Clownfish Fighting - When to Return One to LFS?

[Byrongw]

Hi all,

When will I know its time to give up on trying to get my clowns (Oscellaris, captive bred) to pair? About 6 weeks ago I got a pair of what seem like grown clownfish from an LFS. They came from a tank of 20+ identical clowns and I don't think they are juveniles, seem pretty well grown. When I got them home they were completely peaceful for about a month. Out of nowhere they started violently fighting. I understand this is normal and I've just left them alone to fight it out.

One is larger, one is smaller, but both seem to want to be dominant. Both will initiate a violent attack, and both exhibit the shimmy shake of submission/aggression at different times, but they will not stop fighting. Both are aggressive, but one is larger and has free roam of the tank while the smaller one is usually forced into a cave in the rockwork most of the time. Now that its been a couple weeks of this they look pretty tattered. Their heads especially are very beat up. Fins seem in tact for the most part. Neither fish locks jaws or anything. I recently tried separating them in a breeder box but no luck, still fighting.

My question is: when do I know its time to throw in the towel and return one to the lfs?

Parameters are good, feeding once per day. 25 Gallon, they are the only stock besides CUC.

 

[Jekyl]

Put the larger in an acclimation box for a couple weeks.

 

[Byrongw]

Put the larger in an acclimation box for a couple weeks.

I did for a couple of days with no luck. Do you think I should keep it in there for a while longer?

 

[Spare time]

PS I would run quality carbon to possibly help remove any stress hormones from the water that they may be producing.

 

[Joe31415]

I kept mine seperated by some egg crate covered in lid netting that I used to divide the tank. I don't remember how long I had it like that, but it was quite a while. A good chunk of their QT was spent like that. Probably at least a month.
Now they're clearly paired, are rarely more than a few inches from each other and have since started laying (and eating) eggs.

 

[Nemo&Friends]

Couples of days is too short.

 

[Byrongw]

Well folks, after a couple of weeks of separation and a couple of days of re-introduction, it looks like they won't stop trying to kill each other. I called the LFS and they advised that they need to be returned and separated. Luckily they offered to just do a straight up trade in for two other clowns of the same species.

 

[Nemo&Friends]

Try to get one bigger than the other, it is easier that way.

 

[Byrongw]

Try to get one bigger than the other, it is easier that way.

That is good advice, and that's what I did the first time. Unfortunately it didn't work out in this situation but a good rule of thumb moving forward no less. Thanks!