maroon issue

[DMBillies]

I recently got two very small maroon clowns (white stripes) that I was hoping I could get to pair up. The problem is that, after introducing them into my 90, they are beating the snot out of one another. I have one decent sized green bubble tip and 2 smaller ones. I was hoping that, if they didn't get along, they would just go to seperate anemones until they could work out their differences. Well, they both want to claim the same anemone and neither will back down. I put one in a little breeder net for a few days hoping that just seeing each other (but not being able to fight) would help get them to tolerate one another. Today, after about 2 seconds of them being out, one lost about 1/4 of it's pectoral fin. I tried breaking them up with my hand and a net and they just kept going back at one another (not caring in the least that there were these gigantic thing chasing them through the water). I'm really afraid that if I just let them "figure it out" that one will end up dead. The fights also seem to attract the attention of my six-line who then likes to join in on the fun (and she can do some damage because she's easily 2x's their size). I introduced a couple of ocellaris to one another and their spats looked like kind hearted teasing compared to this (I knew maroons were more agressive, but I didn't expect this). Just curious if anyone had any ideas on fixing it.

If I can't get something to work I'll just have to take one of them back, wait until the other one grows a bit, and then hope to find another small one that will hopefully know it's place and quickly submit to the bigger one. In theory (should all else fail) that should work, right?

 

[CKreef]

how big are they?

 

[Angela Short]

I have a mated pair of tiny ones that have been together for at least 2 months fine and the smaller boy went missing in the overflow for 2 days and now the girl is running him off. Poor thing, First some big ocilaris took off his whole tail now his gal is running him off also. Very tempermental fish!
How much size difference is their in them? And how big are they? If they were both alone for a while they may both be female already.....
If you can take one back I can get you a real tiny for sure not changed baby from Fishboy42 to try. The guy in East tn that raises them. I got mine from him and Ckreef did also.

 

[DMBillies]

They are both close to an inch long... almost no difference in size, but the one is definitely more aggressive than the other. I doubt, because of how small they are, that either has changed sexes yet. I also don't think they were ever alone because they were in a tank together when I got them and they were tank bred. They definitely fought a little at the fish store, but it was a smaller tank, so I figured it wouldn't be much of a problem in my display. I think the anemone is the biggest point of contention (when I thought it would be the thing that would be most likely to get them to cooperate).

 

[DMBillies]

I reintroduced them to one another again today. While they duked it out, I just stood by and made sure that the wrasse didn't interfere. After about an hour of constant fighting, one of them gave up and swam to the top of the tank. This was more or less what had happened before and at the surface he made a nice target for the wrasse. So, this time I used my net to chase him down to one of the smaller bubble tips so that he would have a place to chill that the wrasse wouldn't pick on him. Since then, they haven't bothered each other at all and because they are both in anemones, the wrasse is leaving them alone. I'll keep an eye on them, but as long as the more aggressive one stays with the anemone that he "won" and doesn't just start to chase the other one around the tank for sport, I don't think there will be any more long-lasting (i.e., life threatening) battles. The less agressive one stood his ground a little bit better this time and did a little damage to the other one, so hopefully they've done their macho stuff and now they'll get along.

 

[Angela Short]

I sure hope so! And darn those mean 6 lines!