[rlcline76]

My purple firefish spent 3 weeks in quarantine, just to be attcked viciously by the tomato anemonefish. For any of you who are not aware of my mental fish: I have one tomato anemonefish in one tank and it has been super peaceful to its tank-mates. My common clowns are complete bozos and they are residing in my son's tank. They all used to live together, but they have been shuffled around after quarantines and so forth. The tomato held his own with the clowns until today. In an attempt to save the firefish, we put the anemonefish back together. Nope. The common clowns beat the crap out of the tomato within minutes. This is not what we were hoping for. I have 3 tanks altogether, and the only solution I can think of is a tank just for the clowns because they are so freakin mean! I have no more room for tanks and so the whole thing is causing headaches. The tomato is back in his former tank.

Just venting. Need beer.

[Blackjacktang]

Try to sell them to the local fish store (LFS).

[rlcline76]

I've tried, he doesn't want them either. That, and my son would freak out if we got rid of Nemo. He is 3 and they were bought for him. The tomato was growing and was a great looking piece of work until tonight. I almost feel sick about it. More ticked than anything at the whole lot of them...for just being fish.

[kolokefalo]

The only "good" clownfish are true percula clowns. I have found all the others to be aggressive almost always. If your kids must have a "Nemo" fish, try a true percula clown or 2. They will do well especially with a anemone of the Heteractis family.

[sigsauer]

I've got two gold stripe maroons. Their bubble anemone decided to move around to the underside of one of my rocks. Well, that was where my tiger striped brittle star was hanging out. That evening I looked in and two of the stars arms had been eaten! I think the female clown went nuts!

[rlcline76]

Sig, thus far, my clowns have left my brittlestar alone. I thought I read somewhere that brittlestars eat anemonefish eggs...that and the star was a little too close to their home. I don't even have an anemone. I've done the whole rearrangement of their tank, the behavior continues. The tomato didn't even make it to the rocks last night before getting a chunk taken out of his fins.

[sigsauer]

I've read that clowns can be agressive, but I guess you don't really know until you experience it first hand.

[Krazy]

Clowns can be aggressive for sure..

My cinnamon clown is pretty well mannerd, she will only nip me if I get within an inch or two of her anemone, she'll warn me with a convulsation shake then the biting begins until I am out of her way

Its kinda funny...

Now the lil reef piranas (damsels) in my 37 gallon tank, they are MEAN, 3 of them at once attcking my hands while I move corals and such... Mean lil buggers...

[rlcline76]

Right now I just have the 2 clowns, a watchman goby and a scooter blenny in the tank. That is OK, as long as no one needs to be hospitilized because once I take them out that is it, the clowns will not put up with a new tank mate...even an old tank mate on vacation. Ideally, the clowns would have their own tank and then I wouldn't be as frustrated. The tank itself would be cheap...but by the time I buy the rock, sand, heater, filter, new thermometer and then cycle the tank...I'll be moving!!!! I only have 17 more months or less of this place and then I will be somewhere else. Not worth it at this point.

[PalmDesert]

Clowns are territorial by nature whether you have 1 or 3 of them in the same tank. I have a clown named Cloie. She has no patience with anyone coming into her territory especially if she is playing in the frogspawn

[Gohn]

I have 1 tomato clown that has kept the peace in my tank. I have the tank mostly for the LR, soft corals, zoas, featherdusters and pleanty O' inverts. The fish are all pretty jerky afterthoughts (damsels) who used to fight till the clown staked a space in the middle and keeps everyone into zone of their own.

[gimmito]

A couple of thoughts...Did you try turning off the lights or rearranging the rocks before introducing the firefish ?

Worse comes to worse you can try the mirror trick. The tomato will think there is another clown in the tank. It will then divert all of it's attention towards itself.

Do you have a 20 gal ? That's a tough size to introduce new tankmates when there's not much room to hide.

I had a cinnamin once and it was the meanest fish in the tank...it harrased another cinnamin clown to death.

[Jeremy0322]

This thread is almost a year old too, someone is digging up old threads again and really confusing me