dschwartz
Member
Short version - given 10g with one OC clown on 1/30/09. bring home and migrate to 29g. purchase another clown fish on 2/16/09 as companion, etc. original fish was about 1.5" and new fish was 1".
Going on 6 weeks now and big fish still will not stop bullying the smaller fish. It was tolerable up until this past weekend, when the big fish chased the smaller one into the cave and up into the tunnel (above the cave) and would not let him come out. He was up there for 1-2 days before finally sneaking out to be chased around the tank - his coloring was pale and yellowish and he looked freaked! The big fish chased him back into the cave and he was stuck there for another day.
I finally got a chance to feed him late last night (first food in 2-3 days) and his coloring is improved, but the chasing is relentless. I understand the clowns have a process to figure out dominant female, etc. but it has been awhile? The previous owner of the larger clown said it had an attitude problem and she did lose her other clown sometime before giving us this one.
I'm thinking of taking the larger clown to the LFS to see if they want in trade for another, smaller one - comparable size to the small one I already have to try and get a pair more suited to each other.
My wife and kids are really crushed over this little fish being abused so badly and this weekend seemed to be the final straw. What would you do, take the larger fish back to the store (the one with the attitude) or just keep it and rough it out, hoping the little one is not killed?
David.
Going on 6 weeks now and big fish still will not stop bullying the smaller fish. It was tolerable up until this past weekend, when the big fish chased the smaller one into the cave and up into the tunnel (above the cave) and would not let him come out. He was up there for 1-2 days before finally sneaking out to be chased around the tank - his coloring was pale and yellowish and he looked freaked! The big fish chased him back into the cave and he was stuck there for another day.
I finally got a chance to feed him late last night (first food in 2-3 days) and his coloring is improved, but the chasing is relentless. I understand the clowns have a process to figure out dominant female, etc. but it has been awhile? The previous owner of the larger clown said it had an attitude problem and she did lose her other clown sometime before giving us this one.
I'm thinking of taking the larger clown to the LFS to see if they want in trade for another, smaller one - comparable size to the small one I already have to try and get a pair more suited to each other.
My wife and kids are really crushed over this little fish being abused so badly and this weekend seemed to be the final straw. What would you do, take the larger fish back to the store (the one with the attitude) or just keep it and rough it out, hoping the little one is not killed?
David.
