Clownfish Pairing

Clownfish are one of the most common saltwater aquarium fish. clownfish pair together and form schooling. Clownfish reproduce sexually. Only one of the strongest males in the group can reproduce with the female and it happens through external fertilization. This is when the female lays the eggs in the nest and the male swims over the eggs and fertilizes them.

Clownfish Pairing Behavior

• All clownfish are born male according to National Geographic.
• They have the ability to turn themselves female, but once the change is made, they can't go back to being male.
• When a female dies, the dominant male will transform into a female, and a new pair will form.
• Bonded pairs usually host the same area.
• They sleep in the same place and protect the territory together.

If you want clownfish pair

• Paring will naturally occur in the tank.
• Always buy a pair of clown fish they already paired once.
• Or buy two clownfish. They are babies, so they grow up together and from schooling.
• Before you brought clownfish always do some research.
• Always know the best ways to ensure that clownfish would pair.

If you want to increase your chances of success in clownfish pairing you can use these techniques.

Add two juveniles at once

It is the easiest and best way to pair up clownfish. It works most of the time. Put 2 small juveniles at the same time and introduce them to an empty tank.

We choose two different clownfish, one small and one large.

We choose juveniles because neither of them is transformed into a female yet, They are all males. If you introduce a second in a separate tank, the fish will try to establish a dominant-submissive relationship. After a short period of fighting and getting to know each other, the clownfish will take their roles. Usually, the bigger one will be the dominant fish and later on transform into a female, and the smaller one will become the male. They will bond and become a bonded pair.

Introducing a new clownfish to a tank where another clownfish already lives.

This technique also works, but it's trickier than the first one. You need to be careful because adding a new clownfish may result in unwanted consequences.

The trick here is always to add a smaller clownfish than the existing one. Otherwise, you'll run into some problems.

There is a big chance the clownfish you have is already a female if it's been in the tank for over a year. By adding clownfish of the same size, you are risking introducing another female to the system.

Types of clownfish

• Maroon
• Tomato
• Percula
• Ocellaris

These are ordered from the largest and most aggressive (maroon) to the smallest and most peaceful (Ocellaris). Check out the most aggressive and peaceful fish.

Paternal care

As is common for fish species, parental care of clownfish offspring is carried out by males.

Once a female lays her eggs, the male guards and cares for them throughout the incubation period. males help the eggs develop by fanning them with fins to increase water circulation and therefore oxygen supply.

Males also eat eggs that are infertile or damaged by fungus. This period of paternal care ends once the clownfish eggs hatch, after which the juveniles must fend for themselves.