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FAQs about the Clownfish
Behavior 2
Related FAQs: Clown Behavior 1, Clown Behavior 3,
Clown Behavior 4,
Clown Behavior 5,
Clown Behavior 6,
& Anemones
& Clownfishes, Clownfish/Anemones 1,
Clownfish/Anemones
2, Clownfish/Anemones 3,
Breeding
Clowns, Clownfishes 1, Clownfishes 2, Clownfish Identification,
Clownfish
Selection, Clownfish Compatibility,
Clownfish Systems,
Clownfish Feeding,
Maroon Clownfish,
Clownfish Diseases
1, Clownfish
Diseases 2, Clownfish Diseases
3, Brooklynellosis,
Related Articles: Clownfishes, Maroon Clowns, Brooklynellosis,
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Clown Fish Sleeping
Habits Hi, <Hello there> I have reviewed
your excellent website as always, although I could
not find an answer to the following question: I have
two clownfish, whose sleeping habits are to pick a
corner of the tank and float on their side near the
surface, but constantly "swimming" or
appearing to. <Not atypical> This occurs at all
hours of the night that I have ever
observed. I have had them in the tank for
about 2 months and they have always done
this. Is this behavior normal? <Normal
enough> Some setup facts: 280g tank about 120 lb
of live rock 2-3 inch sand bed 80F all the time NH4-,
NO2- = 0 NO3- ~ 20ppm (getting rid of bio balls) 5
rainbow wrasses 5 damsels a few unsuccessful corals
(not sure why) ~10% water change monthly
Thanks. You guys are great. Regards,
Lloyd. <Well, I'm passable... IME, not great.
Bob Fenner> Query on Percula Clown fish
behaviour 01-11-06 Greetings from South Africa
:-) <Wendy> I found your website really
informative, thank you for setting it up. <Glad
you like it.> I have been searching for answers to
the following behavior question, and have not found
anyone in the know, on my side of the world. So I am
really hoping you will be able to assist. <I will
try my best.> My current tank is about 4 months
old. I have relocated all coral and fish
from my house in Botswana, where I had them for 2
years. Background info : 100lt
tank, with de-nitrator, protein skimmer
and a trickle filter. Various soft corals including
mushrooms and colts, a frogspawn and lots of live
rock. Other fish (excluding 2 clowns)
- a small yellow tang and a goby. Ammonia,
Nitrites, Nitrates and Phosphates are at
Zero. Calcium sits around 550ppm. Salinity
is normal according to Hydrometer. Have no algae
problems (no hair or slime algae) Running blue and
white 10K tubes. Use only RO water. Feed every second
day. <Sounds great.> The issue: My
clown (the smaller one) has started to swim with an
open mouth and suck on my colt coral, a
lot. <This is not atypical.> He has
not eaten in the last 4 days. <This is
not typical...> He is not thin (yet), and has no
indication of disease, in fact he swims around like
normal. The larger clown is fine, eats normally and
his mouth is closed. He is not damaging
the corals, I just want to know if there is something
that I should add, or do before he does get
sick. It looks really odd that his mouth
is permanently open. <The only thing I can think
of that would cause the open mouth and not eating is
internal parasites. If you have ever noticed white
stringy feces from this or your other clown you will
want to treat them for internal parasites.> I
would really appreciate any advice you could give.
<Hope that helps. Travis> Many thanks
Wendy
Worrying Clownfish Behaviour -
01/12/2006 Hi guys, <And some gals...>
I have been avidly scanning the WWM site and must
commend it highly, a superb resource for all
aquarists! I am aware that you receive literally
countless enquiries regarding erratic clownfish
behaviour and i apologize for yet a further
question regarding this quirky species <A
few...> but after searching the disease FAQs
and behavioural analysis i <I> couldn't
come up with a definitive answer so i was hoping
to enlist the experts! Anyway on with the
business, i have a 20 g tank with several pieces
of cured live rock and some polyresin coral
replicas. The system cycled for about 2-3 weeks
before i introduced any life. I acclimated a
captive bred False Percula along with a Turbo
Snail, Trochus Snail and two hermits. The tank
has an inbuilt thermostat, bio-filter, carbon
sponge and synthetic sponge along with ceramic
rings in a third filter system. Water parameters
as follows, pH: 7.7 <A bit low... I'd be
looking into reasons for this, elevating it...
and alkalinity likely> Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: small-minimal quantities (it was tested
at my LFS not by me thus i don't have the
exact reading) Specific Gravity: 1.024
Temperature: 24 Celsius I have been working on
getting the pH up <Possibly look into other
salt brands/mixes...> and left the salinity as
it was to help cycle the Nitrate. The problem is
that my (very small) Percula remains almost
solely at the surface of the tank except for rare
forays into lower depths for very short periods.
<Some do...> He exhibits "normal"
clown behaviour by showing a liking for the walls
and corners of the tank but always near the
surface. He appears to be "gasping" to
a certain extent despite thorough aeration of the
water but in spite of that, seems rather
contented. He eats when fed but only very small
quantities (not particularly worrying taking into
account his miniscule size) of defrosted brine
shrimp. <And hopefully other foods... Artemia
alone is inadequate> He appears not to have
any biological affliction such as Brooklynella,
Ich etc though he does have minor indentation on
the white band nearest the eye, though nothing
major. <Likely... genetic,
developmental...> I have attached a photo of
the type of position he adopts 95% of the time.
On another worrying note, my Trochus snail passed
away too, though i reckon one of the hermits
finished him off. <Agreed> He was just
lying upside down on the substrate when i found
him. I'd be extremely grateful to hear your
response and thoughts over this behaviour and/or
its relationship to the water parameters and the
snail's death, Thanking you all profusely for
invaluable help and a cracking site, Ciaran.
<Not likely anything "wrong" here...
this fishes behavior will likely change with
time, or more quickly with the addition of other
fish life. I would not be concerned. Bob
Fenner> |
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I think my Boyfriend's
Clownfish Hates me 01-08-06 Hi. <Hello> My
boyfriend has a saltwater tank with a variety of fish
& other creatures. One of them is a
clownfish. I am convinced she hates me because
as soon as I step foot in the room she
starts behaving in the most hateful way. <They
don't call them clowns for nothing.>
She launches at me when I'm right in
front of the tank. She'll attack other
fish. She'll even try to push rocks
& corals out of their place. It's
ridiculous and annoying. <I feel your
pain, I have a few female clowns that do the same
thing.> I hate her too. <I don't think it
is healthy to hate a fish.> When my
boyfriend's not around I tease her
and it's so amusing to see her get
enraged (of course, as soon as my boyfriend
shows up I stop and pretend I don't
know why the coral fell over). <That has to be
quite the sight to see.> One of the things she
does that annoys me the most is wag her tail in the
sand aggressively right in front of me.
She kicks up the sand and creates dunes eventually. I
try to prevent her from doing that
whenever I can, but my boyfriend tells me to
leave her alone. My questions is, why does
she wag her tail in the sand and is
it possible for a fish to dislike a person
so much? <Clowns will "dig" for many
reasons. One of which is to clear a spawning site.
Another reason is for exercise. As for her disliking
you, clowns can become conditioned to respond to
their owners in certain ways. An example of this
would be, how fish crowd the front glass when the
person that normally feeds then enters the room. Your
version sounds a bit like she is conditioned to
attack the hand that taunts her. If you want her to
quit, become the hand that feeds her. Travis>
Thank you.
False percula acting strange
01-09-06 Hello my name is Tyler <Hello Tyler.
Travis here with you today.> I have 2 false
percula clowns in a 29 gallon tank. They are by
themselves. There are 4 small hermit crabs, and a
serpent star. I run a power compact and a 50/50
light. I used to run just 2 50/50 lights at once then
a couple days ago I received a power compact. I just
got the bigger of the two clowns no longer than 2
months ago. <When dealing with clowns, it is best
to add a smaller fish to an established larger
fish.> All was well with them until the past 2
days. The smaller of the two has been acting very
strange. I'm not sure if it is of any work of
breeding conditions or what but the past 2 days the
smaller one has not been eating. He was before, but
not recently. I have had the smaller one about 5
months and no problems. <Sounds to me like your
clown stopped eating because it is being bullied or
is ill.> I feed them a variety of foods. I feed
them formula 2 marine pellets( recommended by my
local saltwater fish store), ocean fresh marine
flakes and sally's frozen brine shrimp. <You
should look into adding frozen Formula One as it was
designed to meet the requirements of clownfish.>
The bigger of the two clowns, which I
believe is the female, <Sounds like they both may
be female.> has been eating regularly. I have a
long tentacle anemone in the tank also. They hang out
around it but they haven't hosted it yet. It has
been in there since Christmas Eve. <Long tentacles
are not normal clown hosts.> But the smaller clown
has been laying on the sand bottom and has a mini
hole dug for himself. The bigger of the two swims
around the tank and then comes back as if it were
checking on the other clown. The smaller
clown that I am having problems with is also
breathing a little heavier than usual. <That is
never a good sign.> This isn't usual in a
breeding pattern is it? <no> The smaller of the
two hangs around a small rock but is like a mini cave
with the outside covered in small brown zoo's. I
did not see any sign of eggs or anything in that such
matter. Do you know if there is a problem with the
clown or is this usual. This is the first time I have
ever had problems with it. <Your clown is either
ill, possibly brook, or is being stressed by the
larger fish.> The bigger of the two clowns some
times comes up to him and ,rubs up against him and
swims around the tank. Then the smaller one like does
this vibrating thing. Is that normal too?
<Vibrations are a sign of submission. You will
find this in pairing or when a clown is bullied by
another.> When I come near the tank the smaller
one moves around a bit not going too far and then
returns to the little hole he made. Do you think this
has anything to do with the temp? It runs 79-83
degrees. <No> As I speak, the smaller clown is
resting on the bottom of the tank. I have had this
tank up and running since early June and haven't
had any problems with it at all. Well I sure
appreciate all of the info I received just by reading
from others, but I will appreciate your reply. Thanks
very much and I am looking forward to hear back.
-Tyler- <Make sure to keep an eye on that clown
and remove one or the other if you witness bullying.
Also watch for signs of brook. Finally, make sure to
QT any fish that gets added to your tank. Travis>
Re: False percula acting strange 01-10-06
Thank you! <Glad to have helped.> I know for
sure it wasn't bullying and my clown has returned
back to normal. I just fed them and they are both
eating well. <Glad to hear it.> It must have
just been a temporary thing. But thank you for your
help and now I know who to go to when I ned to know
anything about my tank. <Feel free to drop us an
email anytime. Travis>
Clown and skimmer 01-06-06
Hello, <Hello, Travis here with you today.> I
have just one quick question about my little percula
clown and his new skimmer. <What a spoiled clown
to have his own skimmer. Quite the Christmas
present.> First let me describe my set
up. 29 gallon Bio-wheel filter (up to 55
gallon) about 25 lbs of live rock 1 percula clown 1
blue damsel 2 blue leg hermit crabs, and 3 turbo
snails a new Prizm skimmer (up to 90 gallon) <Very
nice.> I first turned on my skimmer and all seemed
well. About 2 hours later I came in and I noticed my
clownfish swimming face down like he was struggling!
