Clownfish bullying - how much is normal?

[djryan2000]

I added a clown to my tank this week. A knowledgeable associate at my LFS said that even though my clownfish was alone in my tank, because it was a male (it was paired with a female that stopped eating after I had a tank break/leak) it would still be one. I assumed I read incorrectly when I read that clownfish will morph into females if they're alone. Per their advice I added a larger clown.

When I first put her in the tank the two clowns checked each other out and there wasn't any fighting. Now, the larger one darts at the smaller one I had unexpectedly and seems to harass him pretty often. I noticed today that while the female Roams the tank, the male hides near the overflow box. When he ventures into the water column the female darts at him and he retreats back. It almost looks like she bites at his butt area. I don't see any nipped fins though.

I expected some chasing as they established their pecking order and the female to occasionally "œkeep the male in check"- similar to how my neon dottyback does. However, this is more often than I expected.

Is this behavior normal likely to pass or should I bring the female back? I purchased the female a week ago today.


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[Maxxumless]

Which breed of clown's are they? Some are more aggressive than others.

The harassment should end when they have fully become 'used to' each other and dominance is established. Some people will separate them by mesh or eggcrate if the female is large enough. If the male looks physically distressed or hurt I would definitely separate them for a bit. In the past I used one of those in-tank breeders with new inhabitants.

 

[djryan2000]

Which breed of clown's are they? Some are more aggressive than others.

The harassment should end when they have fully become 'used to' each other and dominance is established. Some people will separate them by mesh or eggcrate if the female is large enough. If the male looks physically distressed or hurt I would definitely separate them for a bit. In the past I used one of those in-tank breeders with new inhabitants.

Thank you. They're oscellaris. I brought the larger one to my LFS and traded it in for one they got in that was smaller than my current clown. I put it in my tank the day before yesterday and there don't seem to be any issues yet.


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