letsgettropical Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Hey guys, A few months ago I started up a 12 gal reef tank and hadn't hit any problems up until now. My tank was moving along nicely with a Bengii Cardinal and a small clown fish (both added 2 weeks ago) as my only two fish, along with a CUC. I wasn't planning on adding another fish yet, but a few days ago I was "gifted" a fish that is another clown fish. The first clown was doing great in the tank with just the cardinal, but now seems to be getting bullied by the new, bigger clown. The small clown seems to want to be friendly and has been swimming with the new clown since it's introduction, but the newer mis barred clown seems to want nothing to do with the other and keeps nipping at the smaller clown. He's even managed to tear a small chunk out of his caudal fin (not seen in the pics). So based on the description and the gif below of the two fish, can I keep these together or do I need to separate them before things get worse? Thanks for the help Link to comment
ndrobey Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 In a tank that size, you would need a mated pair of clownfish. Those two are unlikely to pair up. So the answer is no. Link to comment
1.0reef Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 In a tank that size, you would need a mated pair of clownfish. Those two are unlikely to pair up. So the answer is no. Huh? If one is bigger, it'll (hopefully) assert it's dominance, and then pair up with the other clown. Your pair will work, aggression while pairing up is common. Link to comment
pokerdobe Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 My female still bites my male... especially if she isn't fed when I'm away. Last time I came back, she had taken a nice little chunk out of his pelvic fin. The little guy just comes right back to her... I would have divorced her ass a long time ago. Link to comment
lkoechle Posted May 5, 2015 Share Posted May 5, 2015 Hmmm, as long as he isn't too torn up, I wouldn't worry about it right now. My last pair it wasn't uncommon for the male to a have a nipped fin every now and then. And they didn't really fight at all when they were first together. Link to comment
letsgettropical Posted May 5, 2015 Author Share Posted May 5, 2015 Thanks for the good info guys, it does seem like the aggression is subsiding and I've seen the little guy making the submissive "c" shape that I've read about online. I'm going to keep them together. Now if only they would venture out of the top corners of the tank.... Link to comment
letsgettropical Posted May 13, 2015 Author Share Posted May 13, 2015 So after about a week and a half together, I'm now considering trying to return the newer, larger clownfish to my LFS (if they let me). Like I said, the fish was given to me and wasn't exactly what I would have chosen. With a tank of this size and a Banggai cardinal in there with them, that's probably the last fish I can have in there, and I'd rather have a different one that I choose after careful consideration. As I said above, the nipping has become less of an issue and it seems the two have established their roles pretty well, so my question is if separating them now will be fine for the smaller clownfish that I keep in the tank. I'm hoping he starts to act like he did before, swimming all around the tank instead of following around the larger clown that only keeps to the top corners of the tank. What do you think? Link to comment
Schnecke Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 Agro clowns are a PAIN. My clown was such a bully - to other fish and to me - that I rehomed her to my brother (700L is barely enough to keep her agro side dull - she has a load of nems to choose from and she's still a little horror.) It's hard enough to choose 2-3 fish that you REALLY want - let alone keep a fish that you don't really like. I'd be moving her along. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.