What’s wrong with my clownfish??! :( (2024)

Hey everyone I’m new here! I have a 40 gallon saltwater with 6 clownfish, 2 blue dansels and some hermies of course!

I have 3 black & white clowns and 3 orange/black/white clowns, one of my orange guys is getting bullied. They all fight and nip at each other but him in particular is the smallest and he is constantly hiding in the tree and whenever he tries to come out they nip him. However he is still eating and still gets lots of food when I feed them they don’t bully him away from food! He seems very discoloured to me, he’s very pale and translucent and I’m worried he’s sick. His fins also look like they have fin rot or maybe they are just nipping his fins?? I have added a photo comparing him to one of my other clowns (sick guys on the right) you can notice the difference in colour and transparency.

Please any advice would be very appreciated I don’t know what to do and don’t want my little guy to die on me ! [emoji3590]

What’s wrong with my clownfish??! [emoji20]

6 clownfish is a lot for one tank! I would separate them ASAP. Having more than 1 pair of clownfish in a tank can create lots of agression and while clownfish themselves aren’t very aggressive to other fish, having that many in a tank is a blood bath. It’s likely that the little guy is being picked on and is under a lot of stress. If you have any QT tanks i would recommend you separate them into pairs! Also make sure you don’t have two different kinds of clownfish together, that can also create lots of agression. Good luck!

What’s wrong with my clownfish??! [emoji20]

Cohenb3568 said:

6 clownfish is a lot for one tank! I would separate them ASAP. Having more than 1 pair of clownfish in a tank can create lots of agression and while clownfish themselves aren’t very aggressive to other fish, having that many in a tank is a blood bath. It’s likely that the little guy is being picked on and is under a lot of stress. If you have any QT tanks i would recommend you separate them into pairs! Also make sure you don’t have two different kinds of clownfish together, that can also create lots of agression. Good luck!

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Omg the guy at the aquarium place told me 6 was fine! He even thought I should get more!![emoji35] I have 3 b&w and 3 orange & white so I’m not sure if those are different kinds? The b&w aren’t Picasso clowns that’s all I know lol I have another tank it’s only 5 gallons tho would they be fine to put in there it’s really small? Or do u think a divider would work in the tank? I could divide the black guys and the orange guys? I feel so bad for the little guy being bullied I need to help him! I think they are fighting a lot right now cuz they are tryna dominate and find the female the fish have been in there for like 3 ish months so it’s a fairly new aquarium. Thanks so much for your help I appreciate it!

breannabigelli said:

Omg the guy at the aquarium place told me 6 was fine! He even thought I should get more!![emoji35] I have 3 b&w and 3 orange & white so I’m not sure if those are different kinds? The b&w aren’t Picasso clowns that’s all I know lol I have another tank it’s only 5 gallons tho would they be fine to put in there it’s really small? Or do u think a divider would work in the tank? I could divide the black guys and the orange guys? I feel so bad for the little guy being bullied I need to help him! I think they are fighting a lot right now cuz they are tryna dominate and find the female the fish have been in there for like 3 ish months so it’s a fairly new aquarium. Thanks so much for your help I appreciate it!View attachment 318657

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I would divide the tank up and only put two clownfish together. If you split them into pairs of 3, eventually 2 of the clownfish will pair up and likely attack the other one. I wouldn’t use the 5 gallon as a long term solution, however you could put the injured one in there and give him some time to heal by himself. Damsel fish can also be pretty agressive- so watch out for those little guys! I also wouldn’t divide the tank as a long term solution, however you should definitely separate the clownfish until you come up with a plan. Good luck, I know fish agression can be very hard on you and your fish- I wish you the best![emoji16]