Paring or fighting

[Jennydinh143]

Hi! So i had these two clowns for almost two weeks in a 20 gallon nano. They were never fighting before today. The bigger one is chasing the smaller one around the tank. But then the bigger one is doing the dance.. the smaller one has a little nipped fin. I was wondering if this is normal paring behavior or fighting.

 

[OrionN]

Your fish are trying to decide which will be the she boss and which will be the small husband. In my observation the shaking is signs of the dominant one want the other to be submissive.
Full bred fish, normally decided this relatively easy. These mixed breeds or cross species match is quite a bit harder for the little guy. They don’t have their signal quite right so sometime the dominant one cannot quite decode what the little signal, and thus she will co Tunis to punish him.
you can protect the little one a little by isolate him form the tyrannical lady until she accept him a a mate.

 

[Jennydinh143]

Oh thanks! I always thought when a clown is shaking it means that they are submitting.