Clown Behavior Change

[One Eye]

Maybe Greg will answer this one, I bought a pair of Red Saddleback Clowns about a week ago. They hosted immediatly in a bta. They've been fine, small chases here and there. Today the female is tearing the male apart. The bta changed positions slightly in the tank. It moved maybe 2" .

Any ideas on what could have caused a change like this? The male still has his juvenile white stripe, it's almost completely gone, but still visible. bty

Maybe he lost the remote? Checking out the scales on the yellow tang? Women always get jealous when you check out a blonde

 

[mloebl]

I had a percula male that lost it's paired female after about a year or so, and I later added another smaller percula. After a few days they seemed to settle in together, and the old larger male began to establish dominance by chasing, etc. After a week or so I also added an LTA, and within a week they both adopted it and had calmed down. Then out of the blue for maybe a week the bigger one nipped the heck out of the smaller one, I even saw it grab the entire tail in the mouth, spin him around and send him flying... the smaller one was a glutton for punishment and kept coming back. Then they just stopped and now, his fins all regrew fine, they are inseparable and the old male almost doubled in size (maybe female now?) I think I read somewhere that pair bonding for dominance can sometimes be rough while the dominant one switches to female.

-Mike

 

[One Eye]

Ruff alright! Here's a pic, the male was so badly beat up that he layed flat on a rock and didn't move at all when I put my hand in the tank. I just picked him up by hand and put him in a make shift speciman container with flow holes cut in it. I hung the container right above her, hoping she'll get used to him agan. Lousy pic, but it's through the container.

 

[mloebl]

Ouch I guess mine was not quite as pyschopathic...

-Mike

 

[Scuba_Dave]

WOW! Guess it must be that time of the month....poor guy

 

[TheUltimateNoob]

geez, he really did get ripped to shreds.

sometimes i feel like that poor little guy when i'm with my girlfriend. lol.

 

[One Eye]

I'm really curious as to why, overnight, she would just begin to attack him?

Has anyone else had this happen. I've had a maroon clown that wouldn't mate, but I was trying to introduce a male after she was in the tank for a while. These came together, where put in the tank at the same time, and where fine together for a week.

 

[marco67]

Man he got his a** whipped,
Ever catch her wearing leather?

 

[One Eye]

I just fed him...gettin his a** kicked gave him quite the appetite! He ate like a pig. Hopefully not his last meal. I think he'll be ok, he's swimming ok and eating so those are good signs. I'll leave him in the safe zone for a while. Any other suggestions?

 

[One Eye]

He lived through the night. Nobody has any ideas about what could have caused this sudden mood swing? I wonder if they have Pamprin for fish?

 

[mloebl]

He lived through the night. Nobody has any ideas about what could have caused this sudden mood swing? I wonder if they have Pamprin for fish?

Maybe all she wanted was a hug

Mine have spats from time to time, but never ripped apart so badly. Maybe they weren't really paired up when you got them?

-Mike

 

[One Eye]

RIP

maybe not so peaceful...he became mantis food.

 

[NateHanson]

bummer (for the clown - good for the mantis)

 

[One Eye]

Well Nate, they say, waste not, want not. But I still want a "pair" of Red Saddlebacks

 

[One Eye]

I bought a new male. I've had him about a week. The female doesn't let him near the bta but she doesn't harrass him too badly. I think that the other was older and most likely turned female. The stress of shipping just caused them to live with each other until they settled into my tank. The new one is a juvenile, he still has the white bar that will disappear when it matures. here's a crappy pic of the new guy.