Lip locked true percs?? With pics.

[spleify]

I recently purchased a new true percula, I already had one in the tank. The new one is very healthy and is eating, but the old one just will not leave the new one alone. They fight like crazy. They fight, bite, and get head to head like in a face off, and then they lock lips for like 20-25 seconds. I'm pretty sure this isn't normal. Are they hurting each other? Are they just not compatible? I have two false percs in there also and they could care less about the new addition. Thanks in advance for any help.
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/117519LL_Perc_2__Medium_.JPG
http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/117519LL_Perc_1__Medium_.JPG

[Deacon]

Sounds like a girl I dated in college.:eek1:

We had a pair of false percs that acted the same way when the 2nd one was added. The bickering lasted a little over a week and then slowly subsided. They eventually became a mated pair and had multiple batches of babies. BTW, the 2nd one added ended up being the male...for anybody that's interested.

I'm no clownfish expert, but I hope our experience helps you sort this one out.

good luck!

[NewKid630]

That's because they should only be kept 2 per tank. The wekest one will be killed.

[NewKid630]

And those are two males fighting.

[OrangeKoi]

Perhaps they are fighting for dominance. Who is the "next in line" to breed?

[spleify]

How can you tell if they are males?

[dustin323]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9872881#post9872881 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spleify
How can you tell if they are males?

Males are noticeably smaller than females.

[johno4]

All clownfish are males when born, the largest most dominate one will change into a female. Your clownfish are most likely establishing who is most dominant and that individual will become the female.

[bromanzier]

That's not exactly true johno4... clowns are born sexless


http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=215088

[IMM3DOORSDOWN]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9871713#post9871713 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NewKid630
That's because they should only be kept 2 per tank. The wekest one will be killed.


100% right on the button.

[johno4]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9875148#post9875148 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bromanzier
That's not exactly true johno4... clowns are born sexless


http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=215088

yes your statement is true. However the dominant individual will become the sole female and the remaining will become males. By the time we get them, they have already become males or females. The majority are males. I would be willing to bet based on size he has two males, and they are testing each other out to determine which will change to female.

[Slipknotnos]

I heard that this is fighting and they are trying to break the others mouth so it will starve to death

[techigirl78]

From this thread ( http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=215098 ), it seems that it may be two females fighting. In that thread, it states "Two female clowns will fight. The tell tale sign that you have two females is fighting ending in the two locking their mouths together." If that is the case, I think they need to be seperated.

[Orvis]

Neotropical cichlids do that all the time when establishing dominance.

[NewKid630]

There are 3 clowns in that picture. The one is obviously very large. That is the female. The other two who were fighting are obviously male. Will females fight? Yes they will. Are these two females fighting? No.

Yes clowns are born sexless, but just because they turn male doesn't mean much because if there are no females in a group of males then one male will change it's sex to female. If that female dies then another male will change it's sex and so on and so on.

[Lakmo99]

If there were two males they wouldn't be locking jaws. It's two females. And yes, clowns should only be kept two to a tank. The two who are locking jaws need to be seperated.

[criccio]

The two locked up are female A. percula, and the single is an A. occelaris. You should remove one of the percula, and get a much smaller one if you would like a pair. I would also recommend one pair to a tank.

BTW, clowns are born sexless, with the dominate changing to female and then the next changing to a male with the rest remaining sexless until the male/female die.

[NewKid630]

Yeah ok.. This coming from the guy who thinks you can just dump off unwanted fish at the Shedd aquarium.. lol

Trust me you're wrong, the two smaller clowns are male, the larger one is the female.

[criccio]

What is your problem. I never said dump, and it was a suggestion. Did you have a better one, NO.

Secondly, female clowns lock lips, and he has two ocellaris in the tank already and they have no connection to the percs, read his post.

Try getting a life instead of trolling threads.

[kau_cinta_ku]

just because the larger clown in the tank is a female don't mean the others can't be females from another tank. and yes they are both females and should be seperated