Help Please. Maroon Clown Agressive Toward Coral?

[Mrs. Gixxerman]

We have two moroon clowns that we've had since cycling the tank. One female and one male. They have been model citizens in the tank, and never once bothered any of our corals or shown any agressive tendancies in the tank. We recently added a RBTA to the tank, even though we weren't sure they would take to it. Within a day they were happily hosting it. The RBTA found it's happy spot on one side of our rock formation, close to our fingertip leather. The fingertip has also been in the tank for months with no problems. However, now Spot (the female) believes that this particular coral is a threat...I'm guessing to the RBTA? It's attacked it several times, nipping and slapping it with her fins. We moved the leather to the other side of the tank but we haven't secured it to the rockwork, in case after it settled in it wasn't happy. The clown has been attacking it constantly...knocking it off the rock work. Everytime we reach in the tank to move it, apparantly she believes that it's the devil incarnate and agressively tries to go after it as we are holding it. No other coral in the tank is being bothered. We have several types of zoa's, ricordia, a toadstoal leather, frogspawn, torch, and NONE of those corals apparantly bother her. Some of which are as close to the RBTA as the leather was. There are no other agressive tendancies of the maroons in any other aspect of the tank. Not to us, or the fish or any of the other corals.

Is this normal? I know that maroons and tomato's are the most aggressive clowns there are. But from what I read that their terrotorial behavior is mostly toward everything. Not just a specific coral. Which just seems odd to me. I have a feeling that I'm just going to have to give up the leather, because I love my clowns, and the RBTA. She just absolutely without a doubt HATES this leather. Any suggestions?

[Toddrtrex]

Welcome to the world of keeping maroon clowns. Pretty much any aggressive behavior that you will see is normal for them.

[lilalove]

Maybe because the finger leather is sort of similar in shape to your rbta does she hate it? I don't know, but as Todd said....clowns, maroons in particular, will hate something for no specific reason. Maybe you can put a container over the leather if it's small enough, for a little while. Hopefully, soon she'll get over it.