Clown Trouble

[ForumPete58]

I recently bought a Yellow Stripe Maroon Clown from my LFS. I have quite a few fish from this store in the past with a lot of success. A couple days ago I noticed what looks like a small injury just behind one of his eyes. It appears as though he was struck by another fish. The clown is currently in a 55 by himself, but I was planning on introducing another yellow striped maroon later this week. Also he is not eating very well. He sees me putting the food into the tank and will maybe nibble at a small bit, but I never seem him really eat. I just want to make sure he is in good health before I introduce anything he may feel he has to compete with.
Thanks,
Matt

[loungecloud]

I wouldn't put in another maroon clown because they're renowned for being very aggressive towards each other. A male and female would probably be ok, but they can be quite difficult to sex until they're adults...

[mogurnda]

Just sit back and watch for now. Adding another clown when this one os stressed is asking for trouble. If all goes well, I'd wait a few months, let the one you have develop into a female, then add a juvenile as her mate.

[ForumPete58]

What sort of fish can I have with this maroon? If I wait until this one has grown and then introduce a small one won't the older one pick on the younger?
Thanks,
Matt

[mogurnda]

What sort of fish can I have with this maroon? If I wait until this one has grown and then introduce a small one won't the older one pick on the younger?
The big one will pick on the small one until they get dominance sorted out. Then the small one will become a male and they will be inseparable companions. That's the way it works: they start out as sexless juveniles, a dominant fish becomes female, and the second in line becomes male. If you look at spawning pairs, notice that the male is always a lot smaller than the female.

In my opinion, it is a whole lot riskier to introduce a second clown into a tank with a fish that may be sick.

[ForumPete58]

What kind of fish can I mix with my maroon clown? What is the best way to help him heal his wound on his cheek?
Thanks,
Matt

[Cearbhaill]

The best way to promote healing is to keep the water as clean as possible (zero nitrates) and feed a wide variety of fresh and frozen food soaked in a vitamin preparation like Selcon.
And no stress- as in adding tankmates.