My YWG and pistol shrimp adventure

ramfifty

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For historical purposes (and for a laugh), I’d like to share a little learning experience.

About a month ago, I got a YWG and a Candy Cane pistol shrimp—exciting times! My female clown, however, did not share my enthusiasm. She immediately went full-on bully mode, chasing and nipping at the poor YWG nonstop. Unfortunately, my little goby made a rather unwise life choice and attempted to take flight… straight onto my office carpet. Needless to say, it did not end well. I knew they were jumpers, I knew the clown was a menace, and yet, for some reason, it never clicked that I should, you know, prevent this from happening. Lesson learned the hard way.

Now, fast forward to the present! My LFS finally got me another YWG (yesterday 1/30/25), and this time, I came prepared:

  1. Clownfish was temporarily sentenced to the breeding net.
  2. YWG was safely placed in the tank.
  3. A screen cover was added to prevent any more tragic aerial adventures.
All was going well—until about 30 minutes ago. The YWG has officially teamed up with the pistol shrimp… in the BACK LEFT CORNER of the tank, where I will likely never see him again. At least he’s alive this time—progress?

Since the YWG seems to have found a home in the safety of the rocks in the back left corner :rolleyes:, should I let Lily out of jail?
 
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ramfifty

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My tank is three months old and houses a pair of bonded Ocellaris Clownfish. They have been in the tank for 80% of the time.

I had already suspected that the larger clownfish, the female, was claiming the entire tank as her territory. Given the tank’s size, I had hoped all the inhabitants could coexist peacefully, but it’s becoming clear that this won’t work. She is nearly three inches long (maybe more) and, along with the male, is highly aggressive—both frequently bite my hand during tank maintenance.

My concerns were confirmed this morning while I was cleaning the tank. I released the female and observed her behavior—she immediately went after the goby, chasing it back to its cave and trying to nip at it. She then stationed herself near the entrance of the cave, where the pistol shrimp and yellow watchman goby reside, seemingly waiting for the goby to emerge.

The truth is, with the size, they have out grown my tank, so I plan to contact my LFS to explore my options. I not sure that leaving them in the breading net ( for a week or 2 weeks) will correct this behavior and I'm not a big fan of it either.
 

stE25wy14

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My tank is three months old and houses a pair of bonded Ocellaris Clownfish. They have been in the tank for 80% of the time.

I had already suspected that the larger clownfish, the female, was claiming the entire tank as her territory. Given the tank’s size, I had hoped all the inhabitants could coexist peacefully, but it’s becoming clear that this won’t work. She is nearly three inches long (maybe more) and, along with the male, is highly aggressive—both frequently bite my hand during tank maintenance.

My concerns were confirmed this morning while I was cleaning the tank. I released the female and observed her behavior—she immediately went after the goby, chasing it back to its cave and trying to nip at it. She then stationed herself near the entrance of the cave, where the pistol shrimp and yellow watchman goby reside, seemingly waiting for the goby to emerge.

The truth is, with the size, they have out grown my tank, so I plan to contact my LFS to explore my options. I not sure that leaving them in the breading net ( for a week or 2 weeks) will correct this behavior and I'm not a big fan of it either.
could we get pics of the clowns and pics of the tank please
 
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ramfifty

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shakacuz

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leave the clown in the jail for a bit more time. hopefully the YWG and pistol roam around a bit and the clown can see they're not an issue. moving rocks around could also help.
 

drewzaun

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Sorry you are having trouble. I can really offer much about the aggression issue, other than to say what has worked for me in the past with African cichlids is pulling the agressive fish out, rearranging rocks, adding the new fish and then after a bit re adding the jerk. IDK if this works with clowns though.

If she stops pestering though i can offer some info on the YWG/shrimp pair. Mine live in a 210 gallon system. When I moved them in from a 24 gallon I was unsure if they would stay together or find each other. They did. Like yours when I first spotted them they were behind the rocks. No more…they either have the Taj Majal of cave systems or they have multiple homes all over the 6 foot tank they live in. While they prefer the center island, I’ve seen them everywhere else, often in the front of the tank. They disappear for a bit, then show up somewhere else, often around feeding time. IDK maybe they can see the clock on the VCR…

Anyway if your clown stops bothering them, you’re in for a treat watching them. Good luck
 

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