Neptune Aquatics

Clownfish maturity age?

I got a pair of false ocellaris around 10 months ago. When I bought them they were about an inch (smaller one) and inch and half (bigger one). I assumed their age was about 6-7 months.
They fought for a bit initially and the smaller one did the horizontal seizure dance in which he acquiesced to the attacks by the bigger one. I thought they were done pairing.

However off lately (guesstimate: 16 months age) the attacks by the bigger one are more intense and the smaller one goes into hiding on floor, behind the powerhead and other places where he feels safe. The bigger one swims around like a boss. A strange thing I noticed is that the bigger clownfish also does the seizure dance sometimes (less often than the smaller one). I looked this up and gathered that this means that the sex change isn't complete. Again, correct my assumptions here if I am wrong.

My question here is how long does this process of protandry (gender change from male to female) last?
Can I guess the correct age of the clowns from this behavior? When do they start laying eggs after this?

Basically I am trying to understand their life cycle with approximate time periods.
 
You are correct the big one is finishing the process of becoming female usually at about 2 years. Egg laying is more dependent on the food supply once she is fully female.
 
You are correct the big one is finishing the process of becoming female usually at about 2 years. Egg laying is more dependent on the food supply once she is fully female.
How long does it take for her to transform completely? Basically what I am asking is how long will the fight continue. I am worried for the little guy.

Also, what food/diet do you recommend for them to lay eggs regularly?

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It depends on the clown it can take as little as a couple months. Just because a pair is bonded they may still never become mated. As far as egg laying we feed black worms and LRS fertility frenzy and TDO. We feed 2 to 3 times per day and have clutches every 10 days or so. Some pairs breed less often.
 
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@Kim Pattison Thanks for your reply.

Slightly off topic from the original question, I came back from work today and my smaller clownfish seems very much beat up. He cannot swim and is lying on the sandbed. I removed the bigger clownfish from the tank and planning to keep it inside a perforated acclimation box. Any other ideas to reduce aggression?
 
Not really. We have one female "the black widow" that has killed a couple males. We keep her in a tank with egg crate as she is to big to get thru the holes while the male can escape. They have been in the tank for almost 6 months and if he could not escape she will kill him. Some females need a harem to distribute the aggression.
 
Placing the bigger clownfish in an acclimation box for about 45 hours and changing some rock work seems to have reduced some aggression. This also gave the little guy some time to heal. Hoping that they won't fight unto death again.
 
Placing the bigger clownfish in an acclimation box for about 45 hours and changing some rock work seems to have reduced some aggression. This also gave the little guy some time to heal. Hoping that they won't fight unto death again.
Some closure on this post: The clowns seem to be getting along well now. Will observe for next few weeks.
 
It depends on the clown it can take as little as a couple months. Just because a pair is bonded they may still never become mated. As far as egg laying we feed black worms and LRS fertility frenzy and TKO. We feed 2 to 3 times per day and have clutches every 10 days or so. Some pairs breed less often.

TDO?
 
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