Maroon Clowns

[Nanojj22]

Please Help, I have 2 maroon clown fish. they fight alot one is showing signs of the fins being damaged. i currently do not have an anemone and am wondering if that will help the situation. if there is anything I can do please let me know

 

[GSMguy]

Are they the same size? Maroons need a considerable size difference to establish dominance.
My female is around 7" while my 2.5" male has not grown a bit in the last 5 years.

 

[shaggss]

An anemone will just aggravate the situation more. My two were getting along just fine until I added one. Now the female has gone nuts and attacks anything that comes near the nem. though she is starting to settle a little now.....

 

[elegance coral]

If it's resulting in physical damage, it's time to separate them IMHO. I just had to separate my pair, after many years together. Not sure why, but the female just turned on the male and tried to kill him. I separated them until his wounds healed, them put them back together, and she did it again. Maybe he is turning into a she? IDK. It's highly likely that one of your fish will die if not separated. I also agree with shaggss. An anemone will simply fan the flames.

 

[JohnV8r]

Best thread resource on RC for pairing clownfish is here:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=215098

My own experience is here:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2085735

My quick input without knowing the sizes of your maroon clowns: You may have two females depending on the size of the smaller clown or you may just have an incompatable pair (see the first link above).

My clowns paired up and the fin nipping stopped within a week. That's not to say there wasn't some drama.

The good news is it sounds like there is just fin nipping going on, not mortal combat.

What are the sizes of your maroon clowns?

 

[fpv930]

I agree with the posters here. An anemone will not help. The clowns do not need an anemone to survive in your DT.
If they are two females, they could fight to the death.

Check out "Clownfish" by Joyce D. Wilkerson. It's a great book on all clowns.