Moonlight fight

[SaltyDoug]

I've had my two clownfish for about a month now and everything seemed fine. I purchased them from a lfs and was told they had gotten them from a breeder and they had shared the same tank with a large group from the same batch for its whole life. So I was under the impression I would likely not end up with 2 females.

So for a while the slightly larger of the two would show agression and the smaller one would do the submissive wiggle. Everything was just fine til just now I noticed them circling eachother attacking eachother viciously. I turned the lights all the way on to attempt to catch one and seperate them.

Long story short I couldn't catch one but discovered they did not fight with the light on and instantly attacked eachother when the moonlights kicked on.

I took a video of it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOGhZ55tpcs

Excuse the algae

For now I made it so the white lights are on at the minimum level as the moonlight kicks off so they wont fight.

So basically are they going to need to be seperated for sure? Or shall I just keep an eye on them.

 

[SalinFL]

Wow that's gonna eventually leave a mark. Sorry that I have no constructive comments, I've never seen them act like that towards one another before.

 

[worm5406]

I have seen this before with a friends.

I think the smaller of his two started down the female path and is why they fought all the time. He bought two smaller males and they paired off with each other at opposite ends and never had the problem again. I would separate or trade on of them them with a friend.

I have had a pair fight like this in the daylight, and eventually they both stopped. But that was when they were both male and one wanted to be female.

 

[SaltyDoug]

Im definitley prepared to give one away on the local forum if it comes to that. The only thing stopping me is they seem to be displaying the pairing behavior i have read about during the white light period.
Its almost as if they suddenly don't recognize eachother when the blue/ night lighting kicks in

 

[worm5406]

What happens when it is totally dark??

 

[ThRoewer]

They are a pair and get along. The issue is the light. Under the actinic light they look different and no longer recognize the other as their partner, but rather think it is an intruder.
Clownfish recognize each other by the shape of the head band or other facial features. Actinic light can change the color scheme dramatically, especially if you switch the white component on and off instead of dimming it slowly.

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[Slarti]

That's nothing, mine does that to my hand when I put it in the tank to clean...!

But it seems ThRoewer has the cause for it, I would think if that is the case they will sort one another out soon enough.

 

[worm5406]

Mine come up and give little nips. I have seen a Maroon try to rip off a glove tip before.

 

[SalinFL]

Ditto here too... Little monsters!

 

[SaltyDoug]

Thanks for the input guys. Ill have to adjust the moonlight slowly to their liking. In the meantime its off until I can more gradually adjust the shift to blue.

 

[ThRoewer]

I would think that a slow transmission will solve the problem.
BTW, if that is supposed to be moonlight for the night I would rather go with a very low level white light instead of actinic light. That resembles reality better.

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