Aggressive clown - what fish can I get??

[dsayo]

Hi I got a pretty aggressive clown (but hear this is common) what fish would pair best with it without getting harassed by the clown?
I had a pair, and it got tortured by the other one and died.

Got a evo 13.5 with mainly soft corals (zoas, Duncan, hammers).

thanks!

 

[Idoc]

Aggressive fish in small tanks are tough... they tend to declare the whole tank their property!

Other damsels can hold their own, as well as a psuedochromis, royal gramma, another Clown (smaller in size than the current Clown)... even a Blenny would probably work.

 

[Rams]

Hi I got a pretty aggressive clown (but hear this is common) what fish would pair best with it without getting harassed by the clown?
I had a pair, and it got tortured by the other one and died.

Got a evo 13.5 with mainly soft corals (zoas, Duncan, hammers).

thanks!

Better leave the pair alone

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

I have an aggressive clown in a 14 gallon IM. She kills everything I try to put in with her, except for the goby she started with.

 

[Insanereefs]

Usually pairing it wit a smaller clown helps I have a Wyoming white clown and a snowflake clown but the smaller one (Wyoming white) is the more aggressive one and puts the bigger one in check haha hope you find the right match best of luck!

 

[Uncle99]

Some species like Maroons for example can be rough.
Occs, usually quite tame.
Royal Gramma would be a great addition IMM.
Any fish that go into my DT and act like a total bully, are taken back to the store.

 

[dsayo]

Better leave the pair alone

I had a pair and the bigger one harassed it to death

 

[dsayo]

Usually pairing it wit a smaller clown helps I have a Wyoming white clown and a snowflake clown but the smaller one (Wyoming white) is the more aggressive one and puts the bigger one in check haha hope you find the right match best of luck!

would putting another clown in after the fact be a good idea?

 

[Azedenkae]

would putting another clown in after the fact be a good idea?

Just straight in, imo no. Some clown individuals seem to just be aggression embodied, and you might just end up with another dead clown, no matter how small the second one is. Which begs the question of, what sizes were/are your two clowns?

One thing you can always do with a newcomer is have a breeder box and chuck your current clown in there, and let the newcomer take to the tank and make sure your current clown is used to it, before letting your current clown back out. Why this way and not the reverse? Apparently people have more success this way.

 

[dsayo]

Just straight in, imo no. Some clown individuals seem to just be aggression embodied, and you might just end up with another dead clown, no matter how small the second one is. Which begs the question of, what sizes were/are your two clowns?

One thing you can always do with a newcomer is have a breeder box and chuck your current clown in there, and let the newcomer take to the tank and make sure your current clown is used to it, before letting your current clown back out. Why this way and not the reverse? Apparently people have more success this way.

That’s a good tip. I wanted a pair to work but didn’t have the best of luck. Maybe I’ll try that. I also heard rescaping slightly also can help. Here’s the sizes originally.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have an aggressive clown in a 14 gallon IM. She kills everything I try to put in with her, except for the goby she started with.

Female clownfish are much more dominant than their male counterparts. They greedily try to eat most of the food that gets into the tank (which is one reason the males don't grow as large). They will often aggressively protect their "home", whether that be an anemone, a nesting site, a clay pot or the entire fish tank. If it attacks your hand when you're trying to clean the glass or it won't let any other fish near its spot, you most likely have a female clownfish.
This is how the social hierarchy works for clownfish: There is one dominant female clownfish, partnered with a male, who is the next most dominant fish. The female is larger (often much larger) than the male. Next are non-mating males and juveniles. They are usually smaller still than the dominant male. If the male mate were to die, the next dominant male would become the mate (if the female accepts him). If the female were to die, then the dominant male would change to female and the next male in line would become the mate.
When an Ocellaris Clownfish submits to the dominant female it is quite a site. The fish will actually turn on its side and shake, almost like a spasm. The female will then usually relent, but will often check back to make sure the male stays in line, so to speak. Once the male submits, they can become a pair, but they do not always become a pair.
Just because the pair are bonded does not always mean they will mate. A mated pair of clownfish are just that - a bonded pair that have mated.

