Help with my clowns - pairing problem

[little_clown]

My 2 clowns are approx. 1 month old.

I got my first clown 2 days earlier than the 2nd one, and the 1st clown (smaller one) seems to fall in love with the 2nd one (bigger one) immediately. He swam with the bigger clown, slept together and he kept shaking his body towards the other clown. I assume this is a good sign...?

a little more than a week ago, my small clown started to lose colors on it's body, still eat well though, but most of the time, it hides on the top of the tank, head down to check if he will be attacked

color losing problem getting worse this week, the bottom fins of the clown are in bright orange and black, but the tail and top fins are losing color seriously. Still eat well, still active

Last 2 days, I realize the little one starts to hide himself between the rocks, swimming back and forth inside the rock. Very obvious that he's trying to avoid seeing the bigger clown out there. Color losing is pretty much the same, eats okay, not as crazy like before though. When he sees the big one chasing for food, he will back off and just pick up the leftovers. It still comes out to swim sometimes, but it starts hiding... =(

I'm so worried now, not sure if i should just seperate them.....

side note: the little one shows submissive behavior whenever the big one attacks him. He would turn sideways to the bigger clown and tilt its belly towards the bigger one and quiver like an epileptic seizure.

is this just normal in the pairing process???

 

[vibrantfishluvr]

My 2 clowns are approx. 1 month old.

I got my first clown 2 days earlier than the 2nd one, and the 1st clown (smaller one) seems to fall in love with the 2nd one (bigger one) immediately. He swam with the bigger clown, slept together and he kept shaking his body towards the other clown. I assume this is a good sign...?

a little more than a week ago, my small clown started to lose colors on it's body, still eat well though, but most of the time, it hides on the top of the tank, head down to check if he will be attacked

color losing problem getting worse this week, the bottom fins of the clown are in bright orange and black, but the tail and top fins are losing color seriously. Still eat well, still active

Last 2 days, I realize the little one starts to hide himself between the rocks, swimming back and forth inside the rock. Very obvious that he's trying to avoid seeing the bigger clown out there. Color losing is pretty much the same, eats okay, not as crazy like before though. When he sees the big one chasing for food, he will back off and just pick up the leftovers. It still comes out to swim sometimes, but it starts hiding... =(

I'm so worried now, not sure if i should just seperate them.....

side note: the little one shows submissive behavior whenever the big one attacks him. He would turn sideways to the bigger clown and tilt its belly towards the bigger one and quiver like an epileptic seizure.

is this just normal in the pairing process???

The epileptic quivering is the submissive behavior. That is normal. The color loss...? I am not sure about. It could be a natural reaction due to the emotional state or it could be a reaction to the health state.

 

[slosht]

If you are worried about the submissive clown, I'd suggest using either a breeder net to put him in to keep him safe. What is the size difference between the 2?

 

[bues0022]

I doubt your clowns are a month old - perhaps you meant this to read you have had them for one month? What is the actual age of the clowns? It could also not be related to behavior, but a sickness also. Internal parasites? When you describe color loss, what do you mean? Color can be associated to many things (food, stress, water quality, time of day, etc.). If I look in at my fish at night, they appear to have "lost" color also. Pictures will help a lot.

I personally try not to read into the behaviors and assign human qualities to their actions too much. What you may perceive as "looking out for the other fish" might actually be the side effect of sickness, and the fish can't help but hold himself in that position.

More information would be nice. How old is the tank? parameters (with numbers). Specs on light, flow, etc? other inhabitants?