Mean False Percula Clown.. Advice?

Cassette87 · 05-13-2007, 07:29 PM

Hey everyone,

I've had my pair of FP clowns for about 2 months now, and their fellow tankmates are 3 blue chromis and a skunk cleaner shrimp. latley, the slightly larger clown picks on everyone in the tank, the other clown in particular. It's gotten so bad that it is honestly sad to watch, he drives the other clown into the corner and keeps him there... this happens mainly during feeding but it will still happen occasionally otherwise. You can always look at the two of them and know which one is scarred of the other... I honestly feel bad for him, but i don't know what i can do. Both of them are rather plump, and my girlfriend said the mean one looks pregnant, which i suppose could be possible, but the other one isn't scrawny either, just a little smaller overall. I'm going to be trading in my chromis pretty soon, do you feel this would help? I really hate seein the lil guy get bullied around. Thanks in advance for any advice.

oh, as far as feeding goes, i don't feed that much really, in fact it's probably minimal, so maybe i should feed a bit more to ease the tension for food? i just don't want more algae blooms ....

Thanks Guys!

lcstorc · 05-13-2007, 07:33 PM

If the clowns are close in size you may have 2 females or 2 males. If you do you are going to need to get rid of one of them. They may never tolerate each other. Keep a close eye on them and if the one gets too agressive you will need to remove one to avoid injury to the one being picked on. More food may help if it is food agression. I would try that for a day or two at least. It just may help.

goldenmean · 05-13-2007, 08:07 PM

My two clowns were like that when I got them.
I did not think the smaller one (Omen)was going to live as the larger one (Enom)was always chasing the Omen around. Omen would find places to be out of Enom's site but she would go find him just to chase him around. Omen was a lot faster! Eventually the harrasment ended but it took several months. You can still tell that Enom is in charge.
I got my clowns when they were young. Clowns can change sex. The larger more agressive clown becomes the female and the smaller clown becomes the male.

Cassette87 · 05-13-2007, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldenmean

My two clowns were like that when I got them.
I did not think the smaller one (Omen)was going to live as the larger one (Enom)was always chasing the Omen around. Omen would find places to be out of Enom's site but she would go find him just to chase him around. Omen was a lot faster! Eventually the harrasment ended but it took several months. You can still tell that Enom is in charge.
I got my clowns when they were young. Clowns can change sex. The larger more agressive clown becomes the female and the smaller clown becomes the male.

So over a period of a couple months this behavior could very well change? I'm just looking at the tank, and just as i look over... smaller one is tryin to tuck into his mushroom for the night and the larger is being mean... I hope your right, and if i have to get rid of one lynn, wouldn't there be just as good of a chance for a second one fighting just as much? i hate to keep one alone, but if thats how they act... i guess my lil guy will have to be all alone. I'd sure like to see it work out. It wasn't like this for the first month or so.. they left each other alone, even swam around together a lot.. now it's kinda the opposite... any more input would be greatly appreciated!!

Cassette87 · 05-13-2007, 09:19 PM

Captured a video of him... this is polite behavior compared to when the daylights are on and/or when food is in the tank... vid is 9mb.. just as a warning.

lcstorc · 05-14-2007, 08:14 AM

The link doesn't work for some reason.
Yes if you get another clown you do have the risk of it happening again. If you were to replace it you would want to get one significantly smaller than the one in the tank. That way it will still be a male and the dominant one the female.

Cassette87 · 05-14-2007, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lcstorc

The link doesn't work for some reason.
Yes if you get another clown you do have the risk of it happening again. If you were to replace it you would want to get one significantly smaller than the one in the tank. That way it will still be a male and the dominant one the female.

Fixed the link for ya

lcstorc · 05-14-2007, 10:35 AM

How close in size are they? In the vid they both seem to be fairly good size fish. If they are close to the same size then that is likely to be the problem. You could have 2 females. Were they the same size to begin with?

