Surely this can't be happening already?!

[Patrick Bateman]

I just bought two tank raised oscillaris clowns. They came from a tank with about 20 other oscillaris clowns that were all a little bit lighter in color than the two I chose. I'd been eying them for about a month and can't believe they were still there. One of them is about 2 inches long and the other is probably 1.5 inches. I didn't think they were sexually mature because they're still pretty small, but from the moment I put them in the quarantine tank, they started meticulously cleaning one of the PVC pipes that I put in there for them and then started doing that rapid shaking thing that clownfish do when they lay and fertilize eggs. I didn't see any eggs, so I wonder if these are just horny fish trying to get it on early haha. Anyone else ever experienced anything like this?

At the very least, I'm really excited that I wound up with such a good pair that it seems will have a good chance of mating and spawning in the future.

Any info, as always, is appreciated.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Anybody ever experience this behavior before? Could they just be a good pair, and expressing their fondness for one another?

 

[Ziggy953]

I would say they are just doing what clownfish do. There is a very good chance they are siblings and came from the same clutch or at the very least the same breeding pair.

I have a true mated pair of clowns and the behavior you are seeing is natural and a sign of pairing. Clowns aren't sexually mature until they are at least 2. From what you are describing though you could be well on your way to having a mated pair.

 

[goisles1]

wow.. I noticed mine doing that the last couple of nights.. They are also quite young and came from the same tank in the LFS. So, I assume they are brothers/sisters. Not sure if that matters...

Anyway.. The smaller one (they are both pretty small) was doing that same thing the last few nights.. It's body vibrates and the dust and stuff moves off the rock... I noticed this each night when I turn off the 10kbulbs and just have on the Atinic bulbs going. Seems like Dusk triggers this in my tank.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

If they are siblings, does that raise problems with them breeding in the future? I don't need any three-eyed clownflish swimming around.

 

[Ziggy953]

In-breeding is how we get picasso, no-bar, mis-bar and a ton of other odd looking clowns. Before you get too hot and heavy into wanting to raise clowns, go to amazon.com and search for Joyce D. Wilkerson and buy her book, Clownfishes. That will give you all the information you will ever want about breeding and raising clowns.

There is a lot to it.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Although I haven't read that particular book yet (but will be ordering it), I've done a fair amount of reading with regard to breeding clowns and raising the fry, etc.

I'll be a little disappointed if my pair turns out to be siblings, as I much prefer the aesthetic of traditional looking clowns. Does the fish being related guarantee mutations in color?

 

[roka64]

I think it takes a few generations until you would see imperfections.

 

[Patrick Bateman]

Well, that's good news