I have two percs and about 45 minuites ago one of them starting an almost violent twitching behavior which it is now doing periodically, especially when the other is near. They are not fighting or picking on each other. It seems like the one that is not twitching is swimming around the tank scouting spots and finally the twitcher is hidding in a back corner of the tank which is pretty well covered. the non twitcher is now hanging out in the corner with the other. I purchased the two together but weren't mated at least at the time were not sold as a mated pair. So are they spawning or is one in trouble. I have never seen them act like this :? . They both eat well and are the only fish in my 10 gallon. All levels are right on. Thanks.
Clown behavior
- Thread starter shalegac
- Start date
Not a problem at all. That is classic behavior when forming a mating pair. The twitching fish is telling the other that it recognizes the other's dominance. The non-twitcher will most likely turn into a female, and the other will remain a male. It's a good sign, especially if you want them to breed. They're not spawning yet, though. If they decide they like each other enough, they will stop the displays of dominance and will soon be inseperable. You'll see them spending all their time together. That is what I have read and seen in my own tank. Good luck!
Sara
Sara
I don't have enough light for an anemone so I'm just letting them do their thing. Yeah, when I saw them in a display tank together I asked if they were mated considering they were alone and had an anemone but the shop owner said they never would be. That guy is an idiot anyway, I swear I know 100x more than that guy. Always looking for the sale he tried to sell me a mated pair for about $70 more than the other two. I said no thanks I'll mate them myself. Hopefully they will 
I have always been leary of buying "supposed mated pairs". I have yet to start a salt water tank, but I did have an experience with buying a mated pair of 'fire mouth cichlids". The fish were happy at the store, took them home, they had a whole 40g tank to play in. Then a few days later the female killed the male. Wasn't sure if it was a territorial thing. When I buy my clowns I am going to hope that they form pairs. I read that the fish change from a male to a female to form pairs with smaller male fish. If this is so, shouldn't they form pairs regardless? Or does this only take place under ideal conditions?
You heard correctly, about the change from male to female. They then form a social structure with the female as the dominant member (a bit more advanced than OUR social structure....sorry, getting off topic... :lol: ). Only one male in the family is allowed to breed. If the female dies, the lead male becomes the female, and another male is promoted. Yes, in theory, they should always form mated pairs, but only if you put them all in at the same time. If you don't, then the first one in the tank gets the idea that he/she is the boss, and will automatically harass and/or kill any additional clowns. So, the best way to do it is to start with an established anemone, if you are going to get one, and add as many clowns as you can. I say that, because they will fight regardless of what you do, especially if there's an anemone to claim. So, some will die. I always get about two to three more clowns than I really want. I started with 6, and have 3 left. Good enough for me. I have studied all this for a while, so if anyone has any more questions, I can ramble on for a long time. Good luck!
Sara
Sara
Okay then, here's another question for you klingsa and fellow marine friends. Suppose I get a large tank (looks like I might upgrade my orginal plan of a 30g to a 55g) and purchase 4 clowns and two anemones or a compatible type corral like bubble corral. Will the clowns break off and form two pairs without fighting or will they still seek to establish a fish ruling system with one main boss female. I figure if they have enough territories ie, corrals ect.. to chose from, they should be fine. At least it has worked with my cichlids. Thoughts?
I am not in favor of buying 4 clowns and throwing them into a tank. You might be signing their death warrants. If you want a pair buy two small clowns and hope for the best. There is no promise that they will pair up, but there is a high probability.
As for two anemones, here is my experience. I am into chrysopteruses (orange-fin clown). I have bought a pair from a friend in Guam who is the collector/diver too. In my 100 gal tank, the right side was delicated for about 6 rose anemones, but on the left side there was one run away rose. The clown pair stayed together for about 4 months while hosting in the roses that are on the right side. One day, the male got tired of the female and decided to move into the lone rose on the left side of the tank. He stayed in that rose until 1.5 years later in which he died due low oxygen levels (I was switching to external pumps and didn't realized how fast the oxygen level depleted until it was too late).
After months of search I found another chrysopterus that had high probability of being a male. Before I added the new male I moved the loner rose back over to the right side knowing that it might have cause the split up between the pair. I added the new male hmmm about a year ago, it took a few weeks (more like 2 months) before the two clowns paired up. They have been together ever since and hosting in the roses on the right side of the tank.
So in all, my advice to you is if you are going to have multiple anemones try to keep the anemones together, so the clowns are forced to stay together if they decide to pair up.
Good Luck.
As for two anemones, here is my experience. I am into chrysopteruses (orange-fin clown). I have bought a pair from a friend in Guam who is the collector/diver too. In my 100 gal tank, the right side was delicated for about 6 rose anemones, but on the left side there was one run away rose. The clown pair stayed together for about 4 months while hosting in the roses that are on the right side. One day, the male got tired of the female and decided to move into the lone rose on the left side of the tank. He stayed in that rose until 1.5 years later in which he died due low oxygen levels (I was switching to external pumps and didn't realized how fast the oxygen level depleted until it was too late).
