Strange Clownfish Behavior

[Shotgun]

Hello, NR!  
 

I got back into the hobby around 4 months ago after a 10 year break. This forum has been extremely helpful for research as I’ve started back up. I’d like to think I have a decent understanding of clownfish behavior but the two I’ve got now have me a bit confused. 
 

The first fish to go into my tank was a b&w Ocellaris. It was the smallest of three in a tank at my LFS and is approximately 1” long. A month later I added an orange snowflake that was slightly larger, approximately 1.5”. It had been bullied in a tank at the LFS and jumped into the large sump where it was living with an alpha female and spent most of its time cowering in the rock. I’d hoped they were both still juvenile/male and expected the larger snowflake to take the dominant role as the female. 
 

Well, they’ve been together for a month and the aggression has increased since they were placed in my tank. The snowflake has been the aggressor, which I expected. Typically it just chases the b&w around with minimal nipping but the chasing has gotten much worse in the past week, particularly right before feeding time. I accepted all of this as normal as part of the pairing process. 
 

Ok, all standard stuff to this point. Where things get little weird is the behavior of the smaller b&w. In the first few weeks together the b&w would do the submissive twitching very rarely, but I did see it. However, the past few weeks it hasn’t been submitting at all and recently after the snowflake chases it they’ll either go face to face or side to side and thrash about. But after these faceoffs the snowflake has been doing the twitching. Then tonight, things got real. After I fed the tank the two clowns locked onto each other’s fins and “rolled” around in the corner of the tank for a solid 5 seconds. I was pretty concerned because it looked brutal, but after they were done the snowflake wouldn’t stop twitching. It was following the b&w around, swimming into its sight, and shaking uncontrollably. This went on for an hour until the lights went off. I never saw the b&w twitch. 
 

Has anyone ever had an experience like this? I’m wondering if the b&w was somehow already a female when I got it or turned in the month it was in the tank alone. If that’s the case then is it possible to have a smaller female? As long as the scrums don’t continue to get more violent I’m going to leave them together to see how things work out. The behavior is just odd based on what I’ve previously known about clownfish. 
 

They’re the only fish in a 20g tank. 

 

 

[jservedio]

Size alone doesn't necessarily determine who will end up being the female. Your little one just might be particularly mean and end up as the female. However, while its growing and still smaller, the bigger one might have a go and try it's luck again, even if it submitted after being thrashed.

 

Keep a really close eye on them - if they are doing real damage you'll probably have to separate or be prepared for a dead fish. Since the smaller one seems to be on top, there will likely be more fighting.

[A.m.P]

On 11/18/2019 at 10:30 PM, Shotgun said:

Hello, NR!  
 

I got back into the hobby around 4 months ago after a 10 year break. This forum has been extremely helpful for research as I’ve started back up. I’d like to think I have a decent understanding of clownfish behavior but the two I’ve got now have me a bit confused. 
 

The first fish to go into my tank was a b&w Ocellaris. It was the smallest of three in a tank at my LFS and is approximately 1” long. A month later I added an orange snowflake that was slightly larger, approximately 1.5”. It had been bullied in a tank at the LFS and jumped into the large sump where it was living with an alpha female and spent most of its time cowering in the rock. I’d hoped they were both still juvenile/male and expected the larger snowflake to take the dominant role as the female. 
 

Well, they’ve been together for a month and the aggression has increased since they were placed in my tank. The snowflake has been the aggressor, which I expected. Typically it just chases the b&w around with minimal nipping but the chasing has gotten much worse in the past week, particularly right before feeding time. I accepted all of this as normal as part of the pairing process. 
 

Ok, all standard stuff to this point. Where things get little weird is the behavior of the smaller b&w. In the first few weeks together the b&w would do the submissive twitching very rarely, but I did see it. However, the past few weeks it hasn’t been submitting at all and recently after the snowflake chases it they’ll either go face to face or side to side and thrash about. But after these faceoffs the snowflake has been doing the twitching. Then tonight, things got real. After I fed the tank the two clowns locked onto each other’s fins and “rolled” around in the corner of the tank for a solid 5 seconds. I was pretty concerned because it looked brutal, but after they were done the snowflake wouldn’t stop twitching. It was following the b&w around, swimming into its sight, and shaking uncontrollably. This went on for an hour until the lights went off. I never saw the b&w twitch. 
 

Has anyone ever had an experience like this? I’m wondering if the b&w was somehow already a female when I got it or turned in the month it was in the tank alone. If that’s the case then is it possible to have a smaller female? As long as the scrums don’t continue to get more violent I’m going to leave them together to see how things work out. The behavior is just odd based on what I’ve previously known about clownfish. 
 

They’re the only fish in a 20g tank. 

 

 

Currently having a similar issue myself, damselfish man.
Got a pair of mated percs, who weren't a pair or mated; the smaller one gets thrashed every time they lock jaws but after going-submissive takes a swipe at the body or fins of the larger clown, its' also mapped out a territory it constantly scuffles or swipes the other away from with its' fins. 
Sometimes the fish just aren't compatible in a new environment, if you see serious damage to fins I would probably remove the more aggressive of the pair, the scuffs between mine have only been going on a week or so but I'm seeing minor damage to the clear and outermost portions of the large one's fins already. Thinking I'll likely remove it if things keep up at this pace much longer.

Hope yours sort-things out, keep us posted!