CLownfish problem

[mike31154]

I have a pair of Maroon clownfish & am not that familiar with Ocellaris other than seeing them in other systems. Maroon females get quite large & from what I've seen Ocellaris is a smaller species. The larger 2.5 inch fish you just added could very well already be a female, so it is unusual for your smaller one to be the aggressor. All we can really ever do is keep an eye on them & if one gets beat up too bad, take steps to remove it. Eventually they should sort out who's who & with any luck, you'll have a bonded pair. Mating could take longer, up to a year or more, depending on where they're at with regards to maturity.

[CM125]

Originally Posted by gmann

the small one was alone for 2-3 weeks tops. If that is the case, does one turn back into a male?

The small one is established and its normal to be the aggressor, both are probably gender neutral and even though its smaller, the dominant will turn female. They go from neutral to male to female, but cant go backwards. They will remain female forever

[Timbits]

The small one is probably just protecting his territory since he was there first. Don't worry just keep an eye on them. Soon the big one will tell him she's boss and they will start pairing up.

[gmann]

thanks for all your help everyone.