Grumpy Female

[Aaarrrggg]

How long does it normally take for clownfish to pair?

I ask because my female B&W occ is mean. The guys at the LFS said she was special because she doesn’t have an orange nose… but after seeing a few posts on here it sounds like B&Ws just go that way when they’re older, which could explain why she’s not used to sharing.

She was fine with her first juvi friend until I added a RBTA… then she started chasing him whenever he came close. He vanished one day so she either stressed him to death or into carpet surfing.

I left her alone for a month or two and tried again. After the initial chasing things seemed to settle down… she tolerates him but still won’t let him too come close to her or the RBTA. She gets particularly nippy when I approach the tank and she thinks its dinner time. The poor boy even has to sleep at the opposite end of the tank on the gravel. There seems to be a golden time in the morning when he sneaks over for some cuddles while she’s still a bit groggy but once she wakes up its back to business as usual.

I'm not sure how old the female is, but I've had her for over a year now and the most recent male ~4mths. On the plus side I'm sure he is a male as he's never shown any aggression back and has barely grown.

Is this normal? I know every clownfish is different, but has anyone had a similar experience?

[nano mania]

My first thought is that the "male" you added may not have been a male. The male needs to be really small to almost garantee the gender. In a group the most dominant will turn female. Once this transformation begins it is believed it can't be reversed. You didn't mention is the male was a B&W but I assume he is so species differences shouldn't be a problem.

Also what other fish are in this tank? There may be a clue there.