Cassette87 · 05-14-2007, 11:10 AM

there's a pic of them here in my journal thread. that's literally when they were being acclimated. theyre both probably 1 1/2" - 1 3/4" if i had to say so the meaner one is a little fatter, and maybe 1/4" bigger at the most.. so i'd say he's like 1 3/4" and the smaller is 1 1/2"

pete159 · 05-28-2007, 05:45 AM

get a bigger fish that it wont pick on that can become the dominant fish of the tank, maybe a dwarf lion.
Anyone tried something like that?

prow · 05-28-2007, 08:55 AM

dont think that will work. clowns are clowns. most fish, even mean ones dont mess with clowns all that much. plus the clowns are in there already and established. i would send both clowns back LFS. get two baby baby clowns and try them. or keep one and get a reak small one i a ciuoke if weeks.

FYI make sure new ones are babies and not just juveniles. remember clowns can stay juveniles for years with no host or other clown. then when they morph into females they get a little bigger but still are smaller than normal, i have a pair of mini clowns. the female is one 1.5" maybe. the male is under a 1". the female i had as a juvenile for 4ish years before i got a mate. the juvenile i had for 4 years turnned to the female only after i added a mate. so dont go by size alone, both your clown may very well be females not juveniles. you might want to try putting in a tank bread juvenile and let it get established. then add the second wild or tank bread one and hope that its really a juvenile. the established clown will be the aggressor and turn into the female, the new one should submit with out much resistance.

Frankie · 05-28-2007, 09:50 AM

I just looked through your thread on this tank Andy. Great job! tank looks awesome. Sorry i missed out on this one for so long.
I would also like to help a bit with your clown troubles. Your tank is very open with not many hiding places. Having all them damsels in one 29 gal. tank like that is asking for additudes to rise. When you return the chromis have you given thought to getting a larger non damsel fish? I'm not talking tangs here but maybe some other mid sized growing fish to distract the dominant clown? or maybe a bubble tip anemone for the clowns to host in? fighting over a shroom is going to get tempers up also because only one fish can fit a shroom. Kinda like sleeping in a twin sized bed. I would try a few things before getting rid of them. But in the end if you have too, prow gave you good advice.

05-13-2007, 07:29 PM	#1 (permalink)
Cassette87 Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Palos Park, IL Posts: 1,415 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Mean False Percula Clown.. Advice? Hey everyone, I've had my pair of FP clowns for about 2 months now, and their fellow tankmates are 3 blue chromis and a skunk cleaner shrimp. latley, the slightly larger clown picks on everyone in the tank, the other clown in particular. It's gotten so bad that it is honestly sad to watch, he drives the other clown into the corner and keeps him there... this happens mainly during feeding but it will still happen occasionally otherwise. You can always look at the two of them and know which one is scarred of the other... I honestly feel bad for him, but i don't know what i can do. Both of them are rather plump, and my girlfriend said the mean one looks pregnant, which i suppose could be possible, but the other one isn't scrawny either, just a little smaller overall. I'm going to be trading in my chromis pretty soon, do you feel this would help? I really hate seein the lil guy get bullied around. Thanks in advance for any advice. oh, as far as feeding goes, i don't feed that much really, in fact it's probably minimal, so maybe i should feed a bit more to ease the tension for food? i just don't want more algae blooms .... Thanks Guys! __________________ Andy My 29 Gallon Reef! My DIY LED Lights Current Status - Camping - Back 7/21/08 I'm still around people, just on a sort of "summer-time leave" Feel free to PM or e-mail me for any needs!

05-13-2007, 07:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 18,379 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Mean False Percula Clown.. Advice? If the clowns are close in size you may have 2 females or 2 males. If you do you are going to need to get rid of one of them. They may never tolerate each other. Keep a close eye on them and if the one gets too agressive you will need to remove one to avoid injury to the one being picked on. More food may help if it is food agression. I would try that for a day or two at least. It just may help. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

05-13-2007, 08:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
goldenmean Beautiful Katamari Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 4,058 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Mean False Percula Clown.. Advice? My two clowns were like that when I got them. I did not think the smaller one (Omen)was going to live as the larger one (Enom)was always chasing the Omen around. Omen would find places to be out of Enom's site but she would go find him just to chase him around. Omen was a lot faster! Eventually the harrasment ended but it took several months. You can still tell that Enom is in charge. I got my clowns when they were young. Clowns can change sex. The larger more agressive clown becomes the female and the smaller clown becomes the male. __________________ A 55g link in the GoldenChain My Second Quarantine Tank 2 (+) Year Retrospective of a 12g Nano Jeff What You Think Upon Grows... Have a Smooth Day!

