Clownfish Behaviour and Aggression

Ben explains to Sev that clownfish don’t always behave the way people expect.

When the black clownfish first arrived, some of its behaviour looked unusual, resting upside down, hanging in corners, and looking completely relaxed.

At first glance it can look concerning.

But clownfish are known for some strange swimming and resting behaviours.

As they settle into the aquarium and establish social structure, their personalities start to show.

It’s normal to see them:

• resting in corners at night
• hovering strangely
• acting differently from one another
  

For this size aquarium, Ben recommends starting with three clownfish.

Over time, natural social behaviour usually means they’ll settle into a pair.

Adding more later isn’t usually recommended because clownfish can become territorial.

If aggression does happen, moving corals and slightly changing the environment can sometimes help.

Most of the time though, unusual clownfish behaviour is just clownfish being clownfish.

Thanks for watching.