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Clownfish Jekyll and Hide


Carnthetiges

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Carnthetiges

I've got a pair of clowns in a 15g, they've been together about 4 months.

To begin with they were fairly chummy, hanging out close together but over time they've drifted apart.

The male still does the submission dance for the almost double size female.

 

During daylight hours they're both swimming freely and do their own thing, no aggression.

At night when lights start to dim the female turns angry, will chase the male to a little bolt hole at the rear of the tank. The male will stay there all night, get chased back there if he tries to emerge.

I feed in the mornings before work  (7am, lights still ramping up) and the female tolerates him but probably because feed is more interesting.

She's angry until lighting fully ramps up, then they're buds again.

 

Thoughts?

When it first started i was worried the male was a goner but it's been like this for about 2 months, little guy emerges in the morning, feeds without issue.

Is this a case on the clowns not bonding but tolerating?

 

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Strange.  I might try rearranging the rocks to throw her off (change up her territory), just to see if that helps.

 

Are you sure they are the same species?

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As long as they are both eating and fine with each other during the day, I wouldn't worry about it unless the aggression was really physical to the point you are seeing damage on the male.

 

Mine aren't aggressive toward each other anymore, but they do something very similar to yours and have been a bonded pair for nearly 12 years, have been mating for almost as long, and nothing really changes that.

 

Unless there are eggs, my female will sleep about 12-14" away from the male most nights and they switch off seemingly randomly with who sleeps away from the anemone. On most nights, my male sleeps right near the foot of the anemone and my female sleeps a little more than a foot away under a large monti cap. Sometimes they switch spots and sometimes I'll find them together in either of the two spots.

 

Clowns are just really, really strange fish that do really weird things pretty much at all times. You'll get used to it!

 

Before I upgraded, my clowns had big "his and hers" anemones right next to each other and they very rarely shared an anemone. The only time they'd share and stay really close is when there was a clutch of eggs.

 

big-nems.thumb.jpg.e8cbb0d15bc88de0dc87e2cddaadf0fa.jpg

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