clownfish aggression towards damsel

[Leemus]

hello everybody, I just bought a blue sapphire, damsel fish, and one of my clowns are being very aggressive towards it. What should I do? Do I put the Clownfish in a little breeder box I have do I put the damsel fish in the breeder box or do I just leave it?
I have a 40 gallon tank

 

[TX_REEF]

This is normal. Clowns are in fact a member of the damsel fish family, so they may view other damsels as a threat to their territory. As long as the clown is not actively chasing the damsel constantly, I'd leave them be. "regular" damsels are quite a bit more agile than clowns and can generally escape aggression, and clowns will generally only "attack" to defend the area they have claimed as their own.

 

[Leemus]

This is normal. Clowns are in fact a member of the damsel fish family, so they may view other damsels as a threat to their territory. As long as the clown is not actively chasing the damsel constantly, I'd leave them be. "regular" damsels are quite a bit more agile than clowns and can generally escape aggression, and clowns will generally only "attack" to defend the area they have claimed as their own.

The damsel has been in the tank for around two hours now and in the last I’d say 15 minutes every time the more aggressive clown damsel he chases him, but for the first hour and a half they were fine

 

[TX_REEF]

The damsel has been in the tank for around two hours now and in the last I’d say 15 minutes every time the more aggressive clown damsel he chases him, but for the first hour and a half they were fine

The most likely scenario is that the new damsel will learn to steer clear of the clowns - I'd give it time

 

[Leemus]

The most likely scenario is that the new damsel will learn to steer clear of the clowns - I'd give it time

i’ll keep an eye on them, but if this keeps happening, what should I do to take care of it?

 

[Leemus]

i’ll keep an eye on them, but if this keeps happening, what should I do to take care of it?

The damsel seems to be breathing heavy

 

[TX_REEF]

do you have sufficient rockwork with plenty of fully concealed hiding places? If not, I'd look into getting that sorted ASAP as hiding places will reduce potential aggression. If all else fails, and returning the new damsel is out of the question, you'll want to put the aggressive fish in a breeder box for a week or so. I had this situation occur when I added my yellow tang - my coral beauty was intent on murdering him. Coral beauty needed a 10-day timeout to calm down and accept his new neighbor.

 

[Leemus]

do you have sufficient rockwork with plenty of fully concealed hiding places? If not, I'd look into getting that sorted ASAP as hiding places will reduce potential aggression. If all else fails, and returning the new damsel is out of the question, you'll want to put the aggressive fish in a breeder box for a week or so. I had this situation occur when I added my yellow tang - my coral beauty was intent on murdering him. Coral beauty needed a 10-day timeout to calm down and accept his new neighbor.

yeah, I definitely have sufficient rock work for the damsel to hide. I’ll leave them out for another day or two and if it keeps happening, I’ll put the aggressive clown in the timeout box. Thank you for all the help.

 

[vetteguy53081]

hello everybody, I just bought a blue sapphire, damsel fish, and one of my clowns are being very aggressive towards it. What should I do? Do I put the Clownfish in a little breeder box I have do I put the damsel fish in the breeder box or do I just leave it?
I have a 40 gallon tank

Not abnormal and they are Very territorial which is a factor. You may have to isolate the clown for a week or so, but at same token, the damsel can then become territorial.

 

[Leemus]

Not abnormal and they are Very territorial which is a factor. You may have to isolate the clown for a week or so, but at same token, the damsel can then become territorial.

yeah, he has calmed down a little bit since I first posted, but if it keeps going, I will put him in timeout

 

[PharmrJohn]

Once they define some equitable definition of territory, things will mellow. In my old 90, my maroon had one side and the 4 Damsels I had claimed the other. Of course, the both strayed, but on the average everything worked out.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Hopefully those were your last fish additions to the tank. With those clowns and damsels, I doubt they will be welcoming to any new fish.