Occ. Clown Pair Behaving Differently

[bohica]

These two were purchased together among about 25 others so no pairing took place. This week I noticed the smaller one was acting differently and I finally caught it on camera. When the larger one gets near it begins to nip at the smaller one, but not aggressively, just like playfully if that can be said. Then the smaller one does this weird "shiver" type move, hard to describe it. They are the only two fish in the tank. They pretty much pal around together and this occurs almost every time they spend time apart.

 

The video is here. Does this seem normal?

[Captivating_Reef]

Very normal. I didn't watch the video cause this is being typed on a IPhone right now and it didn't work but that behavior is normal I've seen it before. The smaller clown is the male and the larger one the female and the shuddering is to show dominance. I've also read about that in some breeding literature so if you want more info look at some breeding sites like MOFIB. Just keep an eye on where their territory is because they will aggressively defend it if any other fish come near it.

[bohica]

Aha. I figured they were still juvies because they are so small. Kids these days.

Thanks for the reference -- MOFIB had a write-up that explained it quite like what I'm seeing:

3.5 – Courtship: Female will be very aggressive towards male, especially when feeding. She will grab a fin and shake him or nip at him. Usually there is no harm done, but the male may not be allowed to be seen eating. He’ll sneak a bite now and then. On any occasion the female may appear to attack the male, he will go sideways to the female and quiver his body, as though in a seisure. This is an acceptance of her dominance, and usually she will stop the attack when he does this.