Advise on tank bully
 

Hello all!
I am needing some advise, I just brought home a yellow tang today, he seems to be settling in very nicely, but suddenly my Picasso Clarkii clown is being a real a$$!
He keeps chasing him around! I know the tang could hurt him good if he wanted, but he doesn't seem inclined. Is it normal for this breed of clown to bully a different species? Thanks! :)

Clowns can be fairly aggressive, but the Tang should be able to handle itself just fine. They'll probably settle down in a couple of days. Probably...

Brad is right

If, after many days, it doesn't get any happier, put the aggressor in a small floating vessel and let him stew while the one he was picking on gets to roam around the tank

Picasso Clarkii ??? Never heard of it before
Would like to see some pics :smile:

I also like to see the Picasso Clarkii picture !!!


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Thanks! That's reassuring :) I will try to get a decent pic of him tomorrow, but I only have the camera on my iPhone.. But I will do my best!

P.S. The Picasso Clarkii is kind of rare. It is multispotted, and double pearl-eyed :)

Being the new kid on the block, the Tang is unlikely to stand up for itself for awhile. Once it feels settled it will probably not let the Clown intimidate him. If there is still a problem you can rearrange the rockwork. This kind of puts everyone on a level playing field. Good Luck!

This trick has worked for me a couple times........when I had a Kole tang that was a complete ass with every new addition I would place a mirror(I used a full length door mirror) along one end of the tank. The tang would be so pre-occupied with it's own reflection that it would almost completely leave any new addition alone to settle in. I would leave it there for several days and when I removed it all was fine with everyone.

yup that worked for me too.

Great ideas! Thanks all! I will let you know how it goes :)

Hello :)
So bully update, I came home from work today to find some interesting dynamics beginning to unfold, my other two tangs ( Regal and Naso) a well as my Regal Angel have formed a sort of support team for my new Yellow Tang, who is certainly the smallest of them)
They seem to have formed a bit of a club.. They all swim around together.. Sometimes in synce.. And when the Clownfish starts to pull rank on the YT, (who doesn't seem too concerned btw) the other tangs and angel start defending him and protecting him!! It's so cool!! I would also like to ad that my clownfish has never done this aggressor act with any other fish.. I am wondering if it is because his (the clown's) fins are bright yellow.. I am wondering if perfaps that color is the trigger for him? The fact that the new tang is yellow also? Same color of yellow as the clowns find in fact.
Just a momentary musing..
Regardless, I do know the other tangs and angel are certainly helping out the YT in a manor thT I have never seem before. When I had fresh water Frontosa Chiclids the larges one of the tank woul interviene if the second larger would start bullying other fish.. The boss woul always break it up, but I have never seen a group of fish work I a common purpose, which is the defending of a fellow tank mate. Soo very interesting and cool!! :)

* same color as the tangs fins in fact

Ps. Sorry for all the sp. errors, worked late, very tired, hit 'send' too soon :)

Here is a pick of Starsky the Picasso Clarkii Clown. I am thinking of changing his name to Bluto ;)
Not the best quality, just my iPhone.
Will try to get a better one soon that shows his markings better. http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...k/86b312ab.jpg

may be that the clown is getting ready to lay eggs.

Hmmmmm! I never even thought of that! I will have to do some reading up on that. Thanks :)

Psst, they are called Galaxy or Meteor Clarkii (depending on markings), not Picasso. Picassos are Percula clowns. The Galaxy and Meteor Clarkii come from a facility in the Philippines, and currently is the only place these are available from. I have a few of them, and they are very cool clowns.

Back on topic, if you come to this situation in the future try taping a small mirror to the side of the near where the aggressor likes to hang out. Most times this will distract the aggressor so much he will not pay much attention to the newcomer.

http://reefbuilders.com/2011/04/12/p...kii-clownfish/
The people at J&L's sold it to me as a Picasso Clarkii. It looks like the one in this article as well.
:)

It's all the same to me, I love him no matter what he is! Lol:) I just needed advice on him bullying the tang. But they all seem to be working things out amongst themselves :)

Yep, those are the ones. The breeder is calling them Galaxy and Meteor. Hobbyists and LFS are not calling them the proper name. That's why the article you referred to called them "Picasso-type". It is respectful to the breeder to call the fish by the correct name. :) Do you have just the one? Have you considered pairing with another?

That is very cool! Thank-you for the info! Can you recommend where to look to do more reading up on the subject? :)
And yes, I just have the one. I never thought of breeding, I just upgraded my tank, only had a 55 before, so the thought never occurred to me. Are clowns difficult to breed? And do different types of clowns have different breeding behaviors? I would be interested in doing some research on the subject, my main concern would be how much tank space the rest of my fish would loose in the clowns defense of their breeding territory.. So you say you have some of the same type?
Thanks,
Jocelyn

well if its one probably wouldnt be having the eggs. since there isnt andother one in there. they remind of the clarkii clown and they are PITA clowns. could be just its bossy around his home. how was the mirror issue. i used to love keeping mine there in my 240 gal. when i would add the tangs at different times.

Hi Jocelyn, there is not a lot of info on these Clarkii clowns since there is just the sole breeder right now, and from what I understand they only have one pair producing these markings. Clarkii aren't overly popular fish because a lot of people think they are aggressive. Clarkii are puppy dogs compared to many species! :eek: Although Clarkii are generally more aggressive than Percula or Ocellaris the Cinnamons, Maroons (especially white stripe) and Tomatoes are all much more aggressive than Clarkii.

If you were to form a pair the aggression would definitely go up, even more so once they started breeding. You could lose half a 55 gallon tank to a breeding pair of clownfish (regardless of species). Fish are individual too though, for example, I have a breeding pair of Darwin clowns that will kill any inverts that get within 12" of their house. They killed a Peppermint shrimp and several snails.

They are Clarkii! :D Clarkii aren't that bad...you just need to pick appropriate tankmates. My SPS reef is quite aggressive - a pair of Tomatoes, a couple Yellow Tail Damsels, a large male Grey Head Wrasse, and a Square Spot Anthias. The female Tomato and the Wrasse kick eachothers' butts. It's an even fight though, so no damage.

Well I am glad to know the correct breed. Would I call it a Galaxy Clarkii, or a Meteor Clarkii, of a Galaxy Meteor Clarkii? Lol!
Mine has actually been very docile until I added the yellow tang.. They are completely fine now though I might add, it's like the problem never existed. And, I might add, this clown is a lamb compare to my black and white I used to have.. That thing would attack my arm (with painful missile like attacking bites) every time I put my hand in to clean the glass. It would also attack the power head I used to blow off the LR every so often. It was awful. My Clarkii has been so docile and friendly up until that yellow tang! Perhaps it has finally gotten big enough for his aggression to kick in? That, and I hadn't added any new fish for a long time as my tank was too small. Once I upgraded tank size and then added the tang is when he started this bad attitude.
Glad things are great now, but I am certainly wary of my next addition.. Glad I have these suggestions to distract him now! :)

As for breeding, I would love to, (I used to breed Frontosa Cichlids) but I am building a community reef tank, I don't think it would be fair to my other inhabitants. So I will just be happy with the one I have, I named it ' Starsky' and the anemone he lives in is named 'Hutch'
Lol! ;)

Starsky appears to be a Meteor Clarkii unless he has more white that I can't see in the pics. The Galaxy Clarkii have more white - often in streaks, where the Meteor has spots.

Sweet. Thanks! :):):)