clown fish behavior

Discussion in 'ASAP' started by d-money, Apr 15, 2009.

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  1. d-money

    d-money Plankton

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    I have two ocellaris clownfish that have been in my 12 gallon tank together for a little over a month now. Just recently I have noticed one of the clown fish has lost some of his color and is no longer as orange as he once was. The pale clown fish gets chased around by the other clown fish and normally begins to shiver when it gets close to it. Today I woke up and noticed the pale clownfish tucking itself underneath my torch coral, and just staying there. Is he dying? or is something else happening here?:confused:

    (caught it shaking)
    [​IMG]
    (tucking under the torch)
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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  3. Stingray

    Stingray Blue Ringed Angel

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    Has i understand it, clown fish can do a funny dance, not too sure what this is, maybe somebody else can chime in, but also he may be starting to host the torch...
     
  4. DrewGritz

    DrewGritz Flamingo Tongue

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    Are the clownfish a mated pair?

    If not, they are probably stressing eachother out... They are pretty territorial and can be aggressive towards eachother...
     
  5. d-money

    d-money Plankton

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    ^^^you might be on to something. One of the clownfish has been in the tank longer than the other. I had two clown fish prior, one became sick and died so I bought this clown fish to keep it company. From what I understood from my LFS, they were still juveniles and it was to early for them to have chosen a sex.
     
  6. trelane

    trelane Peppermint Shrimp

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    Clowns are odd. Target feed the hiding fish (and fortify with garlic). On occasions clown fights will result in a dead clownfish. They are a much more attractive relative of the damsel and come with about 90% of the bad attitude.

    Assuming the little guy lives, as they reach maturity this behaviour should stop.
     
  7. sostoudt

    sostoudt Giant Squid

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    i would move the torch, as it may be getting stung while hiding from the other clown
     
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  9. shipbear

    shipbear Bubble Tip Anemone

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    They acting like that isn't to uncommon ..
    Loseing color isn't a good sign.. Try feeding mysis shrimp, and get some pellets with garlic, may help..
    I had 2, one died.. after about 3 months.. I bought another one.. And didn't have much problem. But there was some fighting that went on..
    The bigger stronger one will be the female, the smaller one the male. With just 2 ..
    Try to be sure it eats... It may have been trying to find a hideing place..

    Good Luck, Larry
     
  10. tigermike74

    tigermike74 Panda Puffer

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    Also, soak food in selcon as well. It will provide Hufa proteins that are good for the fish. Clowns are damselfish and can be very territorial, especially in a small home like a 12G tank. They may be establishing their pecking order right now, the little one is probably resisting the domination at this point.
     
  11. slocal

    slocal Doot!

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    If I remember, the submissive clown will turn on its side and act like it's having a seizure to show the dominant one that it is submitting to it.
     
  12. d-money

    d-money Plankton

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    yea that's exactly what my pale clowfish is doing. He eats every time I feed the tank. I alternate between brine shrimp and flakes daily. What does the garlic do exactly?