Killer Clowns!!

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joeltdc

AC Members
Mar 3, 2008
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Ok, I’ll start with my list so who ever can help me get the best idea possible. I have around 160lb live rock, 4 corals, a foxface, orange linckia starfish, sand starfish, a yellow tang, and a hippo tang, 2 skunk shrimps, a mandarin, and the actual problem 2 clownfish. All of this fishes were great together, they lived in great harmony, and the tank was starting to look as great as ever!! I have a very big tank, so I decided to get some small damsels to add some more life to the tank. As soon as I placed the damsels in the tank, they had been chased like crazy by both of the clownfish. I figure that it was the territorial aspect of the clown and I thought it was going to be a short thing. This morning I woke up to find the fins of the damsels very torn up. I placed both clowns in my quarantine tank, but I don’t want to keep them on a separate tank… Why did the clownfish acted this way? Any idea on what can I do, and how to fix this behavior, and even what could cause it? Is it going to wear of…? Well anything in general would be a great help… thanks
 

mandy21

THE REEFER GODDESS
May 16, 2006
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Ohio
how big is "very big" in terms of the tank?

what kind of clowns then are we talking?
 

SpockthePuffer

AC Members
Jan 2, 2008
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Pittsburgh
Clowns and Damsels are of the same family and as a general rule shouldn't be housed together. Some people get away with them being together but since they are both aggressive to their own kind IMO its not worth stressing the fish and leading to fish deaths.

I had a blue damsel in with my false percula and the damsel not only started attacking the clown but also started attacking everyone else too. He would hit my goby in the face with his tail and chase around my royal gramma. He nipped fins and was all in all a terrible fish. Needless to say he is gone now.

I don't really think its the clowns fault, its more of the damsel. I suggest you bring the damsels back. Even if you get rid of the clowns, as the damsels mature they will harass your other tank mates. Their aggression gets even worse as they mature.
 

joeltdc

AC Members
Mar 3, 2008
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ok, before this whole situation happend my two clown fish where together all the time, and they didn't attacked each other. Also all the other damsels where together in the place a purchase them, is this behavior is going tho change if I keep the clowns together, and the damsels in another tank
 

SpockthePuffer

AC Members
Jan 2, 2008
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Pittsburgh
If you take the damsels out the clowns should calm back down. And you tank will be back to its usual self.

What kind of damsels are they?

As they mature they will also have aggression towards each other and might end up just stressing and killing each other one by one. Some damsels are more aggressive than other though.
 
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