When the male clownfish won’t submit?

jroger · Jul 10, 2024

Is this normal dominance behavior? I have linked to a video (trimmed from 3 min to 1):
These two clownfish have been fine but recently the clearly bigger one is relentlessly bullying the smaller one. The assumed female is causing trauma to the assumed male (frayed fins, white mouth). Yet the strange part is…the female is always the one submitting/seizing/shaking to the male.
Any tips are appreciated.

(And yes, lots of green hair algae, we are working on that).

littlefoxx · Jul 10, 2024

I have an 11 year old female that shakes at a tiny male (about the size of her fin) and he shakes back at her. Does your other one shake back?

jroger · Jul 10, 2024

littlefoxx said:
I have an 11 year old female that shakes at a tiny male (about the size of her fin) and he shakes back at her. Does your other one shake back?

Not from what I’ve seen. Maybe she’s trying to teach him? Lol

PharmrJohn · Jul 10, 2024

I had a mated pair of O. Clowns in a 10g tank (I know, too small) with some rock. One time (ABC), I looked down in time to see the Female grab the male's tail and DRAG him into the rocks. This was the essence of their relationship.

littlefoxx · Jul 10, 2024

jroger said:
Not from what I’ve seen. Maybe she’s trying to teach him? Lol

Maybe but she did it a few times to him until he seemed to catch on. This is them. Maybe he will start to shake back at her. Usually they shake and then male will flip over and show her his belly to submit.

KrisReef · Jul 10, 2024

PharmrJohn said:
I had a mated pair of O. Clowns in a 10g tank (I know, too small) with some rock. One time (ABC), I looked down in time to see the Female grab the male's tail and DRAG him into the rocks. This was the essence of their relationship.

I have been married for 30+ years. I thought that this was the normal behavior between a man and his wife. Is there another way?