Clownfish Fight

[Brad_HT]

Hi, I'm new here and have a minor issue I don't know how to deal with. I have a 12g Nano and have had a clownfish doing very well in it for 6 months or so.... I just added a new frostbite clown yesterday and introduced it slowly. Well, today I get home from work and the new clown is down underneath the rocks and the old clown won't really let him out much. How do I stop the bullying? I don't like to tolerate misbehaving in my kids, and I won't tolerate it with my fish... ;-)
Suggestions, please help?!
Thanks,
B~

 

[slipknotgrrl83]

Clowns unfortunately need to be alone (Only one in tank) unless bought as a mated pair or have a huge tank...I made that mistake when I first started in the hobby

 

[slipknotgrrl83]

I would return the new guy before he gets killed, you could also try to trade both in and get a mated pair (I have black percula mates in my tank now) either way, good luck

 

[ReeferMadness80G]

Welcome to R2R, first I'd say that you'll want to make sure one of the clowns is obviously bigger than the other. One has to take the dominant role and one the submissive role. If they are too close to the same size one will most likely die. It's pretty normal for them to be aggressive pretty early, you'll notice one having a "seizure" like episode, batting his tail quickly while the other strikes at him. This is normal and they are pairing up. I'm not gonna say it's going to end well, and it's definitely a nail biter. But, if they both make thru, mates for life! Good luck!

 

[Brad_HT]

They are both about the same size.... The fish store guy said they would get along fine and that if one kills the other he would replace it. Though I don't want that.
I thought I read somewhere that if you turn the lights off and cover it with a blanket your forcing a sort of slumber and that will calm things down. Any truth to that?
B~

 

[ReeferMadness80G]

They are both about the same size.... The fish store guy said they would get along fine and that if one kills the other he would replace it. Though I don't want that.
I thought I read somewhere that if you turn the lights off and cover it with a blanket your forcing a sort of slumber and that will calm things down. Any truth to that?
B~

I'd say that will calm things down bc they will go to sleep. This mating/fight for dominance will happen no matter what. Unfortunate all you can really do is let nature take its course.

 

[slipknotgrrl83]

Not too sure on that...hopefully others will chime in!

 

[ReeferMadness80G]

#reefsquad

 

[ReeferMadness80G]

Not too sure on that...hopefully others will chime in!

What's ur opinion?

 

[Sabellafella]

Hi, I'm new here and have a minor issue I don't know how to deal with. I have a 12g Nano and have had a clownfish doing very well in it for 6 months or so.... I just added a new frostbite clown yesterday and introduced it slowly. Well, today I get home from work and the new clown is down underneath the rocks and the old clown won't really let him out much. How do I stop the bullying? I don't like to tolerate misbehaving in my kids, and I won't tolerate it with my fish... ;-)
Suggestions, please help?!
Thanks,
B~

Unfortunantly, you may have to take him back =( only issue here may have to do with their gender. You could try getting a larger clown, but the only luck youll have with a smaller tank, is knowing for sure if their male and female. Otherwise, 2 clowns the same size, likely calls for them both being male, hense the foul play.

 

[henryhahn]

My general understanding of this is that they are all born as immature males. As they get larger and fight for dominance, the largest becomes the female, the second largest the male, and the rest remain immature (some kind of high school joke in this).
Clownfish become incredibly territorial, so they will fight when you add it. Those of us that add after the fact, (myself included), make sure to add one that is vastly different in size than the other. The battle for who gets to be the woman is quick and done. The other really doesn't stand a chance, and thus relents quickly.
Having two of the same size means they will fight longer and may result in death for at least one...maybe both.

 

[Diesel]

The one who will came last will make your history book about your 12 gallon only if you leave him in.

 

[Maritimer]

You might be best advised to return the new guy, and replace with a significantly smaller fish, which would be less likely to have turned female. (Once they make that change, there's no turning back.) When you add the new fish, you can try rearranging the rockwork (doesn't always work with clowns, they're determined little jokers), or perhaps even better, using a social acclimation box. (Although I suspect it may be a bit cramped to drop a box in a tank that size . . . )

Good luck!

~Bruce

 

[philosophile]

Hi, I'm new here and have a minor issue I don't know how to deal with. I have a 12g Nano and have had a clownfish doing very well in it for 6 months or so.... I just added a new frostbite clown yesterday and introduced it slowly. Well, today I get home from work and the new clown is down underneath the rocks and the old clown won't really let him out much. How do I stop the bullying? I don't like to tolerate misbehaving in my kids, and I won't tolerate it with my fish... ;-)
Suggestions, please help?!
Thanks,
B~

12g nano is too small for two clowns. They'll kill each other, even if they were different sexes as they get bigger.

 

[melypr1985]

They are both about the same size.... The fish store guy said they would get along fine and that if one kills the other he would replace it. Though I don't want that.
I thought I read somewhere that if you turn the lights off and cover it with a blanket your forcing a sort of slumber and that will calm things down. Any truth to that?
B~

Unfortunately the clowns being the same size is a problem. Six months alone is long enough for your original clown to have started the transition to female. If your new clown is a female as well, there will be no living together in a small tank. I would suggest returning the new clown and getting a much smaller, juvenile clown. This will increase your chances of success ten fold.

 

[slipknotgrrl83]

What's ur opinion?

When I made that same mistake years ago and nothing seemed to calm the fighting, I pulled the new guy out as he was getting bullied alot and he probably would of got killed. He wasn't in there long enough and I did not try the no lights at all but needless to say I didn't want to find out what would happen if I just left them both in the tank

 

[davocean]

If you had yours 6months and got another same size, good chance you added a female, though sometimes females will not accept certain males either, that's why we advise intro in a specimen container or breeder box, but I also have to agree that 12g is a bit small for 2 clowns

 

[Brad_HT]

Someone suggested a much smaller juvenile clown.... Is there a possibility that would work well?

 

[jenreefer]

Yes, a juvenile male may be able to win your females heart. No guarantee though. It is always best to add them at the same time so no one is territorial yet.

 

[Tahoe61]

Someone suggested a much smaller juvenile clown.... Is there a possibility that would work well?

What type of clown is the original clown?
Get an acclimation box, or breeder box. Make sure the new clown is noticeably smaller and from a system with other smaller clowns. Either put the established clown in the box or the new one and leave them there for roughly 4-5 days.
Move scape around just prior to release.

Regarding your current clown situation, that probably will not get any better.

Some clown will not tolerate any other fish regardless of gender in small tanks.