damsel gives tail?

[doggfish]

Hey there,
Have a funny question about fish behavior. Tonight my sister bought me a marron clown, and a blue damsel (with yellow tail) for my aquarium. I had 3 black and white striped damsels already in the aquarium. as soon as i put the damsel and clown into the tank, the blach and white damsels started nipping at the blue one (i kinda expected that, but my sister didn't know).
But my question it this....They didn't seem to like the blue damsel (judging by their actions), but what they do with the clown is funny. they swim up it turn around and swish their tail at it . :thinking: does anyone know why they do this?

 

[murph145]

u know my damsils do that to some of my other bigger fish as well especially my ribbon eel anytime it rest near its territory i think its a way of trying to move them away .... not exactly sure but its kind of amuzing to watch....

 

[doggfish]

very amusing

 

[osufarker]

When a fish shakes his tail at another it is an act of aggression. Showing off and saying "I'm the boss" sort of thing.

 

[murph145]

thats funny how they do that to bigger fish .... i notice them do it anytime i put a new fish in the tank or when one of the other ones gets too close to there specific rock they have choosen

 

[jdragunas]

i've never had one of my clowfish do that, but it is really cute to watch them when i put new fish in the tank. It reminds me of finding nemo, when they're seeing who will get the closest to the "butt" lol! They like swim up and then back off and then get closer and then back off, all while keeping their eye on the intruder...

 

[jcarroll]

Interesting, I just took out 8 damsels today and traded them in to the lfs. Before I did though, I noticed them backing up to my shrimp. It was funny, then my shrimp would poke at him. I thought maybe they were playing around. Guess not!

 

[valimisu23]

I just read this thread a few days ago and low and behold I witnessed my damsel 'shaking his tail' at the my new flame hawk who had been in the tank for 2 days already.
And not only that, but my new flame hawk is missing a small hunk of his fin that's just about the size of the damsels mouth!
We have a black and gold damsel and a green chromis that are very well behaved but this 3rd one has just become a nuisance. If he wasn't so agressive, i might have thought this tail shaking thing was cute but now i'm just pissed off. he's bullying his tank mates and is probably responsible for my last flame hawk jumping out of the tank (and dying on my floor

)
so....tonight i'm pulling his a*s out of the tank and bringing him back to the lfs.

:happy: :cheer: