[aryesapir]

I have had these two maroon clowns for about 4 months; one is about 3.5 inches while the other is about 3 inches. I have never had a problem with them fighting, although they did chase one another occasionally. However, now they are fighting violently at times, especially when it gets dark in the tank.

Does anyone have an idea why this is happening? Is there anyway to fix it?

Thanks

[clown shrimp]

hmmm try taking the female out of the tank for a day or so, Female is the larger of the 2 if u didn't know that.

[Taras1]

At 3" or there about, you might have 2 females on your hands. They are probably vying for dominance. The problem is that clownfish as juveniles are usually "male." Only one juvenile changes sex to become a female which is dominant in the school. One "male" will become the dominant male and the others remain smaller and non-dominant. If the dominant female should die, then the dominant male becomes the dominant female and another male will become the dominant male of the group. A female cannot change back to male, so if you happen to have two females, you probably will need to go back and try to exchange her for a smaller (much smaller) clownfish.

I usually recommend getting several small (about 1 - 1 1/2") juveniles and letting them grow into the heirarchy. Otherwise, get a mated pair for your tank.