Question about replacing Clownfish

I have a 120 gallon reef tank which had 2 Clownfish, Royal Gramma,
Yellow Tang, and a Sailfin Tang. It also has some blue mushrooms.
Unfortunately about a week ago I lost one of the Clownfish. One was
very small, one big. The one I lost was the small dark colored
clownfish which I believe is male. Is that correct?
My question, how can I safely replace this clownfish? These are false
Percula. Will there were any problems with aggressiveness and as
well do I have to worry about getting a female or male when I replace
or will it choose the sex later? This has been a stable tank for
around 4 years with lots of live rock and no anemone at this time.

Color does not denote sex.

The fact that it was small, makes it a male.

Just add another small one and it will be a male to go
with the female that is still in there.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



MarkW wrote on 10/20/2006 12:51 PM:
I have a 120 gallon reef tank which had 2 Clownfish, Royal Gramma,
Yellow Tang, and a Sailfin Tang. It also has some blue mushrooms.
Unfortunately about a week ago I lost one of the Clownfish. One was
very small, one big. The one I lost was the small dark colored
clownfish which I believe is male. Is that correct?
My question, how can I safely replace this clownfish? These are false
Percula. Will there were any problems with aggressiveness and as
well do I have to worry about getting a female or male when I replace
or will it choose the sex later? This has been a stable tank for
around 4 years with lots of live rock and no anemone at this time.

Add a lion fish to get rid of that female clown !!!
I believe after that the Lion fish will turn male.
Grrrrrrrr

Clownfish Change Size and Sex to Move Up the Ranks
What the movie "Finding Nemo" doesn't tell you about clownfish is that
they're all transsexuals. In a study published in the journal Nature,
evolutionary biologist Peter Buston and colleagues report that clownfish in
Papua New Guinea reefs can change their sex at will for social reasons.
Clownfish live in strict hierarchical communities. Each neighborhood is
dominated by a top-ranking female breeder. Her male partner is next,
followed by up to four progressively smaller, non-breeding fish. When the
dominant female dies, her mate changes sex and becomes female. The
top-ranking non-breeder becomes a sexually active male, and all the other
fish shift up a rank. Clownfish also appear to regulate their size in order
to remain part of the group. Each fish keeps its body mass 20 percent
smaller than the fish directly above it in social rank, probably to avoid
conflict. Fish who disrespectfully outgrow their rank are rejected by the
clan.



"Wayne Sallee" wrote in message
hlink.net...
Color does not denote sex.

The fact that it was small, makes it a male.

Just add another small one and it will be a male to go with the female
that is still in there.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



MarkW wrote on 10/20/2006 12:51 PM:
I have a 120 gallon reef tank which had 2 Clownfish, Royal Gramma,
Yellow Tang, and a Sailfin Tang. It also has some blue mushrooms.
Unfortunately about a week ago I lost one of the Clownfish. One was
very small, one big. The one I lost was the small dark colored
clownfish which I believe is male. Is that correct?
My question, how can I safely replace this clownfish? These are false
Percula. Will there were any problems with aggressiveness and as
well do I have to worry about getting a female or male when I replace
or will it choose the sex later? This has been a stable tank for
around 4 years with lots of live rock and no anemone at this time.

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/innews/clownfish2003.html

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



TheRock wrote on 10/20/2006 4:55 PM:
Add a lion fish to get rid of that female clown !!!
I believe after that the Lion fish will turn male.
Grrrrrrrr

Clownfish Change Size and Sex to Move Up the Ranks
What the movie "Finding Nemo" doesn't tell you about clownfish is that
they're all transsexuals. In a study published in the journal Nature,
evolutionary biologist Peter Buston and colleagues report that clownfish in
Papua New Guinea reefs can change their sex at will for social reasons.
Clownfish live in strict hierarchical communities. Each neighborhood is
dominated by a top-ranking female breeder. Her male partner is next,
followed by up to four progressively smaller, non-breeding fish. When the
dominant female dies, her mate changes sex and becomes female. The
top-ranking non-breeder becomes a sexually active male, and all the other
fish shift up a rank. Clownfish also appear to regulate their size in order
to remain part of the group. Each fish keeps its body mass 20 percent
smaller than the fish directly above it in social rank, probably to avoid
conflict. Fish who disrespectfully outgrow their rank are rejected by the
clan.



"Wayne Sallee" wrote in message
hlink.net...
Color does not denote sex.

The fact that it was small, makes it a male.

Just add another small one and it will be a male to go with the female
that is still in there.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets



MarkW wrote on 10/20/2006 12:51 PM:
I have a 120 gallon reef tank which had 2 Clownfish, Royal Gramma,
Yellow Tang, and a Sailfin Tang. It also has some blue mushrooms.
Unfortunately about a week ago I lost one of the Clownfish. One was
very small, one big. The one I lost was the small dark colored
clownfish which I believe is male. Is that correct?
My question, how can I safely replace this clownfish? These are false
Percula. Will there were any problems with aggressiveness and as
well do I have to worry about getting a female or male when I replace
or will it choose the sex later? This has been a stable tank for
around 4 years with lots of live rock and no anemone at this time.

Add a small clownfish as Wayne said. But might I suggest having a
clear hang on the side fish breeder nearby to judge reactions and buy
you a little more time... BTW are you quarantining?

On Oct 20, 5:33 pm, Wayne Sallee wrote:
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/innews/clownfish2003.html

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets


TheRock wrote on 10/20/2006 4:55 PM:



Add a lion fish to get rid of that female clown !!!
I believe after that the Lion fish will turn male.
Grrrrrrrr

Clownfish Change Size and Sex to Move Up the Ranks
What the movie "Finding Nemo" doesn't tell you about clownfish is that
they're all transsexuals. In a study published in the journal Nature,
evolutionary biologist Peter Buston and colleagues report that clownfish in
Papua New Guinea reefs can change their sex at will for social reasons.
Clownfish live in strict hierarchical communities. Each neighborhood is
dominated by a top-ranking female breeder. Her male partner is next,
followed by up to four progressively smaller, non-breeding fish. When the
dominant female dies, her mate changes sex and becomes female. The
top-ranking non-breeder becomes a sexually active male, and all the other
fish shift up a rank. Clownfish also appear to regulate their size in order
to remain part of the group. Each fish keeps its body mass 20 percent
smaller than the fish directly above it in social rank, probably to avoid
conflict. Fish who disrespectfully outgrow their rank are rejected by the
clan.

"Wayne Sallee" wrote in message
thlink.net...
Color does not denote sex.

The fact that it was small, makes it a male.

Just add another small one and it will be a male to go with the female
that is still in there.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne's Pets


MarkW wrote on 10/20/2006 12:51 PM:
I have a 120 gallon reef tank which had 2 Clownfish, Royal Gramma,
Yellow Tang, and a Sailfin Tang. It also has some blue mushrooms.
Unfortunately about a week ago I lost one of the Clownfish. One was
very small, one big. The one I lost was the small dark colored
clownfish which I believe is male. Is that correct?
My question, how can I safely replace this clownfish? These are false
Percula. Will there were any problems with aggressiveness and as
well do I have to worry about getting a female or male when I replace
or will it choose the sex later? This has been a stable tank for
around 4 years with lots of live rock and no anemone at this time.- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text -