Clowns fighting! Why??

[dun2run]

I bought a pair of mocha clowns about 2 weeks ago. They come from the same tank and one is a little larger than the other. They have been great since I bought them but now the larger one is bullying the smaller one. Keeps bullying until it pushes it under a rock. As long as the smaller one is not out and about the larger one is fine and happy. Why would they just start doing this all of a sudden?

 

[skippy2]

The dominant 1 is turning into a female. Perfectly natural but I would still keep an eye on it to make sure the little 1 is still getting enough to eat.

 

[rfalvey89]

+1
..................yep watch for submissive behavior,shaking,tilting to one side etc

 

[dun2run]

Sounds like that is what it is doing. How long does this usually take to get back to normal?

 

[velvetelvis]

Never heard of a "mocha" clown before. What species are they?

 

[dun2run]

Me neither. The guy at the LFS said thats what they are. Some kinda mix between a black clown and an oscellaris I think. I did a search here on RC and someone else has a thread on them with a pic if you want to check it out.

 

[dun2run]

So how long does this process of dominance usually last? I hate seein the little guy get mistreated like that.

 

[kkiel02]

Mocha clowns I thought were black and white occelaris bred with regular occelaris. Sorry I know I probably spelled that wrong.

 

[dun2run]

Im not positive what they are. This thread is starting to vere off subject though. So anyone know how long this battle for tank dominance will last normally?

 

[clowns101]

Could be minutes,hours,days,weeks,even months.Just give them time.Sounds like it just wanted to remind him who,is who in th etank.Just keep an eye out for any health problems.

P.S could we see a picture of the clowns?

Thanks,
Austin/clowns101

 

[dun2run]

Thanks for the info everybody. Heres a few pics.

 

[clowns101]

They do look like a mix between Ocellaris and Ocellaris var.