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I just bought two Occellaris clown fish...they were fine together at the pet store, and on the way home in the bag together...even as they were acclimateing to the water they didnt fight. But, now that they are in the tank, they are picking at eachother quite a bit. I'm a little concerned...although understand that they may fight a little bit. If anyone has any suggestions on what to do...i'm all eyes! Also, both of my fish are "supposed" to be Occellaris, but their markings are just a tiny bit different...example: the second white band on one of my fish doesn't go all the way around...and he's got a white spot on his belly...maybe he's just special, but I want to make sure they are the same kind of clown. Thanks for all of your input!!

"A fish swims through the sea, while the sea is in a certain sense contained within the fish."
-mewithoutYou

If they're near the same size, they are going to fight at least for a while. You probably bought two juveniles, so now they need to figure out who the dominant fish will be. That fish will become the female. As long as they aren't seriously hurting each other, they'll be fine for the time being.

This species of clownfish is being captive-bred in large quantities, and many color and pattern variations have arisen. Your fish are probably the same species, just the product of human alteration.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

Tank raised occ clowns often times are misbanded, meaning their white bands don't go all the way around.

As for the fighting, it should settle out. My female occ always has to show the male who's boss, so don't worry too much as long as no damage is done.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

Thanks for the replies. Since posting the question they have seemed to settle into their new home pretty well. One still seems a bit aggressive, but if that one becomes the female hopefully they'll grow up and spawn. We shall see.

Thanks again.

"A fish swims through the sea, while the sea is in a certain sense contained within the fish."
-mewithoutYou

Of course, provision of large amounts of aquarium space will help here. These fishes are territorial after all - don't forget that the Pomacentridae (the Family containing Damselfishes and Clownfishes) is very closely related to the Cichlidae (indeed, they had a common evolutionary ancestor, and differ from each other principally in subtle details of skull anatomy around the orbit or eye socket) and so they are likely to exhibit behaviour that is reminiscent of the Cichlids, even if there are some important differences resulting from the fact that unlike Cichlids, Clownfishes have their sex determined environmentally, and of course, Cichlids never get to see a sea anemone.

Even with these differences in place, the two Families share with each other the following:

[1] Strongly developed territorial instincts;

[2] Complex social interactions involving the establishment of a hierarchy of individuals within the group, accompanied by complex and sometimes very subtle signallinjg between individuals;

[3] As a corollary of [2], complex courtship amd mating behaviour;

[4] Advanced parental care of offspring.

The fishes have, over the course of generations, established for their species an ideal size of territory to occupy for the business of life, and chances are that even in a large aquarium, the space available is less than that ideal size. The fact that the fishes can accommodate to aquarium conditions says a lot about their adaptability (and indeed, their intelligence in the case of advanced fishes such as Clownfishes) but the fact remains that unless your aquarium is truly colossal, they will always feel cramped somewhat in comparison to the wild state. Remember that on a coral reef, there is usually enough space for Clownfishes to claim sizeable territories which are then defended vigorously against intrusion, though in the case of Clownfishes on a reef, they will also band together and engage in part time shoaling if predatory threats make such a move a survival imperative, a behaviur also seen in Damselfishes, particularly Dascyllus species, which in the wild will cluster together in large shoals for protection (especially as juveniles) and only go their separate ways when the breeding imperative becomes sufficiently great. Of course, on a reef, they have several cubic miles of water to inhabit, and usually have at their disposal a vast acreage of 'real estate' to select a territory from - the aquarist is unlikely to be able to dispense this level of largesse upon his fishes unless he has access to a truly vast store of financial capital to spend upon an 'artificial reef' with several million gallons of water, a project that for most home aquarists remains an unattainable fantasy. However, our fishes prove themselves surprisingly adaptable to an aquarium (and given the ambient conditions on a reef and how that has affected the fishes' ability to adapt to water chemistry changes, a topic I have covered repeatedly in these forums, surprisingly adaptable is the key phrase) and if the aquarist is sufficiently diligent with respect to cleanliness, it is amazing what CAN be achieved in a home marine aquarium. But, the logistics of marine filtration are only one part of the story - the complex behaviours of these creatures soon adds to the challenge of successful maintenance and can do so in unexpected ways that even catch out veterans on occasions. So if your Clownfishes provide you with a puzzle, do not be in the least surprised by this, and embrace the opportunity to learn!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002