reeferindc August 3, 2014 Share August 3, 2014 So I have a pair of gladiator clowns in a 37 cube along with a green chromis. Fish were all doing fine until about a month ago. That's when the female clown started to be a little too aggressive toward the smaller male clown. At first it was typical clown behavior of clowns setting up dominance( chasing, twitching, shaking, etc.) but nothing more. As of recently the female has become so aggressive that she has started charging the male and actually biting the male and shaking the male as if she was a pitbull attacking. I have noticed fin damage on the male as well. She's not letting the male eat and has even caused him to jump in my overflow a few times to avoid her aggression. Which I saved him from literally being sucked down my oveeflow pipes.I have since seperated the fish and placed the male in my sump and the female doesn't seem to care that her mate is gone. My question is should I place him back in the display and let nature run its course or scrap the male and try another male down the road? If my option is place him back how long should I wait before reintroducing the male? Fish where a little pricey for me and I would hate to have her kill the male. Thanks for any input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keraxis August 3, 2014 Share August 3, 2014 That sounds more then just normal. My female will nip at my male and chase him but its normally back into their sleeping spot. The fact that she is doing damage and the male is running and could possibly die from jumping out I wouldnt put them back together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeferindc August 3, 2014 Author Share August 3, 2014 Should I try a bigger female and let my female change back to male? Or try another smaller male with my female? Again thanks for any input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef August 3, 2014 Share August 3, 2014 The current female won't change back into a male...as far as I've seen..since she has been dominant...you may want to get rid of your current one and get a larger one to keep with your small male... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 August 4, 2014 Share August 4, 2014 Sometimes it happens, has anything changed inside the tank? I have had female clowns go berserk and kill their mates after moving tanks and after changes to the stock. I would try and reintroduce the male with some separation at first. If you keep him in the sump for too long he could change to a female as well and make it more difficult to reintroduce them. Also, I am a bit rusty on my gender changes for clowns, but I thought they could change back as well (maybe this is Anthias or another species?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reeferindc August 4, 2014 Author Share August 4, 2014 Nothing has been added or changed , not even rearranging of rock work. I thought they could change back and forth also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef August 4, 2014 Share August 4, 2014 I've heard that females 'could' change back...but I've never actually seen or heard first hand of it happening after the female has been dominant for a while...especially if kept with a male...but hey...stranger things can happen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BadCrab August 4, 2014 Share August 4, 2014 They can change sexes, but this sounds more like an individual personality issue and not necessarily mating/pairing behavior. I would trade out the current female if I was in your situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now