MORE CLOWN FISH TROUBLES!! Help!

[jtlong]

Ok, so my tank is 3weeks old it has cycled and I bought two Ossys one black and one orange. The larger one is the lack one and she is almost 2” long. Anyhow I have a 13.5 gal evo.

long story short the black past really went after the other past. To the point of not eating and hiding behind the pump discharge. I found him dead after 4 days.
I finally got another ossy, this time a bit larger and he seems to have submitted however my black ossy is being relentless and he has found the same corner as the previous one And stopped eating two days ago.
After doing a lot of reading I decided to get one of those breeders boxes with the net to give the new guy a break.

Do any of you think that I did the right thing?
How long should I leave her in the box?’
Thank you!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Moving this to the main forum since it is not an experiment.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I think that adding more rock and hiding spaces will be a good start, your tank is almost empty.

Personally I like to get juvenile clownfish, then let them decide who will be male or female. When adding a clownfish 2" size, you don't know if its male or female. If 2 females they will usually fight. The best is to get one that is much smaller than the larger (the larger is female, the smaller one is male)

The acclimation box is a good idea for now, not sure if it will help or not in the end, but I do wish you good luck.

 

[jtlong]

I agree, the tank is lacking, but there is not much space to begin with. The new occy (orange one) is a bit smaller and has shown to be submissive. Over the last 12 hours since they have been separated he has roamed the tank but has not eaten. I literally have put food in-front of his face! I really don’t know where to go from here, other than get some more live rock……any suggestions?

 

[Stephen Glover]

What’s your ammonia and nitrite levels? 3 weeks is too short IMO to start adding fish to a brand new aquarium.

 

[Cell]

What’s your ammonia and nitrite levels? 3 weeks is too short IMO to start adding fish to a brand new aquarium.

Bottled bac or live rock allows almost immediate stocking of fish.

 

[Stephen Glover]

Bottled bac or live rock allows almost immediate stocking of fish.

If it’s done correctly by an experienced aquarist, I agree. Not enough information here to make that assessment,

 

[jtlong]

I used turbo start and seed and live rock to start things going. I had a nitrite spike and a bacteria bloom already. The nitrite levels are now in check as well as nitrate.

 

[jtlong]

I did both. Either way the issue here is not ammonia. The black occy eats like a pig.