are my clownfish getting ready to mate?

ive seen my male clown pecking at a rock close to my frogspawn and hovering by my flowerpot too...

they have black spots on them because they are trying to host a coral.

does this mean they are trying to get confortable for the egg laying?

 

Are they blowing on the rock?
Does the larger clown look bloated?
How long have they been doing this?
I s the male pecking at the female?
Sorry, for all I know they are, jus trying to get more info...
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From my experience if they are a mated pair of clowns they will regularly spawn. Mine do i'd say monthly, it took me awhile to know if mine were laying eggs but after some searching i found the spot they picked and they seem to use it every time. it's usually a smooth flat rock close to their home. Mine host an anemone but before i had one they called my xenia colony home. Clowns that are captive bread or tank raised often will host a coral because they are clueless and if they have no choice.

 

stick your hand in the tank near where they are hosting.. If they attack the crap out of you, then yes they are about to or have layed eggs.. It happens with mine all the time..

 

ill try that.. ill wear gloves... just in case.................:

 

the male clown seems to be doing that..

whats bloated? ( sorry not good with words)

the male shakes a lot when he is right next to the female.

they are not a mated pair.. i bought the female and and 2 months later i bought the male. they have been like 3 months together.

 

that should be ok, they will become a mated pair as long as one is relativley smaller than the other. Clowns are hemaphrodites and will change sex depending on who's larger. The larger one become the female. If i took my female and put it with a male from another tank that was larger, they would switch roles. the shaking when the male gets close to the female is like his little let's get it on dance... i observe mine doing the very same thing.

 

I've had clowns with no mates do that to me. Not exactly a good indicator of spawing, just indicates that you've got a mean fish

 

really? i thought once a clown became a female it couldnt change back?

 

What's bloated? Aaahhh... Public school is great these days huh? Bloated: Abnormal swelling of the abdominal area.