clownfish started fighting

[polarbearsd]

i just got two clown fish and they are have started fighting after being in the tank for 24 hours. one is much bigger and dominant...any recommendations?

 

[Reefynewby]

take out the smaller one and send him back to fish store, or quarantine him, they could still both be females, or the female isn't taking to the male. Either way, it's most likely the smaller will be killed because there's only 2 of em.

 

[AquaReeferMan]

Give it time. The larger one is showing dominance over the smaller clown. This should pass when the smaller clown does a submissive dance. If it lasts longer then a couple of days then I would think about taking the other clown back. How big are they? Im sure they are both juveniles still. The dominant one will turn into a female and the submissive one will turn into a male. All 3 clown pairs Ive owned and a bunch Ive seen went and pulled through a fighting phase. Now they never leave each others side.

 

[sls0768]

is it wise to get two clowns at the same time or at different times

 

[Eklikewhoa]

I just got two onxy clowns and they were the largest and smallest of the brood. When I got them home they started chasing each other and attacking each other but now they sleep together and follow each other around.

 

[AquaReeferMan]

Its wise to get the clowns together. Its best when there is a smaller one and a larger one. The fighting usually is shorter when its in this case. If they are both around the same size they both might get dominant and they fighting will last longer.

 

[sls0768]

ok thanks

 

[DaMonkey]

I agree with AquaReeferMan - the fighting will pass in time. I've owned two pairs of clowns and each of them went through this phase. However, I did have an incident where I added a 3rd in a tank and he went missing a few days after. Never did find the little guy.

The best advice is to let them work it out and if they don't you'll know because one will start hiding all of the time.

 

[sls0768]

well i thank everyone for all your help.