Snowflake clown bully

[AlexRoerden]

In the past week I have started a new snowflake clown pair in a fluval evo 13.5G. I had bought the clown as a pair online, but one of the clowns every so often chases and goes after the slightly smaller clown. At first i thought it was just for dominance to be the female, but the smaller clownfish now has a small amount of fin rot on one of his front bottom fins. What should I do and what is the cause? Should I put up a divider temporarily?

[AlexRoerden]

Originally Posted by AlexRoerden

In the past week I have started a new snowflake clown pair in a fluval evo 13.5G. I had bought the clown as a pair online, but one of the clowns every so often chases and goes after the slightly smaller clown. At first i thought it was just for dominance to be the female, but the smaller clownfish now has a small amount of fin rot on one of his front bottom fins. What should I do and what is the cause? Should I put up a divider temporarily?
Attachment 321700

ALSO VERRY IMPORTANT!!! The smaller clownfish also twitches every so often, he must be sick, but how do I treat it? And what sickness is it?

[bribo12]

Clowns are brutal when establishing dominance. As long as the one getting bullied is still eating and not showing severe stress I’d let them go. My now female used to pin my male in the corner of the tank for hours. Now they’re happy as can be. Unless it gets really bad they’ll just have to keep at it until the male gives in and the female accepts.

[AlexRoerden]

Originally Posted by bribo12

Clowns are brutal when establishing dominance. As long as the one getting bullied is still eating and not showing severe stress I’d let them go. My now female used to pin my male in the corner of the tank for hours. Now they’re happy as can be. Unless it gets really bad they’ll just have to keep at it until the male gives in and the female accepts.

What about the clown fishes fin rot and twitching? Is that normal? when she’s being bullied to establish genders

[bribo12]

Welcome to clownfish lol. They are strange… Twitching is the smaller one submitting to the female. Is it fin rot or just damaged fins?

[AlexRoerden]

Originally Posted by bribo12

Welcome to clownfish lol. They are strange… Twitching is the smaller one submitting to the female. Is it fin rot or just damaged fins?

To me it seems like both because there was originally a little part taken out of her back fin but I think that was from a bite, but on her front bottom fin it seems like it’s thinning from what I thought was stress or sickness

[Sniperhank]

Sounds like the larger is being pretty rough. Sounds normal, but always good to keep an eye on it. Smaller clowns have been beat to death by the possible pair as an uncommon part of bonding.

[Autumnsky]

Also check your water parameters, to make sure everything is in order. Excellent water quality can help relieve at least one part of the fish's stressors.