 

[dsayo]

Female clownfish are much more dominant than their male counterparts. They greedily try to eat most of the food that gets into the tank (which is one reason the males don't grow as large). They will often aggressively protect their "home", whether that be an anemone, a nesting site, a clay pot or the entire fish tank. If it attacks your hand when you're trying to clean the glass or it won't let any other fish near its spot, you most likely have a female clownfish.
This is how the social hierarchy works for clownfish: There is one dominant female clownfish, partnered with a male, who is the next most dominant fish. The female is larger (often much larger) than the male. Next are non-mating males and juveniles. They are usually smaller still than the dominant male. If the male mate were to die, the next dominant male would become the mate (if the female accepts him). If the female were to die, then the dominant male would change to female and the next male in line would become the mate.
When an Ocellaris Clownfish submits to the dominant female it is quite a site. The fish will actually turn on its side and shake, almost like a spasm. The female will then usually relent, but will often check back to make sure the male stays in line, so to speak. Once the male submits, they can become a pair, but they do not always become a pair.
Just because the pair are bonded does not always mean they will mate. A mated pair of clownfish are just that - a bonded pair that have mated.

Thanks for the information. So interesting. When I had both of them I did see the spasm action, but I guess he still wasn’t good enough for her. And yes she does attack me profusely everytime I put my hand in the tank. Sigh, I guess It’ll be a single-clown tank until she lives out her life

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have an aggressive clown in a 14 gallon IM. She kills everything I try to put in with her, except for the goby she started with.

Isolate the aggressive one for two weeks allowing other fish to take the run of the tank and establish itself.
Acclimation boxes work well for this.

 

[Uncle99]

would putting another clown in after the fact be a good idea?

It’s a reasonable gamble IMM provided much smaller and same species and colour pattern.

The other option is to return him and add an existing pair.

Did have one of those attackers, attacked everything that moved. Then attacked others when added. He was returned to the LFS.

Bullies just become problematic for the future inhabitants.

 

[dsayo]

Isolate the aggressive one for two weeks allowing other fish to take the run of the tank and establish itself.
Acclimation boxes work well for this.

Good idea. However such a pain in the butt to catch. Especially the small tank and corals everywhere.

 

[Azedenkae]

That’s a good tip. I wanted a pair to work but didn’t have the best of luck. Maybe I’ll try that. I also heard rescaping slightly also can help. Here’s the sizes originally.

Yeah that's tiny. I was wondering if it was female vs. female aggression, but at that size nah. Would just be an individual that is super aggressive.

There is another possibility if you want to try it... put in a much larger female instead. The general suggestions here is to get a clown smaller than what you currently have, but well, how much smaller can you get lol. So yeah, the reverse might work.

 

[dsayo]

It’s a reasonable gamble IMM provided much smaller and same species and colour pattern.

The other option is to return him and add an existing pair.

Did have one of those attackers, attacked everything that moved. Then attacked others when added. He was returned to the LFS.

Bullies just become problematic for the future inhabitants.

I’ve heard ppl saying return to lfs. Is this a common practice. I feel the fish store wouldn’t want something from a unknown tank.

 

[dsayo]

Yeah that's tiny. I was wondering if it was female vs. female aggression, but at that size nah. Would just be an individual that is super aggressive.

There is another possibility if you want to try it... put in a much larger female instead. The general suggestions here is to get a clown smaller than what you currently have, but well, how much smaller can you get lol. So yeah, the reverse might work.

What’s odd to me is they were in the same tank. But I guess once u pluck them from a large tank and into a small one, they become territorial.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I’ve heard ppl saying return to lfs. Is this a common practice. I feel the fish store wouldn’t want something from a unknown tank.

Adding another clown is likely a disaster. A larger one would be a war waiting to happen as one will want to be dominant.

 

[Azedenkae]

What’s odd to me is they were in the same tank. But I guess once u pluck them from a large tank and into a small one, they become territorial.

Yep, if you think about it sometimes there are 10 clowns in a tank at the LFS. The constant influx and efflux of individuals help, so is the tank size, etc. Otherwise it would always be the case that it'd be a bloodbath. Once you get them into your tank they'll start to feel comfortable and yeah. War.