!! stop attacking

[mrbubbles]

my osc. clown keeps biteing my hand whenever i spot feed my polyps. he circles my hand and then bites it like ten time, it freaks the crap out of me. once he managed to rip a hair off. the smaller clown doesn't do this though. why do you suppose it is doing this? :mad2:

 

[unbreakable]

my female ocellaris did this when i tried moving things around the tank. shes just being territorial more than likely, or just doesnt like the way you look lol. im glad i sold the tank and the fish to my friend

 

[xxpipedreamxx]

As clownfish mature into their adult roles whether it be male or female, they get very territorial. Staking out sometimes an entire tank. Usually once the larger more dominant clownfish starts to take on the active role of female, she starts to get aggressive. Just look at it as a sign of them growing up and just getting that much closer to becomming a mated pair. Oh and FYI, once the male grows up a bit he will get pretty aggressive as well but nowhere near as mean as the female. I keep a plastic spoon beside my tank and if I have to do anything underwater I just use my free hand with the spoon to keep them away.

 

[dc]

It just gets worse. My maroon rams me now.

 

[shrinky]

plus i think they associate just about anything new to hit the water with food - they aren't the brightest... my clowns bit my hand but I can tell it's not neccessarily aggression, they are just, well, kinda mouthy and (always of course) hungry.

 

[marcsmith73]

It's just more surprising then anything else. They are not hurtful in any way, and just consider it a "Kiss" =)

 

[xxpipedreamxx]

I think they are pretty bright, I am the same way with people that intrude into my home, LOL.

 

[TRANSMATT]

My brother had 1 we called "JAWS"!!! He would bite you on the web between your fingers. The sneaky little devil would even draw blood maybe 1-2 times a year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Atticus]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11008743#post11008743 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TRANSMATT
My brother had 1 we called "JAWS"!!! He would bite you on the web between your fingers. The sneaky little devil would even draw blood maybe 1-2 times a year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOL This is sooo true and I still have not figured out how they know the web is the most sensitive part... I bred clowns and many of the females would tail whip you and a few would draw blood. If you want to keep her it is time to build some feeding tools. Turkey baster with a length of flexible tubing attatched makes a great spot feeder.

P.S. They love jewlery!!!

 

[cardiffgiant]

I had a clown that used to attack a thumb ring that I wore evry time I cleaned the tank. He caught me by surprise one time and I gave him kind of a swat and chased him behind a rock. Totally unexpected, but he never attacked my hand again. He would still come out to check me out, and would even swim into the open palm of my hand.

I had him for about 7 years after that before he leaped to his death

 

[elegance coral]

One thing that doesn't make sense to me, is that scientists say clown fish live in sea anemones for protection, but if anything comes near they leave the anemone and attack it, no matter how big it is. I'm confused.

 

[Featherdusters]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11021809#post11021809 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by elegance coral
One thing that doesn't make sense to me, is that scientists say clown fish live in sea anemones for protection, but if anything comes near they leave the anemone and attack it, no matter how big it is. I'm confused.

I don't think our home tanks do a good job at simulating the wide open sea. You have to keep in mind that most of us don't keep predators in our tanks that would consider our clowns meals. All my fish know I mean them no harm. Also, I noticed the younger clowns at my LFS will dart under the anemones when the store keeper tries to catch one. Its great protection for the young.

 

[Slakker]

I think a part of the relationship between clowns and anemones is that the clowns will guard the anemone from various creatures that might nip at it and such.

Since our hands don't really look like they're about to eat the clowns, perhaps they see us as a threat to their host.

 

[elegance coral]

I have seen videos of clown fish in the wild attacking divers that come to close to their anemone. I agree that the young are protected by the anemone, but the roles seem to be reversed as the clowns mature.

 

[guido_kp]

my male ocellaris is more aggresive than the female. shes mostly there for a show of force i guess. i third the part about them going for the soft web between fingers. he hits that spot more often than anywhere else. never draws blood but it does make maintainence difficult with a rabid clownfish. my wife didnt believe that the little nemos were so protective of their zoas. now, they could care less about the two BTA's , however, dont mess with their zoas.

 

[ezcompany]

my true perc became that way ever since i gave her a NICE rbta to play in. she bites, tail slams, rams, goes ape s. whenever my hand is in the tank. she's alone too, no mate.

 

[xtm]

The first time my GSM "attacked" my hand, I was aquascaping while standing on a step ladder and I was moving a huge acro colony on my left hand. It bit my right hand and I screamed like a little girl!! I had no idea what bit me-- everything happened so fast, I wasn't expecting it. I threw my hand up and burnt my knuckle from the MH right above my head...that caused me to drop the acro colony into a huge monti cap, which broke it in two and I literally fell on the floor. lol, forget sharks, GSM's are the real deal! :lol:

 

[Slakker]

I was once startled so badly by my female biting my that I jerked my elbow back, smashing it into the side of the tank and knocking the trim off the front corner. My tank bowed out so much that it took me several minutes to get the trim back on...thanks, cheap acrylic.

 

[rcmania]

I know this is a old topic but i had to search for this issue. I have two true percs that are showing signs have mature sex. They havent spawned yet but looking foward to when they do. Anyways they have took up residence in my frogspawn. Just recently have they started attacking my hand. I was mounting a frag on the reef when the male nailed my webbing in between my fingers. It startled Me so much i broke my monti i was attaching. Well upon further work in the tank both my clowns kept attacking me. Of course its ****ing me cause im also moving rocks and they just keep striking me over and over. It doesnt help yhat the family was horse laughing at me either. Lol i just didnt want to drop the rock. Anyways im just glad it isnt mine that are doing it. They are great clowns tho, they are my favorite fish in the tank.

 

[Tmoriarty]

I have never had this problem with mine, they are very nice and generally come up to my hand expecting me to feed them. My female will take mysis from my fingers with out even thinking about biting me. Perhaps when she is older and a tad grumpier things will change.