Ideas About My Bad Clown

[demodiki]

I have a one inch maroon clown that was added last. He joined a coral beauty, watchman goby and 6 line wrasse. Well, the goby took a header out of a one inch hole in the roof and died...the 6 line went a couple of rounds with a powerhead...died....and the coral beauty died under mysterious causes.

That left Mr Mean Clown alone in the tank these past few months. I tentatively decided to add a lawnmower blenny (and crossed my fingers). You guessed it...the clown has been riding the blenny's butt the whole time. I think they blenny must be fighting back because the clown is looking a little frayed around the fins.

I rearranged the rockwork while they were still in there and it hasn't helped. I am setting up the QT tonight (I had to mix up new water) and I am thinking about consigning the clown there until...I don't know.

Any suggestions here?

 

[melosu58]

How big is this tank?

 

[Hara]

put him in the qtine or sump until you have added the fish you want. Then return him to the main. Sometimes a "time out" will work. Sometimes not. Good Luck.

 

[zenn]

i used the time-out method with some 3 stripe damsals and it worked.

 

[demodiki]

I am sorry...this is a 55 gallon tank. I hope the time out works because I am not one to take fish back...he's a mean bas#### but he's mine.

 

[proverbs]

i had a similiar experience with my mys clown. i bought 2 of them as a 'pair', but i really don't think they were a pair because the bigger one would beat on the little guy all day. so i put her in a box net for a timeout for a couple days, and then let her out, but she went right back at beatng the little guy and tearing up most of his fins. i tried doing a timeout a couple more times, but it didn't work. so i had no choice but to bring it back to the store. i replaced her with a blue tang and now my clown and tang have become best friends! they swim together most of the time and it seems like they are having fun. i think the small guy is relieved that i got rid of the violent clown.

so from my experience, if you get a violent maroon clown, then there's not much you can do to change it.

 

[demodiki]

Someone suggested going ahead and adding the last fish to the tank so as to spread the aggression...confuse the issue. I was thinking of a basslett and a 6 line to finish up the stocking plan. Thoughts?

They have an uneasy truce going on. The blenny has stayed at the back of the tank and has been cleaning the back wall. He doesn't come around the front of the rock work where the maroon patrols.

 

[afilter]

Maroons are known to be one of the meaner clowns. Try the time out in a seperate QT tank. While in QT add your other fish and rearrange your rock. I have been luck with my pair of clowns, but all late addittions were bigger than they were.

Good luck,

 

[NewInTown]

I agree with the time-out idea. I currently have my female perc clown in the refuge because she kept picking on the male. She does this about once a year.
I put her in their for about a week.

 

[afilter]

FYI, some picking and flashing can be associated with part of the pairing ritual with clowns. My Maroons occassionally shake and chase, but never to the point that one is damaging the other.