Who Gives A Fish Forums

My bigger clownfish is doing this weird thing where he's constantly moving the sand around near his anemone, kinda like he's brushing it off. He seems to be searching for a specific spot, maybe to lay eggs or something. My bigger clownfish is about 4 inches and the smaller one is 3 inches. Got any ideas what might be going on?

Sounds like your clownfish is preparing a nesting site. Typically, they opt for a rock or a flat surface near the base of their anemone, clearing the area of algae and other debris before laying eggs. The male, usually the smaller one, will then fan the eggs, though the female may lend a hand, but in most cases, it's the male that takes on this responsibility.

Typically they don't choose sand for laying eggs, rocks are the preferred spot. Maybe he's just marking his territory instead. When clownfish are getting a rock ready for eggs, they'll often spend a few days cleaning it with their mouths beforehand.

I think she's just making space for the bubble to expand, but both clowns are pretty big now, so I'm hoping they'll lay eggs soon - I'm kinda excited about it.

My clownfish occasionally digs these little trenches in the sand by her anemone, and I'm pretty sure it's just a territorial behavior. Since she's the only one in there, I think she's just marking her space, you know, making room for herself and her anemone.