Curbing my Clarkii's Aggression

[Hand von Tod]

How can it be done? I currently have a firefish and a clarkii together in a ten gallon aquarium. I've had both fish for about over a month now and they got along very well until two weeks ago, when my clarkii snapped and started to pursue him relentlessly. She's turned even more vicious recently and will attack him from the other side of the tank. He can hardly get anything to eat now and is missing half of his tail. In fact, I almost never seem him out of his bolt hole now unless I lift it up.

I've tried everything I can think of: moving the rocks around, slightly changing the temperature, errecting a little sight barrier out of rocks and a big clam shell etc. It just doesn't seem to work.

I have a yellow tail damselfish, a snail, a cleaner shrimp and four tiny hermit crabs as well. She only rarely will bother the damsel and leaves the inverts alone (unless the crabs get into her "borrow", where she gently carries them in her mouth to the other side of the tank).

I'm seriously considering getting rid of the clown. It'll be hard to part with her because she has such a personality and will even take food from my hand. Are there any ideas left before making such a move?

 

[chitownclown]

Clarki's are normally very territorial fish and will attack anything that they claim as thier area, first 3 fish in a ten gallon tank is alittle much. seeing that clarki's can reah 5 inches in lenght. The clown should be remove along with the demsel as when the clown s no longer the aggreser the demsel will take it place.

I am almost sure that your clown is becoming more dominant in sex. She is just playing here role and keeping things out of her area. But with a tank as small as yours the whole tank is her area and she will defend it.

FYI
Firefish are very timid and will hide when beening picked on, which will lead to thier death due to stress and not eating.

 

[Mike in AZ]

You have all of that in a 10 gallon tank?

 

[Toddrtrex]

Besides getting a bigger tank, there isn't anything that you can do. It is only going to get worse.

 

[Hand von Tod]

Thanks guys. I'm just going to give up the clown, then. Sometimes I really, really wish I had stuck with my original plan of just getting a stomatopod instead of fish.

 

[toastedxb]

just get a bigger tank and you could have both of them it that simple...... like american pie