I turned the skimmer off and about 1 hour later he
seemed to be doing fine. Again I turned it on and
about 1 hour later he was struggling. I went to my
LFS and he told me to wrap panty-hose or a filter
around the intake. I did so and this was no help. I
haven't a clue what the problem is! Is the intake
sucking to hard? Too much water flow? <I would say
he is either fighting a strong current from the
return or he is having trouble dealing with a sound
or vibration caused by the new skimmer. The last
option is, he is just being a "clown" and
will adjust to the new skimmer with time.
Travis> Please Help, Brian
Black Clown stripes 01-03-06 Hey guys love the
site. <Glad to hear it.>
Sort of a simple question;
<My favorite kind.> I have two true black
percula clownfish. <There is actually no such
fish, only a black variant of Amphiprion Ocellaris
(false percula). They are both juveniles. Their
stripes do not meet yet, is this a thing
that happens with age? <If they are under 1/2 and
inch it is possible the bars will continue to grow.
Odds are that unless you got them directly from a
breeder the bars are done and your clowns are
mis-barred which will be permanent.> Also when
does the transition of male to female
occur? <As soon as one clown establishes
dominance. You will see it happen in their behavior
and one clown, the female, will show a quick growth
spurt.> Does anything have to be set up correctly?
<You need to keep everything stable especially
water parameters and light cycles.>
Thanks for all your help
-Nick
<Good luck with your new pair, Travis> Clown
color change 12/24/05 Hi - ALSO our clown
has darkened in color across the top third of his
entire body, except for the white. I read
in your FAQ that this can be a stress reaction.
<Yes, often the case> Could the drastic
lighting adjustments have caused this, or simply
rearranging of the tank/introduction of the lawnmower
blenny? <Either, both> And how long should we
give him to turn back to normal?? <A few days...
if the fish is still eating, I'd not worry. Bob
Fenner> thanks
Odd Clownfish Color Development
12-12-05 I currently have 2 percula clowns in a
100 gallon tank, along with a mandarin goby and
yellow tang. <I bet they are in heaven with all
that space and so few neighbors.> Over the past 2
weeks or so, both of the clowns have developed a dark
coloration on the top halves of their bodies. The
larger of the two did it first, but the smaller has
as well. There haven't been any changes or
additions to the tank of note. Does this sound like
something I need to worry about, or do you have any
suggestions as to why this is happening? They both
seem to be in perfect health besides developing a
"tan", but I'd still like to know
what's going on. <You hit the nail on the
head. It is similar to a tan. Clowns sometimes get
increased melanation due to the lights on our tanks.
This can also be a coloration change that just
arrives with age. It is nothing to be afraid of.>
Thanks for your time. <Glad to help, Travis>
Clint Land Established Ocellaris clowns were
friends now fighting 12-12-05 I have had two
ocellaris clowns for almost a year now. When I got
them one was about 1 inch long, and the other one was
a little smaller. The larger one got quite a bit
bigger after being in my tank for a while, so I
assume that it was the dominant one and had become a
female, while the smaller one was a male. <Usually
a safe bet.> They have always hung around together
and gotten along great. One of them now is chasing
the other one around the tank. The one being chased
is really stressed out and constantly hiding. It got
so stressed out that it jumped into the overflow, so
it is temporarily in my sump. Is it possible that
they are both females now? <It is possible.>
There is very little size difference between them
now. <That means it is even more possible.>
About 2 weeks ago I added a few more fish, but none
of them are aggressive at all. My tank is 135 gallons
and my inhabitants include a tri-colored fairy
wrasse, coral beauty, 2 female carpenters wrasses,
Banggai cardinal fish, lawn mower blenny, 4 Chromis,
blue tang, purple firefish, 2 ocellaris clowns, and a
Redfin fairy wrasse. Needless to say I am done
stocking my tank now, but could this be too many
fish, causing the one clown to be more aggressive?
<The clown aggression is related to the sex or
just dislike of the other clown. They will need to be
separated and a less than one inch mate could be
introduced.> Should I find a new home for one of
the clowns or could I just separate them for a while?
I could put the more aggressive one in a quarantine
tank for a few days, but would this help? <Just
get rid of one or the other. I suggest keeping the
nicer one.> I would really appreciate any advice
that you have on the situation. Thanks,
<Travis> Peculiar Perculas! 11-28-05 A
quick question if anyone would be so kind to
assist.... <Travis here with you.> I have
consulted WWM FAQs btw, but cannot find the relevant
answer. I have two Percula Clowns and had a little
trouble with one (seemed to be some kind of parasitic
infection which cleared up after QT and
treatment). Unfortunately, the condition seems
to have returned - though I'm doubting if
it's a problem with parasites after all. Around
the first white band (about the gills) are what look
like scales flaking off/small scars and the final
band, around the tail, has gone a dark grey. The
second fish now seems to be developing a grey band
yet both fish are very lively and are showing no
signs of distress (scratching, laboured breathing,
listing etc). Please could you enlighten me as to
possible causes of said discoloration and markings?
<Some clowns will darken with age or in response
to your lighting. As long as you are not seeing open
wounds or signs/symptoms of disease I would not be
alarmed.> Many thanks, Steve Morse.
<Travis>
Vertical Clown 11-25-05
Clear Day Hello, <Howdy> I'll start by
saying thanks again for a great website and also for
prior help you have given me. Two months ago I bought
a True Percula and he was put in quarantine for a
month. He showed no sign of disease, swam a fair bit
and ate like a pig. <Sounds good.> I
transferred him to my main tank and from the time I
put him in he has stayed up at a top corner in a
pretty well always vertical position. <Typical>
He occasionally swims in a small 3 inch circle and
then reverts to vertical. <Still typical,
but could also indicate a swim bladder issue due to
improper acclimation or infection.> Once the MH
lights go off and just the actinics are on for the
last hour he occasionally rides a powerhead current
to the other side of the tank and then swims back
right at the waterline to the corner. <If he is
capable of flat swimming, ignore the swim bladder
comment.> I could keep him in a half-gallon tank
and he would have more room than he uses!! His tank
mates in my 90 gallon are a small Hippo Tang and 2
Green Chromis and from what I have seen no one is
harassing him. <Key here is "have
seen." He also may just be stressed by them
being there.> They actually go up to see him at
times. I tried introducing a Heteractis crispa a few
weeks ago and he doesn't go near it.
<Should never buy another animal to help another
animal. It is like the story of the woman who
swallowed the fly.> Not even curious. My water
parameters are all within recommended ranges and
everything else is living happily. Any idea what the
problem might be with him?? <Sick, scared, or even
normal clowns will do this. If he shows no signs of
illness let him be. Eventually he will move down. If
there are any signs of illness, including stringy
feces, move him to QT right away.> Pete
<Travis>
Blackening ocellaris, the pH Kit
is Acting Strange! 11/22/05 Dear Crew,
<Peter> First, thanks for maintaining WWM.
It's a wonderful resource. <Welcome>
Background: On October 25 of this year, my girlfriend
purchased a 20-gallon marine system. We both have had
success in freshwater, but are new to salt. The
seller said the tank had been running for a year or
so. He hadn't been doing water changes and the
tank's light had burned out and gone
unreplaced. The tank was running a hang-on
Whisper power filter. The tank contained a ton of
various algae, a two-inch layer of white sand, around
20 lbs. of live rock, a blue damsel, and an ocellaris
clown (both looking healthy in spite of awful
conditions). November 7, girlfriend added 2 more
pounds of live sand, 4 more pounds cured live rock,
and a 1/4" blue-legged hermit crab, which
died/disappeared within a week. <Likely "used
to" very dissimilar water quality...>
Situation: My girlfriend has since replaced the light
fixture with a two-bulb Coralife fixture, running one
10k bulb and one actinic, with little blue
nightlights. She has added a BakPak CPR skimmer (with
a pre-skimmer and without the Bio-bale media) which
yields a cup of thin, dark skimmate every two days.
<A lot of gunk for such a small system, eh?>
She has also added a 125 gph powerhead for
circulation. Test results: ammonia undetectable;
between 0 and 0.1 nitrite ; 2.5 phosphate; between
75-110 mg/L nitrate (!). <!!!> The pH kit is
acting strange, girl suspects it has been climbing,
8.5 - 8.7. Alkalinity 190-20 mg/L. Salinity had been
at 1.018 and girlfriend has been slowly raising it
over this month because she'd like to keep
inverts eventually -- it now stands steady at
1.022. Added 0.5 L Kalkwasser over 12 hours,
couple tablespoons at a time, five days ago. Regimen
of 20 percent water changes every 5-7 days since
acquisition. Live rock is displaying Aiptasia and
some little animals. Algae is still an issue (due to
phosphates I think girlfriend said). Water change
using distilled, treated with Prime water
conditioner. Problem: The clown is changing
color on the top 1/3 of his body, from head to tail.
It's as if he has a suntan -- it's an even
darkening of his color, except for the white stripes,
which remain white. He is turning black. The fish
breathes, eats, and swims normally. He is
sufficiently aware to dart for cover when I attempt
to photograph his odd condition. This first appeared
a week ago and his darkening is intensifying slowly
but gradually. I have read elsewhere on WWM
that many clowns change color as they age, but I have
never read about a blackening ocellaris. Any thoughts
would be appreciated. Thanks. -- Peter <Is
"stress coloration"... too much change
going on too quickly to suit this fish. I would hold
off, not use Kalk in this size, type system... rely
on water changes, vacuuming to improve water quality
for a few months... Bob Fenner>
Tomato the Clown Digger -
11/22/2005 Hello, <Hello Peter> This is the
first time I've asked a question here. I do read
through and find your website very informative.
<Glad you enjoy it.> I have a cycled 20g tank
with a Tomato Clown and a Yellow Tail Blue Damsel in
it. Recently I've noticed that every now and
then, it will bite onto something and use its tail to
kick up sand (it looked like it was trying to push
the rock aside). Today, I saw the blue damsel do that
same thing and got me concerned. Have you seen this
before and what does it mean? <My Tomato Clown
does the same thing and it's quite infuriating.
