sudden clown conflict

Reef_Obsessed · Jan 6, 2015

I don't get it...I have a 'bonded' pair of chocolate clowns that have been together for a very long time....at least 1 1/2 years in my tank, bought from the same LFS from the same tank and everything was great. They would swim side by side, sleep in the same areas together and all of a sudden....I was feeding mysis one day and the female (I assume because bigger) clamped down on the male's tail fin and the male clamped onto the females side fin and when I say clamped, I mean the female left a mark on the males tail. Ever since then, the female has been pushing the male around and he has been hiding under a leather coral. This has been going on for some time now...any clues as to why the sudden conflict??

Yami Balayo · Jan 7, 2015

clowns are supposed to change sex as they grow ... maybe, the male is starting to grow bigger and showing signs of changing into a female. that can cause a problem. just my 1 cent worth of opinion

Tahoe61 · Jan 7, 2015

It's normal clown behavior, female re-establishing her dominance. My female used to do the same thing to the male clown, granted it happened once or twice a year. My female used to swim around the tank with the male clamped by the tail and then the body slam to the sand bed.