More Weird Clarkii behavior...

[TomV]

Well, my Clarkii clown is looking great healthwise (fins extended, active, good color), but is acting weird.

I don't know if this is typical strange clown behavior, so I thought I'd ask all you clown experts out there!

The first thing is: he sometimes SITS on top of the live rock and stops doing anything at all. That's how he earned his name: SNOOPY. Sometimes he will do the same thing while sticking his nose in the big hole on the side of the live rock. He chooses all sorts of different places on this one rock to just sit. This rock has most of the algae in my tank on it. Is he trying to host?

The second thing is: I think he might sleep-swim. Sorta like sleepwalking. When the main lights are off and only the dim light of my room is on his tank, he will meander around and do the same stuff he does above: sit on top of a rock, try to stick his head in a hole, etc.

Is this typical clown stuff? Or should I be concerned?

He eats like a horse and has great color. So, I figure it's not a health issue, but I thought I would ask.

[caja]

sounds to me like he's trying to encourage the rock to host. hehe

buy the poor thing an anemone, it's cool as hell. my clarkii loves his anemone.

[BoomerD]

Sounds very normal to me. The instinctto be hosted SOMEWHERE is very strong, and they will acccept just about any substitute. As to the sleep-swimming, also very normal. My black perc/oscellaris would find a nice corner (always the same one) and get right down in the corner as tight as possible, and gently swim in that position all night.

[Tarasco]

Perfectly normal. When hosting, my male clown will just hang out in my leather, and not even move, for a good couple minutes at a time. And the sleep swimming is fine.

[TomV]

Cool. That's a relief!

I want to get him an Anemone, but this is a 10 Gallon Nano. I plan on setting up a 20 High Nano in early summer. But that's a ways away yet. I was thinking of moving him to the new tank once it cycles. Not sure if I should though. He might just be happy in the 10. He certainly seems it. And what kind of Anemone would be good for a Clarkii but not outgrow a 10?

[BoomerD]

To the best of my knowledge, there is NO anemone that will be ok in a 10 gallon tank for very long. Maybe you can get the clown to "host" in a piece of xenia or other coral. Happens all the time, so it's just a matter of finding something that the clown will accept.
You might get by with a small BTA for a while, but it will outgrow the 10 pretty quickly, and if it's too small, the clown will rough it up too much and it mightnot do well. There's kind of a happy medium where the clown can't be too big for the anemone.

[TomV]

Now, what does BTA stand for?

[BoomerD]

Sorry, you'll just have to guess!


O.K., Bubble Tip Anemone.
Probably the easiest to keep, less demanding than the other anemones for water quality and lighting. They still need VERY good water, and intense lighting, but they will do well under VHO's and PC's if you have enough of them.

[TomV]

Well, I am ordering the 96W Coralife PC Quad this week. Maybe I can let the BTA mature slowly in this tank and then move it to the new tank this summer when it cycles. It would probably be in June or so when I get the new tank.

[caja]

I retract my previous advice to get the clarkii an anemone on the grounds that I am an idiot for not seeing that you just recently set this 10 gallon tank up. 10 days ago to be specific. 10 days into a cycle and you have a fish in the tank? I by no means want to be harsh here, but unless you used completely cured LR from a well established tank, your tank is in the cycling process and you shouldn't have anything in there other than the LR and the LS.

So what's the deal?

[TomV]

I did use 12 lbs of cured LR from an established tank. As well as 1/3 of my substrate was from an established system.

That's why my cycle went so fast. My Ammonia and Nitrites have been 0 since the 6th day.

[BoomerD]

Oh-Oh!! Caja, slap me too, I didn't realize how new this tank was either!! DO NOT buy an anemone until you have had the tank cycled for at least 6 months!! They do not like changes in water quality, and your tank, while it has PERHAPS gone thru it's initial cycle, will go theough many more cycles and phases as it matures.

Just be patient, and do what's right for the animals. If you can't be patient, you're in the wrong hobby.
Nothing happens fast in this hobby except the bad things!

Buying an anemone too soon will more than likely doom the animal to an early death, and these animals can live for many, many years.
Just wait.

[TomV]

Don't worry, guys, I've done this before!

I'm not TOTALLY green. :P

I was told last year when I started in Saltwater, after 20+ years of freshwater, about the Anemone waiting period.

I'm going to be getting some new lights on the 15th and some Corals on the 24th. So, hopefully, the Clown might adopt one of those.

These will be my first corals other than Shrooms (which I had last year). Are there some links where I can study up on acclimation, feeding, care, etc?

[Maxx]

This is from the RS library forum, under invertebrates...several anemone articles....click here.
Nick

[TomV]

Nick,

For some reason, I don't seem to have permission to access that page!