Weird clown fish behaviour

[sp314]

Hi there. So I have a Fluval evo 13.5 setup and have a 2 clowns and a royal gramma. The clowns do this weird twitching thing. The female with come up to the male and try to show Dominance but as soon as she touches the male he does this weird twitch thing. It lasts like 3-5 seconds then they are back to normal. The female has done it once before too. Does anyone know what this might be ?

 

[sp314]

Here is the video

 

[blecki]

That's the male agreeing that she is very pretty and he would like to be dominated by her.

 

[CO2TLEY]

That's the male agreeing that she is very pretty and he would like to be dominated by her.

Agree with this lol

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Hi there. So I have a Fluval evo 13.5 setup and have a 2 clowns and a royal gramma. The clowns do this weird twitching thing. The female with come up to the male and try to show Dominance but as soon as she touches the male he does this weird twitch thing. It lasts like 3-5 seconds then they are back to normal. The female has done it once before too. Does anyone know what this might be ?

Perfectly normal

 

[sp314]

Okay. Thank you. @blecki @CO2TLEY @EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal

 

[themcnertney]

No worries, all is good. Enjoy the weird dance they do, its neat.

 

[jmoney7]

Mine used to do it a lot too very normal.

 

[salty joe]

Mystery Dance.

 

[sp314]

UPDATE:

Tank Fluval Evo 13.5
Light Stock evo light (upgrading this week. Not sure what to get Ai or radion)
Power head Nero 3

Ph. 8.0 api
Nitrite 0.0 api
Nitrate 5.0ppm Salifert
Ammonia 0-0.25 api
Calcium 475 Salifert
Alk 12.8 Salifert
Mag 1305ppm Salifert
Phosphate 0.25ppm Salifert
Salinity 1.024

Hi everyone. So last Wednesday I noticed my clowns acting weird. The male and female were doing this “dance” as I was told by other forum members. Recently I’ve been watching them more and more when I get home from work and they start fighting when the light comes on. The female is showing her dominance by doing the usual slight aggressive bumps and pushes but the male is almost like fighting back. He opens his mouth up to and goes back at her right as she goes at him.

These clowns weren’t paired when I got them but they came from the same batch my lfs got in. I choose the biggest one in the group obviously the female and the next closes fish that was “following” her and was well enough smaller to try and cut back on the aggression in hopes they would already know there roles and not have to be as aggressive towards one and other.

I’m not sure if this is normal or not cause these are my first clowns that weren’t paired together.

Here’s a perfect video of it. The fight then both twitch. I would appreciate some other peoples opinions on this. Thank you.

 

[sp314]

Here’s the video as well incase the imbedded video doesn’t work.

 

[salty joe]

I wonder if both have already transitioned to female. It looks like they both are vying for dominance. Just guessing. Or maybe both are still males and it will get sorted out.

 

[sp314]

I wonder if both have already transitioned to female. It looks like they both are vying for dominance. Just guessing. Or maybe both are still males and it will get sorted out.

That’s what I’m starting to think as well. I’ve had them for about a 2 months now and in the beginning they had a normal relationship now it’s weird. Thanks for the comment

 

[littlefoxx]

I cant see the video. But are they close in size and how big are they?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Here’s the video as well incase the imbedded video doesn’t work.

This is clown hierarchy where the female clownfish are much more dominant than the males. They become greedy and try to eat most of the food often why the males don't grow as big, they often protect their zone, an anemone, a nesting site, and even the entire tank. If it attacks your hand when you're trying to clean the glass or it won't let any other fish near its spot, you most likely have an aggressive female clownfish. Often if you separate the female for a week or two into an acclimation box or sump, there may be a change in her behavior, and you will quickly see the male come out in the open.

 

[JayM]

Clownfish acting weird is normal.
Clownfish acting normal is weird.

 

[sp314]

This is clown hierarchy where the female clownfish are much more dominant than the males. They become greedy and try to eat most of the food often why the males don't grow as big, they often protect their zone, an anemone, a nesting site, and even the entire tank. If it attacks your hand when you're trying to clean the glass or it won't let any other fish near its spot, you most likely have an aggressive female clownfish. Often if you separate the female for a week or two into an acclimation box or sump, there may be a change in her behavior, and you will quickly see the male come out in the open.

Okay.

This is clown hierarchy where the female clownfish are much more dominant than the males. They become greedy and try to eat most of the food often why the males don't grow as big, they often protect their zone, an anemone, a nesting site, and even the entire tank. If it attacks your hand when you're trying to clean the glass or it won't let any other fish near its spot, you most likely have an aggressive female clownfish. Often if you separate the female for a week or two into an acclimation box or sump, there may be a change in her behavior, and you will quickly see the male come out in the open.

okay. Thank you. I’ll keep and eye on it for a bit longer and if it doesn’t change I’ll move her to a breeder box.

 

[sp314]

I cant see the video. But are they close in size and how big are they?

They are about 2.25” and 1.5”

 

[littlefoxx]

They are about 2.25” and 1.5”

Oh interesting

 

[blecki]

Looks like normal pairing behavior to me. The slightly larger one is most likely to become the female. The safety of the other is not guaranteed - they don't always like the one you try and force upon them. Female clowns are perfectly willing to kill a potential mate even when there isn't a replacement around.