Clownfish aggression

[RaymondL]

Not sure whether I need to separate my 2 clownfish, but the female has been non stop chasing the male non stop to the point that he's hiding out all the time. Fins are intact and doesn't seem to be any damage otherwise.

I"m told that this is 'normal and it'll settle down - is this true? I don't even know why this is happening as they've been in the same tank for 2 years just the 2 of them.

Welcome any thoughts.
Thanks

 

[MoshJosh]

How big is you tank? If there is enough room for male to run and hide and he continues to be undamaged, you could try waiting it out, though I have seen clowns chase others completely out of the tank. . . doesn't matter how undamaged your fins are if you are lying on the floor. . . That said I have seen fairly protracted aggression from female clowns (though they were younger than yours and in relatively small tanks), where it did not seem like they would ever work it out so I separated the female into a breeder box, it took a couple times but eventually it worked.

 

[RaymondL]

How big is you tank? If there is enough room for male to run and hide and he continues to be undamaged, you could try waiting it out, though I have seen clowns chase others completely out of the tank. . . doesn't matter how undamaged your fins are if you are lying on the floor. . . That said I have seen fairly protracted aggression from female clowns (though they were younger than yours and in relatively small tanks), where it did not seem like they would ever work it out so I separated the female into a breeder box, it took a couple times but eventually it worked.

Thanks - not a huge tank - it's a 13.5g EVO. I'll go order a breeder box - what size would you recommend? I see one that's 15cm x 10cm x 10cm - I hope that it'll be large enough.

How long did you have to separate the female for timewise per session?

 

[Zodiac]

I've had an EVO with a pair of perculas in it.

Thats a normal clownfish behavior although the female might overdo it sometimes and damage or kill the male from exhaustion or even make it jump out of the tank.

That could just be the nature (personality) of the female specimen you got. Try to change the dynamic of your tank by adding more corals, fish, anemone, changing the aquascape or flow.

If your tank is too bare the female can spot the male too quickly and she will dash towards him non-stop, if you add stuff that will block the female's line of sight the male will have a better chance to go unnoticed for a while and relax.

The female will always give the male a hard time no matter what, like how she will prevent him from eating so she gets bigger than him until they reach full size. Make sure he is getting the chance to eat enough!

But two years is a long time for her to be this aggressive. If she has grown to a full size and has a peaceful spot, like an anemone, she should simmer down. But again, she will always give him a hard time unless distracted.

If you think she is going to kill him separating them is your only option.

 

[ReefQuestCorals]

I've had an EVO with a pair of perculas in it.

Thats a normal clownfish behavior although the female might overdo it sometimes and damage or kill the male from exhaustion or even make it jump out of the tank.

That could just be the nature (personality) of the female specimen you got. Try to change the dynamic of your tank by adding more corals, fish, anemone, changing the aquascape or flow.

If your tank is too bare the female can spot the male too quickly and she will dash towards him non-stop, if you add stuff that will block the female's line of sight the male will have a better chance to go unnoticed for a while and relax.

The female will always give the male a hard time no matter what, like how she will prevent him from eating so she gets bigger than him until they reach full size. Make sure he is getting the chance to eat enough!

But two years is a long time for her to be this aggressive. If she has grown to a full size and has a peaceful spot, like an anemone, she should simmer down. But again, she will always give him a hard time unless distracted.

If you think she is going to kill him separating them is your only option.

I disagree as a established pair typically do not fight like this, nor does the female always give the male a hard time. Maybe a small nudge here and there, as long as the male is submissive once paired you shouldn't see much aggression at all. My years of breeding clownfish you typically only run into this issue in newer pairs, introducing a small female by accident or introducing a new male to a established female.

There is a small chance maybe the male is starting to show more dominance, I doubt the male tries to transition to female but I guess its never impossible? Usually wont see a male transition unless without a female for an extended amount of time.

Thanks - not a huge tank - it's a 13.5g EVO. I'll go order a breeder box - what size would you recommend? I see one that's 15cm x 10cm x 10cm - I hope that it'll be large enough.

How long did you have to separate the female for timewise per session?

You can attempt to separate the female for few days and change up your rock structures in an attempt to remove aggression before introducing back, usually when I see this type of aggression the female typically wont stop and when released will go right back to chasing the other. Worth the attempt though and couldn't hurt.

 

[Tahoe61]

Sometimes a female rejects a male despite appearing to be paired. In a small tank the male has no where to go to avoid the aggression. The clowns have probably reached spawning age.

 

[ReefQuestCorals]

Sometimes a female rejects a male despite appearing to be paired. In a small tank the male has no where to go to avoid the aggression. The clowns have probably reached spawning age.

True true, dont see it as often but the female might be looking for another male for sure!