Clown pair or better riding solo?

[Sphyrna_gal]

UGH, I don't want to talk too much about it because it's still fresh and I am so heartbroken over waking up to one of my DaVinci (ocellaris) clowns dead this morning- I had grown quite attached to this little quirky fish and the clown pair they were together- got them at the same time and they were my first fish in our tank..

My question is- are clowns happier/more active in a pair or would my remaining one be perfectly fine alone? I know the introduction with a new one is a whole thing and since my LFS has crap selection I would have to order one (another DaVinci or one I like) online which means I wouldn't know exact sizing or coloration.. which I would only want to risk if it would be a mood booster for my other one.

Obviously, it will be a bit but just wondering what other clown keepers think. I have kept a solo Maroon and Saddleback in past tanks (not together, separate systems) and they seemed fine enough alone and still swam around no worries but they were also more sassy than these ocellaris.

 

[exnisstech]

It will be fine alone. You won't get the spawning behavior which is cool but can actually cause problems in smaller tanks due to them claiming territory. We're yours actually a pair or just two clowns? Reason I ask is because I have had much better success pairing clowns by adding a single and waiting untill I'm positive the single has transitioned to female and then I add a male.
People see cute little fish and think they form emotional bonds but I really don't believe that. I have a single ckarkii female that is perfectly content alone in her nem. I also have had a couple of males die and the females fine afterward.

 

[Sphyrna_gal]

It will be fine alone. You won't get the spawning behavior which is cool but can actually cause problems in smaller tanks due to them claiming territory. We're yours actually a pair or just two clowns? Reason I ask is because I have had much better success pairing clowns by adding a single and waiting untill I'm positive the single has transitioned to female and then I add a male.
People see cute little fish and think they form emotional bonds but I really don't believe that. I have a single ckarkii female that is perfectly content alone in her nem. I also have had a couple of males die and the females fine afterward.

They weren't officially paired, they were both pretty small, a little over an 1" to 1.5" when we first got them. The one that is left I was thinking was going to be the female because it became more dominate and was growing more quickly despite it being the runt of the original LFS tank.

At this point I feel like I would want a smaller one if I did get one? The one left is 2" now. Wasn't sure if it was a thing that if I wait 'too long' the one I have would be more aggressive towards a new one if I decided I wanted a pair. Would def get another ocellaris type if I did get a second, haven't read good things about mixing clown species?

 

[Uncle99]

Clowns do just fine on their own.
But if you decide to add another, I would recommend it be no bigger than 3/4” to ensure that it is in fact, a male. To me that’s critical.

Sorry for your loss.

 

[exnisstech]

I don't think you can wait to long but that's based on my limited experience of a few pairing of a few species. I had a maroon for a 2-3 years before adding a small male and she accepted him almost immediately. Of course there is never a guarantee.