Clown fish picking on each other

I just got two clown fish, after 5 months of waiting for the ammonia to go away, which it finally did.

I noticed one of them seems to sort of harass the other one quite a bit, by chasing it around the tank, and going after it's tail.

Is this normal, or should I be concerned ?

 

Since they are new, they are probably establishing dominance, or you might have two of the same sex on your hands, in which it could continue for a little while. Stress could be harmful to the one getting picked on depending on tank size.

 

Yes normal for new introduction, but not for clowns that have been together for awhile.

Make sure one is not bullying the other to the point that one is hiding in the corner or at the surface, breathing heavy, torn fins, or not eating.

 

It's a 29 gallon tank, and they are the only thing in there besides live rock and snails.

 

One is sort of hanging out near the surface, but not all the time. Overall it seems to be sporadic.

 

I would just take a wait and see then. Just keep an eye on them.

 

Perhaps a week and see what happens, or longer ?

 

If you see any bullying that is resulting in injury and too much stress you will probably need to intervene.

Changing the rock work around can help, but sometimes you need to remove the one being bullied and try a smaller younger clown, but not a baby.

 

Are they very young? Once dominance is established the female (larger one) will pick on the male (smaller one). If he runs away they will never breed. He has to turn and face her while shaking his head as if saying no.

 

hmm... the smaller one was getting picked on today, but we noticed something. It seems to happen worst after 8 pm. Our light is set from 9 till 9, and once the light seems to go off there is much less fighting. The fish getting picked on is definitely hiding to some degree from the other one. It's sort of sad actually knowing he is stressed out.

If push comes to shove which fish do we remove ?