He bit me!!

J Feez · #1 03-05-2006, 05:56 PM

So today I was moving some stuff around in my tank right around my clownfishes anenome and the little bugger bit me so hard he drew blood! I never imagined a clownfish to do that! Has this happened to anyone else??

Is there some sort of clownfish fighting league? Cuz I'm sure he'd be a contender! haha jk

OCDP · #2 03-05-2006, 05:59 PM

This is pretty common, especially if your messing about near their home. What kind of clown is it? I've owned a pair of captive bred Ocellaris, and the female would always nip me when my hands were in her space for too long, or I got near her anemone.

I also owned a Clarkii that would chase my hand away and then start nipping...

Maroons are well known for doing this as well.

Chin_Lee · #3 03-05-2006, 06:09 PM

I take them out and bite them back as sushi.... its only fair.

J Feez · #4 03-05-2006, 06:13 PM

I have two captive bred false percula's. The bigger of the two is the only one allowed near the anenome. I couldn't tell ya what sex they are though. But it sure did surprise me!

mr_alberta · #5 03-05-2006, 06:15 PM

Welcome to the club! My clown goes crazy even if I'm near the tank (she actually bites the glass

)

Also, the bigger clownfish is always the female.

rossb · #6 03-05-2006, 06:18 PM

Quote:

the little bugger bit me so hard he drew blood!

Last year I was moving some things about in my tank and a small damsel bit me. It was a small cut...I never thought anything about it. In about a week the small bite had swollen quite a bit and become infected. It took a few weeks with antibiotics to cure it. You might want to make sure it is well cleaned out.

ross

exee · #7 03-05-2006, 06:20 PM

my clown also tries to attack my hand. But mine will follow my hand around all over the tank, I have to use something to fend her off when i'm working in the tank. I normally use a wooden spoon or a net or something like that to chase her away so that I can move what ever i'm moving. :P If i hover the wooden spoon over her home, she will circle the spoon and attack it from all angles

TheReefGeek · #8 03-05-2006, 06:25 PM

Both my clowns when I had a LTA would defent it if I got within a foot with my hands. Scared the crap out of me the first time! Never drew blood though, you got yourself a fighter!

Myanth · #9 03-05-2006, 06:34 PM

My false perc could take yours on. She chases my hand down wherever it is in the tank. Bites hard and has drawn blood a few times. I have three and the other guys just head for the anemone. The biggest one will always be female and any others will be male until the female dies and then the biggest male will turn female. And the female is in charge of protecting the colony.
Weird but true.

My wife had a good laugh on Thursday because I was hand feeding the fish and she grabbed my middle finger knuckle so hard that I pulled my hand out of the tank with a flailing fish still attatched. She came about six inches out of the water before she let go. Splashed my lights bad, but everything is alright.

Nothing scares her, I flick at her and miss every time. She goes for the fleshy part in between my fingers or for any cut or scab. Really mean. But she knows what the net is and all I have to do is hang it in the tank and she's in the anemone immediately.

It's funny if you're not the one trying to do work in the tank.

Have fun once they learn that they can scare you off.

Mike

J Feez · #10 03-05-2006, 06:36 PM

It was kind of funny because I thought I had stung myself lightly on the anenome, but when I saw the little cut I just knew she had asked me politely to stay the $#@! away from her home!

Whenever I point out stuff in my tank to my friends, the second I point at the anenome she comes flying out of where ever she is, straight into her anenome to defend it at all costs

I've got a fighting fish upstairs. Maybe I'll arrange a PPV match-up!