Clown fish behaviour

[arizonagrace]

I have 2 clown fish in a salt water aquarium with liverock, 2 shrimp, a scooter blenny and some blue leg crabs.

One of my clowns has begun to go to a corner of the tank. She seems to be swimming a bit on her side sometimes and on her head as well. She will occasionaly come out and act pretty normal, but up to today, she hasn't done this before.

I added 4 pounds of cured liverock today.

 

[Intranick]

How long has your tank been set up and running?

How big is your tank?

What are the water parameters?

 

[AQTCJAK]

Welcome ABoard any changes?

 

[arizonagrace]

Thank you. I am very excited at having my 1st salt water tank

I have 2 clowns in a 12 gallon eclipse saltwater setup. Don't worry. After being told that this is not large enough, I ran out and bought a 24 gallon aquapod. I have 2 friends who have the 12 setup without problems for years, but I want to give my clowns the best home.

Tank has been set up for over a month. I cycled it using liverock and 2 damsels and waited 2 weeks after cycling before adding clows.

Water parameters are: 0 ammonia and the slightest bit of nitrites. Closer to 0 then anything else. I will have to retest nitrites though. I am going to take a sample of the water to the lfs who is helping me and have her test it.

I did a water change of 2 gallons on Saturday. The salt is at 24.
They seem to do okay in the daytime, but she is still a bit sluggish. Last night, they were both in that area and would roll on their sides.

Do I need another water change? Could they be sleeping?

 

[sambrinar]

Where in Az are you? I am in Safford and it gets warm here, but not as hot as other places. watch the temp too. My temp has been up to 86 in my 12, I put a fan blowing over the water now temp stays 78-80.

They could be sleeping, but I am a noob too, so we will see who else chimes in

 

[rmlevasseur]

Clowns can be just weird. I had a pair of occelaris in my 180 and they wouldn't look for a host at all. They would kind of hang vertically in the corner, sometimes swimming normal at feeding time. I do have a bully purple tang and figured he was the cause.

I then set up a 60 gallon cube just for them, and even after three weeks they still exhibited the same behaviour even though there was nothing else in there. Then I added a heteractis magnifica, and bam they were like new fish. They were in it instantly and act like normal clowns. They are now my favorite fish.

I have seen this behaviour many many times with both percs and occelaris. My only theory is that sometimes their brains are just a little messed up w/o the presence of their native anemone.

 

[arizonagrace]

Okay. Sounds as if I need to set up the new tank for them very quickly and get them an anemone! Thanks!

 

[arizonagrace]

Okay. Sounds as if I need to set up the new tank for them very quickly and get them an anemone! Thanks!
I have noticed that they are going to the top every now and then and taking a gulp of air.

 

[sambrinar]

Many will tell you not to get an anemone until the tank is a year old or older. they take a lot of care, are very sensitive to fluxuations in water and require a lot of light. research, research research first. Check out the anem forum!!!

the clowns will be fine with out the nem. Mine is fine no nem. they will host other things like corals, rocks, power head, sand, corners. or nothing. Mine is hosting chaeto.

 

[rmlevasseur]

Many will tell you not to get an anemone until the tank is a year old or older. they take a lot of care, are very sensitive to fluxuations in water and require a lot of light. research, research research first. Check out the anem forum!!!

the clowns will be fine with out the nem. Mine is fine no nem. they will host other things like corals, rocks, power head, sand, corners. or nothing. Mine is hosting chaeto.

ABSOLUTELY! I didn't mean to imply that you should run out and buy a nem. They are very difficult, and unfortunately occelaris and perculas are native to two of the hardest anemones to keep (h. magnifica and s.gigantea). Some clowns will host in the easier bubble tip anemones, but mine would not. I've planned for months for my magnifica and I struggle with it daily. They are a whole new ballgame, and require lots of research and willingness to make certain compromises in your tank. 90% of my devotion right now is too this one animal.

Everything (and I mean everything) I have read and heard says occlearis and perc get along quite fine w/o an anemone. All I can say is that in my experience they may eat and live, but overall their behaviour is very strange until they pick a host - which they may never do w/o their native anemone. Many get lucky with something else, I just never did.

 

[arizonagrace]

Okay. So, I need much, much more experience before purchasing one. The lady at the lfs said that it is possible they will host a coral, and to wait and see if they will. But I have to wait until the tank has aged a bit before doing anything more with it then I have. Which of course is fine with me.

I just want my kids to be happy.

 

[sambrinar]

My O clown is tank raised and I think that really make a difference, he has never had one, so he probably still has that natural drive, but lives fine with out one. Now a wild caught I am sure is a different ball game.

 

[aceman90567]

Yeah no anenome needed the bta are pretty easy to keep.
Clowns are neat to keep though. Just wait till the 24 is set up for the bta and get it then put the clowns in there and see if they take it.
Best advice i have.

 

[skidoll24]

I also wanted my clown (clarkii) to be happy and have a place of his own, so I went to my LFS, and bought a $4.99 artificial coral. It's similar to a goniopora.....long tenticle thingies. Lol After a week in the tank, he finally made it his new host! He's in love with it, and likes to make sand piles and will row his coral back and forth onto the sand piles. LOL! Its hysterical.

 

[Neverfall]

The same thing happened to me after I added some soft coral. Started with live rock which they would swim through and hang around. After adding the coral they did the same thing as your fish. It's been about 2 weeks now and they're making their way towards the bottom again. Give it some time.