New clownfish chasing intensely, when is it too much?

[Dach]

Hi, 

 

i got a pair of orange and black storm clowns about 3 weeks ago. The black one is definitely dominant and is a bit bigger than the orange one. Recently I have noticed the black storm relentlessly chasing the orange one anytime it sees it. At what point is it too much aggression and I need to take action. I want to protect my orange storm and will bring back the black storm if necessary. They are in a 20 gallon with a helfrichi who is actually dominant over both of the clowns. 

[Seadragon]

How large are these clownfish?  If the Black Storm Clownfish relentlessly chases the Orange Storm Clownfish and you prefer the OSC, then I would return the BSC if you have that option.  Maybe they'll even let you trade it for another clownfish that is slightly smaller than the OSC and give it another try.

 

When pairing clownfish, what works for me is to start with 2 small clownfish and let them pair up over time.  The larger they become, the more difficult it seems to me to get them to play nice with one another.  My Nemo, for instance, is a big girl and will forever be alone.  During the start of the pandemic, she had a mate and 2 younger acquaintances and killed them all.  Although, she has her friends now -- Goby, Alpha Blenny, Stripes, and Shrimpy that she hangs out with every day.

 

[Dach]

They are juvenile clowns, maybe 2-2.5 inches tops. Here’s a photo when i first got them a few weeks ago, helfrichi for scale. They are just slightly bigger now as only 3 weeks has passed.