Nippy Clownfish?

SkiFletch · #1 08/09/2006, 12:02 AM

Hey guys, I'm just wondering if any of you have ever had clownfish become nippy towards corals? I've lately noticed that my clowns have become very nippy towards my elegance coral and both my favites and open brain corals. I first noticed the behavior almoast a week ago with the elegance. I thought at first that the little guys were trying to host in it, but as I watched further and noticed the coral getting more and more stressed, it seems that they were in fact nipping a couple parts of it. So I pruned my cheato and banished my clowns to my 15 gallon refugium. I figued that a pair of Ocellaris are much easier to replace than the coral. They've been chillin down there for a day now. Is this a common behavior to clowns? I've been lead to believe that most clownfish never nip at corals, but here mine does. Ironically its just the female that does it, I've never caught the male in the act.

What do you guys think I should do? Leave them in the sump for a week and see if they can be re-introduced? Or should I go beg Randy and Jason to let me do a trade-in.

Just in case anyone's wondering, chemistry is:
Temp 83
pH 8.0
sg 1.026
Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, phosphate all 0
Calc 420ppm
Alk 10dKH

So no obvious problems on the chemistry front. All other fish are fine and dont nip (Bar Goby, Fairy Wrasse, Diamond Goby, and even the Flame Angel). And the clowns show no interest in my other corals (mushies, gsp, hammer, paly's, zoos, xenia, bubble, yellow fiji, and frogspawn.

Anyway, your experience and oppinions are valued as always.

ReeferMac · #2 08/09/2006, 05:22 AM

I think they're trying to find a home.

- Mac

kase · #3 08/09/2006, 12:08 PM

i once had a marron clown that nip on my SPS.. yes it was the female(is the bigger one, right?) this was a little after i've got them anemone to host. it would clear or move/carry everything
out of it's anemone way. people told me it was ready to laid eggs, try to make a nest. dunno never saw the eggs. there was no other fish in the tank, beside them 2..

SkiFletch · #4 08/09/2006, 12:09 PM

Seriously? I would have thought they wouldn't have bit the poor thing they're trying to host in...

SkiFletch · #5 08/09/2006, 12:09 PM

Kase, what did you end up doing about the problem?

ReeferMac · #6 08/09/2006, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SkiFletch
Seriously? I would have thought they wouldn't have bit the poor thing they're trying to host in...

Read Wilkerson's Clownfish book (or any of the one's by Fautin if you're into the more scientific texts).

- Mac

kase · #7 08/09/2006, 02:55 PM

i did what you are doing, until i reurn it to the lfs...not going to say to which one

..hope your isn't a marron.

chrisguy · #8 08/09/2006, 04:12 PM

My larger clown will attack corals (and my hands) when they are close to the anemones, even to the point that they will physically move (knock down) frags that they feel are too close.

kase · #9 08/09/2006, 04:25 PM

chrisguy did your doing on a regual base or just around that time(mating)?

chrisguy · #10 08/09/2006, 04:32 PM

Mine have not mated, I think because their size or age is significantly different. It happens when I add frags and a piece is "too close" for their liking.

SkiFletch · #11 08/09/2006, 07:20 PM

Well, from what everyone is saying the best thing to try is 2 weeks in solitary and see if they do it again upon re-introduction, so thats what I'm gonna do. The only thing I can think of that she was doing was looking for a place to lay eggs. They definitely dont have a "territory" or anybody they host in so I cant imagine its the same behavior chris experiences.

Gary Majchrzak · #12 08/09/2006, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SkiFletch
Hey guys, I'm just wondering if any of you have ever had clownfish become nippy towards corals? I've lately noticed that my clowns have become very nippy towards my elegance coral and both my favites and open brain corals. I first noticed the behavior almoast a week ago with the elegance. I thought at first that the little guys were trying to host in it, but as I watched further and noticed the coral getting more and more stressed, it seems that they were in fact nipping a couple parts of it.

If I had Clowns nipping my Elegance coral I'd get rid of them ASAP. (Elegance corals aren't exactly the easiest of corals to keep healthy.)
Clownfish also nip their host anemone. They often bite and suck tentacles.

chrisguy · #13 08/09/2006, 09:06 PM

LOL, That looks like a bad porn picture.

moriartiholmes · #14 08/09/2006, 09:43 PM

I saw my Ocellaris take a bite off of my Xenia twice. Not sure why it did that. The clowns may have been trying to clear a spot for eggs; they will try to clear anything out of their chosen spot.

Gary, I have seen clowns do that to their anemones in the past and never understood why. I have posted this question in the clownfish forum (and others) without an answer, if you know please let me and everyone else know. If the answer is simply, no one knows, that would be good to know as well

SkiFletch · #15 08/09/2006, 10:53 PM

Yeah, she's not picking at the tentacles. The more I read/hear about it it seems like she was probably clearing a place for eggs. She was burying her head in the edge of the coral's skeleton, same spot over and over again. At least today the elegance seems much happier. Its opened up to its full size when I got home. Still not colored properly, but full expansion is better than no expansion

ReeferMac · #16 08/10/2006, 05:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by moriartiholmes
if you know please let me and everyone else know. If the answer is simply, no one knows, that would be good to know as well

The reason nobody answered, is likely because nobody knows for sure. There are several theories that the clown ingests a portion of the hosts tissue, so that it may 'mask' itself in the same chemical signature, but it's not known for sure, and is really just a theory. Frankly, it may just be foreplay, who knows.

- Mac

Gary Majchrzak · #17 08/10/2006, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ReeferMac
The reason nobody answered, is likely because nobody knows for sure. There are several theories that the clown ingests a portion of the hosts tissue, so that it may 'mask' itself in the same chemical signature, but it's not known for sure, and is really just a theory. Frankly, it may just be foreplay, who knows.

- Mac

As far as I know, this is the most popular theory.
There might be several reasons Clownfish nibble on anemone tentacles.
I've noticed that Clownfish always seem to nibble on tentacles nearest their eggs... and I've seen anemones catch and eat emerging Clownfish larvae.... so maybe the parents are trying to protect their brood (my personal speculation).

SkiFletch · #18 08/10/2006, 11:25 PM

Interesting, how big are clownfish eggs? Are they really noticeable?

moriartiholmes · #19 08/14/2006, 05:55 PM

Skifletch, here are some pics.

They would be noticeable if the clowns put them in a place you can see them.

Thanks for the information

It's interesting that a clown taking a tentacle into its mouth does not appear to have an adverse affect on the clown. If the clowns have a thicker mucus coat to prevent them from being stung, is this mucus coat continue into the throat? IDK, but it makes you wonder how they really survive in an anemone.

ReeferMac · #20 08/14/2006, 07:41 PM

Take a gander at Joyce Wilkerson's Clownfish book. It's pretty cheap (20-bucks on Amazon, new), and a breeze to read. She covers the theories in a little detail, but.. suffice it to say, the clown ingests the tissue, and extracts the signature needed to mimic the anemone in it's mucous. Gross oversimplication of a complicated theory, but you get the idea. It's also that big question mark in the middle that makes all this a 'leading theory' and not 'fact' as of yet.

- Mac

SkiFletch · #21 08/14/2006, 09:12 PM

INteresting, I think I will pick that book up someday. FOr now though, the clowns are entering week 2 of their quarantine. They did NOT lay eggs in the elegance coral's skeleton and the elegance is back to being fully open. Still off color and not perfeclty happy, but looks like the clown didnt stress it to the point of death