One of my Clowns is a bugger

Chris&Mel · 12/02/2008, 12:14 PM

I am having a problem with one of my Clowns, I have three of them, Carl, Nemo and Alex. ( my kids name all the fish, but it will actually help here ) Carl is the biggest followed by Alex then Nemo. Carl and Nemo are buddies, do everything together, Alex well Carl is a jerk to Alex, Alex stays behind the rocks and as soon as he pokes his head out Carl charges him. I just want to flick Carl he is a Pr*ck. What if anything can I do about this. I want it to stop, I want Alex to be able to swim freely and not be "afraid for his life" everytime he ventures out from behind the rocks.
Any opinions?

Michael · 12/02/2008, 12:30 PM

well i suspect he will have to go, the other 2 may even pair up and be a great pairing as well,alex just isnt cool and nemo prefers carl, better to have a happy thriving pair and alex to have a new home

MargieInAZ · 12/02/2008, 12:31 PM

I believe clowns do better in pairs. Maybe give Alex away to a local reefer, or see if your LFS will take him in on trade.

EllieSuz · 12/02/2008, 12:51 PM

Carl is most likely a girl, or certainly on her way to becoming one. So, maybe the kids won't mind renaming it Carla? Three is a crowd in the Clown world.

jkrentz2515 · 12/02/2008, 12:54 PM

Take Alex out before Carl kills him, it seems as if it is only a matter of time. Sometime 3 clowns work together but not too often.

Stray32 · 12/02/2008, 02:04 PM

Clowns should be kept in pairs, essentially even numbers only (2, 4, etc). Typically they will pair up, and if there is a loner remaining, they will bully him until he dies. I learned this very quickly when I added a thrid clown to my tank. I returned him to my LFS within hours because I couldn't watch the abuse he was taking lol.

Chris&Mel · 12/02/2008, 02:47 PM

What if we added another clown? would that be a better option than taking him to the LFS, we tend to get a little attached to our fish, kids especially

singold · 12/02/2008, 02:50 PM

In nature the larger one becomes female and then there is a dominant smaller male pairing up with the female. The others remain sexless males. Agree with above. Give the third clown a chance to pair up somewhere else, otherwise I think you will continue to see the abuse and the clown will become stressed leading to death along with possibility of its stressed state making it vulnerable to parasites, thus possibly infecting other fish in your tank, IMO. A stress free tank, is a happy & healthy tank.

Toddrtrex · 12/02/2008, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Chris&Mel
What if we added another clown? would that be a better option than taking him to the LFS, we tend to get a little attached to our fish, kids especially

IMO, adding another one would just make things worse.

It is going to be hard, but I would suggest taking that one out as soon as possible. Not sure you want to have the kids watch it get killed, which has a very good chance of happening. I have seen it in person.

EllieSuz · 12/02/2008, 04:00 PM

Another pair of Clowns in a 60 gallon tank is not a good idea. Carl(a) would probably continue to be a jerk to the second female in that size tank. Explain that Alex has to go get married and live with his wife in a different aquarium. I bet your kids will be fine with that.

Chris&Mel · 12/02/2008, 04:19 PM

yes that maybe a way to make it easier for the kids, lol

thanks everyone, very helpfull

D_Hood87 · 12/02/2008, 05:54 PM

i had the same problem so waht i did was set up smaller tank next to my existing one and plumbed them into the same sump and then added another clown so "alex" didnt get too lonley..it really helped me doing it that way b/c my daughter said she wouldnt talk to me ever again if i gave the clown away.lol now i have two paires of clown's spawning every month or so...my brother raises the fry and we sell them for extra hobby money and all is good