More of a nesting behavior and making itself at home
I think. I wouldn't worry, but make sure your
rock work is on stable ground.> Thanks, Peter
<You're welcome. - Josh>
Clownfish Shivers
11/17/05 Hello, I have a clownfish question. I
have a 12 gallon tank, with a lot of small hermit
crabs, a banded coral shrimp pair, a peppermint
shrimp, a scarlet cleaner shrimp, anemone crab (and a
small Condy anemone) and two clown fish (Amphiprion
ocellaris). The question is this: I had my clownfish
(well, I still do) and it was in there by it's
self (no other fish I mean) since I cycled it about a
year ago with all my shrimp and hermit crabs and so
forth. Today I bought another small clownfish and it
swims along side with it. The thing is, is that it
'shivers' sometimes around the small fish. It
shivers sideways even. Anyhow, is this to be
expected, a sign of aggression, or just getting to
know the other fish? <it may be a sign of
aggression or maybe a parasite! I would keep a close
eye on the clowns...if you see what beating on the
other one I would separate them immediately. also
make sure that the new addition does not have ich!
good luck, IanB>
New Clownfish Behaviour
11/10/05 Hi, <Howdy> Thank you for your
dedication to this hobby and the very informative web
site. <Welcome> I am writing with a concern
about the of new two A. percula (small about ¾
in.) I received today. I ordered from Foster
& Smith, they arrived today very well packaged on
several plastic bags, including a black shade. I
acclimated them, floating the bag for 30 min. and
then adding a small cup of water every 5-10 min,
discarding ½ of the water and repeating the
process. It took about 2 hours before I released the
two clowns in my quarantine 10 gal tank. The tank is
bare except for a couple of pvc pipes for shelter.
Water params: SG 1.023 pH 8.2 Amm 0, Nitrites and
Nitrates 0 Temp 79F. The clowns initially swam
around the tank sticking together with the larger
picking from time to time on the smaller. After a few
hours both of them started bobbing continuously. It
is a strange movement, up and down with a fairly
short excursion. <Typical... normal behavior>
They still stick together and pick on each other from
time to time. I gave them a very small amount of
flake food and they ate promptly. Is this normal
behavior for clown fish or is it a sign of stress? If
they are stressed what can I do? Thanks Claudio
<No worries here. Do monitor ammonia, nitrite
while they're in quarantine. Cheers, Bob
Fenner>
Re: New Clownfish Behaviour
11/11/05 Thanks for your kind reply. I feel
better. Today the fishes are seemed perkier and less
bobbing. Claudio <Ahh! They are (indeed) Clowns!
Cheers, BobF>
Clownfish Swimming in circles
11/6/05 I have had a Maroon Clown fish for over 6
months now, it's only companion is a coral beauty
and both seemed to be doing well. I woke up yesterday
and noticed that the clown was swimming differently.
He seems to be leaning to one side all the time and
spins in circles, he still comes up for food when fed
and there are no markings on his body. Its almost as
if he cant swim down could this be some kind of
bladder problem , some help on how to fix this
problem would be much appreciated thanking you in
advance. :) <Mmm, could be a few things here...
ranging from "nothing" but natural behavior
to a developmental problem with water quality,
nutrition... not likely pathogenic. Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clndisfaqs.htm
and the linked files above... and accrue, send on
pertinent information as you find others have done...
on history, make-up, water quality of the system. Bob
Fenner>
Clown swimming sideways?
11/1/05 Hi, <Good day> Hoping we can get
some advice from the resident fish doctor. We are
newbies to the aquarium scene, starting with a nano
cube, and recently added our first fish about a week
ago - 2 black and white perculas. The female (Bonnie)
is fairly active and looks healthy. The male (Clyde)
however started off very docile and did not venture
around the tank much eventually settling near a
hollow in the live rock. One thing we noticed was
that Clyde is always gasping very quickly while
Bonnie is fairly calm. The forward orange section is
also noticeable paler on Clyde than on Bonnie. Clyde
also does not eat a lot - and always goes for the
smaller bits that float past him if he does. We
thought that this may be normal given the gender
difference? <Good observations... not
unusual behavior/differences> Well this morning we
got a bit more concerned as we found Clyde swimming
in circles sideways at the surface of the water.
<Not good usually> Our local store says this
can be typical of juvenile males and is temporary?
<I hope> - Still does not make us too happy as
we are worried he is in discomfort? We have tested
the water and PH, Nitrates and nitrites look normal.
Any help or advice would be most welcome. Many Thanks
<Not much to do here... these are
"clowns" and do exhibit strange behavior at
times. I do hope/trust yours will
"normalize"... Do keep an eye out for
aggression from Bonnie. Bob
Fenner>
Re: Clown swimming sideways?
11/2/05 Hi again, <Reiterant salutations>
Thanks for the info and words of encouragement.
Thankfully Clyde is starting to swim upright again,
and venturing away from the surface. <Ah,
good> Bonnie looks more playful than aggressive
and gives him the odd gently nudge, but will keep an
eye out (Maybe just me but she looks like she is
mothering him!). This site and the FAQs are really
useful for us beginners. Thanks again. <Our
intent. Cheers, BobF>
Doing What Comes Natural -
09/07/05 Hi guys, thanks for all the advice your
site offers. <<Glad you find it useful.>>
We've got two juvenile false percula clownfish in
our quarantine tank, which has good water parameters
(8.0/0/0/1.020). <<ok>> They've been
in there for about 5 days now. During the
daytime and evening they look great, but when I get
up in the morning they've been floating sideways
right at the surface, just wriggling.
<<Mmm...sounds "plank tonic.">>
I turn on the tank light (the only
"intervention" I've done) and by the
time I get out of the shower they're starting to
swim around. When I get home from work,
they're clowning around all over the
place! What gives? <<Well Daniel,
let me ask you...is there any "structure"
in this tank? If not, you should add a few
pieces of PVC pipe (differing diameters/lengths) to
give these fish a place to hide/feel
safe. The behavior you describe hints to
me of very young fish trying to look like flotsam,
rather than tasty young morsels, to would-be
predators in the dark.>> Thanks a bunch. Daniel
<<Always welcome, EricR>> Percula
Clown Help! My male percula is
suicidal! He has been getting into the
overflow. The water was high in there so
he would just swim around until I got him out.
Recently, however, we reworked the intake so that
both holes flow into the sump and the water level is
lower and flow is faster. Today I took the
foam filters off of the tubes going into the sump,
squeezed them so I wouldn't drip water all over
the floor on the way to rinse them
out. Well...inside was a pale orange
thing! I rushed him back to the
tank. Now he is swimming in one place (not
his usual spot) and hasn't gone over to his mate
yet. He has a scrape on his nose and
debris hanging off of his fins. I'm so
upset that I may have squeezed him and I don't
know how long he was in the filter. Should
I quarantine him? <Not necessary> I
don't have a QT set up. I have a 5
gallon tank in the garage I could use. Or
would he be less stressed with his mate in the big
tank. It is a 75 gal and the only fish are the clowns
and a yellow headed sleeper goby. What
should I do? Thanks, Linda
<I would leave him in with the
mate. Might try soaking his food with
vitamins such as Selcon. Try to get some zip back in
him. James (Salty Dog)>
Re: Clownfish James, thanks
for the quick response-you guys are
great! He is looking better already now
that he is back with Ruby (his mate). Any
suggestions on how to cover the overflow to prevent
this? My tank is an Oceanic Reef Ready with overflow
along the back wall (not in the corner, like older
models). Thanks again! Linda <Linda, I
would suggest finding some coarse fiberglass screen
to put in front of the openings to keep the fish from
entering. James (Salty Dog)>
Strange behavior... re Clownfish
and lack of information Good Day, I have a 46g
tank. Recently I bought 2 Clark Clownfish. Two days
ago around 4 a.m. they were like laying down on the
sand. During that time they look as if they were
dead, I tap the glass and there is no reaction. Later
in the morning they are all around the tank. I do not
have an anemone. Is this normal? Here is a
photo!!! <Not found> <Not normal.
Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clndisfaqs.htm
and all the Related FAQs, linked above... and on to
the Clownfish Systems... Hopefully something
"will click" re your situation. Bob
Fenner>
New Clown fish question
10/30/05 Hi Crew. First let me say thank you for
a great web site. I've been reading your articles
and daily FAQ's on a daily basis for over 6
months. Before I ask my question let me tell
you my tank specs. I have a 38 gal reef
aquarium with crushed corral for substrate, about 40
pounds live rock, a Coralife protein skimmer rated
for 60 gal witch I will be replacing pretty soon, an
under-gravel filter plate connected to a Penguin
power-head for reverse flow under-gravel filtration,
a Magnum 350 canister filter also used for water
movement, a Whisper 40 power hang-on filter for
carbon filtration, a Penguin power head for extra
water movement, and 2x 96watt PC bulbs-1 true actinic
and 1 white. My residents include 1 small algae
blenny, 2 Sebae Clownfish, 1 blue damsel, 1 Royal
Gramma, about 10 blue leg hermits, 2 Mexican turbo
snails, 3 bumble bee snails, and a assortment of
different soft polyp corals. my tank has been set up
for over 6 month and is doing wonderfully.
Water perimeters {parameters are as follows,
SG 1.024, Ammonia is undetectable so is the nitrite,
nitrate is about 10ppm and calcium is around
380. About 5 days ago I installed a 10 gal
aquarium over my display tank with a 1" bulkhead
overflow and a Via aqua pump in my display
tank. The 10 Gal has a sand bed with about 15
pounds of live FIJI rock and a compact florescent 13
watt fixture. My wife says that if I get another
tank, Ill be sleeping with the fishes,
<Heeeee!> I didn't get it till yesterday...
LOL. OK, let me get to the point. About 3 days
ago I purchased 2 small wild false percula clowns
<Tank bred/reared would have been immensely
better...> that I had on hold in my LFS for over 3
weeks. I placed them in the 10 gal aquarium. For the
first day the clowns looked healthy, eating good, and
swimming around very gracefully but for the last
couple days I noticed that the fish were not swimming
around the tank like they were doing the first day I
received them. Now all they do is hang out in the
corner of the tank and will not move anywhere
else. <Happens> They stay very close to
the sand bed, almost as if they were resting on it.
They still look healthy but will not eat anything.
<Not good> I'm hoping that this is
just a phase while they adjust to my system, but this
never happened to any other of my fishes. Is there
anything I can do? <Keep offering small bits of
meaty foods... add a vitamin supplement/appetite
stimulant with> Your advise would be greatly
appreciated. Oh before I forget. the temp on the tank
is a steady 78 degrees. Thanks in advance. <Could
try (temporarily) raising this temperature a few
degrees F.> Elvin - South Milwaukee, WI <Bob
Fenner>
Clownfish Coloration -
10/13/05 <<Hello Jon,>> One Last
question because I am definitely losing my mind.
<<I bet. Isn't this "hobby" a
blast?>> My female Percula Clown, is very
healthy and eating actively, swimming etc. I
was observing her the other day and I saw that on her
gills, (which if you look hard at are kind of frilly
looking) have some black toward the bottom. Jet
black. I am assuming that this is genetic coloration
since she isn't exhibiting signs of parasite or
disease. <<Take away her cigarettes. She is
fine.>> Ps. My male who is in QT, is being
treated with Jungle Parasite Clear, since he wont eat
any medicated food. <<Could not find Hex Out I
assume.>> I observed on him that he has some
brownish spots beneath his skin behind his pectoral
fins. Plus, it looks like his upper body toward the
dorsal is getting a little blackish. Any more
suggestions? The packaging does not explain how long
to continue dosage so perhaps you may know? <<I
am not familiar with that product as I tend to stay
away from that brand for personal reasons. I would
follow their dosage instructions and just keep an eye
on him. Let him dictate your treatment schedule. I
would suggest removing the medicated water and
replacing with water from the main display before
re-medicating him though. This give him fresh stable
water while decreasing the chance of over dose and
gives the display an excuse for a water
change.>> Thanks for all you do! -Jon
<<TravisM>>
Does One Angry Clownfish =
Twelve Angry Men? - 10/13/05 I have two clownfish
in a 30 gallon tank. One is an ORA false Percula and
the other is a black and white striped clown (Clarkii
or saddleback?). Both are around 1.5" inches.