05-13-2007, 09:19 PM	#5 (permalink)
Cassette87 Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Palos Park, IL Posts: 1,415 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Mean False Percula Clown.. Advice? Captured a video of him... this is polite behavior compared to when the daylights are on and/or when food is in the tank... vid is 9mb.. just as a warning. __________________ Andy My 29 Gallon Reef! My DIY LED Lights Current Status - Camping - Back 7/21/08 I'm still around people, just on a sort of "summer-time leave" Feel free to PM or e-mail me for any needs! Last edited by Cassette87 : 05-14-2007 at 09:50 AM.

05-14-2007, 08:14 AM	#6 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 18,379 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Mean False Percula Clown.. Advice? The link doesn't work for some reason. Yes if you get another clown you do have the risk of it happening again. If you were to replace it you would want to get one significantly smaller than the one in the tank. That way it will still be a male and the dominant one the female. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

05-14-2007, 10:35 AM	#8 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 18,379 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Mean False Percula Clown.. Advice? How close in size are they? In the vid they both seem to be fairly good size fish. If they are close to the same size then that is likely to be the problem. You could have 2 females. Were they the same size to begin with? __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

05-14-2007, 11:10 AM	#9 (permalink)
Cassette87 Reef Lobster Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Palos Park, IL Posts: 1,415 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Mean False Percula Clown.. Advice? there's a pic of them here in my journal thread. that's literally when they were being acclimated. theyre both probably 1 1/2" - 1 3/4" if i had to say so the meaner one is a little fatter, and maybe 1/4" bigger at the most.. so i'd say he's like 1 3/4" and the smaller is 1 1/2" __________________ Andy My 29 Gallon Reef! My DIY LED Lights Current Status - Camping - Back 7/21/08 I'm still around people, just on a sort of "summer-time leave" Feel free to PM or e-mail me for any needs!

05-28-2007, 05:45 AM	#10 (permalink)
pete159 Tunicate Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 19 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Mean False Percula Clown.. Advice? get a bigger fish that it wont pick on that can become the dominant fish of the tank, maybe a dwarf lion. Anyone tried something like that?

05-28-2007, 08:55 AM	#11 (permalink)
prow Manta Ray Join Date: May 2005 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Posts: 3,854 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Mean False Percula Clown.. Advice? dont think that will work. clowns are clowns. most fish, even mean ones dont mess with clowns all that much. plus the clowns are in there already and established. i would send both clowns back LFS. get two baby baby clowns and try them. or keep one and get a reak small one i a ciuoke if weeks. FYI make sure new ones are babies and not just juveniles. remember clowns can stay juveniles for years with no host or other clown. then when they morph into females they get a little bigger but still are smaller than normal, i have a pair of mini clowns. the female is one 1.5" maybe. the male is under a 1". the female i had as a juvenile for 4ish years before i got a mate. the juvenile i had for 4 years turnned to the female only after i added a mate. so dont go by size alone, both your clown may very well be females not juveniles. you might want to try putting in a tank bread juvenile and let it get established. then add the second wild or tank bread one and hope that its really a juvenile. the established clown will be the aggressor and turn into the female, the new one should submit with out much resistance.

05-28-2007, 09:50 AM	#12 (permalink)
Frankie Angel Girl's Daddy Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: The End Of The World Posts: 7,089 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Mean False Percula Clown.. Advice? I just looked through your thread on this tank Andy. Great job! tank looks awesome. Sorry i missed out on this one for so long. I would also like to help a bit with your clown troubles. Your tank is very open with not many hiding places. Having all them damsels in one 29 gal. tank like that is asking for additudes to rise. When you return the chromis have you given thought to getting a larger non damsel fish? I'm not talking tangs here but maybe some other mid sized growing fish to distract the dominant clown? or maybe a bubble tip anemone for the clowns to host in? fighting over a shroom is going to get tempers up also because only one fish can fit a shroom. Kinda like sleeping in a twin sized bed. I would try a few things before getting rid of them. But in the end if you have too, prow gave you good advice. __________________ Visit my aquarium -->New Horizons By Frankie Bruce: Today's meeting is Step 5: Bring a fish friend. Everyone brought a fish friend? DIY=DO IT YOURSELF! If we ignore the environment maybe it will just go away....

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