clown fish

[Reef boy]

hi, i have two ocellaris clownfish, one is about 6 months old and the other is probably 2 months old. the two month old one is bigger but is very pale and hides in the bottom back corner behind a rock in my 14 gallon nano reef. but he will come out to eat, than be chased back into his/her spot behind the rock. is this normal? :grumble:

 

[little_fish]

How much of a size difference is there between the two clowns? If you add two that are the same size but one has become established in the tank, the clowns can fight to the death as they try and establish dominance. I would remove the one that is hiding and replace him with one that is either much smaller or much bigger than the first clowns.

 

[SarahSmile]

Yup. I had the same situation in my 14 gallon biocube. I caught and returned the bully, too late, the poor little picked on one didn't make it. Clowns sure can be mean to each other.

 

[Reef boy]

My clown is probably a good half inch bigger

 

[Kelz88]

My tomatoes are very different size, and even then it was a rough pairing off. He was stubborn and wouldnt give up dominance at first.

 

[Reef boy]

i also observed today the clown fish that hides came out for a while and kept on twitching, does this have anything to do with the whole dominance thing?

 

[Kelz88]

yes, its the male pretty much telling the female she is boss

 

[Reef boy]

so this whole hiding thing may be over within the next few months?

 

[Kelz88]

Maybe, but if it has been going on for a while it may not stop. You could ask your lfs to trade your smaller one for an even tinier one

 

[Reef boy]

its been going on for about 2 weeks

 

[Kelz88]

Id say if she isnt relentlessly pounding him, wait a little longer. But if she is in fact really hurting him, id take one back.

 

[Reef boy]

never mind my clown died

 

[spikegillen]

Hello everyone. I just put a blue hippo Tang and 2 ocellaris clowns in my 110gal tank. its only been a few days and they are the only fish in the tank. I came home from work at 0800 this morning and everything was fine, they were swimming together in the front of the tank. None of the fish have any signs of infection. I woke up at 1500 this afternoon and could not find one of the clown fish. I have even moved a few rocks around and still no clown. I am convinced that he is dead now but shouldn't I be able to see pieces of him somewhere? I was wondering if anyone has ever had crabs attack healthy fish?

 

[Bifferwine]

Crabs won't attack healthy fish, but they will eat a dead one fast enough that you will never find a body.

If a fish dies in a 110 gallon tank, I wouldn't expect to find a body. The clean up crew will take care of them very quickly.

I'm also not so convinced that the fish is dead. Some fish will hide out for days at a time, even. What are your water parameters and how did you acclimate the fish to the tank when you put them in?

 

[spikegillen]

HE'S ALIVE! You were right he must have been hiding some where. I didn't see him all day yesterday. When I got home this morning he was out and about like nothing happened.

 

[little_fish]

Hurray!!!

 

[Bifferwine]

Good to hear! Fish will do that. :)

 

[tonyg]

I logged in to post about my clowns and found this thread...

I got both of mine 6 months ago when they were teeny tiny. Theyve been really happy with just a little bit of fighting, until today!

The female is going after the male like nuts all of a sudden. She was alwayse bigger, but it seems like the male has been catching up recently. Its crazy, like he went out and cheated on her or something. She chases him every time she catches a glimpse of him. He found a good hiding spot in a small cave and she prowls around the tank looking for him.

He is starting to look a little ragged, even a fin has a peice or two missing. Any chance she will settle down? Or is this going to prove terminal?

 

[little_fish]

what type of clowns do you have?

 

[tonyg]

They are the ocelleris type. Funny, if they fight near my Midas Lenny, he always breaks is up.