clownfish acting strange

[rccub23]

I have two clownfish in a 40b. they have been together for about a month. getting along nicely. until today. now the larger of the two has become
very aggressive. chasing the smaller one. the smaller one trys to hide, but
that doesn't work for long. also, the larger one keeps shaking. any thoughts.
I am concerned the smaller one is going to die.

 

[SwampyBill]

Sounds like the normal 'dom/sub dance' to me. The larger female is asserting dominance & smaller one will hopefully submit soon. If you see fins get torn or too much aggression, you might have to separate them before one is killed. Do you have a little breeder box to put the smaller one in?

 

[Mynx]

+1 on Normal pairing dance.

 

[rccub23]

thanks for the info.

 

[SwampyBill]

Is the smaller one shaking & twitching when she comes near; or are they both doing that dance?

 

[rccub23]

Well, today it is not as agressive and the smaller one shakes sometimes

 

[SwampyBill]

That's good, sounds like the juvie/male is catching on......what size are both?

 

[rccub23]

the largest is about 1 1/2"
the smallest about 1"

 

[SwampyBill]

How's the pair getting along now? Any more aggression or has it calmed down?

 

[rccub23]

its better, but they are still chasing a little.

 

[SwampyBill]

She may possibly never stop chasing him, but it should calm down. If you see torn fins or aggression gets too bad, you might put him in a hang on breeder box for awhile. Worse case scenario, you may need to bring him back & exchange for a smaller juvie.

 

[rccub23]

today, I noticed the little one is pretty
beat up. I put him in a breeder box for
now. guess I will leave him there for a
day or so, and see if they calm down.

 

[SwampyBill]

Leave him in it for at least a few days. What kind of clownfish are they?

 

[rccub23]

tried putting them back together again. this time the bigger
one shakes, and they try to lock mouths. the bigger one
keeps shaking every time they get close to each other.

 

[reepher315]

Sometimes fish just dont get along. Id like to think that the fish suddenly getting beat up did something to deserve it. But maybe not. Same thing went on in my fresh water tank.

 

[SwampyBill]

It sounds like they're both becoming female & both getting dominant; esp. w/ the locking mouths. I'd see if the LFS will let you swap out the smaller one for an even smaller juvie. What kind of clownfish are they?

 

[rccub23]

well I finally caught the meanest one. lol.
going to trade her in.

 

[SwampyBill]

Good, so now get one smaller than other one; preferably from a clutch of juvies that haven't had a chance to change yet. What kind of clowns are they?