Advice on a pair of clarkii clowns

[nivram]

I've had this pair of Clarkii clowns for about 5 years now. They used to be a mated pair and got along great. About 2 years ago they started acting really weird with the smaller male dominating the female and keeping her in one corner of the tank. At the same time I could see his genitalia so it appeared to me he was trying to get her to breed and based on the fact that i never saw any eggs I believe it failed. Soon after this incident they stopped getting along and the smaller of the two started to grow. They are now both the same size and dont get along well but they get by. I assume they are both females now. Finally to my question - If I get rid of one can I get a smaller Clarkii clown to pair up with the remaining female and how can i tell if its a male when iIget it, if at all? The other option I was thinking about was getting a second nem (they currently host the same sebae) and then getting 2 small clarkii clowns so i might end up with 2 pair on opposite sides of a 115 gallon.

Thoughts?

 

[DaveJ]

@nivram wrote:

Pairing is always a hit and miss... but the general rule of thumb is get the smallest individual you can find to pair up with the biggest. It may be that your male sensed the female either didn't want to breed or she was 'past her prime' and that triggered the move to female for it. If they are showing signs of aggression, I would consider removing one.

As far as how to tell a male.. I don't think you can so you will need to get the smallest before it has a chance to turn into a female.