clowns chasing each other.. why?

[FinzAquatics]

i have had my clowns for 4-5 months now. got them as juvies. one was bigger than the other when i got them

now after 4-5 months the larger one is chasing the smaller one around constantly. not attacking him so much, but the occasional nip.

why could this be

 

[JayM]

They might be pairing up, and the larger female is asserting dominance.....

watch for the smaller male to do some submissive shaking behavior as well.

 

[pvh]

I have two clowns as well but one is a Nemo, and the other is a Maroon. The Nemo one is larger and he/she chases the Maroon sometime. Can they pair up and mate if different type of clowns?

Also about shaking, the Nemo shakes a lot more than the other one.

 

[JohnK]

I hate to say it, but a maroon and a perc together sounds like very bad news to me. Maroons are far more aggressive and I've never heard of a cross sp mating before.

I would not leave them together.


Edit; just realized that finz and phv are different people.

Finz, I'm with Jay, sounds like pairing behavior. Also mine have been together for a few years and get along fine, but when they are getting ready to lay some eggs, I often see some interesting behavior that sounds somewhat like your describing. Either way, if neither is getting beat up, I wouldn't worry.

 

[FinzAquatics]

cool. i feel my tank is way too small for them to mate. i dont want them to do that. well if they do lay eggs looks like im setting up a tank to raise the fry..

 

[pvh]

Jimmy, but the Maroon clown is smaller than the Perc. clown. So far the Perc is the one chasing the Maroon. Will that be a problem later on? Or should I get two of the same kind?

 

[JohnK]

Finz-
I wouldnt' worry about your tank size. If they clowns pair and start laying eggs, the fry just become quick food or otherwise disappear quickly after hatching unless they are removed and raised seperately. Don't feel bad, clowns can lay zillions of eggs, you don't have to raise them, though it would be cool if you did. If your thinking of it, do some searching, there are some great articles on clown fish breeding online.

phv-
If the perc is lucky it will kill the maroon, I don't think this is likely.

I would expect that the maroon will outgrow the perc and kill it.

Maroons are super aggressive clowns, percs are pretty mild. It's kind of like a grown cockerspaniel and a baby lion living together - cute now, but big trouble with some time.

Could they pair? I really really doubt it, but who knows? (not me).

The only way I have heard of maroons and percs living in the same tank, is if they are both in seperate mated pairs in a very large tank with lots of anemones.

 

[pvh]

One time I saw my Perc biting on to one of the fin of the Maroon and was swinging it around. It was so funny. I'm not sure if they were play or what.

 

[smcnally]

I have two clowns as well but one is a Nemo, and the other is a Maroon. The Nemo one is larger and he/she chases the Maroon sometime. Can they pair up and mate if different type of clowns?

Also about shaking, the Nemo shakes a lot more than the other one.

I'm sorry, but if you call that fish "Nemo" againwe're going to have to kick you out of the club and send you back to freshwater world

I agree with Jimmy and would find a new home for the maroon clown, and get another perc (or ocelaris) for your "nemo" which could be either.

 

[pvh]

I'm sorry my wife calls him that..."where's Nemo"....hahahaha

OK....anyone got a PERC who wants to get rid of?

 

[~Flighty~]

Percs and maroons have mated and been raised, but the pairing going in the direction of the perc as the female is probably going to be tough.

 

[pvh]

I'm sorry....big error on my side.

It is not a maroon clown....it's a cinnamon clown. Is it ok to have a cinnamon clown with my Perc?

 

[fanaglethebagle]

Unlikely

 

[JohnK]

In general mixing clowns doesn't work out well. IMO your best off trading off one sp. and getting another of the kind you keep.

If you do that, whatever clown you keep, the best thing you can do to help with a sucessful pairing is to make sure the new one you add is much smaller than the existing one. This makes establishing dominance an easy process. Otherwise the battle will go on for a long time and often results in a dead fish.

Also, FWIW, listen to what Cindy (flighty) says about clowns, she does her homework X10, and she's really into clowns and anemones.

 

[pvh]

Anyone want to trade a cinnamon clown for a perc clown???

 

[FinzAquatics]

you may want to post that question in the marketplace forum

 

[JohnK]

If you don't get any responses to that trade idea, I'd suggest posting the same thing as a new thread in the;

"Critters, rock, plants forum".

It might get more veiws that way.

If you don't find a trade, you could also post the cinnamon FS, or ask a LFS and see if they'll trade it in (most give 1/3 of what they can resell it for in store credit, but that's better than nothing).

jk

Edit; Wow! I type slow, fins beat me by 5 min.

 

[DavidGallant]

whats the shakey dance about??

 

[JohnK]

Aggression / pairing / mating /spawning

Often the "shaky dance" or the "wiggles" is showing submission, but you may see bits of it in all of the above behaviors.

 

[FinzAquatics]

If you don't get any responses to that trade idea, I'd suggest posting the same thing as a new thread in the;

"Critters, rock, plants forum".

It might get more veiws that way.

If you don't find a trade, you could also post the cinnamon FS, or ask a LFS and see if they'll trade it in (most give 1/3 of what they can resell it for in store credit, but that's better than nothing).

jk

Edit; Wow! I type slow, fins beat me by 5 min.

it happens