OC Clown pair behaving strangely?

[caybrook]

Bought a pair of small OC clowns and have had them for almost two months now. After having them for a month I (unknowingly) bought a Ritteri nem. They moved in instantly and have not left since. Literally.

There is a rock very close to the edge of the nem and they keep going to the edge of the rock picking at it frantically and then rubbing their bellies on it very quick and aggressively. Once in a while I see them hover above the rock side by side (touching) while rubbing their bellies on the rock.

They eat(provided they get the food right from the nems area) and seem very happy and normal otherwise. I have read up on the reproduction and haven't read about any of these instances.

I would say they are roughly an inch in length with the one being slightly larger than the other.

 

[Trex]

Do you have any idea how old they were when you bought them?

Were they together by themselves or in a tank with a group of other clowns?

It sounds like spawning behavior (( or pre-spawning behavior )), but 2 months is pretty quick; unless you purchased a known spawning pair.

For reference, this is a video of a pair of pink skunks spawning (( ended up selling them to a local breeder ))

[video=youtube;O3E7J-3VcsU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3E7J-3VcsU&list=UUYRzzmgl7cTBlCSei1ZApCw&feature=c4-overview[/video]

 

[caybrook]

They don't spend as much time together as the two in the video but have acted like that together briefly. But the pecking at the rock and rubbing on the rock is the same.

They were in a tank with about 15 other clowns and a few other random fish when I bought them. They told me they were under a year old (keep in mind it's the same lfs that sold me the ritteri and gonipora as a good "starter" coral) so not totally sure on age really.