New clown pair

[Defff21]

Yesterday I purchased my first 2 fish, 2 common clowns for my new tank.. I asked the man for 1 small and 1 medium but he said it won't matter 2 small will do and nature will take its course.. But one of the clowns will not leave the other alone, even on the way home from lfs I noticed its fins where all nipped and its literally only the 1 that won't leave the other alone .. How long will it take for them to pair?.. They came from the same tank originally anyway

 

[AndyinAtlanta]

I'd definitely keep a close eye on them. Mine bickered for the first week with the larger of the two being the aggressor. It eased up in the second week and now the bickering is very minimal. Still, if one is legitimately injuring the other one I'd take that one back. One is establishing dominance over the other, which is completely normal, but if its causing injury that would concern me.

 

[DeniseAndy]

How large is the tank? The clowns need time to decide who will be dominant. This takes lots of battling. Rarely do they kill at such a juvenile stage. Keep an eye on it. Should subside in time. Also, a tank with many hiding spots will help the less dominant get some time to rest. On the way home in one bag would have caused issues. Too small area.

 

[Defff21]

How large is the tank? The clowns need time to decide who will be dominant. This takes lots of battling. Rarely do they kill at such a juvenile stage. Keep an eye on it. Should subside in time. Also, a tank with many hiding spots will help the less dominant get some time to rest. On the way home in one bag would have caused issues. Too small area.

Yep he had them in the same bag I think that was the problem.. it's a 52 litre nano tank il keep an eye on them thanks guys

 

[Brandon Smith]

Seems like there is good advice already. For future dealings with the LFS, don't always go by what they say. They aren't always correct. The employees was correct about the two clowns working it out, but at what cost? If you wanted a small and a medium one, I don't see what the issue was there. Also, they should have never been in the same bag together. They aren't guppies lol. And always if you have questions, I would highly recommend asking here first. There are so many Breeders here that deal with specific species and so on.

 

[Uncle99]

If by small, meaning under an “inch”, any two will be fine.
Just watch right now. Give some time for which ones boss.
Separate for 48 hours if aggression is constant and unrelenting.
If it’s just scwabbles let them be.