Breeding Clown Pair Aggression

[afm32607]

At the moment I don't think I need to do anything. However, I have a pair of Occ. clowns that have set up in the center of my reef tank and commandeered a rock there for their eggs. They have become extremely aggressive over their territory when they have eggs there. So much so that the male has a decent gash over his eye and my Kole Tang has a bite taken out of its side.


No one is permanently damaged yet. The clowns have laid only a handful of egg clutches over the past few months. They ignore my hand and so far my mandarin dragonette entirely and in fairness the stupid tang does swim right through the clown pair.

I don't know if I should just remove them and sell them or swap them out with the younger pair in my 'nem tank.

My question is should I do anything or should I just let it go and hope that as they age hope they mellow a bit?

Would it help if I got them something to host and put it in the corner, I cannot move the rock they have chosen?

The tank is a 75 gallon.

 

[davocean]

Most likely they are defending eggs from the kole, and he's tail swiping at them, so the aggression could go away if you got another pair until THEY start spawning.
I've had this happen a number of times myself w/ different tangs, koles being one type.

 

[afm32607]

So I guess I will just watch and see if any injury is too severe going forward. The male looks relatively healthy at the moment and is still eating. I am hoping they spawn less frequently going forward. Right now it's been about a week between clutches.

 

[davocean]

They will spawn about every two weeks for as long as they remain healthy, so I would not see that as an option for you.

I personally would pull the kole, seek a better mannered tang, smaller the better, let the clowns dominate it from the beginning and hopefully remain that way.

 

[raythepilot]

I've been keeping clowns (percs, Occ, clarkia) for almost 10 years and I do not think they make good community tank members. When they are breeding, which (as stated) is every two weeks, they are extremely aggressive and will go after almost anything including your hand.

If they bond to an anemone they will stay by it if it moves around and move their breeding grounds with it.

Maybe if you have a really big tank where they can carve out a space of about 18-24 inches you can keep other fish away from them.

 

[afm32607]

They are not good tank members. Unfortunately, I keep the nems in a separate tank which already has a pair of clowns. I don't think I can get rid of any of the clowns, they are gifts.

Maybe I need a bigger tank....

 

[davocean]

It really depends on the clown species/particular clowns, not all are the same or react the same way.
I've always had them mixed w/ other fish and been keeping them and anemone's nearly 32 years now.
I've only once removed clowns because they were just too aggressive w/ other fish, and that was a pair of clarki's.
My last 2 pairs of picasso's/percs were so mellow they did not even bother me when pulling their eggs, though they did defend their eggs from a butthead yellow tang

 

[ThRoewer]

I had all kinds of anemonefish breeding in my tanks and they never really caused much trouble with the other fish in the tanks unless those were actually looking for trouble.

Intensively grazing fish, coral and anemone picking fish and of course known egg thieves are generally on the hate list of anemonefish.
But fish that stay clear of them and their anemone and that are not perceived as threat I have never seen being bothered.

The only serious fighting I ever had between clownfish and​ other fish was between my ocellaris and a small clowntang. These guys battled each other like crazy because the clowntang simply couldn't leave the ocellaris alone. After I kicked him out the tank was peaceful again.

So you will have to make a decision on which fish you want to keep - it's either the Anemonefish or the tang. If you don't make it they may make it for you...

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