frostywite
New Member
Sorry for another clownfish pairing post first off. Here is the story… I have a IM 15 gallon running since October. I added a flurry clownfish from an LFS who was in a very tiny and dirty rack display. I felt bad as it had no room to swim and just looked miserable. He said he thinks it was already female as he said he might have had the fish for almost a year. I placed the flurry in my tank and it was going crazy glass surfing for a few weeks, I think since it was its first time seeing its reflection. It did seem better if I left the glass dirty. So thinking it needed a friend, a picked up a Wyoming White from another LFS that was close to the same size. Once the Wyoming was in the tank the flurry chilled out and seemed like they paired up after a week. I could go up to the tank and both would swim together and greet me. They both slept near the back close together. It was great for maybe 2 months. Then I added a yasha goby and tiger shrimp. Shrimp and goby made a home under a rock but I did not have enough support under the rock like I thought, only one piece of pvc and the rock crushed the shrimp after 3 days. I had high phosphate, .65 so I decided to pull the two large rocks and try to get the carcass out and better support the rock for next time. I placed both the rocks in two buckets. Placed both clowns in the bucket and removed the sand and replaced it with crushed coral as that’s what I had for fresh substrate. Maybe took 30 minutes to swap and rock and fish back in. Since that day, the flurry clown does not stop chasing the Wyoming. It’s been almost two months of this. The flurry has just snapped and continues to be a nightmare. The Wyoming used to do the submission twitch back but now seems like he just wants to get away. The Wyoming has started hosting an anemone and hiding behind it as it seems like the flurry wants nothing to do with the anemone. When the Wyoming comes out the flurry is right there to pester him. The Wyomings face has gone pale and is stressed. I’ve caught the flurry a twice now and left it in a box for three days but once released goes right back to being a bully. The Wyoming is easy to catch and almost knows the box is better. His face gets color back almost instantly when they get separated. I’m about to put the flurry in and evo 13.5 and give up on the pair. Is this the right choice or is this truly clowns being clowns? I don’t understand as I was just at my LFS and they have a maybe 10x10 inch rack with 4 clowns fat and happy and my two just run circles. I did replace the shrimp with another tiger about a month and a half ago, shrimp and goby have a mansion under my supported rock. If I’m lucky to see the goby as it’s very shy still the flurry swims right by it and does not care about that fish in the tank. Thanks for any advice/input! Edit: pic is before the substrate changes when they were buddies swimming together.
