Aggressive clownfish…stressed out chromis

[RTD]

I have a new(er) 32gal nano and things were good with a 6-line, blue chromis and green chromis. The 6-line gets along with everyone and the green chromis was always the dominant one between the blue and green.

long story short, I recently added a bubble tip anemone and a “captive born” O. Clownfish. The clownfish hosted the anemone within the first 2 days and immediately became very aggressive towards the 2 chromis. It even goes after my hands when cleaning the reef. Perhaps this wasn’t captive born after all?

The blue chromis is gone…up and vanished like a fart in the wind. I even rearranged the rock work during last weeks cleaning and it’s nowhere to be found (maybe the anemone got it?). The green chromis, however, now stays by itself in the top corner of the tank at the intake, and is clearly stressed by the clownfish.

Any advise on getting the clown to chill out or chromis to relax a bit? I’ve been reading about the chromis being more comfortable in groups, but I’m worried adding 2 more green chromis will just end up with more dead fish.

Thoughts?

 

[majesticbigmac]

Clowns are naturally aggressive, best you can do is either remove the clown, or just continue, making sure you feed them well. 2 more chromis could intimidate the clown, which could go either way. goodluck.

 

[reeferguy3303]

Clownfish will always be aggressive no matter if they are wild caught or captive bred.

 

[damsels are not mean]

If you add chromis they will probably just die eventually. The feeding requirements of chromis are not practical in home aquaria IMO. And especially in a tank that small. Clowns are territorial and if kept in a tiny tank the whole tank is their territory. You should probably remove somebody.

 

[RTD]

Clowns are naturally aggressive, best you can do is either remove the clown, or just continue, making sure you feed them well. 2 more chromis could intimidate the clown, which could go either way. goodluck.

Thanks for the info. I think I’m going to hang tight and see if they adjust to each other. The chromis still eats and couldn’t care less about the clown when it’s feeding time, but stays very shy during the day.

Does it seem strange that it’s only the chromis that the clown has a problem with? There’s also a 6-line wrasse and diamond goby that all get along fine together.

 

[damsels are not mean]

Thanks for the info. I think I’m going to hang tight and see if they adjust to each other. The chromis still eats and couldn’t care less about the clown when it’s feeding time, but stays very shy during the day.

Does it seem strange that it’s only the chromis that the clown has a problem with? There’s also a 6-line wrasse and diamond goby that all get along fine together.

chromis and clowns are both damsels and both compete for the same food in the wild (both eat plankton out of the current) while the wrasse and diamond goby are both benthic feeders so it makes sense.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Clowns and chromis are also both open water fish, so share similar territories. And clowns don’t like to share.
For clownfish, captive breeding doesn’t lower aggression. If anything, it increases it as seen in certain breeds like mochas.
The first chromis disappeared for one of two reasons:
It got uronema and died, which is very common in chromis.
More likely, the clown killed it. And it will soon kill the other. Being pinned up in the top corner means that it has nowhere to go and will continue to be harassed. It’s eating now, but eventually the clown won’t allow that either.

 

[RTD]

Would an increase in feeding frequency help? Basically cut the volume by 1/2 but increase frequency to 2x a day. I’ve got nutrients under control in this display.

 

[Jekyl]

Not a food thing as much as territory. I would try and record the tank while you're not around. 30-60 minutes worth will show you what's going on. Between an aggressive clown and a growing 6 line you've got yourself a battle Royale going on.

 

[damsels are not mean]

Feeding more often may help. They might feel less competitive if they don't feel like they are missing out on food.

 

[RTD]

Clowns and chromis are also both open water fish, so share similar territories. And clowns don’t like to share.
For clownfish, captive breeding doesn’t lower aggression. If anything, it increases it as seen in certain breeds like mochas.
The first chromis disappeared for one of two reasons:
It got uronema and died, which is very common in chromis.
More likely, the clown killed it. And it will soon kill the other. Being pinned up in the top corner means that it has nowhere to go and will continue to be harassed. It’s eating now, but eventually the clown won’t allow that either.