The B&W fish was added a month before the Percula
and everything was fine for two months. Now the
Percula has gotten really aggressive and has driven
the other clown away from the BTA. Whenever he sees
the B&W fish he'll chase it away. There are
two firefish and one pajama cardinal in that tank but
they are not being bothered. Also, when my hand is in
the tank the percula will bite it. This happens every
time I put my hands inside and started about the same
time when the other clown got harassed. What causes
this? <<Odds are your orange A. Ocellaris is or
has gone female. This will result in the clown
becoming more aggressive and she will attempt to put
the other clown into a submissive role.>>
Should I put in another B&W clown or a tomato or
a skunk clown so that the aggression will be less
concentrated on a single fish? <<Adding more
fish, of a different species, will only make things
worse. What I suggest you do is decide which species
you like better and stick with it. Pick one clown and
get it a mate while returning the other clown to your
local fish store. If you really want to keep a black
clown and an orange clown then I suggest switching
your current black clown for a black A. Ocellaris
(False percula). If you choose one species and would
like to get it a mate make sure you find a mate that
is under 1 inch long. This will ease the possible
aggression and increase your chance of building a
strong pair bond. Hope that helps,
TravisM>>
Clownfish - 10/12/05 Hi Bob
and guys :) <<Hello, TravisM here.>> I
had emailed you a while ago about my yoyos "odd
behavior" and you guys put me at easy with their
weirdness. I've been enjoying them every since
and they are all still living and doing well.
<<Glad to hear that.>> I have since
started a saltwater tank that has been up and running
for a few months. I have a true perc and a dwarf
pygmy in there that I have had for about 3 weeks. My
fish store is a mom and pop place and they had the
true perc at their store for 6 weeks before I took it
home. It was their pet. (I had bought a false perc
but it died.. the whole batch did.. bad batch so he
gave me the true one). He has been eating fine and
doing very well. Both fish get along great and
surprisingly swim together a lot. Yesterday, I
noticed the true perc had some white stuff on it.
It's not ick I don't think, it's more
like a patch of dry skin on his "forehead"
and on his side. I've been reading a lot and
I've read through your pages on clownfish. He has
also started doing something he has never done
before. I have the return in the middle of the tank
and 2 power heads, one on each side. It's a 55g
by the way with live sand and live rock, 20g sump
underneath, skimmer etc. He has been swimming upwards
where the current meets, in the middle of the tank.
He'll do that a while and then go and swim
normally around the tank and then go back there and
swim upwards. This morning, I turned on the lights
and he was laying on the sand. I don't really
know what he does the other mornings but I don't
remember him laying on the sand. It's too early
for me to think about it and I'm usually in a
huge hurry, running late as always. I fed him
to see if he would eat but he didn't really
budge. I finished getting ready and then by the time
I left, he was swimming around the tank. I noticed
that the white on his side is gone, his color was
good and on his forehead, it's almost gone. I
also have some polyps and some zoos in there.
What's wrong with him? Is the behavior normal,
swimming upwards? <<Lets hope nothing. Yes,
they are clowns and do some crazy things like
swimming into powerhead currents. I call it their
treadmill workout.>> What could be causing the
white patches? I thought of marine velvet but I was
unable to find pictures to compare and I'm pretty
visual but it doesn't sound like it would be
that. <<Fish can get some weird benign things
that spontaneously go away. Do keep an eye on him
though, if you notice rapid breathing and the white
patches look like the slime coat is coming off odds
are that your clown has brook (clownfish disease) and
you will need to treat him and the angel with
formalin immediately.>> Oh ammonia, nitrate,
nitrite were 0, salinity was 1.025, temp was 82.
Sorry this was so long and thank you!!
<<TravisM>>
Clownfish fighting -
10/12/05 Hello, <<Hola>> Well I have
a question that has a lot to it, so I will describe
the situation. <<A good description always
helps.>> I have a 75 gal aquarium with a bubble
tip anemone and a Sebae anemone. A percula clown (8
dorsal spines) <<This still may be an A.
Ocellaris as their fin ray counts over-lap.>>
that I have lives in the Sebae. It is a large
dominant female that used to have a mate but he
committed suicide and jumped out of the tank. She is
very aggressive, and territorial. My hand is always
bleeding, in multiple spots, when I'm done
cleaning the aquarium. <<You might want to try
feeding her once in a while. Just kidding of course.
The little orange shark would eat your hand even with
a full stomach.>> It has been about 2 months
since the male died and I purchased two black
ocellaris clowns for the tank. <<Uh Oh>>
I was under the impression that the two black clowns
would stay together and stay in the bubble tip, or
just stay away from the female and her Sebae. One of
the clowns was being viciously attacked for hours
before I moved him into my refugium, but the other
one is doing just fine, I guess. <<This is
extremely typical.>> The percula seems to have
chosen this one to be a mate or something.
<<Sure sounds like it.>> They stay in the
same corner of the tank and have occasional fights
that end up with one turning sideways and vibrating
at the other. <<That is their submission
dance.>> Do you know what's going on?
<<Yup>> Is it even possible to breed
them? <<It sure is.>> What would you
suggest doing with the clowns? <<If you truly
want to breed clowns I say separate them into two
tanks and have a pair of A. Perculas and a pair of
black A. Ocellaris. If you want to breed a mixed
species that will not sell well or just want to have
an orange and a black clown in one tank, let them be
and return the odd man out to your local fish
store.>> Thanks for any help you can give me..
Dan <<TravisM>>
Multiple Clowns Fighting -
10/9/05 Hi, <<Hello>> I have a
question concerning my (4) ocellaris clowns.
<<I bet you do.>> I placed them in my
tank, all at the same time, although I'm aware
that after two pair off there may be fighting.
<<Actually it will be worse before they pair
off.>> I was told at the LFS that if all
introduced at the same time should be o.k..
<<Aren't we all?>> It's weird,
when the white lights + blue lights are on, they get
along fine, when the moon lights go on, same
scenario, but when I have only the blue lights on for
dawn/dusk they start to fight, then when I put on the
white lights they stop fighting and are fine all
day. My tank specs, 72 gallon bowfront, about 3
months old. Over 100 pounds live rock, 4" DSB,
LifeReef sump and skimmer, 4 clowns, 2 yellow tangs,
1 lawnmower blenny, and lots of life brought in as
hitchhikers (worms, snails, black urchins, lots of
critters, still unidentified). << Four clowns
and two yellow tangs... Your tank should be a regular
battle royale. You may want to think about removing
one of those tangs in the near future as even one
will be too big for that tank eventually.>> So
why do my clowns only fight when the blue lights
(only) are on? <<Clowns didn't get their
name because they wear a red nose and big floppy
shoes, they do some funny things. Odds are they are
fighting at that time because it is the time they
would be deciding who sleeps where. It is a "who
wears the pants in this family" thing. This is
actually a warm up to the struggles for power that
you are sure to witness soon enough.>> Thanks,
all my (saltwater) education came from reading your
site. Dolly <<TravisM>> 10/9/05
- Clownfish Question 10/10/05 Hi All,
<<Hello,>> Sorry Again to keep sending
emails. <<It is always better to ask questions
than to make needless mistakes.>> I've been
looking through the Clownfish behavior articles on
the site but haven't found anything to related to
my issue. When I got my two percula clownfish, they
were happy, ate swam together etc... Now, the clowns
seem a bit less "funny" than usual.
<<You know what you call a clown that has lost
it's sense of humor don't you? A
mime!>> Call me an overprotective parent, but
the female for the most part is still happy and eats
and swims around. <<That is good.>>
However, my male whom I had thought had a parasite or
sickness, which I have concluded he does not because
I have no visible evidence to believe so, just seems
kind of depressed. <<As far as
"visible" evidence are you referring to
rapid breathing, sunken stomach, white stringy feces,
or what were you looking for exactly?>> He
actually wont eat the Tetra marine flakes I offer and
I'm not sure when he decided to stop eating.
<<Have you tried live or frozen foods?>>
He really only hangs out by the fake anemone,
isn't really as active with his partner as
before, stays kind of away from her and just seems
upset. <<Is she picking on him or leaving him
be?>> He wont even dart around the tank like he
would occasionally. Everything seems to be in this
slow depressed style with my clown. I just want him
to eat something because I would be awfully upset if
I lost him. My two yellow tailed damsel fish are no
longer in the tank. So attendance is: 2 Perc. Clowns
1 Pink Damsel 1 Cleaner Shrimp 1-Chocolate Chip
Starfish I have searched and searched and I apologize
if there was something related to my situation, but I
couldn't find it. <<Keep your chin up.
TravisM>>
Ocellaris issue 10/9/05
Hi <Hello Simon> I purchased a tank bred
ocellaris with a matched up BTA on the weekend.
Almost immediately after acclimatizing the clownfish,
he went straight to the anemone. He has never really
ventured outside of a small area of the anemone. Also
I have noticed that the clown fish is constantly
opening and closing his mouth. I guess this cannot be
good news :( <Any spots, fungus growth? If not, I
wouldn't worry right now.> He is eating
normally and appears to be swimming normally and
curious in nature. This is the only fish in the tank.
What should I do? Can I treat him somehow? Your help
would be much appreciated! <Simon says do
not treat fish unless you know the specific disease:)
Let's do this first, if any disease is present at
all. James (Salty Dog)> Tomato Clown
Behavior 10/4/05 Hello Crew, Thank you for
your very useful info regarding my
Featherduster. He's looking mighty
fine these days. But I have a question
about my tomato clown. I have 120 gal, lots of live
rock and sand, some coral, a percula clown, yellow
tang, sleeping goby, eyelash blenny, a couple of
damsels and some hermit crabs. When I got
the tomato, he did all of the usual tomato
things: commandeer the anemone away from
the percula, chased away anything that came near the
food, etc. His "fondness" for
the anemone killed it. <Well-stated> Since
then, he's just been swimming around like
normal. All was well when he just
"disappeared" one day. He was
out of sight for 2 days then just appeared one
morning looking pretty beat up. I have no
idea where he was hiding, but his little wounds
looked like abrasions (maybe he was trapped?).
