xiong.s2460.mccd

12 g Aquapod
9 lbs live rock
1 1/2 inch live sand(have never stirred the live sand before)
Gold Stripe maroon clownfish (juvenile)
Firefish
Turbo Snail
0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 20ppm nitrate, 82 F (API Saltwater Master test kit)
Stock lighting and filtration: active carbon and filter
Water changes (4 gallons) every week to keep nitrate levels down, which I don't know why my nitrate levels keep going up so high.

I noticed the fins of the Maroon clownfish is sliced/torn, not like being bitten off in chunks. I just noticed 10 minutes ago they were very aggressive towards eachother. Possibly, I could've witnessed the firefish attacking the maroon clownfish, however, not sure because it happened so fast. What can possibly be causing these two to be fighting eachother or being so aggressive towards eachother?

au01st

Maroons are mean and they get very large as far as clownfish go. My LFS has one that's about 5" long and that fish can hold its own against the triggers and eel in the tank it shares.

Also, 12g is not a very large tank as far as SW goes, and is generally considered a nano. You may need to create more hiding places for the fish so they can feel more secure and establish territories. If you have limited hiding places, they will fight for the spot.

Nitrate levels rise from stuff in the tank creating waste. How do you feed them? I would recommend turning off the pumps at feeding time so you can make sure they get all the food you put in there and none of it flows into the rocks and begins to break down (which would create nitrates).

Also, does your setup have bio balls? Are you running a skimmer?

A common method for nano tanks to keep nitrates low without skimming is to use macro algae which takes in some nutrients to grow. Halimeda is a popular choice for a macro in the display tank as it's not unsightly like chaeto.

xiong.s2460.mccd

Wow, thanks again au01st for your clear and useful info.

I do not use a skimmer because I gave up on my Seaclone 100 skimmer, which came with the tank. It makes sense with the hiding places because now that I look at it it doesn't seem like there is adequate hiding places. There is no bioballs (I have moved them). I will look for some Halimeda at LFS instead of chaeto because its appearance isn't very appealing to me either.

Will continue my journey...

travie

I would suggest seeing if your local fish/pet store would let you trade the maroon clownfish for an ocellaris or true percula clownfish. For two reasons; maroons get huge well when they are female they do, and they are down right mean. Down right mean doesn't not work well in a small tank with other fish.

xiong.s2460.mccd

Update: The maroon and the firefish seems to be getting along now because the firefish is dominant. They found their share of the live rock (territory) . I believe everything will be okay between these two.