need advice on clowns...

meenamjah · #1 08-27-2010, 02:04 AM

I recently got a black/white baby ocellaris... I already had a paired regular ocellaris, and they haven't stopped harassing the b/w clown for about a month now. I had a true perc which died within days of being harassed, but this guy's quite tough and holding up well.. but mostly stuck in his corner, and I feel bad for it.

I have a 54 gallon corner tank... not sure if they will ever get along... should I sell the baby clown or wait and hope they get along?

ReefOcean · #2 08-27-2010, 02:08 AM

that is strange.

you could try to re-arrange the rock work so the fish must establish new territory.

BlueTang<3 · #3 08-27-2010, 02:45 AM

Had a mated pair of ocellaris in my 180 tried to add another ocellaris clown killed in seconds.

ReefOcean · #4 08-27-2010, 02:47 AM

Natural Born Killer complex in mated clownfish?

meenamjah · #5 08-27-2010, 02:52 AM

damn.. so it was a bad idea to add a 3rd clown, eh?

I added a nem a couple days ago in hopes of some or any change, but nothing so far...

I guess it's looking like I should sell him... sigh...

ponokareefer · #6 08-27-2010, 04:07 AM

If your existing pair of clownfish were a breeding pair, they will likely try to kill the new one. Clownfish in the wild are quite aggressive towards each other, but due to the size of the ocean, if the breeding pair get over aggressive towards another clownfish, that clownfish can get away. In a 54 gallon tank, they don't have anywhere to go. Long term, it is typically very difficult to keep more than a pair of clownfish together. There are a few cases, but very few that last for years. I'd get your new baby a new home and stop the stress that is going on in your tank, as every fish in there will be stressed out from the fighting and will be more prone to getting sick(disease).