<Possibly> Anyway, he was acting just like
normal and eating like a pig. In the last
couple of days he's been swimming
strangely. He kind of hovers in position
with his head pointed straight up, kind of like
he's standing on his tail. He'll
do that for awhile then start swimming around like
normal. Then he hovers again then starts
swimming like normal again. Is this normal
or is he feeling ill? Thanks in advance
for your help. <Very good description... it does
sound like this is a wild-caught specimen that is
internally parasitized (very common)... it may cure
on its own (doubtful), or you could attempt a cure...
by feeding it foods laced with Metronidazole/Flagyl,
and possibly a vermifuge if it's eating... these
compounds, use, are covered on WWM. Bob Fenner>
Re: clownfish aggression 9/22/05 Oh, and
sorry, one more thing They are not constantly this
way. Now they seem to tolerate each other
with no aggression. Its just occasionally.
They swim around each other and in the same anemone.
Thanks, Ted <Not atypical. Bob
Fenner>
|
Swimming Against The Tide! 09/13/2005 Hello
Crew, <Hey there! Scott F. at your service tonight!>
I have a 29 gallon saltwater setup, with a Clownfish, a
featherduster, and a couple hermits. I have a Biowheel
filter rated for up to 50 gallons, and I just recently
added a Red Sea Prizm protein skimmer, rated for up to 100
gallons. But about 3 hours after I installed the skimmer,
my clown fish started swimming funny "like he was
struggling". He was swimming face down, and in the
corner of the tank, over by the intake. I was wondering
what would have caused this. TOO much water flow? The
skimmer was sucking to much? Please help! Brian
<Well, Brian, Clownfish are not the best swimmers, so it
is not unusual to hear of the fish struggling against some
flow. I'd keep an eye on the fish for signs of injury
or disease. If the flow is too much, you may need to direct
it or diffuse it throughout the tank. Keep a close eye out
and adjust as needed! Regards, Scott F.>
Angry clownfish 9/13/05 Hi, I have a
curious question. I have had a 72 gal FOWLR
saltwater tank for 2 years now. One of the first
inhabitants was a ocellaris clownfish. Over
time, the clown has become territorial and is seen
pestering its neighbors. My mandarin seems to
take the brunt of it since he is slow to move
away. My royal Gramma fights back (it's
never vicious, it's more of a quick smack with the lips
and it's over for a few days). I have tried
many different solutions to help with this behaviour (i.e.
rearranging the rockwork, purchasing an Anenome (the clown
just ignores it), and even removing the clown for a few
days to reestablish some order.) Nothing helped,
but since none of this is ever of a serious nature, I
decided to let them live as
such. However, within the past week,
the clown has taken notice of me. Whenever I
approach the tank to feed them or just peek in, the clown
goes nuts, attacking the glass, following me up back and
forth through the aquarium. I can actually reach
a hand in and scoop the clown up in a container, since it
is so preoccupied with trying to kill me through the
glass. Normally it takes a week to try to net
this fish, usually to no avail. I am wondering if you would
know what may have caused this sudden change in behaviour,
if it is normal, if it will eventually subside, or will it
one day learn the power of explosives and decide to become
a suicide bomber when I open the lid to feed them. Any info
or opinion, I would be most grateful. Thanks again.
>>>Greetings, Fish exhibit a range of temperaments
even within a given species. This is hardly the first time
I've heard of this behavior from a clownfish species.
You are simply witnessing territorial defense behavior, and
I wouldn't count on it stopping. Not much else I can
say really, you either deal with it, or remove the fish.
Cheers Jim<<< Clowning around 9/11/05
Hello! I would greatly appreciate if you would be so kind
as to answer my question. I have a 30 gallon
reef tank with a blue neon goby, a
small (1") percula clownfish, a
royal Gramma, live rock and sand,
various shrimps, corals, etc. The clown was the
first to go in and the other two were added
later. Everything is complete. Anyway, at first the Gramma
hid quite a bit in the rockwork, but is now very
comfortable being out and on display. All are
fine and well, but lately the clown has been following the
Gramma everywhere, even into his burrow. <Not
atypical behavior> It does not look to be aggression, as
he simply wants to swim right next to the
Gramma. The clown even looks depressed and hides
behind the filter when his "big buddy" hides.
The Gramma did not seem to mind the clown until
recently, when he started spitting mouthfuls of
sand directly at the clown. He will literally pick up
sand in his mouth, swim right over to the clown,
and spit it in his face. Should I be worried
about the clown's safety or the Gramma's sanity?
Is this normal?
Thank you,
Kamber <Both fishes are acting
"normally", but I would keep your eye on the
Gramma for signs of developing trouble. Bob Fenner>
Clownfish worries 9/8/05 Good afternoon,
<Morning here presently> I wanted to thank you all
for putting together such a great and informative site!
I've been searching your FAQ's and related
information and still can't seem to locate an answer to
my particular problem. <Okay> I have a 90 gallon
Oceanic Reef Ready Tank, 200lbs live rock, 160lbs reef sand
(40lbs was live and used to seed my sand bed), 520 watts of
PC lighting (260w 12K/ 260w Actinic), Remora Protein
Skimmer, Canister Filter (using Purigen), Sump (20gallon,
Macro alga's, snails, pods etc.) and 4 power heads on a
wave timer. My system has been up and running correctly for
about 3 months. Water Parameters have been very stable
Temp-80, Alk 5 meq/L, PH 8.1, SG 1.024, Ammonia 0, Nitrite
0, Nitrate 2. My Tank is full of various
snails, worms, hermit crabs, shrimp and pods. I also have a
Scooter Blenny, Rock Anemone and small colony of Candy Cane
Coral. All life is healthy and thriving........ my concern
is with my clown fish. 3 weeks ago I purchased 2 tank
raised false Perc's from a reputable dealer (That Fish
Place) <Good folks, business> driving there 2 hours
to bring them home to reduce stress as much as possible. I
didn't quarantine them since they were tank breed and
raised and my fish stock is so low at the moment. I picked
out a small and medium sized fish in hopes of getting them
to pair up. Both were very active and had no signs of
disease or physical problems. The little one was more
vividly colored from the beginning. I could never get the
larger one to eat in any volume. I tried all kinds of foods
( including what they used and recommended at the Fish
Store) and he/she would only eat small amounts while the
other clown gorged himself on anything I offered. After a
week of not eating properly or at all and the larger clown
fish died. With the exception of weight all else seemed
normal. Any clue's? <Happens... may be that the more
bright one is influencing the others behavior... it...>
5 days ago I purchased another small (< 1") tank
breed False Percula and placed him in the tank after
acclimation. Now the original fish has grown to about 1.5
inches and has been readily feeding and very active since
his purchase. They are both very friendly with each other
and seem to be getting along great. My concern is now with
my larger (original small) clown. Yesterday I noticed what
seemed to be an almost overnight change in his/her
appearance in the facial region.....(larger mouth, lips and
different look to his head). If he is changing sexes would
this type of change occur? <Is, does> Color is still
vivid, nice weight with no signs of disease or parasites
etc. Also he has not eaten since yesterday, his mouth opens
when he breaths but his breathing is not rapid (normal?)
<Likely> and he seems lethargic. Has been laying on
the bottom of the sand bed where he usually rests but is
not greeting me or swimming in the current like his normal
self. He is acting almost like the first clown I had that
passed away and I'm not sure what to do or look for if
anything. Seeking advice and any help you can give me!!
Thanks so much, Mike Motze <Likely "normal"
behavior... I take it you've read through the
"Clownfish" article/FAQs on WWM: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/part2.htm
at the bottom. Bob Fenner> Clownfish pecking order
8/25/05 Hi crew, <Hello Steph> I bought a couple
of small false perculas from the same tank a couple of
weeks ago. For the most part, they get along. However,
sometimes I notice the bigger clown bullying the other,
especially if there is food or if it thinks there is food
coming. It tends to chase the smaller one away from
anything that looks food-like and the smaller fish has to
pretend to do something else and then try to get some food
when it can. I have definitely noticed a difference in size
between the two - the bigger one is definitely chubbier. Is
this something to be concerned about? Or, is this a natural
pecking order that comes with having 2 similar fish in the
same tank? My tank is 15 gallons and they are the only fish
in it. Please let me know if you have any advice for this.
I notice if I'm not staring in the tank, they tend to
get along fairly well. I think it's when they notice my
appearance that the bigger one starts to bully the other to
"get the most food" possible. Looking forward to
hearing from you. I have written you guys for several
questions and you guys give such helpful advice. The site
is very informative, I read it almost everyday.
Keep up the fantastic work! <Thank you, and you have
nothing to worry about...normal behavior. It
will improve. James (Salty Dog)> thanks,
Steph -Clownfish Tussle- 8/20/05 I recently
purchased two clowns from the LFS. They were in
separate tanks at the time of purchase. I
introduced them into a 75 gallon reef tank and they quickly
within minutes found the carpet anemone and the long
tentacle anemone.<While good that they found both
anemones, The two anemones you have listed both grow very
large and will not peaceably coexist in a
system. While they may not attack each other
visibly, they do conduct chemical warfare and the carpet is
very likely to kill the LTA and will do so if it decides to
move over to the LTA's area. Please do not
mix anemones in tanks as they simply don't work long
term.> Everything seemed perfect but moments
later they were fighting and even seemed like their mouths
were locked together.<This is normal, A test of
dominance and whoever is the bigger fish will become the
female.> The battle ended and they made their
peace. That was three days ago. Now
the smaller clown is hanging out at the top of the tank and
it appears as though the larger clown will not let him come
near the middle or bottom of the tank. They
don't appear to be fighting and the larger clown swims
to the top to spend time with the smaller one, but, the
moment the smaller one seems to be thinking about heading
south the larger clown darts toward him. Will
they work out their differences or should I pull one
out? Thanks for your time. <Valerie, They
will work out their areas with time however do not be
surprised if it takes quite a while. The larger
fish is slowly becoming the female and will jealously guard
the anemones from the other clown. Now if time
does not help and you notice that the two clowns continue
to fight, or that the smaller clown seems to get worse
looking, then it is likely that they may both be females in
which case they will not ever get along. However
this is unlikely given that they are swimming together in
the top of the tank. At night turn on a room
light and check the anemones, you will probably see both
clowns bedded down in them for the night. If
this is occurring the female is simply being more
territorial of the anemones during the day which is normal
for the first few weeks to a month or so. Good
Luck.> <Justin (Jager)> Clownin' Around -
08/11/2005 I have had my clown fish for almost 1 week
now. He refuses to swim very deep, usually only
stays on the very top of the water. he eats
normally, and will dive down to get food, but comes right
back to the top. <This could be perfectly
normal. Clownfish are pretty notorious for odd
behaviours; from swimming laps around a tank to
"playing dead", even "feeding"
powerhead intakes.... what you describe does not
at all sound abnormal for a clownfish, in any case.> Is
he possibly diseased, there too strong of a current he
can't handle the movement? <Mm,
unlikely.> I'm not sure what to do, if there is
anything I can do. Have you heard of this
before? <Seen it, yes. I would
not yet be concerned. Just keep watching
him.> Mike <Wishing you well, -Sabrina>
Percula Clown Question 7/25/05 Hey. Thanks for
taking the time to answer our question. We're new at
this "reef" thing, so every tiny thing is a
disaster. <Plenty of reading on our WWM site to help you
along.> The situation is this: Today, my family obtained
two true percula clownfish from our local LFS. They bagged
the two fish together, but we didn't mind as the two
fish were acting as a pair: guarding their section of the
"sale tank" from all other fish. At the same
time, we also obtained a "Coral Beauty"
angelfish, who are said to be non-aggressive. We came home
to our tank (about 20 min) and set the fish to floating in
the water. We wanted to be careful, so we floated for 20
min before beginning to add a bit our tank water into the
two bags. The fish remained normal throughout the process:
no signs of distress. After doubling the amount of water in
the bags, we netted the fish and released them into our
aquarium. The angelfish immediately began racing about
eating specks of food floating around the tank (if it
helps, it's something called "Formula Two"
for algae eaters). The two clowns, however, seemed dejected
and swam listlessly at the top of our aquarium, where they
have remained for close to eight hours. Respiration seems
normal, but neither fish has shown any inclination towards
exploring the tank or even just hiding in the plants. Our
family has several theories: too much stress on the fish,
too much current in the tank (we have two powerheads: an
Aquaclear 20 and an Aquaclear 70 with the directional
nozzle removed; the current flows in a circular motion) and
that our water is somehow unsuitable for these fish.
