Clown creating craters in sand

Wuffletoast · Mar 3, 2023

I have a 30 gal tank with somewhat new rock and no coral (waiting for water to stay stable) the tank is about seven months old. I've noticed one of my clowns making a crater by two of the three tunnel entrances I created with a Y shaped PVC pipe. She has already paired with another clown that rarely, but sometimes cleans the space as well. Is this a territory thing? Should I look into corals or anemones to give them a home? I can attempt a video if I see it happening again.

Smarkow · Mar 3, 2023

This is common behavior. They look for a hard place to lay eggs, though depending on how old yours are they may not be there yet. Sounds like they have paired? Any mating/dominance behavior (nipping *gently*)?

Not my content, but googling for generic pics led me to this thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/clown-making-crater-in-sand.915370/

Wuffletoast · Mar 3, 2023

Smarkow said:
This is common behavior. They look for a hard place to lay eggs, though depending on how old yours are they may not be there yet. Sounds like they have paired? Any mating/dominance behavior (nipping *gently*)?

Not my content, but googling for generic pics led me to this thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/clown-making-crater-in-sand.915370/

Yes, there has been nipping from the larger one and the common submissive flail or spasm from the smaller fish. Once that happens, the nips stop completely. They also can't go half the tank without quickly swimming to the other. I've only had the larger one since September, the smaller one came a month later.

From what I read in your link, it looks like they are calling the cave their home. (I'm guessing due to age, not mating/laying egg behavior)

Just wanted to make sure I didn't have to work on coral or anemones sonner than expected.