Young percula clowns fighting

[kylem]

I have two percula clowns that were great together for a couple of months. Then I added two Ocilaris Clowns...mated pair that are 4 time the size of these two young ones. One week later one percula began to chase the other and fight ..practically nonstop. The Ocilaris Clowns leave them alone.
They quit fighting so drastically for a while to heal their mouth area up. One doen't really want to fight and hides alot. The other wants to dominate the tank.
Anyone have any suggestions on what to do or is this normal behavoir?

 

[wrassehole]

place a bet on the one that likes to fight

 

[Terry B]

It is very common for this species to begin fighting with another one when kept in the same aquarium. This is a part of their maturation proccess as they begin to form a bonded pair. The male must become submissive to the female and there is usually a lot of bickering before the female establishes dominance. In a small tank this process can be fatal to the smaller fish because they can't get out of the way. It is better to keep several clowns in a larger tank and let them choose a mate in a place where the smaller males can escape from harm. When you notice that the female gets less aggressive after the lights go out then you are probably making progress. Beware that she will behave aggressively again in the morning. Once they establish a bonded pair the fighting is over.

Cheers,
Terry B

 

[kylem]

Thanks Terry,
That make sense now...they seem to swim together at night but not at first the first week. One is becoming more submissive but the one goes to the bottome of the tank or is forced to the bottom by the other when feeding occurs. I am not sure the one is getting enough food.

 

[kylem]

Just an update...Yes the clowns are defintely mating. In fact they are mimicing the older two but at exagerate rate. The whole family is moving into the new rose anemome...enough room for 6. Both pairs are going through a dance routine but the older two are less agressive.

 

[Angelscrx]

When my male Percula died I bought a new one and the female was biting at the bag while I was matching water temps. It was wild! As soon as ai acclimated the new clown he was off and running as my girl would leave him alone. After about week it all calmed down and the boy started doing the hustle (dance) with his new found love. Pretty neat if I say so myself.