Aquarium conditions: this is a 1.5 month old tank, fully
cycled. 0 nitrites, nitrates, ammonia, phosphate. We have a
pH of 8.2 and a specific gravity of 1.022. The only other
fish is a Lawnmower Blenny. There is a large crab (Red
Emerald Crab) and several hermit crabs, as well as the new
angel. All have been in excellent health. All the plants
are plastic. <It's fairly normal for Percs to act
this way. Anytime you do add fish, keep the
lights off for the remainder of the day. It does
have a calming effect. James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks again.<You're welcome> The
Breshears Family.
Clownfish spitting out food 7/16/05 Hi
<Hello> A few days ago I bought a false percula clown
fish. I've tried to give him brine shrimp which he
doesn't touch pellets and flake food. He takes the
pellet or flake into his/her mouth an spits it back out but
on a rare occasion will eat one tiny flake. Help! He seems
to be quite skinny and is about one and a quarter inches
long. Do you think it's a male? <At this point,
likely so> Could it be possible it is a different food
then he got at the pet store or do you think he could be
scared from being in a different environment? <Both,
either, neither> By the way the clown fish is the only
fish in the tank at the moment. <Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clownfis.htm
and the links to files above where you lead yourself. Be
seeing you, Bob Fenner>
Orphaned Clown male? 7/7/05 Hello, <Hi
there> I've had a pair of pink skunk clowns now for
a couple of months that were supposedly a pair when I got
them. One is noticeably larger than the other
(larger one is more orange about 4" with the smaller
one maybe 2.5" in length and more
pink.) The seemed for the first month or so to
hang out together as a pair and sleep together at night in
in the same spot behind some live rock, both in close
contact often rubbing together. I also have a BTA in the
tank which is about 8" across when fully
open. The BTA wandered at one point into the
filter intake around the same time I got the clowns, and
got damaged (learned the hard way to make sure intakes are
protected regardless of their location.) After a
month, it fully recovered which completely amazed me after
it was sucked in and massacred in the tube and was about
40% damaged/torn. Here's where the problem
with the "pair" started. The BTA now
full healthy is opening up all the time and acting
"normal" again. The larger clown
(female?) for some time had been showing interesting in the
BTA as it was healing (probing it, watching it, etc), but
never entered it. Over the past week or so the
female has now been sleeping in the BTA at night, and
defending it during the day, but doesn't enter it at
all during the day. Since then she started doing
this, the male doesn't show signed of being attacked,
however now does get chased a bit, both wiggle at each
other quite a bit now and I can hear the female grunting at
him occasionally. He tries to stay near the
female during the day for the most part but she can be a
bit of a bully, and at night he sleeps in the same spot in
the back while the female now sleeps in the
BTA. Has the male been orphaned since the female
seems to be adopting the BTA, they just not a true pair, or
is this just normal clown behavior? Thank you, -Mike
<Hard to say... if there's room, perhaps they will
pair up here... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnbehfaqs.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Fun With Clownfish! 6/31/05 Hey there all,
<Scott F. with you tonight!> Well I was out
collecting spotted handfish from the Derwent estuary a
week ago, and I got one! (only kidding) anyway,
I have 2 false Percs. <A real "fish
story!"> Today, the bigger one started to chase
around the smaller one a lot. They have always got along
except for now....I assume they are establishing breeding
rights? <Quite possibly...This type of chasing and
grappling is part of the pairing process..> The bigger
one is going to be the female? <Typically, yes.> Its
been about a week with them in my tank and they haven't
bothered looking at my long tentacle anemone :( I want them
to start acclimating themselves to it so bad!
Well if you can get back to me on these things it would be
nice. Thanks a lot- Aaron <Well, Aaron- the anemone
issue is a big question mark! Many of the Clownfish found
in our hobby today are tank-raised, and may have never even
seen an anemone! So, there is a good possibility that the
fish may never end up in the anemone, much to your
frustration! It's really up to the fish at this point!
Keep those fingers crossed! Regards, Scott F.>
Clownfish behavior issues 6/15/05 Thanks for the
help, it will be put to good use. Another question
that has been bothering me for a week now, is after the
introduction of the clownfish it continues to trace the
glass, and has yet to enjoy the bottom of the
tank. At night it swims at or near the surface,
and I cannot figure out why. I could assume
there is not enough movement or air in the tank but not
sure. The tank is a hex, which makes it fairly
deep, I have a powerhead that is not in use because when
turned on the is what looks to be too much air and movement
(if possible) so I am relying on an underground filter form
of tubes and an air tube at the back of tank which provides
average movement. Besides his need to swim against the
glass, he feeds fine, looks fine, and doesn't show any
other signs of sickness. I am wondering if he
has just not acclimated to the tank yet, and is still
checking it out, or whether there might be an underlying
problem. Your opinion would be appreciated,
thanks Travis <Although clowns don't require a lot
of space, all but the largest hex tanks are a bit
crowded. This may be compounded by the lack of
suitable habitat. It may not be the prettiest
solution, but try placing a small terra-cotta pot on its
side on the bottom of the tank and see if it is attractive
to your clown. As for water movement, the
airlifts of an undergravel filter will not provide much
current. Total water movement of about 10 times
the tank volume is recommended. If you powerhead
is rated for less than 20 times the tank volume, it
shouldn't be creating too much current, although you
may have to experiment with aiming it to get the best
effect. Best Regards. AdamC.>
Crazy Clown About one week ago I introduced a false
percula clown to my young (one month old) tank which tested
perfect, besides having a slightly low pH which I did a
water change to correct. I do water changes
weekly at 10%. The tank seems to be perfect
which is making me question why the clown continuously
swims against the glass at the front of the tank, now while
entertaining it is quite peculiar and I am not sure if this
is normal, or whether there is an underlying problem that
might be causing the fish to swim against the glass.
<Not an unusual behavior> It also tends to be in the
top of the tank rather than the bottom. The only solution I
have came up with from constant observations is that there
is either a lack of oxygen which is why it would be at the
top (although the yellow tailed damsel has no problems), or
there may be a lack of water movement which I could
understand the clown having problems and not the damsel.
<How large is this system? It may be the one damsel is
affecting the behavior of the other (Clown)> Either way
I really have no clue and really need any helpful tips you
could give me to the insight of this problem. Information:
water parameters check out fine, lighting poor, water
movement-low, oxygen-average, bio-load - 5 turbo snails,
damsel, and the clown in question, 20lbs LR which is coming
along nicely, coral skeletons (low light forced
this). Anyways, really everything seems fine,
besides this unusual activity. Your
opinion? Thanks for the excellent support! <I
would not be concerned if the Clown is feeding, shows no
signs, damage otherwise. They are, after all...
"clowns". Bob Fenner>
Compatibility Hi Jay, <James, today,
Anthony> I bought a small perc for my 2 inch resident
perc. They got along right as the little guy
went in the tank. And I think they already
paired up last night. All the LFS tell me that
I'm taking a big chance trying to pair with only 2
Percs - and that the little guy most probably will be
harassed if not beaten up. Maybe my perc was
lonely living among 4 other different species in a 20 gal
tank. <Right now the larger one is showing
domination. Normally there shouldn't be any
problems for you to worry about.> I have another
question about a skimmer for my 20 gal tank. It
has to be external hanging (so as not take space) and must
have a submerged pump (I hate how loud air pumps
are). I was looking at the Bak-pak 2 or a
SeaClone Protein Skimmer. But they are pricey.
Remember I only have a 20H tank. <My choice would be the
Bak-Pak Two or the Red Sea Prizm Deluxe. These
can be had fairly reasonable through mail order.> Thanks
again, <You're welcome. James (Salty
Dog)> Anthony
- Clownfish Question - Hi, my name's Phil and
I have a quick question. I recently, about two weeks ago,
put two False Percula Clowns in my tank. They were great at
first, and doing what everyone said they would. The larger
of the two started picking on the smaller but it wasn't
much. I got the water tested and the Nitrites are a bit
high, just coming off of my water cycle.. the ammonia is
gone. But anyways, to my question. The smaller clownfish
has started to lay at the bottom of the tank, if someone
comes near the tank he gets up a little bit and that lays
back down... it gets to the point where he'll be
completely on his side and not doing anything. I tried to
take him out of my tank with the fish net but he started
swimming around at light speed so I figured that if he
could move that fast then he must not be as sick as I think
it. I feel like it might be the fact that he's getting
picked on so bad that he laid down on the bottom?
<Perhaps, but it's also possible this fish is just
on it's way out, sorry to say.> But just a few
minutes ago I saw the other clown go up to him and nudge
him back right side up after falling to his side. I
don't get it.. I've seen sick fish before but
I'm not sure whether to try and catch him and put him
in a separate bucket of salt water from the tank.