Boyman · 12/02/2008, 07:08 PM

I think Carl may need to become Carly

Chris&Mel · 12/02/2008, 07:18 PM

lol, the kids seem to give all the fish Boy names, so I had to take over and name one Soffie, I was tired of the boy names. lol

tmz · 12/02/2008, 09:26 PM

Amphiprion (clownfish) are damsels,despite the nemo image.. They are very territorial and aggressive particularly toward their own kind. A 60 gallon tank is fine for a pair of the same species. It is best to get two small juveniles. One will dominate and become the female growing more than twice as large as the male. Two females will fight often to the death of one or both. Once an amphiprion becomes a female it can't become a male. A male can become a female. In nature they live in pairs, often with a third( a second male) tolerated but bullied to the periphery of their territory. If one of the pair dies the third comes in as a male either to pair with the female or with the male which will change to a female. However , in a tank three may not work even if 2 of the three are males due to the confining space.

12/02/2008, 12:14 PM	#1
Chris&Mel Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 597	One of my Clowns is a bugger I am having a problem with one of my Clowns, I have three of them, Carl, Nemo and Alex. ( my kids name all the fish, but it will actually help here ) Carl is the biggest followed by Alex then Nemo. Carl and Nemo are buddies, do everything together, Alex well Carl is a jerk to Alex, Alex stays behind the rocks and as soon as he pokes his head out Carl charges him. I just want to flick Carl he is a Pr*ck. What if anything can I do about this. I want it to stop, I want Alex to be able to swim freely and not be "afraid for his life" everytime he ventures out from behind the rocks. Any opinions?

12/02/2008, 12:30 PM	#2
Michael NTTH Rookie Help Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Gloucester, England,UK Posts: 7,808 Blog Entries: 6	well i suspect he will have to go, the other 2 may even pair up and be a great pairing as well,alex just isnt cool and nemo prefers carl, better to have a happy thriving pair and alex to have a new home __________________ Don't be afraid to ask questions, we in the new to the hobby are here to help you [For My Tank Spec,Photo Album,Articles and website, click on my name] MY Very Kindest and Warmest Regards , MIKE Current Tank Info: I have a 92 gal Corner Tank, and way too many pieces of equipment to list really, (proud member of the reef central corner club)

12/02/2008, 12:31 PM	#3
MargieInAZ Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Posts: 348	I believe clowns do better in pairs. Maybe give Alex away to a local reefer, or see if your LFS will take him in on trade. __________________ Mom to triplet girls! Yes, multiples run in my family. They run everywhere, actually. :) Current Tank Info: Building a 24" cube mixed reef

12/02/2008, 12:51 PM	#4
EllieSuz Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 3,858	Carl is most likely a girl, or certainly on her way to becoming one. So, maybe the kids won't mind renaming it Carla? Three is a crowd in the Clown world. __________________ "You can't learn this hobby one question at a time." (Mr. Tuskfish) Eileen Current Tank Info: I'm out of the hobby, but used to have a60 gal. reef, refugium in sump, Internal Mag 9 return, SC 302 skimmer, two Maxi-Jet 1200's modded, four bulb T5 Lighting, Reefkeeper Lite Controller with three PC4's, Little Fishes GFO reactor.

12/02/2008, 02:04 PM	#6
Stray32 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Castle Shannon (Pittsburgh) PA Posts: 897	Clowns should be kept in pairs, essentially even numbers only (2, 4, etc). Typically they will pair up, and if there is a loner remaining, they will bully him until he dies. I learned this very quickly when I added a thrid clown to my tank. I returned him to my LFS within hours because I couldn't watch the abuse he was taking lol. __________________ Thanks, Jared Current Tank Info: 75 gal mixed reef, 30 Gal Frag Tank

12/02/2008, 12:54 PM	#5
jkrentz2515 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Mauerapolis Posts: 635	Take Alex out before Carl kills him, it seems as if it is only a matter of time. Sometime 3 clowns work together but not too often.

