Clownfish fighting now :/

[Aparker2005]

Well I knew it couldn't last forever.

We have a 125 reef with a pair of bonded Picasso percula clowns. We had a 20g with a black/white female, and a normal orange male oscellaris.

We ditched our 20g and added the black and orange pair to the 125. I added them in an acclimation box for a day or two and then released them.

The orange and black pair immediately went their separate ways and the normal oscellaris went an hung out with the Picasso percula pair. No issues whatsoever. This was in September.

The black clown stays on her side of the tank and doesn't bother anyone. The percula pair stay on the other side. However this male oscellaris has suddenly overnight started to fight with the percula male.

The female percula protects her male. They don't seem to want to fight or anything to do with the oscellaris, but it won't leave them alone and go back to his previous female.

So for now I got the oscellaris male and moved it to the qt tank for now. Is this gonna not be possible most likely? My wife will kill me if this $20 oscellaris kills her expensive percula.

I love clowns and knew it may not work out, but disappointed after this long, he just now decides to fight like this. Thanks!

 

[Aparker2005]

Well not long after moving the male, the black oscellaris female finally went over to the percula pair and they were already looking like they were fighting. Funny she never even noticed the other clowns until the other male was out.

So now both oscellaris are in our qt together. I wish I hadn't got rid of their 20 gallon tank now, because now I'm likely gonna have to find them a new home.

There's no real sense in trying to add them back with a different result is there? I don't want to get rid of them, but also we don't have room or time for the 2nd full time tank.

 

[littlefoxx]

You could always check facebook market place and see if anyone is selling a cheap nano tank and just do live rock with the clowns?

 

[Aparker2005]

You could always check facebook market place and see if anyone is selling a cheap nano tank and just do live rock with the clowns?

I'd love to but we deliberately downsized to just 1 tank. Looking like rehoming them is gonna be my only option.

I really wish I could try to reintroduce them to the 125, but like most say, likely not gonna work. I thought after this long we'd be fine.

 

[Nano_Man]

You could try the mirror trick they will maybe attack there reflection instead of each other
Small mirror up against the tank glass . Worth a try . Some people when introducing new fish do a black out for a couple of days cover the glass with news paper no lights on maybe something else that might of helped

 

[Nemo&Friends]

You could also put a divider and let the clowns in a corner. May be after a while they will feel at home in that corner and will not try to go back and bother the other clowns.

 

[Aparker2005]

Trying again today. Here's their behavior, same as it was when I removed them. Occasionally the orange oscellaris will dive at the little percula Picasso male. Anything to be alarmed with yet?

 

[D-Nak]

You're risking a lot (with your wife). I think you already know the answer to how this may end. Trust me, I've been married for 20 years, don't play with fire. If that male Picasso gets killed, you'll be sleeping on the couch for a while.

Other scenarios: one day the Black/white female will get upset and may kill the Picasso male. Or she may fight with the other female.

 

[Aparker2005]

You're risking a lot (with your wife). I think you already know the answer to how this may end. Trust me, I've been married for 20 years, don't play with fire. If that male Picasso gets killed, you'll be sleeping on the couch for a while.

Other scenarios: one day the Black/white female will get upset and may kill the Picasso male. Or she may fight with the other female.

So I fed everyone tonight and noticed the orange oscellaris really goes after the percula with the female being occupied eating.

I tried. Didn't work. So the oscellaris pair is, for now, homed in our qt system. I'll keep them in case we get another nano.

 

[Roatan Reef]

Don't lose sleep over it....I went through about 6 clown pairs. Most died...then got a pair of snowstorm clowns who did well, but eventually the female died...going on 2 years now...

I couldn't find another female snowstorm clown to go with the big male survivor, so I got a larger Gladiator Clown...and the 2 love each other...

They practically make babies every week...weird stuff...but it took me almost 1.5 years to get a pair to mate.