<I'd leave it where it is for now. Things will
either improve or not. Sadly, there's no easy way to
tell what a fish has been through before you saw it in the
store, but this clown may have just been through too much,
and your introduction to this new tank and the aggression
have been too much. But clownfish are tougher than they
appear and it may yet turn around.> I really have a
feeling I'm going to lose this fish, but any help or
suggestions would be appreciated. As far as the size of the
tank and filtration. I have a 55 gallon fish only tank with
an Emperor 400 Filter with Eheim Substrate in the baskets.
all the level are right except for the nitrites which are
high at the moment. did a 15 percent or so water change. A
power head on the opposite side of the tank for water
movement and live sand. I hope that he'll come out of
this little slump... but I'm expecting the worst just
from what I see. <I'll keep my fingers crossed with
you.> Once again, thanks in advance Phil <Cheers, J
-- >
- Clownfish Question, Reader Response - Hi guys,
thanks for your help with my strange clownfish behavior a
couple weeks ago - we put the clowns into our show tank and
they are completely fine. They don't lay on
the bottom of my show tank, in fact, they won't even
leave the front glass, but they are being their normal,
weird, selves. I saw this question on the
daily's and wanted to refer Phil to my same
problem. I don't think he's got anything
to worry about, as he described his clowns' behavior
almost verbatim to mine. I quoted both his question
and mine (with responses from Bob), #4 on http://www.wetwebmedia.com/clnbehfaqs2.htm
. Hopefully this will give him some hope and
confidence in the little guys... Alex <Thanks for
sharing. Cheers, J -- >
Bossy Clownfish Hi Crew, <Lynne> I have 2
tank raised Ocellaris clownfish that has been living in my
55 gallon for a year and a half. They were my first two
fish. The larger clownfish as she has matured is quite a
bully now as she usually just chases the smaller clownfish
around once and awhile but now she is biting me when I
clean the tank. The two clownfish are co-existing
nicely and I can put up with being nipped at but I am
finally ready to add more fish (separately of course). I
wanted to add a Royal Gramma and a Bi-Color Blenny. I
am worried that the bossy clownfish who has made the entire
tank her territory will bite at the new arrivals and bring
stress to a peaceful tank. <May be> Any opinions on
this as I really want to add more fish. I am only going to
have 5 total fish eventually in the tank. <I would have
a floating plastic colander (spaghetti strainer) handy to
isolate the Clown should it prove insufferable with the
addition of new fishes... Keeping it in this floating
prison for a week should aid in allowing the other/new
fishes to become established. Bob Fenner>
Clown found home in a Polyp Coral I have an
Oclerisus or Pewrc. <Congratulations! This is the new
winner for most mis-spelled names!> Clown Fish with no
Anemone. The fish is starting to rub up against a Polyp
Coral I have at night. The coral was doing great but now,
during the day it is a shriveled up and closed. Is there
anyway I can stop the clown from doing that? Any help would
be great. I don't want to lose this piece. <Yes...
read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/part2.htm.
Scroll down to the bottom... Read re Clownfish Behavior,
associations with Anemones, Systems... Bob
Fenner>
Clownfish I have a "tank-raised" false
percula that appears fairly normal but not like other
percula clownfish I have had in my tank. I have a 90 gal
tank with lots of coral and live rock. Other fish in the
tank include: (1) blue hippo tang, (1) yellow tang, (2)
blue-green Chromis, (1) yellow-tail blue damsel, and (1)
6-line wrasse. All of the fish have lived together now for
over 1 year and appear to all get along very well. I
originally had (2) false perculas but one died
mysteriously. <Happens> My question is regarding the
clownfish. He (or she) has over the past few months gotten
small black spots on the body. They don't seam to be
protruding from the body but rather just spots, very small
but in some areas dense. The fish eats like crazy and is
plump; however, it doesn't really interact with the
other fish except during eating. <Not atypical> I
usually feed about every other day with dry flake and twice
a week I feed either brine shrimp or high protein (frozen).
It sleeps or stays near the bottom most of the time unless
I appear at the front of the glass in which the fish then
cruises to the top in hopes for food. Other perculas
I've had were more active at the top of the tank. The
previous percula also "homed" in a rather large
leather coral in my tank. The other day I also noticed
something under the fish's mouth that appeared to be
like a small white skin tear (it definitely wasn't ich)
but within a couple of days it was gone and hasn't
reappeared. <Mmm, the spots? May be... encysted worms of
some sort... Not catching to the other fishes... And to
"perk" up your Clown... in this size, type
system, given the other livestock listed... I would very
likely add another of the same species... somewhat smaller
or decidedly larger... tank-bred/reared also. Bob
Fenner>
Hurtin' Clowns, actually tank bred behavior I
apologize, this question has been asked a million times,
and I've read most of the clown FAQs, but I just
can't seem to tell what I'm doing wrong (or if the
fish were just in bad shape when I got
them). I'm a noob to saltwater (2 months)
but my girlfriend and I are very self motivated learners
and have come along ways in two months. Two days
ago I purchased a pair of tank bred true
perculas. They looked great at the LFS and we
got the best looking two. I put them in my
quarantine tank - 20 gallon bowfront with live sand, a very
nice huge chunk of live rock, a bubble wall and a
not-finished skimmer (bought it used, I believe it has a
MaxiJet powerhead, but the venturi doesn't suck air, it
blows water. Going to get the Rio RVT powerhead
for skimming today). But the powerhead does suck
up some of the bubble wall air and inject it into a CPR
backpack skimmer. I'm fairly certain it
should be plenty of aeration and circulation. I
also have some Caulerpa in there to process
nitrate. It seems to be a pretty sweet
quarantine, in fact, probably overboard. And on that same
overboard note, we transport the fish in the bag, in a
small box, inside a Styrofoam cooler with towels to keep
things from moving around. <Good technique> We
acclimated them well and they seemed fine the first
day. They also seem to be hosting with the
Caulerpa, doing their little shake-dance in
it. Next day, one of them is laying on the sand
bed (face dragging), and now the other is
also. I tested everything I have tests for - pH
is about 8.0 (hard to read that one), no ammonia or nitrite
or nitrate. Calcium is 420 (I added a half dose
of supplement about a month ago - now, I'm not really
sure why I did that) but I don't believe that should
hurt anything. Alkalinity is about 6 meq/L
(never supplemented that, so I'm not sure why it's
high), but again, I don't think that's a fish
slaying level. <Correct> The clowns eat, brine shrimp
and good LFS prepared food. They look good for a
few minutes, then they drag face (laying on the bottom
sliding in the current) ... they don't show any signs
of stress, or white matter or anything. In fact,
they look beautiful, but they continue to drag the
face. We fed them, they ate and swam around
looking good, and now they are both laying on their sides
again. It is really on and
off. Sometimes one will be dragging his face and
the other will try to nudge him up. We have three Chromis,
a lawnmower blenny, yellow watchman goby and pistol shrimp
in our main tank... but the clowns are the first fish we
have put into our quarantine tank. There are a
few snails, hermit crabs and lots of amphipods and copepods
that have been living happily in the quarantine tank for a
while now. To wrap up my novel, any ideas what might be
wrong? Thanks in advance for all your help, and
your site is awesome and I have the CMA book, and I use it
religiously. Alex and Sara <Mmm, likely nothing. These
clowns are tank bred/raised as you state, and this sort of
behavior is not uncommon with such. I would not be overly
concerned here as they will likely "grow out of
it" in time. Bob Fenner> Aggressive clarkii
Clown Doing What They Do Hello!!! I have a question. I
am pretty new to this hobby and am very interested and
eager to learn more. Right now I have a 20L FOWLR and I had
a Clarkii clown in it for about 2 weeks and then yesterday
I added another clarkii, and the first one I got seems to
picking on the new one.. Is there anything I can do? Will
he leave the other one alone? Please help!!! <Troy, the
clown is establishing the pecking order. This should soon
subside. Feed sparingly buy often for a couple of days.
James (Salty Dog). In future correspondence, please cap all
your "i"s. Our editor will appreciate it. Thank
you.>
Clowns Not Getting With the Program? Hi Guys
<<You have Marina here today Neil. For
future reference, we kindly (mostly me, I do most of the
editing) that you use proper capitalization, punctuation..
mostly capitalization when you send
correspondence. Saves me (or whoever's got
my job for the day) a HUGE amount of time.>> The
Clowns are still not getting on and the smaller male's
colour is still fading while she is in excellent
condition. One interesting thing is that the
female is cleaning a patch of flat liverock underneath a
mushroom anemone and when the male actually comes out of
hiding they hang about very close to the spot and the
bigger one keeps him their. <<Thank you *very* much
for including previous messages here. By the
sound of it, I would surmise that your Clownfishes actually
HAVE sorted things out between each other, you're just
not too happy with the results.>> My question is how
long does it normally take for clowns to sort the dynamics
out? <<Not long, or one would be dead by now.>>
And could the cleaning of space mean that the pair may
think about breeding? <<We *may* have a conflict of
libido here, breaks up many a great
relationship. Yes, it could be a sign of
impending egginess.>> Or does this cleaning mean I
may have got the sex of the pair wrong as from books
I've heard... <<Not
"read"? Wow, talking books!>>
...the male does a large amount of the cleaning and I'm
sure the smaller one is a male? Cheers Neil <<You are
sure, or you aren't sure? IF you acquired
both at the same time and they were the same size, and now
you have two each of different sizes, then you can be
fairly certain the smaller one is a
male. HOWEVER! If you got maybe the
biggest two of the batch, you could have gotten a
"full" female, and a "partial" female,
and nothing's going to happen in that
event. You mentioned previously that you got
them at 3cm each, so I would surmise that chances are
you've got both sexes, but this may not necessarily be
the case. And with these guys it's a bit
like adding salt to the pot, you can ALWAYS add more, but
you can NEVER "un-salt" it. Make
sense? I would say that you'd have to give
them more than three or four months to decide if
they're going to actually breed or not, I'd let
them be till summer at least. Marina>>
Digging Clown Fish Hello Crew, <Brett> I have
a question regarding my tomato clownfish
behavior. I have had him for about 4 months in a
65gal tank with sand as the substrate. His color
and appetite appears to be normal but he does spend a large
portion of the day digging and rubbing in the sand throwing
sand in the water and creating large craters all throughout
the tank. often causing a major change in the tanks
aqua-scaping. I would expect triggers to change
a tank around but I did not think this was a normal clown
fish behavior. Have you experienced similar
behaviors with tomato clownfish? <Is normal... read on
WWM re... Bob Fenner> Thank you, Brett
Peculiar Percula Behavior Gentlemen- <Some,
and some ladies... and some "just" petfish types
like me> As a newbie, I must compliment you on the
outstanding website and obvious love you have for the
marine hobby. My tank inhabitants and I thank
you for keeping us all healthy. I have a
question that I have not found an answer to, and the LFS is
clueless. <Mmm, welcome> I have a 12 gallon Eclipse
with a Hydor Pico for additional circulation, 9 lbs. of
live rock, a tank-raised juvenile percula clown, a purple
firefish, 3 Nassarius snails, 3 bumble bee snails and 4
tiny blue leg hermits. The stats are pH of 8.2,
0 ppm ammonia and nitrite, 10 ppm nitrate and a steady 76
degrees. Small feedings are performed twice a
day. Lights are on about 15 hours daily.