Definitely didn’t see any physical signs of uronema. No red sores or

Clowns and chromis are also both open water fish, so share similar territories. And clowns don’t like to share.
For clownfish, captive breeding doesn’t lower aggression. If anything, it increases it as seen in certain breeds like mochas.
The first chromis disappeared for one of two reasons:
It got uronema and died, which is very common in chromis.
More likely, the clown killed it. And it will soon kill the other. Being pinned up in the top corner means that it has nowhere to go and will continue to be harassed. It’s eating now, but eventually the clown won’t allow that either.

I didn’t notice any physical signs of uronema; the red sores, etc. The strangest thing is how the blue chromis vanished overnight without a trace.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Definitely didn’t see any physical signs of uronema. No red sores or

I didn’t notice any physical signs of uronema; the red sores, etc. The strangest thing is how the blue chromis vanished overnight without a trace.

Definitely the clown then. Mine did the same to my firefish. Last I saw it the clown was chasing it, and the next morning it was gone. Likely died under a rock and was eaten by the cuc. Do you have any openings your chromis could have jumped through?

 

[RTD]

Definitely the clown then. Mine did the same to my firefish. Last I saw it the clown was chasing it, and the next morning it was gone. Likely died under a rock and was eaten by the cuc. Do you have any openings your chromis could have jumped through?

It’s a closed top system, so the only place it could have jumped out is into the rear filtration chambers. I rearranged the rock structure and thoroughly cleaned the tank (and filter chambers) that next day and no sign. The only thing(s) I can think of was the CUC having a nice overnight meal or the bubble tip anemone went to town. Either way it up and vanished like a fart in the wind in about 8 hours of time.

 

[Idech]

Feeding more often may help. They might feel less competitive if they don't feel like they are missing out on food.

It may help the chromis, but it might also add a new set of problems.

I would rehome the chromis or the clown.

 

[damsels are not mean]

It may help the chromis, but it might also add a new set of problems.

I would rehome the chromis or the clown.

Well yes removing one fish is a clear solution but it's worth trying the easier one. Not super easy to rehome a chromis I imagine.

 

[Idech]

Well yes removing one fish is a clear solution but it's worth trying the easier one. Not super easy to rehome a chromis I imagine.

I was thinking they would give it back to the LFS.

 

[majesticbigmac]

Thanks for the info. I think I’m going to hang tight and see if they adjust to each other. The chromis still eats and couldn’t care less about the clown when it’s feeding time, but stays very shy during the day.

Does it seem strange that it’s only the chromis that the clown has a problem with? There’s also a 6-line wrasse and diamond goby that all get along fine together.

Is the Chromis smaller than the clowns? Clowns are often found to be a sturdy provider of bullying towards other fish who are smaller than them.

 

[RTD]

They’re the same size. The chromis and six line were introduced to the tank at the same time and have been established for about 8 months. The chromis was always the more aggressive fish in the tank, but Oddly enough the six line wrasse gets along with everything in the tank and vise versa. The clownfish basically came in swinging, but couldn’t care less about the wrasse. It even lets it peck around the anemone without a single F**k to give.

 

[RTD]

Just a quick update…

It’s been about a month since I first introduced the clown/BTA to my tank. Even though he was clearly stressed out by the clown fish, the green chromis was still eating well and didn’t have any issues with the other fish in the tank; I decided to slightly up my feeding schedule, making feedings more frequent, but left the overall daily volume of food about the same. From there I left things alone to see how it panned out.

Fortunately, they seemed to have learned to live with each other and have relaxed. The clown is allowing the chromis to swim around the tank more freely and he’s no longer been relegated to the corner of the tank.

Fingers crossed this sticks and thank you to all for the comments and advise!

 

[Current Tides]

the clown then. Mine did the same to my firefish. Last I saw it the clown was chasing it, and the next morning it

It’s a closed top system, so the only place it could have jumped out is into the rear filtration chambers. I rearranged the rock structure and thoroughly cleaned the tank (and filter chambers) that next day and no sign. The only thing(s) I can think of was the CUC having a nice overnight meal or the bubble tip anemone went to town. Either way it up and vanished like a fart in the wind in about 8 hours of time.

I agree with @Sharkbait19 I used to keep a percula pair in my DT until I noticed my yellow canary wrasse wouldn't ever come out. removed the clowns and I see him almost all day. sometimes also ive noticed good food and plenty of rock work helps. you can also try taking out your clown for a minute and putting him in "jail" for sometime. sometimes when fish are given a reality check they chill out.