Clownfish being harassed. Suggestions?

[yossaria]

Hi all,
Three days ago added a pair of small Percula clowns to my FOWLR (38 gallon) tank. Tank has been up since December. Good chemistry parameters. The problem is aggression from the previous occupants (yellow pygmy angel, yellow tailed damsel and lawn mower blenny). The pygmy angle has been seen nipping at the smaller of the clown. Currently the clowns hang out in one of the corners of the tank near the surface and appear to be afraid to approach the LR. My lighting is insufficient to support an anemone so I can't give em a safehouse until I save up some cash. Any suggestions?
Yoss

 

[jason490]

Take out the yellow tailed damsel, you will never be able to add anything else to that tank with a damsel in it without him harassing it.

 

[jessi p]

I second that. I recently took my blue damsel out and my orange spotted goby is LIKE A DIFFERENT FISH!! It is amazing how much he was terrified by the damsel. He stayed in one corner before, but he moves about the whole tank now.

 

[yossaria]

The damsel doesn't seem to ever get near the clowns, just the angel. Are you both suggesting that the damsel is making the angel aggressive?

 

[jason490]

yes, get rid of the damsel and watch the true personalities of your fish come out.

 

[baloo6969]

Try moving your rockwork around a bit, especialy where the damsel hangs out the most...it sometimes works...but the easist thing is give that damsel the royal flush.

 

[tonykla]

I have a similar story too. I have 2 Gold Stripe Maroon Clownfish, 2 Three Stripe Damsel, and 2 Engineer Goby. The Goby will hang out with the Maroon and will stay in one corner. The Damsel take over all the rocks area and they seem a bit aggressive, especially when it's feeding time. Should I get rid of the damsel then? They are not as pretty compared to the Gold Stripe Maroon Clownfish.

 

[treblehook]

bag the damsel

 

[reefer545]

guaranteed the damsel is the perpetrator. You will have quite a time getting rid of him. they recognize the net. Get a trap . GL

 

[nemette]

I too agree with everyone!!! When I first started my tank everyone told me to get a blue damsel. Said they were hardy and a good sacrafic fish. I got him and he was cool... Untill I wanted another fish... He KILLED my other damsel... I didnt think it was him, thought I did something wrong.. Later got 2 percula clowns he was bitting the fins off one... It died... Before he could kill the other I took him back to the LFS, got another clown and they have been much happier since his departure!!! :happyfish :cheer:
My opinion.... Damsels are MEAN!!!

 

[rbaldino]

Unlike all the damsel haters here, I think the problem is the angel, which you seem to already recognize. Yellow-tails aren't among the more aggressive damsels, so I doubt he's the problem. You could try taking out all the fish, rearranging the rocks, and adding the fish back in in a different order. I'd start with the blenny, then the clowns, then the damsel, then the angel. Clowns can be kind of weird, and generally like to stake out a particular spot. My false perc "hosted" my heater for years. None of those fish are real killers, so give it some time and everything will probably work itself out.

 

[nemette]

Not a damsel hater!!! I love the looks and beauty of them.. Would have a ton if their personality was diffrent. I just have a NON aggressive tank... In my experience.. I never had luck with them.. All the ones I had were very mean and Aggressive.. like I said just my opinion! Yes angels can be kinda moody too.. I have a coral beauty and hes not fond of new comers but has never bitten any.. tail slapped a few for a few days but once was aware that everyone knew he was boss left them alone...
Good luck with finding the bully!!!

 

[rbaldino]

Originally Posted by nemette
Not a damsel hater!!! I love the looks and beauty of them.. Would have a ton if their personality was diffrent. I just have a NON aggressive tank... In my experience.. I never had luck with them.. All the ones I had were very mean and Aggressive.. like I said just my opinion! Yes angels can be kinda moody too.. I have a coral beauty and hes not fond of new comers but has never bitten any.. tail slapped a few for a few days but once was aware that everyone knew he was boss left them alone...
Good luck with finding the bully!!!
Just seems like hate to me when everyone is blaming the damsel even though the original poster made it quite clear that the angel is the one doing the nipping and the damsel never goes near the clowns. And if the damsel is making the angel beat the clowns up, that's probably the world's first reported case of one fish compelling another into beating up a third. In other words, I really doubt it.