<Okay> My question regards the clownfish that I have
had for about three weeks. The first two weeks he acted
like a puppy, constantly moving all over the tank, always
out in the open and loving anyone willing to look at
him. Five days ago, I added the cleaning crew
(all the snails and crabs listed). The clown has
since become a recluse, spending most of his time (90%+)
hanging out behind one of the live rocks. He
appears to be entirely healthy otherwise, making himself
seen when it is time to eat, eating fine and eyes and gills
appear normal. There are no signs if ich or
velvet (the LFS's only advice). All other
inhabitants look great. <Not unusual behavior> The
behavior change was a complete turnaround as of the day
after adding the inverts. My paranoia has me
believe that some introduced illness has set
in. I would like to move the rock to see what he
does, but the firefish has made a very nice home for
himself between the rock and substrate; I hate to disturb
it. Your thoughts? <I would not move the
rock, but just keep an eye on the Clown... your system is
indeed a very small world... fraught with danger of quick,
troublesome chemical/physical changes... and little room
for biological adjustment... I would do nothing quickly
here, ever> And, while I have an expert on the hook, I
would like to eventually like to add a cleaner shrimp, a
feather duster and a red or orange Fromia star to the
tank. Will this be too much bioload given weekly
water changes? <Mmm, I do wish I could... well, I'll
try here... to talk you into a larger system. The
propensity for disasters is just too great in such tiny
volumes as yours... the shrimp, worm, star could die...
easily and their death/s bring a collapse for all... Much
more room for error in bigger tanks> Finally, the
Eclipse has a single 15W, 18" tube. If I
change it to a quality 50/50, can I effectively keep
mushroom corals and low-light polyps? <I'll make you
a deal... IF you get, have another larger system to move
your livestock to, you can/could indeed try small colonies
of these stinging-celled life... So you could move all to
in the event of trouble... there will be.> Thank you for
your attention, advice and all you do for the hobby. Jeremy
A. Schwabe <Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>
Sleeping clown Hi Bob, this website seems
awesome. My partner and I have recently set up a saltwater
marine aquarium 120L, artificial coral, white and metal
halide, for the first time. We are both rookies, but
learning so much, and loving it. <Good> At the moment
we have a percula, 3 yellow belly damsels, 2 Banggai
cardinals, 1 lemon peel and 2 hermit crabs. we started off
with the clown and an anemone. unfortunately the anemone
died after just under a week, why we are not sure. <Very
common> All the levels were perfect. Basically its
tentacles shriveled up and it sat upside down for about 2
days before it died. Any suggestions as to what may have
happened? <These are posted on WWM> The clown
seemed to get over the loss quickly, normal behaviour,
eating well. the last day though, instead of sleeping on
the sand protected by some of the coral, it is sleeping at
the surface, right way up, but just seems to be bobbing
with the water. We did a 1/3 water change the day before,
as the ammonia was high. we are slowly getting on top of
the ammonia level now. Is it alright for it to be sleeping
like this? Thanks for your time Patrick. <Not uncommon
behavior as well. I would not be overly concerned... but am
so with the ammonia. Do take care to reduce this, be chary
of feeding in the meanwhile. Bob Fenner>
- Clowning Around - Hi Guys <Hi.> Thanks
for your help with my last query, I now have another one. I
know they're called Clownfish for the very reason they
Clown around. But I wish mine would settle down. I have had
my pair of Percula clowns for about 3 months now and they
were very small when I purchased them, just under 3cm. They
stayed quite close to each other for the first week and
then started to do their own thing. They are tank bred so
seem to be very active and always separating to do their
own thing. However one of them, from my understanding
the maturing female, has turned darker and bigger than the
smaller male. (Male = 3cm, female = 4cm) Both are feeding
well but she is bullying him a lot when he tries to do
anything she doesn't agree with, chasing him until he
stops and twitches ( which I believe is a submissive
gesture). The smaller male is now starting to look
bedraggled. I tried separating them using a clear porous
container, which the female was placed in ( still within
the tank) for two days to let the male get some much needed
food. As soon as she returned the activity calmed down
(This is a technique I used when I breed my swordtails and
the males seem to calm down). However that was a week
ago and gradually it's started getting worse. She never
bites him or shunts him just chases, it's almost as if
they're talking different clownfish language -
she's saying stop, he thinks she's saying go. Any
advice would be greatly received. <Not much you can
really "do" - they will work out the dynamic on
their own and as long as the male isn't missing any
chunks and is eating normally in the presence of the
female, then things will likely work themselves out over
time.> Thanks Neil <Cheers, J -- >
Clownfish/Behavior Hi: I have a black clown. The
first week that it was fine in the tank. I start to notice
that he seem to constantly running into the edge of the
tank. Or he would swim around the edge. It looks very
anxious, swims up and down rapidly. Is this normal?
<No> Also, I notice some discoloration around the
mouth and around its eye. Seems like the color is lighter
than the rest of the body. Something wrong? <It
sounds to me like there is something in the water he
doesn't like. Is your tank overloaded, maybe ammonia?
Do you have a puffer in the tank with him? James (Salty
Dog)>
- Clown Pair Behavior - Hello. This is my first
time writing to WWM. So far I have found your site to be
invaluable! My 20 gallon saltwater tank finished cycling on
or about March 10. After a partial water change and some
cleanup, I added to false percula clowns on March 19. Both
took a few days to get comfortable. They seemed to pair up
immediately. One began to make small "attacks"
against the other. I assume that this was the beginning of
the pairing ritual to establish dominance. <My
assumption as well.> So, I assume the weaker one will
eventually be the male. <Most likely.>
Recently, he has begun to act odd. He swims much slower
that the "female," sometime just going around in
a circle. Now, he has discovered a spot behind one of the
rocks and is just hanging out there, swimming slowly. He
shows no signs of any disease. No heavy breathing. And when
I feed them, he comes out and eats just fine. But then goes
back to his slow, isolationist lifestyle. What do you
recommend? <Nothing except patience and acceptance
on your part.> Is this normal?
<Yes.> Is this guy just intimidated by his more
aggressive partner? <Hard to know for certain the
motivations of fish, but in general you've only just
left on the long journey... much too early in the process
to be concerned. Give them a month or two and see how
things are going then.> Thank you very much. Julio
<Cheers, J -- >
Coral/Anemone Compatibility, Clownfish Acting
Strangely I am a newbie. <Good Morning
Lila> I have an established 24 gallon nanocube
with a Royal Gramma and Percula Clownfish. We just
introduced the clownfish into the tank last night after
about one and a half hours of acclimation, and he swam very
actively all over the tank. This morning he is hovering,
sometimes horizontally, sometimes vertically, by the return
vent. Upon putting him in the tank last night, we fed both
fish some frozen Mysis shrimp. The Gramma loved it, but the
Percula did not eat a thing. Would the percula prefer
something else. <I would try some Cyclop-Eeze>
I must say that the Percula fish absolutely wore me out
just watching him! I plan on introducing live coral, making
this a reef tank, and was told that you cannot introduce
anemones with coral. However, I have also heard you can
introduce certain anemones. Now I am thoroughly confused.
Thank you for your help. <Anemones and corals do
not fair well together, especially in a tank as small as
yours. Anemones can relocate and do. If the anemones
tentacles touch your coral it is usually death for the
coral. And depending on the coral, can do damage and/or
kill the anemone. James (Salty Dog)>
Percula fish Acting Strangely Thank you for your
reply, Salty Dog. One of my concerns was that the clownfish
was hovering near the return vent. Is this normal?
<Clowns do act/swim stranger than most fish. Main thing
now is getting him to eat. You might try some frozen adult
brine, not real nutritious but it's something that they
usually go after. I'm looking at the post below and I
don't see my inserts in there. Did you delete them by
chance? James (Salty Dog)> Thank you for your
help. Your website is wonderful! <Thank you and
you're welcome>
Percula fish acting strangely No, I did not
delete them. Wow! I want them back! You had answered all of
my questions except the one about the clownfish swimming
near the vent. <Lila, I did answer that, clownfish do
exhibit stranger behavior than most fish. My Percs bed down
by the return line also, if it makes you feel
better.> I would really like for you to re-answer
the one about the coral compatibility. We want some coral
in our tank. Thank you and sorry that you had to answer
these questions again. <Coral and anemones
don't mix, especially in a small tank. Sooner or later
the anemone is bound to move and touch the coral and result
in the death of one or the other or both. James (Salty
Dog)>
Vertical Perc My percula clown has spent the
entire day staring straight up and out of the tank.
He's been vertical like this all day and I'm not
sure if that is a bad sign? Thank you in advance, Ryan in
Philadelphia. <I would not lose any sleep over it so
long as he is eating fine and otherwise appears healthy and
free of disease. Keep an eye on him, though. Mike
G>
Clown Behavior Hi, I apologize as I'm sure
you get asked almost the same questions about clowns, but I
have read through most of the Q&A and haven't found
anything quite like this problem. I have a Maroon Clown
which has been a part of my tank for 3 months. She is very
healthy looking, and has grown in size since I first got
her, and has great color. There is nothing wrong with her
skin/body visually--no white spots, no dark spots, nothing
peculiar. She eats normally, but spends most of the time
hanging out in the corner by the heater. It almost looks as
if she is treating the heater like an anemone, but not like
she's itching herself. This fish was captive bred,
('m not sure if that makes a big difference in
behavior). The other fish in my tank are doing wonderfully,
if not (dare I say) thriving. 1 Mandarinfish, 1 Scooter
Blenny, 1 Orange-Spotted Goby. We also have a sebae anemone
(I know, bad bad idea) that the clown won't touch,
which is fine. I need to know if I should be worried about
this behavior. Apologies for the long-winded-ness of this
inquiry, and thank you again for your time. ~Jennifer
<Jennifer, as long as the clown is eating well and
showing normal swimming patterns, I wouldn't worry
about it. James (Salty Dog)> <Editor's note:
Jennifer has come close to hitting the nail on the head -
likely the clownfish is "hosting" the heater, not
at all uncommon!>
Clownfish problems Hi, I hope you can help me. I
have a large marine reef aquarium (6ft x 20" x
18" 100 gal), in which I have a few fish. I bought a
pair of tank bred percula clowns that got on really well,
the problem was that two yellow- tailed damsels started to
attack the pair and eventually killed the smaller (male)
one. I asked my local marine stockist for advice and
was told to remove the damsels, which I did. I have now
added a new percula clown and to my horror the original one
started to be really aggressive to the new one, fin
nipping, etc. It has also started to swim over it shimmying
its tail, is this behaviour normal? <Not atypical>
And will the two clowns eventually settle down? One last
thing is I know that clowns are male to start with and then
change sex if necessary (as in a pair), but is this done
quickly or is there hope for this pair to bond, or is it
too late? Both fish are the same size at the moment about
1-1.5 inches. Please help if you can. Many thanks Lee
<All can work out still... yes to the sex change... I
would float the larger, resident individual in a plastic
colander in the tank for a week or two... Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/part2.htm
scroll down to Clownfishes... read re their behaviour,
reproduction... Bob Fenner>
Re: Clown fish problems Hi Bob, thanks for your
very speedy response to my clown fish problems, they seem
to be settling down a bit now, (after leaving the tank
lights off yesterday afternoon and overnight) they still
have spates of fighting but hopefully this will settle, I
will take your advice and separate the larger one for a
while, both are eating now which is a step in the right
direction I think. Many thanks once again Lee
<Welcome. Thanks for the update. Bob F>
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