The Puffer Forum

I posted under wrong area before...so here it is again...we have had our tank set up for a couple months now (a 75gal sw) and the occupants are two clarkii clowns, a brownbarred goby, and a porcupine puffer. Peace existed in the tank until a couple days ago when the female clown started hitting the puffer in the face. He's a peaceful puffer and didnt do anything but the bullying got worse. She's taken to throwing her whole body into him and he even puffed up because of her. I moved the one rock where most of the bullying occured, but when the pp swam but the clown she nipped at his fins!! I don't know what to do...any suggestions? The clown is also creating a 6in by 2in whole in the sand in the one corner...could this be preparing a nest?? Any help would be greatly appreciated...I'm a worried puffer mom!

I dont know crap about SW but that seems she is protecting a nest

Mated pairs will fight and protect their nest viciously. Can the pair be moved?

+!, my female clown is the meanest fish in my tank.

(As far as double posting--I would have moved it here eventually. )

Yeah those clowns can get extreme. I had a pair of yellow stripes maroons once that got so mean, I had to sell them. My dad bought them so I got the see them all the time anyways. They where so beautiful but those females are down right mean. Lost them in that 2009 icestorm. Btw, something has got to removed either the porcupine or the clowns because they will not stop.

Clownfish look so cute & charming - rather like puffers, great charm. But they are by nature nasty fish when mature and mated. They can and will harass an awful lot of other fish. To me they are strictly species-tank critters.

Someone please tell me how my female knows to bite the webbing of my hands--the most painful part???

I won't be too all heartbroken if I have to remove the clowns...the porkys my favorite fish. My only other concern is his belly. It used to be a brilliant white, but has changed to a greenish color...almost like he has algae growing on him (which I know its not...just a visual). I know they can change colors briefly when stressed or whatnot...but this is constant. He's still eating and its not affecting him..no one at our LFS seems to know.

If he is still with the clown then he is most likely still stressed and that could be the cause of the discolored belly

slkoby108 wrote:I posted under wrong area before...so here it is again...we have had our tank set up for a couple months now (a 75gal sw) and the occupants are two clarkii clowns, a brownbarred goby, and a porcupine puffer. Peace existed in the tank until a couple days ago when the female clown started hitting the puffer in the face. He's a peaceful puffer and didnt do anything but the bullying got worse. She's taken to throwing her whole body into him and he even puffed up because of her. I moved the one rock where most of the bullying occured, but when the pp swam but the clown she nipped at his fins!! I don't know what to do...any suggestions? The clown is also creating a 6in by 2in whole in the sand in the one corner...could this be preparing a nest?? Any help would be greatly appreciated...I'm a worried puffer mom!

Just a clown being a clown. Some are very aggressive/territorial.

Clarkii's, Maroon (AKA Feeding Phirana's!), Tomato clowns are some of the most aggressive fish I've ever seen. They are potecting they're nest. That nest is there and they will always try to spawn there. Either the Porky gets smart, the clowns get moved, he gets tired and kills them or he gets dead.

slkoby108 wrote:I posted under wrong area before...so here it is again...we have had our tank set up for a couple months now (a 75gal sw) and the occupants are two clarkii clowns, a brownbarred goby, and a porcupine puffer. Peace existed in the tank until a couple days ago when the female clown started hitting the puffer in the face. He's a peaceful puffer and didnt do anything but the bullying got worse. She's taken to throwing her whole body into him and he even puffed up because of her. I moved the one rock where most of the bullying occured, but when the pp swam but the clown she nipped at his fins!! I don't know what to do...any suggestions? The clown is also creating a 6in by 2in whole in the sand in the one corner...could this be preparing a nest?? Any help would be greatly appreciated...I'm a worried puffer mom!