Crazy Suicidal Clowns
 

I didn't know who else to tell, so you guys get my story. I doubt my roommates would find any amusement in it.

Earlier today I was glueing some frags to chunks of live rock, everything was going smoothe. My two percula's find enjoyment in nipping at me everytime my hand touches water. No big deal, just took a while to get used to. So I mounted my 4 frags and put the frogspawn back into place in front of the clowns "cave". They didn't quite enjoy this and their attacks on me began to get more aggressive as I tried to position the piece. After I finished, the female was still circling around the top of the water. I put the glass covers back over the tank and when I was putting on the front half, she jumped at me, SMOKED her head on the glass, knocking it off the runners and sent the glass cover for a swim into the tank. I thought it was amusing, except I had to go into the tank AGAIN to get the glass. I did, I got bit. Right between my thumb and fore finger. Flesh wound, no blood, but took some skin. So I rinse off the glass, and put it back up. I left the glass about 3 inches from the front edge of the tank, to keep the condensation down. Now, I'm wiping up the excess water on the edge of the tank with a rag and just as my hand crosses the middle section the glass "Tina" (the female clown, obviously) comes FLYING out of the tank, completely misses my hand, shoots up in the air about 10 inches and starts her free fall to a cold, hardwood floor. I almost hit panic mode. In my flailing attempt at saving her, I drop the rag (half in the water, half out) and with my hockey background I jump infront of her, she hits my chest square on, and then I grab the bottom of my shirt and she slides into the pouch i've created and layed lifeless. As fast as this is happening, I became "instant dumb". I launched her out of my shirt (like when you're younger and you have the parachute with the ball in the middle and launch it into the air) shes now flying through the air again, with less velocity of course this time, but makes a perfect landing missing all glass pieces and drops gracefully back into the tank.

I catch my breath, assess the situation, realize my "creative stupidity". Then, the only thing left to do was laugh, sweat and dry myself.

Now my question for everyone. Does my clown hate me enough to go on suicide missions? And if so, should I make her a little dunce cap to wear whenever shes bad?

Sorry for the long, drawn out story. I'm sure many of you have similar stories, but I just had to tell someone, anyone!

-Cam

PS- If you were wondering, shes doing just fine. But still seems a bit PO'd at me.


Thanks

ahahaha, that's a pretty funny story.

Clowns are very funny and weird like that... makes you wonder.

As for the nipping.. you've got yourself one heck of a territorial clownfish.. it's usually always the female. Does she have an anemone in the tank? Does she bite only when your hands go by there? Or does it not matter where your hands are? My old female captive bred ocellaris was like this as well.

As for the suicide missions.. that's hilarious. I don't know what the clown is trying to do exactly, but it would be pretty damn funny if it was trying to launch itself out of the tank at you or something.... I don't know why it would be jumping out??? Nothing stressing it, or spooking it? That will often do it.

Anyways, thanks for the read.. I had a good laugh haha.. gotta love them Clownfish.

Wow, that's a wee bit crazy for a fish. My maroon gets ****y when I have my hand in the tank near his anemone, but not to the point at which he jumps at me.

Funny story, thanks for sharing. Glad the clown made it!

Great story :lol: Had me on the edge of my set :biggrin:

Glad both you and she are doing well.

What species of clown?

Bev,

I believe he said they were percula's :)

Thanks, Scott :smile: I should read more slowly to catch all the facts :redface:

She only has a frogspawn frag in there, that is set up in front of their corner of the tank. No matter what my liverock structure has been over the past year or so, they always take the same corner. And they nip at my hands whenever my hands get within an inch or two of the water. Doesnt matter if I am on the other side of the tank or anything. The female is far more aggressive, but the male takes his share of nibbles.

The only thing that would be stressing the out would be me attaching the frags, and they are the only fish in the tank so theres little that could spook them.

Interesting. You've got some pretty territorial clowns then, kind of odd for perc's too IMO .. haha. That sucks though, getting nipped every time you need to put your hand in the tank.

It sounds like your clowns are hosting a cave in your tank... they'll host pretty much anything.

Just out of curiosity.. do you know if these clowns are tank bred? Or wild caught?

They are lonely! The bites mean BRING ME FRIENDS! :mrgreen:

I bought the pair off a lady on this board last year when she was taking her tank down, she told me they were captive bred and she got them from JL. I'm not 100% certain, but I took her word for it.


haha I'm looking, I'm looking. I feel like I have a certain loyalty to my clowns now, I can't just add another fish in their without consulting with them. And they can't talk, so I'm stuck with just the two of them right now.

Weird... because I also had captive bred clowns, and they were also very territorial (more so the female) .. and so are yours.

I wonder if there's any kind of study or something to see if captive bred clowns are more territorial than wild caught?? It seems that way....


*PS: I think your clowns might like a firefish or a goby of some sort... they're always cool fish to add (IMO)

I love gobies, but I have a bare bottom tank and only frags right now. Is that suitable for clown gobies?

I don't think clown gobies are sand dwellers. Please correct me if I'm wrong though!

There's lots and lots of kinds of gobies... browse around Live Aquaria. (www.liveaquaria.com)

You might find one you really like! (clown gobies are really cool though)

Scott

I have an CB ocellaris pair with a GBTA in my 37g and a pair of tomato clowns (unknown if CB or WC) with an RBTA in my 67g. Neither pair of clowns has fish as tankmates. I would not introduce other fish into my 37g because of bioload concerns. And because of the ferocious nature of the tomatoes, at least toward each other and to me, I would not introduce fish into their tank.

Time to get a skimmer! :mrgreen:

Great story, needed a good luagh today and am not suprised as I have read stories of clown fish chasing divers away from there anemones, they are small fish with big attitudes.

Problem solved. Last time she takes a charge at me!

http://www.canreef.com/photopost/dat...emodesushi.jpg

just kidding!