Bad luck or killer clownfish?

[Snowmank]

Hello! I am looking for some advice. I have had my tank up and running since November. First 2 fish in were 2 local bred Ocellaris clowns. I got the biggest and smallest my lfs had. They were doing great for about 3 months as I added corals and a few other fish over the next couple months and then one day I woke up and one of them was dead. All my tests were normal so I put it down to bad luck. I waited about three weeks to make sure everything was OK before I went to my local fish store this time buying a Ora clown from a separate lfs. I got the smallest one, and they seemed to get along with my big female. Then yesterday I see my small male laying on my big mushroom. I think it’s cute that he is trying to host (and I have no anemone). Today he is laying on the bottom of the sand/hiding under rocks/not being able to say in open water.

What I’m confused about is am I getting some really bad luck with an eternal parasite that’s taking a couple months to show up in my tank? Does my tank have some sort of disease in it even though my other clown, mandarin dragonette, royal garamma, yellow watchmen goby and my neon goby seemed fine?

Or is my clown turning into a psycho a couple months after having a new friend and bullying them to death? It’s been really brutal watching another one get sick and look like possibly die? I’m just trying to see if I should stop trying to pair my clowns and maybe just be a one clown tank?

 

[KrisReef]

Sorry for your luck so far, but your experience with pairing these devil spawn fishes isn't uncommon. You have a picky female and if the male doesn't suite her she will banish him from her presence. If you want a sure thing, then get an established pair that swim together and that have been together for a year or more. Otherwise, buying small fish "hoping" that she will approve is risky, as you have found out.

Same thing with trading in your large fish. Getting two fish, or what I call a "fish store pair" that is two young clowns swimming in the same tank and appearing to get along often ends sometime down the road when the young fish start to mature, and one fish dies in the process.

Wild caught pairs are sometimes available, and they may have a better chance of being a real pair.

Sorry for the doom and gloom, but this is how captive clownfish behave.

 

[lienbetta]

Honestly sounds more like aggression/pairing issues than some hidden parasite, especially if all your other fish are doing fine. A big female can absolutely bully a smaller clown if the pairing doesn’t work out. The laying on the mushroom was normal hosting behavior, but hiding on the sand and under rocks after is usually stress or getting chased.

I’d watch closely for torn fins or the female constantly charging him. Some clowns pair easily, some just never accept another fish unfortunately.

 

[Snowmank]

Honestly sounds more like aggression/pairing issues than some hidden parasite, especially if all your other fish are doing fine. A big female can absolutely bully a smaller clown if the pairing doesn’t work out. The laying on the mushroom was normal hosting behavior, but hiding on the sand and under rocks after is usually stress or getting chased.

I’d watch closely for torn fins or the female constantly charging him. Some clowns pair easily, some just never accept another fish unfortunately.

Thank you to both of you. The male passed away about an hour after I posted. When I got him out I did not see any torn fins, but he looked sad by then?

Would buying an acclimation box be worthwhile?

 

[Gumbies R Us]

So sorry about your loss. I would get an acclimation box if I were you. They are well worth having if you have territorial fish.

 

[buick48]

I had a similar issue. Small oscillaris mocha pair that were 1 1/2" almost and 1"+ they were in store alone in tank no trouble, brought home and no trouble other than dominant behavior and shimmying but it was obvious the larger had turned or in process she claimed everything. The smaller one didn't fight just stood his ground usually and she would just charge, they would square off and swim away together or separate. She claimed the anemone immediately and basically the whole tank. He swam with her and away from her and hid. After a month or so she became more aggressive and he acted the same as always. She got to a point that in last week or so she refused to let him eat she would charge across the tank and attack him.
I isolated her in an in tank acrylic isolation tank and he literally stayed with her as close as he could get. I let her out after moving a few to rocks and she was more chill for a few days then back to same behavior. Yesterday he seemed the same but today he was struggling and his dorsal and pectoral fins were damaged. I'm pretty sure he had some bacteria since it looked white but no buildup or fuzz.
So I had both fish in separate isolation boxes and after most of the day he kept getting worse and was panting worse and worse. He had been panting about a week but she was chasing him a LOT. This evening I finally took him out of the tank and froze him, he lost color and one eye looked messed up and he wasnt swimming he was laying on his side. After about an hour of him obviously suffering I put him in the freezer.

My issue is I have a small 20 gallon and not a lot of room what do I replace him with? I want another clown I want to breed again, I had 3 pairs till today and yes these were for a year or so down the line. AI says replace him with a much smaller juvenile so it's not a threat to the B___ as I call her these days. She is mean. I have another pair of mochas and they get along great as long as I don't put my hand in the tank then I get attacked by both, this female doesn't do that.
Any suggestions? Again I'm thinking a 3/4-1" fish is a bit smaller, my male was obviously smaller and didn't confront her and was the subordinate fish. A suggestion from someone that has this issue would help.
Thanks,
Jerry