12/02/2008, 02:47 PM	#7
Chris&Mel Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 597	What if we added another clown? would that be a better option than taking him to the LFS, we tend to get a little attached to our fish, kids especially __________________ I let my wife think she is the brains of this operation Current Tank Info: 60 gal ,36" sun dial T-5, super skimmer 220, #2&#3 korilia's, marineland 20gal sump, 80pd's LR, 30 pd's LS

12/02/2008, 02:50 PM	#8
singold Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Lake Saint Louis, Missouri Posts: 1,827	In nature the larger one becomes female and then there is a dominant smaller male pairing up with the female. The others remain sexless males. Agree with above. Give the third clown a chance to pair up somewhere else, otherwise I think you will continue to see the abuse and the clown will become stressed leading to death along with possibility of its stressed state making it vulnerable to parasites, thus possibly infecting other fish in your tank, IMO. A stress free tank, is a happy & healthy tank. __________________ "If there is no wind.....row." Current Tank Info: 75gal Reef w/29gal Refugium

12/02/2008, 04:00 PM	#10
EllieSuz Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 3,858	Another pair of Clowns in a 60 gallon tank is not a good idea. Carl(a) would probably continue to be a jerk to the second female in that size tank. Explain that Alex has to go get married and live with his wife in a different aquarium. I bet your kids will be fine with that. __________________ "You can't learn this hobby one question at a time." (Mr. Tuskfish) Eileen Current Tank Info: I'm out of the hobby, but used to have a60 gal. reef, refugium in sump, Internal Mag 9 return, SC 302 skimmer, two Maxi-Jet 1200's modded, four bulb T5 Lighting, Reefkeeper Lite Controller with three PC4's, Little Fishes GFO reactor.

12/02/2008, 04:19 PM	#11
Chris&Mel Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 597	yes that maybe a way to make it easier for the kids, lol thanks everyone, very helpfull

12/02/2008, 05:54 PM	#12
D_Hood87 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Chesapeake, Virginia Posts: 323	i had the same problem so waht i did was set up smaller tank next to my existing one and plumbed them into the same sump and then added another clown so "alex" didnt get too lonley..it really helped me doing it that way b/c my daughter said she wouldnt talk to me ever again if i gave the clown away.lol now i have two paires of clown's spawning every month or so...my brother raises the fry and we sell them for extra hobby money and all is good __________________ DONALD Current Tank Info: 160gal REBUILD....GOING SPS ALL THE WAY!!!

12/02/2008, 07:08 PM	#13
Boyman Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: New York, New York Posts: 327	I think Carl may need to become Carly

12/02/2008, 07:18 PM	#14
Chris&Mel Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 597	lol, the kids seem to give all the fish Boy names, so I had to take over and name one Soffie, I was tired of the boy names. lol __________________ I let my wife think she is the brains of this operation Current Tank Info: 60 gal ,36" sun dial T-5, super skimmer 220, #2&#3 korilia's, marineland 20gal sump, 80pd's LR, 30 pd's LS

12/02/2008, 09:26 PM	#15
tmz ReefKeeping Mag staff Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: West Seneca NY Posts: 27,691	Amphiprion (clownfish) are damsels,despite the nemo image.. They are very territorial and aggressive particularly toward their own kind. A 60 gallon tank is fine for a pair of the same species. It is best to get two small juveniles. One will dominate and become the female growing more than twice as large as the male. Two females will fight often to the death of one or both. Once an amphiprion becomes a female it can't become a male. A male can become a female. In nature they live in pairs, often with a third( a second male) tolerated but bullied to the periphery of their territory. If one of the pair dies the third comes in as a male either to pair with the female or with the male which will change to a female. However , in a tank three may not work even if 2 of the three are males due to the confining space. __________________ Tom Current Tank Info: Tank of the Month , November 2011 : 600gal integrated system: 3 display tanks (120 g, 90g, 89g),several frag/grow out tanks, macroalgae refugia, cryptic zones. 40+ fish, seahorses, sps,lps,leathers, zoanthidae and non photosynthetic corals.