Three Way Clown Behavior

[shaneclaussen]

Calling all clown fish experts!

I'd like to understand the behavior my 3 clowns are exhibiting a bit better.

- I had a Misbar B&W Ocellaris and I added 2 Snowflake Clownfish a couple months ago, I don't "think" a female has been established "yet", but...

- A pretty clear pecking order seems to have been established:
(A) large snowflake (likely the female to be)
(B) misbar (clearly the #1 male, similar sized to the large snowflake though, but seems to be submissive to it)
(C) small snowflake (the #2 male, clearly the runt of the crew)

- The large and small snowflakes hang together though, sleep together in a flowerpot, etc

I've read that the #1 male mates with the female, but in my case, the #1 male follows the female around, he is always looking to dominate the #2 male, but the female currently hangs with the #2 male, not the #1. Is that normal?

Another odd behavior - this evening I noticed the most dominant of my three clown fish doing the vertical "shake", a couple times, but only when my hippo tang (tank boss) was around him, or only when he was in the flowerpot with his much smaller snowflake clown. Do tangs do the shake for other more dominant non-clownfish?! Are there other situations where the most dominant clownfish does the "shake"?

Thanks!
Shane

 

[Doctorgori]

I normally avoid discussing any gender combinations or matchmaking odds for any species anymore

But obviously fish of different families understand each other on some level. I know Foxfaces must “speak tang” just based on how much they interact with them.
I have witness that aggression “shake” so to speak, not in clowns tho and I never equated it to anything...
following just to read the replies

 

[ShrimpBandit]

I inherited a tank a with four clowns and am also curious about their behavior.

There is a cinnamon clown, who is the largest/dominant, but also kind of a loner. There are two orange clowns, one big, one small, and a maroon who is sized right in between.

At first, everyone but the cinnamon would group together, but lately the larger orange and the maroon seem paired, and the maroon is definitely showing some dominance over the little guy in the tank.

What seems strange to me is that the little guy will then take cover behind the cinnamon, who almost acts like it's defending the runt from the maroon bully... but maybe it's just the cinnamon being more aggressive, and has nothing to do with the runt.

I'm working on a larger build and hoping that a little more space can diffuse tension, but wondering if others have had success with mixing percula and tomato types of clown..?

 

[shaneclaussen]

I inherited a tank a with four clowns and am also curious about their behavior.

There is a cinnamon clown, who is the largest/dominant, but also kind of a loner. There are two orange clowns, one big, one small, and a maroon who is sized right in between.

At first, everyone but the cinnamon would group together, but lately the larger orange and the maroon seem paired, and the maroon is definitely showing some dominance over the little guy in the tank.

What seems strange to me is that the little guy will then take cover behind the cinnamon, who almost acts like it's defending the runt from the maroon bully... but maybe it's just the cinnamon being more aggressive, and has nothing to do with the runt.

I'm working on a larger build and hoping that a little more space can diffuse tension, but wondering if others have had success with mixing percula and tomato types of clown..?

I have a 127G and my B&W clown still stays close to my bonded snowflake pair (I'ved moved their flower pot around the tank several times and the B&W clown always comes with), so I am not sure about how tanks space comes into play. That said, an older pair of clowns I had kept their distance from my B&W, so who knows.

I re-read a good article this morning on the topic to refresh my memory that continues to indicate what I'm currently seeing may be a bit odd (but that's still not crystal clear), but it may give you a few hints:

How to Breed Clownfish – Clownfish Breeding Guide

How to Breed Clownfish - This comprehensive guide fills you in on everything you need to get your clownfish breeding! You can breed clownfish at home.

www.ocellarisclownfish.com

 

[shaneclaussen]

But obviously fish of different families understand each other on some level. I know Foxfaces must “speak tang” just based on how much they interact with them.

Yea, I watched for quite a while and I really do think my most dominant clown was being submissive to the king of my tank (my hippo tang). Hopefully others can confirm this behavior. I'm going to do a bit more searching as well, but it does make logical sense given the amount of interaction these guys have together.