Aggressive clown

[mw1396]

Hi all, this is my first fish tank. I have 2 small clowns very small. They have settled in very well and got through the cycle stage fine eating fine and looking healthy, although one is being very aggressive at the moment and I watched it take a big nip out of the ones anal fin the other day and is constantly taking nips at the other. Is there anything you would do to treat this?or just good food and time will heal it? Thanks in advance

 

[725196]

When you say they are very small, how small is that. And what kind of clownfish are they.
Once they start to reach sexual maturity then dominance becomes a factor. The most dominant, usually the largest, will become the mating female and the next in line the mating male. (Any others will have a pecking order of sorts as they wait their turn to be in the number 1&2 slots).

that being said you say they are very small so it could just be aggression. Tell us a bit about your tank and what’s in it too.

 

[mw1396]

It’s a Fluval evo 52L they are very small, my thinking was it is the whole sexing process making the one particularly aggressive towards the other.

I’ve added a tail spot blenny the last few days too and they have shown no interest or aggression towards him.

You might be able to tell on the one at the back of the picture where the anal fin has been pecked out. I’ve been keeping my eye on it and it doesn’t seem to be getting worse I was just hoping for any tips to help it that’s all.

 

[Dkmoo]

Is the smaller one doing the submission dance? When they are in an environment when only the 2 of them instead of a large group in the LFS, I feel like they start sexing very fast and become mating pairs. So, I think they are just trying to figure out who's the boy who's the girl.

If one noticeably bigger than the other? If so then this process will be quick. If they are similar size it will be difficult and there will be a lot of fights until the "eventual girl" beats the "eventual guy" into submission. Worst case scenario you have two exact same size they'll fight to the death, then you can buy another one thats much smaller than the "victor", then the new pair will be quicker to settle into their sexes

Don't trust Pixar, nemos are ruthless jerks

 

[mw1396]

They seemed to calm down abit since this post but again in the last few days I’ve noticed it’s probably worse than ever. It seems to really affect the smaller one now, can barely get to the food and the fin that was beginning to heal seems to have slowed down healing. The smaller clown looks to hide in the top corners of the tank a lot of the time. Is there anything I can do? Mainly just want to try and get its fin healed without the threat of being attacked again and again

 

[N1tew0lf1212]

I would say give it time or if you are honestly concerned maybe put in an isolation box in the tank the aggressor. Sometimes a time out helps so to speak. But i would agree everyone above. I am pretty sure they are sorting out who is who in the tank and establishing male female roles. Typically the bigger female will show this aggression until pairing is complete. Best of luck. My two did the same then leveled out some days good some days bad but patience is the key....

 

[mw1396]

Things have gotten worse now, the smaller one has stopped eating in the last day because others chased every time it tries to eat. It’s fin that was nipped at was healing but seems to be getting worse again. I decided to isolate the injured fish and it seemed to be abit more relaxed. But this morning I’ve woke up and he’s sat at the bottom of the isolation box still not eating and breathing quite heavy. I’ve ordered some meds for his fins but at this stage I’d be surprised if he makes it. Other clown is absolutely fine not a mark on any fin and eating like a champ. Also have a tail spot blenny that is also really healthy. Tested water and checked for any signs of disease but everything seems fine, I just suppose this little guy has been beaten to death.

 

[blaxsun]

There's probably not a lot more you can go for him at this stage, other than continue trying to feed him and avoid any additional stress.

 

[mw1396]

Unfortunately the fish passed yesterday before I could get the meds. I’ve tested the water again all seems good the remaining clown and blenny in the tank are fine and not aggressive toward each other. Im just thinking now do I get a smaller clown to pair with this one? Or get one slightly bigger? Im not sure if anyone could help
Thanks

 

[James5214]

It's all a toss up from here. If you want to try again get a smaller one since the one you have has most likely turned into the dominant female.amd she considers it her tank. But it's not guaranteed if you get another clown that they will pair and become non aggressive you could possibly run into the same issue again. If you really want to make sure this doesn't happen you may want to look into clowns that are already paired. Best of luck