Jump to content
SaltCritters.com

Clownfish fighting, normal or too much?


Mauricio Lacerda

Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, specore said:

I think they'll be fine.  60l is a little tight, but they are most likely just trying to establish dominance and usually this doesn't result in one or the other getting bullied to death. 

Thank you!  

I think the smaller one started shaking (submissions)  and it seems that the bigger one is less chasing the smaller one compared to several hours ago. 

 

Hopefully, they will settle down soon.

 

Thank you!    

Link to comment
2 hours ago, A Little Blue said:

It’s normal. 

Thank you!!!

 

I am glad to know it is normal because I have been a bit worried that the small one might be injured or killed.  The smaller one has started shaking (submissions) and it seems that the bigger one is less aggressive toward the smaller one compared to several hours ago.   Hopefully, they will pair up soon. 

 

Thank you!! 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • 1 month later...

I'm having the same problem and I'm stressed. 

I have one pair and they are 3.5 years old now. They were same size but it happened that one has grown much bigger than the other. 

I just moved them to a new tank and the big one kept chasing and bullying the small one. Anything I can do about it? 

IMG_9119.JPG

Link to comment
1 hour ago, Anna2018 said:

I'm having the same problem and I'm stressed. 

I have one pair and they are 3.5 years old now. They were same size but it happened that one has grown much bigger than the other. 

I just moved them to a new tank and the big one kept chasing and bullying the small one. Anything I can do about it? 

IMG_9119.JPG

They’re fighting to get out of the freshwater. 

  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
2 hours ago, Anna2018 said:

I'm having the same problem and I'm stressed. 

I have one pair and they are 3.5 years old now. They were same size but it happened that one has grown much bigger than the other. 

I just moved them to a new tank and the big one kept chasing and bullying the small one. Anything I can do about it? 

IMG_9119.JPG

One will always grow larger than the other.  The larger is the dominant female and when you switch tanks she is going to re assert her dominance.  Nothing to worry about

46 minutes ago, 1891Bro said:

They’re fighting to get out of the freshwater. 

Lol...it does look like that is a possibility

Link to comment

My clowns NEVER did any fighting. As soon as they went in the tank they went to each other and have been inseparable ever since. The male simply follows the larger female EVERYWHERE! It is kind of endearing, haha

Link to comment
  • 3 weeks later...

Now,  mine seems OK, although she sometimes still bully and now as he is submissive to her.  

 

By the way, how big is the tank?   It looks a bit small for a three years old pair.  Mine is 60l nano tank and mine are still tiny. The female is about 5cm and male about 3.5cm.  But I am thinking to upgrade the tank mines are getting bigger.  

Link to comment
  • 2 weeks later...

this is completely normal. however, if they are actually hurting each other, you might need to step in. this behaviour should only last a couple weeks, and then they will be great buds.

Link to comment
  • 1 year later...

Hi,

I also have a fluval 13.5g tank. I've had my clownfish for about 5 days now, and they're both about 1-1.5 inches. 

 

I was looking to try out the netting method, but I don't know wether to net the aggressive one or the one who is getting chased.

Link to comment

IF you are going to net , you would net the most aggressive one

 

Though honestly it can simply be better to let fish assert their own hierarchy and that's the common trend throughout this thread.  The key is to keep an eye on them to make sure things aren't getting out of hand, it can be hard to watch but often leads to the most reliable long term outcome. 

 

So long as one fish starts showing signs of submissive behaviour you really have nothing to worry about.  If it gets too bad though obviously seperation may be required or other steps may be your best option for the well being of the fish

  • Like 1
Link to comment
  • 1 month later...

Hi, I was wondering what I should do. I also own a fluval 13.5 saltwater reef tank  that has been set up since November. It has two clowns, and a Azure Damselfish. They never used to fight so I thought they paired up. Recently I noticed that my smaller Clownfish has a tear in the tail. One Clown is a Snowflake while the other one a Domino. The Domino is the smaller one. Now recently they have started to fight, and it is mostly the Snowflake starting the fights, never the Domino. I have just started the net strategy and it is working quite well, they haven't picked on each other for a while. Moved the rocks for good measure so maybe they can reestablish new territory. Not sure what to do, I don't currently own a quarantine tank. Thanks if you reply.

Link to comment
christian321uy

clownfish of almost same sizes will almost always kill each other. i've been successful with  clownfish that have huge difference in sizes. 

Link to comment

ok.i have a black ice clownfish named icecube and a standard nemo named garfield. they are in a less then a 10 gallon fish tank.but they are basically the same size. so what christian321uy is saying is SCARING ME. icecube is a little bigger and is all ways chasing garfield and i have seen icecube bite onto garfields fins twice. but only once damaging

Link to comment
1 hour ago, Tommy S. said:

ok.i have a black ice clownfish named icecube and a standard nemo named garfield. they are in a less then a 10 gallon fish tank.but they are basically the same size. so what christian321uy is saying is SCARING ME. icecube is a little bigger and is all ways chasing garfield and i have seen icecube bite onto garfields fins twice. but only once damaging

How small were they when you got them, how long have you had them, and how long has it been going on? If they both came from a LFS in a tank that had a whole load of clowns in them and are tiny, one is likely just maturing and turning into a female and the bullying will most likely stop pretty soon. This is totally normal as they mature and settle into their place in the hierarchy.

 

If they were bigger or housed alone when you got them and you've got two mature males who are evenly matched, it's going to be a lot of fighting and you may have to rehome one. If it's two females, they will fight to the death and have to be separated. If it's a male and female that are too close in size forthe females comfort, you may have to separate them or rescape a bit and keep feeding her extra.

 

If the fighting doesn't stop or gets really bad, re-home the smaller clown, let the bigger one grow for a bit, then add in a second tiny juvenile.

 

This is why getting tiny juveniles, a pair that are already bonded, or if you get one adult, making sure you pair it with a juvenile is always a good idea. Clowns are vicious little fish.

Link to comment

so i got garfield probably 2 months ago and icecube about a month ago they have not grown very much and are about an inch and a half except ice cube is a little bigger.they started fighting 2- 3 weeks ago. they did not come from a tank with a TON of clownfish but probably 7 to 10 clownfish tank .when i first put icecube in ,he and garfield were best friends.i could not see them 4 inches apart.

Link to comment

You are likely fine - just be prepared to step in if anyone starts taking real damage and keep a close eye. I assume the smaller one isn't fighting back right? If he's fighting back seriously or they lock jaws and shake the shit out of each other that's when you really need to step in. You want the smaller one submitting.

Link to comment

I've had this pair for 5 years, about a year ago they broke up the male turned female, now he/she attacks the other female to the point where she is exhausted. Shall I just separate them .I've only ever had the two .

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recommended Discussions

×
×
  • Create New...