Aggressive clownfish....HELP!!

adnup · 05/04/2006, 11:42 AM

Ok...we bought a small blue regal tang and had him in quarantine for 4 weeks and added him to the main display tank last night. All was going well, he was eating, none of the other fish were bothering him (we have a yellow tang, a flame angel, a six-line wrasse, a royal gramma, 2 dartfish , 2 Ocellaris clowns and now the regal tang). A little while ago the larger of the 2 clowns started bothering him and he kept it up and kept it up until he was really getting aggressive to the point of taking chunks out of the tang's sides!! Ive never seen him get that aggressive before when we have added fish. I had a small plastic animal carrier with the top that snaps on with holes all over it, so I captured the clown and have him submerged in the tank in the carrier. The tang is now coming out and picking at the seaweed and no one else is bothering him. I know how easily these guys get ick and now with chunks taken out of his sides Im afraid he will get sick, But mostly Im afraid that when I let the clown out he will just go right back at him and kill him. Does anyone have any thoughts on what I should do and also how long can I leave the clown in the plastic carrier in the tank? He does have room to swim around in there and there is plenty of water movement also. Also the smaller of the clowns seems to be leaving the tang alone. Hopefully someone will be able to give me advice as to what I should do...thanks!

ACBlinky · 05/04/2006, 11:44 AM

Your 'he' is a she; if you've got a pair of clowns, one larger than the other, it sounds like you have a pair. What she's doing sounds like normal clown behaviour, she's protecting her territory from what she views as an intruder. Rearranging the rockwork may help, that way everyone will have to establish a new territory at the same time.

adnup · 05/04/2006, 01:01 PM

bump

adnup · 05/04/2006, 02:40 PM

I dont really want to move the rock. Someone told me once to put some foot long pieces of PVC in the sand to act like rearranging the rock.
Any thoughts?

adnup · 05/05/2006, 07:29 AM

Anyone?

I bought a BTA to maybe keep her busy for awhile....

ACBlinky · 05/05/2006, 10:07 AM

Check out the clownfish and anemone forum for more info. Getting her a nem will probably make her MORE agressive. Clowns are agressive; you can't change their nature. I had to remove my saddlebacks from my 65g and give them a tank of their own, they had become so territorial they were killing off their tankmates one by one.

adnup · 05/06/2006, 10:52 AM

Wel I had her in the critter keeper for 2 days just let her out and she went right after the poor regal. It looks like my flame angel is protecting the regal. I think the regal has learned to hide WELL into the rock work. We'll see.....

andiruleu · 05/06/2006, 11:52 AM

yeh i had like 5 damsels... and i think all of them died because of my tomato clownfish!! i have a tomato and a true percula.. i was thinking of getting an anemone... but would i have to get 2?

yoboyjdizz · 05/06/2006, 12:49 PM

ocellaris are aggresive defending their territory but usually they don't stray to far and wouldnt think they could do that much damage..usually their the peacefull ones. my tiny blue tang gets along with my pair and swims with them from time to time.. might just have one angry clown.. i would try to seprate the clown from the tang until it gets settle in. The blue tang will grow quickly and soon the clown will be no match!

05/04/2006, 11:42 AM	#1
adnup Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Spring Hill, Florida Posts: 2,025	Aggressive clownfish....HELP!! Ok...we bought a small blue regal tang and had him in quarantine for 4 weeks and added him to the main display tank last night. All was going well, he was eating, none of the other fish were bothering him (we have a yellow tang, a flame angel, a six-line wrasse, a royal gramma, 2 dartfish , 2 Ocellaris clowns and now the regal tang). A little while ago the larger of the 2 clowns started bothering him and he kept it up and kept it up until he was really getting aggressive to the point of taking chunks out of the tang's sides!! Ive never seen him get that aggressive before when we have added fish. I had a small plastic animal carrier with the top that snaps on with holes all over it, so I captured the clown and have him submerged in the tank in the carrier. The tang is now coming out and picking at the seaweed and no one else is bothering him. I know how easily these guys get ick and now with chunks taken out of his sides Im afraid he will get sick, But mostly Im afraid that when I let the clown out he will just go right back at him and kill him. Does anyone have any thoughts on what I should do and also how long can I leave the clown in the plastic carrier in the tank? He does have room to swim around in there and there is plenty of water movement also. Also the smaller of the clowns seems to be leaving the tang alone. Hopefully someone will be able to give me advice as to what I should do...thanks!

05/04/2006, 11:44 AM	#2
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	Your 'he' is a she; if you've got a pair of clowns, one larger than the other, it sounds like you have a pair. What she's doing sounds like normal clown behaviour, she's protecting her territory from what she views as an intruder. Rearranging the rockwork may help, that way everyone will have to establish a new territory at the same time. __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

05/04/2006, 02:40 PM	#4
adnup Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Spring Hill, Florida Posts: 2,025	I dont really want to move the rock. Someone told me once to put some foot long pieces of PVC in the sand to act like rearranging the rock. Any thoughts? __________________ A HOUSE isn't a HOME without saltwater on the floor! Current Tank Info: 120 Starphire, I-Tech 200 Skimmer, Snapper, Tunze

05/05/2006, 07:29 AM	#5
adnup Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Spring Hill, Florida Posts: 2,025	Anyone? I bought a BTA to maybe keep her busy for awhile.... __________________ A HOUSE isn't a HOME without saltwater on the floor! Current Tank Info: 120 Starphire, I-Tech 200 Skimmer, Snapper, Tunze

05/05/2006, 10:07 AM	#6
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	Check out the clownfish and anemone forum for more info. Getting her a nem will probably make her MORE agressive. Clowns are agressive; you can't change their nature. I had to remove my saddlebacks from my 65g and give them a tank of their own, they had become so territorial they were killing off their tankmates one by one. __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

05/04/2006, 01:01 PM	#3
adnup Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Spring Hill, Florida Posts: 2,025	bump

05/06/2006, 10:52 AM	#7
adnup Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Spring Hill, Florida Posts: 2,025	Wel I had her in the critter keeper for 2 days just let her out and she went right after the poor regal. It looks like my flame angel is protecting the regal. I think the regal has learned to hide WELL into the rock work. We'll see..... __________________ A HOUSE isn't a HOME without saltwater on the floor! Current Tank Info: 120 Starphire, I-Tech 200 Skimmer, Snapper, Tunze

05/06/2006, 11:52 AM	#8
andiruleu Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 631	yeh i had like 5 damsels... and i think all of them died because of my tomato clownfish!! i have a tomato and a true percula.. i was thinking of getting an anemone... but would i have to get 2?

05/06/2006, 12:49 PM	#9
yoboyjdizz Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Elk Grove, CA Posts: 3,137	ocellaris are aggresive defending their territory but usually they don't stray to far and wouldnt think they could do that much damage..usually their the peacefull ones. my tiny blue tang gets along with my pair and swims with them from time to time.. might just have one angry clown.. i would try to seprate the clown from the tang until it gets settle in. The blue tang will grow quickly and soon the clown will be no match!