 

[nemette]

My damsel never went near the clown either when I was near the tank. BUT he was the only other fish in there.. 2 and 2 together.. he was the killer! Just saying my PERSONAL experience I never had luck with their aggressivness! Yes I agree the angels can too be some what mean... thats why every post I write I say my opinion. This topic says suggestions... thats what we all were clearly doing... as were you! Now... back to the topic... you can try the moving of the rocks... I guess try and catch the bugger doing the crime!!! Good luck with it!!! :happyfish

 

[jason490]

do yourself a favor if you wanna keep all your fish healthy, get rid of the damsel, that is all that needs to be said. TRUST me on this one.

 

[rbaldino]

Originally Posted by jason490
do yourself a favor if you wanna keep all your fish healthy, get rid of the damsel, that is all that needs to be said. TRUST me on this one.
Everyone keeps missing the point. The poster isn't asking for opinions on which fish is doing the damage - he already knows it's the angel. If he takes your advice and gets rid of the damsel, he isn't solving his problem because the real culprit in this case - the angel - will still be in there. Among humans we call this racial profiling. You all assume that because a damsel is in the tank, he's the guilty party, despite evidence to the contrary. You're letting your biases influence your opinions.

 

[bach]

Short of removing everything you will have a heck of a time catching the damsel anyway. I think most of us started with blue damsels...a friend kept one for a year cause he could not catch it (never did..power outage pretty much wiped out his tank this winter). Anemone is not a sure fix, my three clowns don't go near my carpet anemone...disapointing. Removal and re-introduction may be the best idea but again you will have to remove rock most likely. (IMHO)

 

[rbaldino]

Originally Posted by Yossaria
Hi all,
Three days ago added a pair of small Percula clowns to my FOWLR (38 gallon) tank. Tank has been up since December. Good chemistry parameters. The problem is aggression from the previous occupants (yellow pygmy angel, yellow tailed damsel and lawn mower blenny). The pygmy angle has been seen nipping at the smaller of the clown. Currently the clowns hang out in one of the corners of the tank near the surface and appear to be afraid to approach the LR. My lighting is insufficient to support an anemone so I can't give em a safehouse until I save up some cash. Any suggestions?
Yoss
BTW - If you get an anemone expecting that the clownfish will be able to hide from a damsel in there, it probably won't work. Damsels and clowns are very closely related, and just like clowns, damsels are immune to anemone stings.

 

[jason490]

Man just don't type anything else on this, your information is incorrect, it is DEFINITELY the damsel. Look online, anything that is short of 150 gallons the damsel will call his territory, they are the most territorial fish in the sea. Yes he is causing the aggression in the other fish as well, monkey see-monkey do.
Why should the clowns have to hide out in an anemone for a stupid damsel? Flush the little SOB. NOW!

 

[rbaldino]

Originally Posted by jason490
Man just don't type anything else on this, your information is incorrect, it is DEFINITELY the damsel. Look online, anything that is short of 150 gallons the damsel will call his territory, they are the most territorial fish in the sea. Yes he is causing the aggression in the other fish as well, monkey see-monkey do.
Why should the clowns have to hide out in an anemone for a stupid damsel? Flush the little SOB. NOW!
Instead of citing anecdotal information from other websites, you should pay attention to what's going on in this situation and consider the evidence that's been presented to you in this case. The angel, not the damsel, has been seen nipping at the clowns. What more evidence do you need?
Also, I've successfully kept a variety of damsels with a variety of other fish in 20, 29, 30 and 50 gallon tanks for over a decade. Unlike you, I'm basing my opinion on years of personal experience, not things I'm reading on other sites. Yes, they are known for being territorial, but they're also fully capable of getting along with other fish just fine. And in the case of the thread starter, he has a yellow-tail damsel, which is known for being one of the less-aggressive damsel species. And please, please explain to me how a damsel is teaching and causing an angel to act aggressively towards another fish when the damsel in question has not been seen to direct any aggression towards the clownfish? Is he whipsering in the angel's little fishy ear? Did he draw up a diagram showing the angel how to attack the clowns? Monkey see what? The damsel not doing anything? Please...
And anyone who thinks it's appropriate to flush a fish just because you don't want it doesn't belong on this board.