[roka64]

I think this is a possible answer from Tentacles link:
"They may spend their entire life as a sexually immature fish depending on their environment."
That makes a lot of sense.
and this:
"The rest of the clownfish will have a pecking order but will not mature sexually."
So it is only by the need to procreate. To answer the question, a single clownfish, that has no need to establish a sex, will remain sexless. If added to a group, it will fit in the hiearchy and sex will be determined depending on the fish's dominance. So if it dominates and becomes the female, or will become the dominant male, or be sexless until the need arises...That sound about right? We are still waiting on the return email from DT.

[Devilishturtles]

Then it says that a clownfish may remain sexless its entire life too...depending on the situation. I dunno...I still don't buy it.

[Tentacles]

fyi for anyone interested i have started a big thread with all the info i have so far going against all the info the other guy has so far on Nano-Reef.com if your a member wish to become one or just want to watch the progress of the thread its under the general discussion in the forums.

any news or articles?

[Devilishturtles]

Okay, so here is Fenner's reply. To sum it all up, he doesn't know either. But thinks it may happen over time, slowly, and will not get as big. Atleast, that is my take on it. What do you guys think? I don't really understand his first line.

Tentacles, perhaps you can provide me with some more info about your tank and I will reply to Fenner's email.

Clownfish Gender re: Living Alone
Hi WWM Crew. I was hoping you could be of some assistance to a difference of
opinion my friends and I are encountering. We are aware that clownfish are
born gender-neutral/male and will establish the female gender based on
heirarchy, dominance, size, and things of the like. Our question is, what
happens to a clownfish that is raised alone, without another? Will it stay
gender neutral, or will it change into a female as well?
<To this last in time, with growth... though not as quickly or as small a size>
Does it vary on
different situations? There seems to be many a different opinion on the web.
Thank you for your time! It is much appreciated.
-Lindsay
<Mmm, likely does vary, though I don't know well enough to detail the principal
factors, co-factors here... e.g. size of the system, make up of the rest of the
livestock... Bob Fenner>

Incase you are unaware of his posting style, the <...> is Bob's reply.

[Tentacles]

my maroon is about 1.5 inches in a 10G aga tank with assorted corals, no other fish. i dont really even understand much of what he said, and ive been getting alot of responses on nanoreef, apparently Wilkersons 'Clownfish' is a must read, but no one has solidly answered the 'what gender do clownfish take when they are kept alone?' hope the tank info helps

[Devilishturtles]

I checked out your thread on nano-reef. Seems we are once again having the same issue. One person says yes, then you said you found someone on wwm that says no. I know of only one other person that we may be able to email, and that is Robert DiMarco. I saw his speech at MACNA, and he is a clownfish genious. I'll see what I can do, cause this is driving me crazy now.

[angelscrx]

Originally Posted by Tentacles

'what gender do clownfish take when they are kept alone?'

What ever gender they want!

[Tentacles]

any news?

[hc8719]

there neutral when born, and as they mature, (conisdering they're in a pair) one becomes a male, and one becomes a female.

if the female dies, and another small clown is introduced, its possible for the male to become female, and the new clown to become male

DT is right