GSM Clowns....help should they stay or go?

fst4wrd

Member
Picked up 2 GSM's last week, my concern was how they were going to get along with each other, well they get along great with each other. Its my Niger and Bluejaw that will not stop picking on them, both GSM's will not stick up for them selves and they are the same size as my niger.
At first I was going to keep the GSM's and take the niger to the LFS but today when I seen the BlueJaw picking on them too, I dont know if I should see if they can stick it out and maybe they will all get along or should I not take the risk and take the GSM's back before they get any worse.
Set up: 180 Gal
Fish : Dogface puffer
Foxface
Niger Trigger
Blue jaw trigger
2 GSM Clowns (4days old in the tank)
We love the clowns but do not want them to get messed with all the time, having a hard time figuring out what fish to go with the 4 we started with. 180 gal for 4 fish is not what the plan was when we started 4 months ago.
 

tthemadd1

Active Member
You cloud try rearranging some rock work. There is a possibility of this "resetting" the hierarchy. Unfortunately these are aggressive fish and all are territorial to a degree. How long are the triggers? 180 seems big enough for them to all get along but all fish are primitive and you never know how they will work out.
 

fst4wrd

Member
Thank you for the response, did some rearranging. Little issue is the niger and blue jaw have there spots in areas that can not be rearranged..go figure. I did how ever get the gsm's some protection which they cought on fast, my triggers are terrified of this fake jellyfish that my wife wanted, so I put that back in to the area the clowns hang out. Niger is 3in and blue jaw is 4in.
I have heard once more fish go in, it will pretty much be a football field and the singled out fish have a better chance.
 

rlablan

Active Member
I have had better luck putting in multiples but it honestly has never been the same issue twice.
Fake jellyfish.. hahaha that's funny.
I am not sure if you can rearrange the trigger's spots but if you can, you should. The fact that they have "spots" is part of the issue. They are getting territorial.
If you rearrange the rock work completely, they will no longer have designated spots. They will, however, find new ones. The distraction of the moving rocks and having to look for a new hiding place will take their minds off the new fish.
By the time they get situated, they will, hopefully, have realized that the clowns are no threat to them.
Also, during times of stress and fighting, I like to feed a little more frequently. I find that with my fish, they tend to be more attitudey with they are hungry. If I put food in the tank a little more often, there is less fighting for food and the fish realize at that point that they will all find a space and they will all have food.
 
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