My Clownfish need to figure this out!!

[sweatervest13]

Hi All,
Okay, I have had my two clowns for over three months now. One is larger then the other (when I bought them I made sure one was smaller), the big one picks on the other one. I know that this is normal and that they will (should) figure out who's in charge and either get along or need to be seperated. How long should this take? My larger one will really get at the other one and then he hides and lays low for a while. It seems like the aggression is heightened when I am cleaning my glass. Has anyone heard of that before?
I guess my big question is should I let nature take its course??
Oh, BTW the larger one has started hosting my BTA. So excited!!!
Thanks.

 

[ryandefones]

I just had clarkii's, one of course was bigger, and would beat up my little one if it ever came close to my Sabae anemone. Theres not much you can do, other than keep a close eye on your fish and make sure the little one doesnt get man handled to much, and give it time! I traded my big clarkii clown back to my LFS and want to try and get a smaller clown, instead of a bigger one,

 

[sweatervest13]

I have decided to let nature take its course. I thought about this long and hard and who am I to interveen. While feeding last night the picking on was a little rough but then after a half hour or so it calmed down. I can't tell you how many times I thought the little guy would be "all done" when I first check out the tank for the day and every day he is just fine. I am sure they will figure out who's the boss sooner or later.

 

[meowzer]

LOl...If you wanted to let nature take its course....the fish would still be in the ocean
once we bring them home into our aquariums, we have to intervene some.....turn the lights out when they show aggression....In all reality if it continues, the small one will get beat up and killed....I had 2 clowns fight like that.....they got along great at first, and then all of a sudden my little guy was being torn apart.....I took him out...and now have them in seperate tanks.....had I NOT he surely would be dead
watch closely for wounds....

 

[smartorl]

First, what type of clowns do you have?
When you say "picks on" what exactly are you seeing? Not meant to be a silly question but what you may see as aggression could be normal behavior and vise versa.
About the glass, it does make sense because the fish is stressed, remember, they are a prey animal and certain things will trigger stress. I can't tell you the number of times I was about to seperate my tomato clowns, as they were the most aggressive pair against each other I have ever owned. She was relentless in chasing him, but never actually harmed him. Had she actually made any type of contact, I would have pulled but she seemed content to chase and he seemed content to run. He spent a few weeks in hiding at the back of the tank and now they are sharing their nem and loving life.

 

[beth]

If the fighting doesn't result in the smaller fish showing visible signs of abuse, then they are ok. If he is being abused, to the point that you can see holes in him, fins torned, etc., then the larger fish will likely continue until he fishish him off.
Apparently the lady fish has not taken a liking to him.

 

[sweatervest13]

Quote:
Originally Posted by meowzer http:///forum/thread/383619/my-clownfish-need-to-figure-this-out#post_3356737
LOl...If you wanted to let nature take its course....the fish would still be in the ocean
once we bring them home into our aquariums, we have to intervene some.....turn the lights out when they show aggression....In all reality if it continues, the small one will get beat up and killed....I had 2 clowns fight like that.....they got along great at first, and then all of a sudden my little guy was being torn apart.....I took him out...and now have them in seperate tanks.....had I NOT he surely would be dead
watch closely for wounds....
Thanks for the reply.
He has some small nips at his fins but really not too much. After reading all the replies and watching them for a while last night the larger (female) clown just really chases him around and won't leave him alone sometimes. Other times they are swimming right next to each other and I think they look like they are getting along.
I am going to continue to observe their behavior and look for any signs of major aggression.

 

[sweatervest13]

Quote:
Originally Posted by smartorl http:///forum/thread/383619/my-clownfish-need-to-figure-this-out#post_3356778
First, what type of clowns do you have?
When you say "picks on" what exactly are you seeing? Not meant to be a silly question but what you may see as aggression could be normal behavior and vise versa.
About the glass, it does make sense because the fish is stressed, remember, they are a prey animal and certain things will trigger stress. I can't tell you the number of times I was about to seperate my tomato clowns, as they were the most aggressive pair against each other I have ever owned. She was relentless in chasing him, but never actually harmed him. Had she actually made any type of contact, I would have pulled but she seemed content to chase and he seemed content to run. He spent a few weeks in hiding at the back of the tank and now they are sharing their nem and loving life.
Thanks for the reply!!
I have a black Ocellaris clown and a orange Ocellaris clown. When I say picks on I mean chasing him all over the tank for some extended periods of time (half hour or so). The Black clown is the larger one and she will chase and take some little nips at the orange one ( they move fast so I can't really see her bite him but she does make contact). I have not seen any signs of holes or anything like that but his fins are a bit tattered. But then I see the orange take little nips at the black one. So who know???
But I can say that sometimes they are both just fine with each other and they will swim together in that funny way clowns swim. As I told Meowzer I will observe and if I need to step in I will.

 

[sweatervest13]

Update: Two weeks later.
Well the clowns have chilled out quite a bit lately... Now most of the time they are found swimming together and hosting the same area of the tank. The black one has been hosting my BTA (BTA's) a lot in the last few weeks. Maybe this is why she is a lot more relaxed. She will still chase the smaller orange one but not nearly as aggressive as before... This makes me very happy. I have a small system and these two represent 2/3 of my fish live stock so I want them to get along.

 

[smartorl]

That's pretty much my experiences with clowns as well. It's always kind of stressful to watch and I admit, I still have that "should I pull him out or not" moment every time.

 

[sweatervest13]

Quote:
Originally Posted by smartorl http:///forum/thread/383619/my-clownfish-need-to-figure-this-out#post_3361718
That's pretty much my experiences with clowns as well. It's always kind of stressful to watch and I admit, I still have that "should I pull him out or not" moment every time.
Stressful is right... There was a week there where when I first went to check out the tank for the day I thought she would have finished him off. Super happy that they are doing much better.