2 Pajamas in a 30 not working? Do I need another?

[Mbrklynb]

So I’m experiencing some aggression from one of the two new cardinals I purchased. They look to be male and female from the jaw section so I don’t think it’s two males.. the male is the aggressive one and will assert its dominance over the female and will usually not allow her to be in his same space.
I currently only have a FP clown in the tank with them. Plenty of places to hide and great water quality/flow.. they’ve been in the tank about a week now but this seems to be gradually getting worse.
Are there any tips someone could share on what to do in this situation?

 

[Anchor]

What size is this tank and how large are the fish?

 

[Mbrklynb]

What size is this tank and how large are the fish?

It’s a 30 gallon and they’re about an inch and a half, male being a few centimeters bigger. There’s plenty of space for them to stay away from each other which they usually do now, but it’s when she goes up next to him that the aggression really starts.

 

[Zionas]

According to Bob Fenner from Wet Web Media, it’s best to add PJs in trios, and for all of them to be juveniles, relatively small around the same size. That’s my plan for my tank, at least. I am sure there are other people who’ve added more than 3 at a time and managed to have all of them live. @Lasse is quite experienced with these fish, it would be great for him to answer this thread. Good luck.

Other than that I’ve heard PJs are mostly peaceful towards each other and towards other fish. Not sure if a trio is enough for them to school, but I’ve read people who’ve seen their trio of PJs hang out by themselves during the day but stick a bit more tightly with each other at night. Maybe I’ll see this because I’ve got a Marine Betta as part of my stocking plan.

 

[Mbrklynb]

According to Bob Fenner from Wet Web Media, it’s best to add PJs in trios, and for all of them to be juveniles, relatively small around the same size. That’s my plan for my tank, at least. I am sure there are other people who’ve added more than 3 at a time and managed to have all of them live. @Lasse is quite experienced with these fish, it would be great for him to answer this thread. Good luck.

Other than that I’ve heard PJs are mostly peaceful towards each other and towards other fish. Not sure if a trio is enough for them to school, but I’ve read people who’ve seen their trio of PJs hang out by themselves during the day but stick a bit more tightly with each other at night. Maybe I’ll see this because I’ve got a Marine Betta as part of my stocking plan.

Thanks for the reply, I’m just wondering if adding a third one would work at this point or not, maybe they’re still new enough in the tank to where it’ll work. I’ve also heard adding more fish in general helps with aggression, they might just be too hyper focused on each other.