After months of search I found another chrysopterus that had high probability of being a male. Before I added the new male I moved the loner rose back over to the right side knowing that it might have cause the split up between the pair. I added the new male hmmm about a year ago, it took a few weeks (more like 2 months) before the two clowns paired up. They have been together ever since and hosting in the roses on the right side of the tank.
So in all, my advice to you is if you are going to have multiple anemones try to keep the anemones together, so the clowns are forced to stay together if they decide to pair up.
Good Luck.
Thanks for the insight ChaoticReefer! I had forgotten that the anemones like to run around the tank every so often if they feel the need for a new spot. I never really took that into consideration of splitting up pairs of clown fish. if I am having a clown fish only tank with one pair, and some corals which is the best size. I know you are going to say bigger is best, but lets assume my tank will only house the two fish, the cleaning crew of hermits and corals. I am thinking 30g-33g.
Here are my thoughts -
It really doesn't matter how many anemones you add to the tank, because the fish will of course ultimately decide where and if they want to host. I have two anemones, and they ignore one and like the other. The chances of having two mated pairs in two anemones is pretty slim, given the chances of fighting, natural death, death from stress/shock, etc. This depends, of course, on what kind of clowns you want. If we're talking ocellaris, they are social animals, and will try to form a family. But, as I said, it's all up to the female. If she doesn't want anyone else in her anemone, that's that.
As for putting four fish in and seeing what happens, yes, it's a risk. But there's not really a better way to give them all equal footing and equal access to the anemones. They establish dominance very quickly.
The other thing I was going to say is that trying to use LPS corals as clownfish hosts is inherently risky. Even if the fish isn't stung and is able to acclimate, many of the polyps are so irritated by the presence of the fish that they pull in and don't get the light they need, and die. Seen it happen. And there's a good chance that the clown could be seriously hurt by an LPS, as they are not instinctively or genetically geared toward hosting clowns.
Overall, I would say, in my experience, use ocellaris or perculas, and get as many of them as you can/want. At least three or four more than you want. They are attracted to long tentacles, so that's usually better than, say, a carpet anemone. Give them time, and let them play out their own acclimation. If you want to go with less sociable clowns, like tomatoes, maroons, or others, get a large and a small clown at the same time. Chances are, the large one is the female and the small is still a juvenile male. Yes, they will probably fight. You may lose the male and have to introduce more of them until you find one that the female accepts. Costly, but necessary. This is what I've found in my research and my personal experience. Hope that helps. Good luck!
Oh, BTW, about tank size, you're right...bigger is always better. But if it's just the clowns, then 30g is fine. Keeping stable water conditions for anemones and/or corals is the problem there, though. YOu'll have to pay close attention and test pretty often.
Sara
It really doesn't matter how many anemones you add to the tank, because the fish will of course ultimately decide where and if they want to host. I have two anemones, and they ignore one and like the other. The chances of having two mated pairs in two anemones is pretty slim, given the chances of fighting, natural death, death from stress/shock, etc. This depends, of course, on what kind of clowns you want. If we're talking ocellaris, they are social animals, and will try to form a family. But, as I said, it's all up to the female. If she doesn't want anyone else in her anemone, that's that.
As for putting four fish in and seeing what happens, yes, it's a risk. But there's not really a better way to give them all equal footing and equal access to the anemones. They establish dominance very quickly.
The other thing I was going to say is that trying to use LPS corals as clownfish hosts is inherently risky. Even if the fish isn't stung and is able to acclimate, many of the polyps are so irritated by the presence of the fish that they pull in and don't get the light they need, and die. Seen it happen. And there's a good chance that the clown could be seriously hurt by an LPS, as they are not instinctively or genetically geared toward hosting clowns.
Overall, I would say, in my experience, use ocellaris or perculas, and get as many of them as you can/want. At least three or four more than you want. They are attracted to long tentacles, so that's usually better than, say, a carpet anemone. Give them time, and let them play out their own acclimation. If you want to go with less sociable clowns, like tomatoes, maroons, or others, get a large and a small clown at the same time. Chances are, the large one is the female and the small is still a juvenile male. Yes, they will probably fight. You may lose the male and have to introduce more of them until you find one that the female accepts. Costly, but necessary. This is what I've found in my research and my personal experience. Hope that helps. Good luck!
Oh, BTW, about tank size, you're right...bigger is always better. But if it's just the clowns, then 30g is fine. Keeping stable water conditions for anemones and/or corals is the problem there, though. YOu'll have to pay close attention and test pretty often.
Sara
I wouldn't suggest going with 4 clowns in one tank either. With ocellaris and perculas, you can just add two juveniles to a tank. If one's bigger than the other, great. One will eventually establish dominance, usually without killing the other. 4 at a time will probably lead to dead fish, IMHO.
Oh yeah, the technical term for the "shaking" is "tetanus".
Ocellaris naturally host in Stichodactyla mertensii, standard carpets, although it's probably not a great anemone for a reef tank.
Oh yeah, the technical term for the "shaking" is "tetanus".
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