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smaraghy
10/16/2010, 07:46 PM
I had a pair of ocellaris clowns in my 34 gallon cube. They seemed to be paired off for several weeks then roughly one week after introducing an anemone the larger clown (female by now?) starting bully and chasing the smaller clown away. After several more weeks the small clown ended up flipping out of the tank onto the floor.
I have now introduced a new very small clownfish, maybe 3/4 of an inch, and the same thing is happening. The larger fish keeps chasing him periodically and shows no signs of letting up. Has anyone had their clownfish pair up after over two weeks of fighting? Or will they never get along? Could my larger clownfish be territorial, it is tank raised?

Any thoughts???
josh27
10/16/2010, 07:52 PM
The aggression on the first clown may have started because the female did not want the male in the nem you put in.(if the female is being hosted by it) How large is the female if it's not much bigger than the new clown you added they will fight for dominance. You could try placing the male in a holding container that way the female can't get to it and hope she will accept it.
smaraghy
10/16/2010, 09:16 PM
The aggression on the first clown may have started because the female did not want the male in the nem you put in.(if the female is being hosted by it) How large is the female if it's not much bigger than the new clown you added they will fight for dominance. You could try placing the male in a holding container that way the female can't get to it and hope she will accept it.

the female is about two inches...small one is about 3/4 of an inch
SwampyBill
10/17/2010, 12:46 AM
Does the smaller one ever do the submissive shaking? I'd give it more time unless the larger female is getting too brutal & the smaller one is having it's fins torn. Sizewise, it seems you're on the right track. Good luck!
smaraghy
10/17/2010, 07:42 AM
the small one will do some shaking, but not really the typical submissive shaking ive seen. Rather than turn on his side exposing his belly and quivering his body, he turns his back to the larger fish and shakes his pectoral fins mostly....... Not sure if that is sending the larger fish the same message??
davocean
10/17/2010, 11:17 AM
Yeah, he's trying to show submission.
There are times when a female just won't accept certain males for some reason, or just doesn't seem to want a mate.
That can change as she matures, but you still have a chance w/ this one, as long as she isn't tearing fins, I'd probably leave it.