can I add another clown?

[crawfish]

I've had a tomato clown in my 58-gal reef tank for about 5 years. He's about 3.5 inches long now. The only other fish in the tank is a neon dottyback. Could I add another tomato clown? Would I have to add a larger one? I remember reading that if I added a smaller one, it would probably be killed. However, if it lived, it would change sexes, if needed, to be opposite of the dominant clown. What are the chances of ending up with a breeding pair? Thanks for the input/advice.

[davocean]

First, your he is most likely a she.
Add a clown as small as you can find, so it will most likely be male.
To be extra safe, you could put it in a specimen cont. in tank for 2-3 days until your female gets used to it.

[reefnetworth]

after 5 years?
it would probably be a constant battle over tank dominance, especially with tomato clows being one of the more agressive clowns.
you might try a larger one if you can find one that size, but they are sometimes difficult to locate, being that it is fully grown.
a smaller one might be eaten by other tank inhabitants as well.

[timrandlerv10]

eaten by a neon dottyback?



(he meant your crabs and nems and etc prolly, i was being a smarta$$...)


if you protect the new guy to keep him from getting killed the first day, and maybe do some other things--rearrange the rocks, etc, you can make her less territorial (new territory).

as long as he recognizes his position--that she's in charge--then there wont be a battle for dominance. he'll either accept his position or, well, you'll have to buy another one...

no matter what size you get, you have to be positive you dont have a female, and that gets more difficult as they get larger.

good luck,

tim

[davocean]

Adding a larger clown right now is pretty much going to be a war.
They start as male, and turn female, and yours is like 99.9% surely female.
A bigger one will be female as well, and there will definitely be dominance issues.
Getting a small clown is really the only chance to have a pair at this point.
Just put it in a container close to where your female is, and watch the new guy to see if it does the submission dance, as in twitching.

[crawfish]

Thanks for all the input. I may try to put a small one in. There are lots of places for it to hide, but I'll leave it in the bag for a while and see how it reacts to the big one. Is there any way to tell if it's a male? If it's a female, will it change sex (if it doesn't get killed)? How long would it take to change sex?

[davocean]

This is how I intro'd mine, and this is the safest way.
If your existing clown just slams at the new guy, it won't get hurt, you won't have to tear tank apart, and it will be pretty obvious that she's not going to accept it.
Expect a little badgering from your female, that's what keeps the male submissive and from turning female.
As long as she keeps him in check, he should always remain male.
If she were to die, and he wasn't being beat down, he could then turn to female.
But as long as they are a pair, he should stay male.
You can use about anything clear that is reefsafe to intro, and put it close to her.
You should see male twitch when she checks him out.
You should give it 2-3 days b4 release.

[Aaarrrggg]

Originally posted by crawfish
If it's a female, will it change sex (if it doesn't get killed)?

Unfortunatly the sex change only goes one way:
juvi -> male -> female
Once they turn female there's no going back.

I'd definitely get some sort of container/seperator for the introduction, rather than trusting the male to be smart enough to hide in the rockwork... well in my experience with percs anyway... my male would rather jump out of the water than swim for the ample cover.

Good luck!