Why are my clownfish fighting?

[Le Dirk]

Hi all, I'm new to this hobby and I have two very beautiful false percula clownfish that I got from my LFS. They're somewhat of the same size, only one is larger than the other one. We'll call the slightly larger one Red and the other Orange. Red and Orange got along pretty well for the first two days I had them. But then the next day Red seemed to be very aggressive towards Orange and it only got worse. Every once and a while I'll watch Red chase Orange around or suddenly snap at him and nip him. Orange has some serious fin damage and look pretty nipped up. Just recently I watched Orange do a sort of jittery dance once in front of Red, then Red did the same thing but more than Orange did. And after that Red went back to chasing Orange around. What do I do? Will Orange be ok? Should I exchange one of them or both?

 

[GabeM]

They may be both female in which case they fight tovthe death - return one.

Also your LFS should know better...

 

[Peace River]

Hi all, I'm new to this hobby and I have two very beautiful false percula clownfish that I got from my LFS. They're somewhat of the same size, only one is larger than the other one. We'll call the slightly larger one Red and the other Orange. Red and Orange got along pretty well for the first two days I had them. But then the next day Red seemed to be very aggressive towards Orange and it only got worse. Every once and a while I'll watch Red chase Orange around or suddenly snap at him and nip him. Orange has some serious fin damage and look pretty nipped up. Just recently I watched Orange do a sort of jittery dance once in front of Red, then Red did the same thing but more than Orange did. And after that Red went back to chasing Orange around. What do I do? Will Orange be ok? Should I exchange one of them or both?

I'm assuming that they are both fairly small and are likely juveniles. Clownfish are wired to establish a hierarchy so aggression is normal in clownfish. In fact, their sex is determined by their dominance. The more dominant clownfish will grow to be the larger fish and will evolve into a female, and the other clownfish will evolve into a male. Usually the aggression is more common when they are first getting used to each other and then again when they start the mating process. Of course, there is a wide range of aggressive behavior so it is important to monitor aggression because it can become a problem. Good luck with your pair and welcome to R2R!!!

#WelcometoR2R

 

[reef lover]

Welcome to r2r!

 

[Le Dirk]

I'm assuming that they are both fairly small and are likely juveniles. Clownfish are wired to establish a hierarchy so aggression is normal in clownfish. In fact, their sex is determined by their dominance. The more dominant clownfish will grow to be the larger fish and will evolve into a female, and the other clownfish will evolve into a male. Usually the aggression is more common when they are first getting used to each other and then again when they start the mating process. Of course, there is a wide range of aggressive behavior so it is important to monitor aggression because it can become a problem. Good luck with your pair and welcome to R2R!!!

#WelcometoR2R

Thanks for the welcome! And yes they're both juveniles and both fairly small. I'm worried that Red will try to kill Orange since Orange has quite a lot of damage on his fins. Is that normal?

 

[Le Dirk]

They may be both female in which case they fight tovthe death - return one.

Also your LFS should know better...

I'm not sure if their both female, but they're still aggressively fighting and my slightly smaller clownfish is nipped up pretty badly. My LFS said nothing about how they fight or anything. Is there anything I can do besides trading them in?

 

[ThePurple12]

Nothing you can do to stop them from fighting except for separating them. If they're both females, they can't change back, and will fight to the death. If one/both are juveniles, then they will eventually establish dominance, with the dominant one turning into a female.

Were they in separate tanks at the LFS? If they were, they both could have turned into females.

 

[Peace River]

Thanks for the welcome! And yes they're both juveniles and both fairly small. I'm worried that Red will try to kill Orange since Orange has quite a lot of damage on his fins. Is that normal?

There are many opinions and strategies when dealing with clownfish aggression. One common approach is adding hiding places and rearranging the aquascaping. Additionally if it is fin damage only then you may want to continue to observe watching for infection or body damage. If either occurs then separate and treat those issues. Giving fish a “time out” is one approach, but then you run the risk of restarting the hierarchy building process.

 

[Le Dirk]

Nothing you can do to stop them from fighting except for separating them. If they're both females, they can't change back, and will fight to the death. If one/both are juveniles, then they will eventually establish dominance, with the dominant one turning into a female.

Were they in separate tanks at the LFS? If they were, they both could have turned into females.

I didn't even get to pick them out, so I'm not sure if they were from the same tank. But they did come in the same bag and I acclimated them together

 

[ThePurple12]

I would take the smaller one back to the LFS and exchange it for one that's even smaller. This will ensure that it's a juvenile. Find one that's in a tank with other clowns to eliminate the possibility of it being a female.

 

[Le Dirk]

There are many opinions and strategies when dealing with clownfish aggression. One common approach is adding hiding places and rearranging the aquascaping. Additionally if it is fin damage only then you may want to continue to observe watching for infection or body damage. If either occurs then separate and treat those issues. Giving fish a “time out” is one approach, but then you run the risk of restarting the hierarchy building process.

Thanks for the advice, how would I know if their wounds are infected? And since I don't have another tank what else can I use to separate them?

 

[Peace River]

A separate tank can be a temporary hospital tank can be a 5 or 10g tank with a sponge filter, air pump, and a heater - it doesn’t have to be elaborate. If you are just separating them (not medicating) then you can also use an in-tank acclimation box, breeder box, or move the aggressor to the sump if you have one (generally I use separation as a one of the last resorts). Torn fins are amazingly resilient and do grow back. Infections will often be whitish in color.

 

[Le Dirk]

A separate tank can be a temporary hospital tank can be a 5 or 10g tank with a sponge filter, air pump, and a heater - it doesn’t have to be elaborate. If you are just separating them (not medicating) then you can also use an in-tank acclimation box, breeder box, or move the aggressor to the sump if you have one (generally I use separation as a one of the last resorts). Torn fins are amazingly resilient and do grow back. Infections will often be whitish in color.

Thanks for the advice! I'll try to get a breeder box tomorrow and see if that'll do anything

 

[Pdash]

Thanks for the advice! I'll try to get a breeder box tomorrow and see if that'll do anything

You said they already did their shake dance? This is a good sign, the smaller one does it first to tell the larger one that it submits, and the larger one will shake back if it accepts the smaller one. My understanding is this essentially guarantees they aren't both females. If they are females they will lock jaws. Clowns can be fairly hard on each other when pairing, but if the smaller one can eat and isn't having trouble swimming or showing obvious signs of illness I'd say ride it out.

 

[bluprntguy]

IMO, a few frayed fins are almost a given when clownfish are pairing. If they are still doing the shimmy thing at each other, I’d just leave them to hash it out between themselves and keep an eye on them. Just be prepared to separate them if it gets more involved beyond frayed fins.

 

[Pdash]

My clowns have been paired for almost a year and the female still darts agressivly at the male on a regular basis to keep him in his place. This is normal clownfish pairing behavior. You are a new hobbyist I take it, don't over react, and over complicate things when you don't actually know what you are doing. The advice given in this thread is all good advice, just not good advice for you. Just my two cents. No offense intended, just want to see you get a good outcome.