My Royal gramma is bullying my OC clowns

[Saltwaternoobie]

I have a 2 month old LFO 20 gallon tank, recently I’ve noticed my Royal gramma has been nipping my pair of clowns. They seem fairly unbothered as this behavior doesn’t keep them away from the grammas rock. But they also don’t do anything to put the gramma in it’s place. Should I be worried ? 

[Jakesaw]

Clowns are a curious fish.  I had similar interaction with clown and RG.  Never saw RG nipping, just the wide mouth Show.  

 

RG are known to pick a spot in your tank ( territorial ) and defend that general area.  It's their natural behavior

 

The behaviour sounds pretty normal.  How well each individual fish responds to tank mates varies from fish to fish.  The two " should " get along.  But no guarantees.

 

 

[Saltwaternoobie]

Thanks for the reply! I’ve been looking for answers online and can’t seem to find anyone mentioning a similar situation, it’s always the reverse scenario. I guess I’m just wondering when should I worry? This is my first marine tank and I’m trying to do the best I can to avoid any casualties.

[Jakesaw]

8 minutes ago, Saltwaternoobie said:

This is my first marine tank and I’m trying to do the best I can to avoid any casualties.

Everybody starts at the same place. 

 

If the clown doesn't mind and shows no damage from attacks, you're likely fine.  If the RG gets spooked, he'll likely stress out, start hiding and stop eating ( that's bad )  If you're seeing both througout the day interacting, and they are both looking healthy / eating - I wouldn't worry about it. 

 

Enjoy the interaction.

[Saltwaternoobie]

Ok that’s good to hear, they are all usually swimming about and they are all eating great.

[Jakesaw]

You should be fine.  

 

They look happy. Nice job on your rock scape.   Even the fake corals look good.

 

 

[FISHnChix]

Give it a bit. Clowns are damsel fish once they get tired of it the roles will be reversed. They can definitely defend themselves 

[Saltwaternoobie]

Update: just noticed today while feeding that the clown that’s being bullied has finally taken some damage. I’m not sure if I should just separate the gramma in a breeder box for sometime or remove him from the tank entirely… 

[Saltwaternoobie]

Update: I’ve removed the Royal gramma entirely as I feared the situation would only escalate Im I’m determined to keep my tank peaceful. Since removing the gramma my clowns seem happier and I’ve been able to add a fire fish and wrasse. Everyone is getting along !!!

[Kellie in CA]

My RG is a jerk too. It really went after my purple firefish for a while. But he eventually got over it and everyone get along now. 

[Tired]

What kind of wrasse? Most are unsuitable for a tank that size. 

 

Yeah, royal grammas are hit-or-miss. They pick a spot to defend, but sometimes that spot is a spot that your other fish want.

[Jakesaw]

21 minutes ago, Tired said:

Yeah, royal grammas are hit-or-miss. They pick a spot to defend, but sometimes that spot is a spot that your other fish want.

I think that goes for alot of SW fish, particlarly in small tanks.  They do after all come from the Ocean

[Tired]

Picking the one specific tiny patch is only what some species do. 

[Saltwaternoobie]

It’s a 6 line wrasse ? I’m looking into upgrading to a 55 gal cube, it’s in the works, I thought since he is quite small at the moment it would be fine. Do you think I’ll have issues? 

[Tired]

Sixlines are often aggressive. You might be okay once you upgrade, but keep a close eye on it, particularly with the firefish. Clownfish are semi-aggressive and can stand up for themselves, but firefish are wimps.