d&@% clown fish

[Doc]

OK, I am venting. Not that I expect it has every happened to you, but my clowns are the MOST aggressive fish in my tank. When I clean it (as I did this morning) I usually bump a rock and dislodge a coral. When I do this within two feet of their BTAs (they currently house in two large ones), they attack me with wreckless abandon. I have even caught one with my other hand while it senselessly ravaged my other hand. Well, today, the little bastards both went at me as I moved a frogspawn. One caught me just right and took off a hunk of my pinkie knuckle and I started bleeding in the tank. Holy crap, pretty little devils. Anyway, after a trip to the ER and several weeks of TLC and painkillers, I am sure I will be OK.

-Dr Marco :sfish:

 

[LionFish]

Yikes!

I Will start by adding that my Tomato clown is BY FAR the most agressive fish in my tank.

My hand is in my system more often than not! infact i think i sweat salt creap, and Never once has anything charged me and Ravaged my arm.

Good story.

 

[hibye]

my perc does the same thing but she just leaves blisters and she used to bully the firefish. if they bully the other fish catch them with a net but dont take em out of the water

 

[LionFish]

yeah put them in the corner and smack them with a rolled up paper.

 

[fishbait]

my percs have gotten pretty aggresive here lately too. but only toward each other. i bought them as a pair when they were very small about six months ago. i swear the larger one is going to kill the smaller one. maybe it's just their pecking order or whatever you call it that they go through to determine sex. i guess the small on will be the male? if he survives.

 

[winyfrog]

I had a gold bar maroon clown that use to come attack me everytime know matter were I put my hand in, she would grab the hair on my arm and twist and rip it out.

I've not had any issues with my percs, they have been angels. Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself :)

 

[reeffreak]

Funny you should mention the Gold-Stripe Maroons.My mated pair were the most docile of all the clowns I owned.My current Clarkii on the other hand is a SOB.Attacking every given chance they get.Not enough to draw blood,yet!There like Pirahnas of saltwater world.I feel your pain Doc.

 

[RigoSharon]

thats what clowns do..their very territorial..

 

[yote]

My pair of Ocallaris clowns are more like puppys.I dont think they have an aggressive bone in their lil orange bodies.( except at feeding time)

 

[Bifferwine]

My tomato clown has never shown agression towards anything.

 

[Sara]

Well, I was thinking about getting a clown, but I don't think I want one now. That's kind of scary, why are the little ones the assholes?

 

[Doc]

I am not sure. They are territorial for sure, but their territory is about half of my tank. They don't bother the other fish, just me. I love to look at them and they are what I consider a "classic" fish. Kinda like how everyone talks about the movie Casablanca. Same principle, so I will never get rid of them.
Guess I will just have to endure my punishment.

-Dr Marco :sfish:

 

[Rcpilot]

I used to have a Maroon clown that was a nasty little bugger. I didn't mind when he was mean to the other fishies--but the day he attacked my finger and bit me was the day I slapped his happy but in jail.

I took a 16oz clear plastic cup--like you'd drink beer from at a keg party--and I poked a bunch of holes in it with a hot nail. About 50 holes for good circulation.

Trapped the little bugger under it and set a nice size rock on top. Left his sorry butt in there for 2 weeks. I'd put my hand down close to the cup and let him have some brine shrimp from my fingers--he got only what would wash through the holes in the cup. He survived, but he didn't eat very well.

I let him out and he settled back into the tank. Couple weeks later, he was nipping at me again.

Back to jail sucka!!

I ended up putting him in jail about a dozen times before he finally quit attacking me. Took almost a year to break him of that nasty little greeting habit.

Do I think he had any sense of "crime and punishment" ? No. I think he just got used to seeing my hand at feeding time and began to associate me with food. He was at least smart enough to finally figure out the old adage--never bite the hand that feeds ya.

Looking back I wouldn't go through it again. I'd just trade him at the LFS and get something else. I have less patience today at 35 than I did when I was 15. LOL