When Clown Fish Attack! Advice needed please

[Modena AL]

My clown fish has really started to annoy me lately by attacking me and I'm tempted to get rid of him mad2. I cannot figure out why he started doing this... can anyone advise?

Background:
I set up my 10 gallon nano about a year and a half ago, with plans to make it a nice reef. After letting it cycle properly I added two true perc clowns to it. They adapted well and did fine for several months. Sadly, one of them kept jumping ship (open tank) and I had to keep recovering her. I came home one day, hilariously from lowes with some egg crate to put on the top of the tank, to find her dried up on the floor . After that I kinda lost my mojo on the tank and didn't add much to it. I kept the maintenance up with water changes and replacing evaporation, but had, not one, but two chaulpra invasions. After the second, we cleaned it up really good and moved it to the bedroom, where the tank would get more notice and I got back into it. The clown fish was still fine and friendly, and still showed continued interest in me cleaning the tank, almost like he wanted to help me out. That was about a month ago.

Since we moved it to the bedroom, I've added several inhabitants to the tank: 2 more hermit crabs, a few more snails, a cleaner shrimp, a emerald crab, and a bicolor blenny. The clown was ok with all except for the blenny, which i expected since he had been alone for over a year. He pretty much chased the blenny around the tank all night. When I went to bed, though, I found the blenny being held in the clowns mouth . I decided if he was still bullied the next day I would take him back to the store. The next day they were getting along fine. The clown fish was less pleased with me, however, and began nipping at my hand a few times while I would be working on the tank. Cute.

Two weeks ago, I added some of my first corals at long last and he persisted to annoy me while I put them in. Last night I did my water change and was going to move the corals around a bit and keep the chaulpra at bay, but it was impossible because he started violently attacking me while I worked on the tank and was really making my life difficult. I knocked over several things, include one of my zoo colonies, sending a few polyps flying. I gave up and just filled it with fresh water and left him be. Anytime I go close to the water line he'll start trying to nip at me.

Does anyone have any idea for his sudden change of behavior? He was fine and dandy till a week ago and now it is to the point that I'm tempted to trade him at a store for another more peaceful one or two, but I really do like the colors of him and his personality in the tank (when i'm not anywhere near it). Plus I don't want some kid to pick him up and kill it. But, if he doesn't shape up and act right soon I'm afraid he'll have to go, just becuase there are many others that need to the taken care of in the tank.

Can anyone advise what I can do to cheer up mr. grumpy? I tried to give him a hug but he wasn't going for it

Equpiment:
10g AGA
AC70 modded into a fuge
Koraline Nano
80watt current usa light fixture

Tank parameters:
PH - 8.2
Ammonia - 0
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
dKH - 10
CA - 400
Phospahate - 0.5
Salinity - 1.020 (I think I mixed wrong for the last change and have already added to compensate. it was fine a week ago)

Recent changes in the last month:
replaced light bulbs
added Koraline nano to replace dead powerheads
replaced impellor on aquaclear
started dosing with Kent Marine tech CB to up my ca and dkh for the new corals. Had a slight PH swing.

 

[dc]

Clowns can be very aggressive. This tends to get worse as they get older for some. My Maroon is pure evil, I can't even put my hands in the tank with gloves on, she just rams into me full force.
It's probably a she by now. Getting her another one might help.

 

[Modena AL]

Yeah, I figured it became a she. Still used to calling it a he. This one was the smaller of the original pair that I had.

What are the risks of adding another to the tank? Should I make sure the new one would be smaller, or about the same size? The store I got them from way back has one, and I was tempted, but worried about the risks of introducing another one.

 

[Modena AL]

edit: double post

 

[Sk8r]

ma-ting.
They're just like that. My clarkii female used to draw blood.
Two suggestions: wear a ring with round dark stones: she used to hit that rather than my hand---it was the non-ring hand that got bitten.
And the other---wear latex gloves. Their teeth aren't too large and that will save your skin. Just nerve yourself for the attack just about every time you enter her territory. If you add another clown, probably it will only encourage her: then she'll have a male, and be setting up the nursery.

 

[noboddi]

Yes. Some bling - a ring or a bracelet with shiny things hanging on it will often be the focus of a clown attack

 

[davocean]

Yep, learned this by accident a couple years ago when I wore my shiny stainless dive watch, she'd hit that instead of flesh.
Became a regular part of maintenence to put on the shiny watch.
Being in a 10g will be a space issue and may promote more aggro.
It would be nice to have a mate, but w/ spawning also comes aggression.

 

[Modena AL]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll start wearing latex gloves and a watch of some sorts to at least protect myself. Its definitly cramped in the tank with 16 lbs of rock and even worse when a clown won't let you move freely.

I still think it's kinda weird this just happened in the last two weeks after owning her for over a year. Did the clown possibly change sexes to bring this about?

 

[davocean]

Aggresion usually comes w/ maturity, especially when mating/spawning.

 

[Uncle Salty 05]

Just put a net in the tank between you and the clown.
My Sabae draws blood and I have found that if there is a net in the tank she will not come near it.

 

[Modena AL]

Well, the latex gloves worked like a charm! During tonights water change my clown took a big hit at me right off the bat, didn't like it, and left me be for the rest of the time.

On another note my blenny disappeared . I saw him an hour before I fed, then went to feed before I went to the store and he didn't appear. Didn't show during the water change and didn't show after I moved all the rocks looking for him. Either he died in the tank and my crab ate him, or he jumped out and my cat ate him . He ain't in there.

 

[small alien]

Bummer!

 

[Modena AL]

Found a half eaten blenny last night . At least I know my cat isn't going to leave me a surprise somewhere on the carpet, I guess. Parameters were fine, so I'm blaming the emerald... the jerk!