Clownfish

[burtc37$$]

Hi guys I just bought a pair of clownfish Saturday evening and they were both fine and dandy eating swimming around chasing each other etc etc. and now I just walked in the room the lights have been off and just turned on the room light and saw one of the clownfish in the top corner on its side fluttering against the glass while the other one is swimming and acting perfectly fine was wondering if this is normal first time with saltwater fish I have a video and picture.

 

[leo12345]

My clownfish do this when they’re sleeping. If you turn the lights on they will probably go back to normal.

 

[burtc37$$]

My clownfish do this when they’re sleeping. If you turn the lights on they will probably go back to normal.

It was just the one the other one was swimming around looking good. We'll see in the am when I wake up for work to see

 

[leo12345]

It was just the one the other one was swimming around looking good

Mine do that sometimes too. Once they bond a little more they will probably find a spot to sleep together. Or maybe its just to early and the other one hasn’t gone to sleep yet.

 

[burtc37$$]

Mine do that sometimes too. Once they bond a little more they will probably find a spot to sleep together. Or maybe its just to early and the other one hasn’t gone to sleep yet.

I hope so through the day though they do swim around with each other just weird to see one day the clown is swimming good and the next acting weird

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi guys I just bought a pair of clownfish Saturday evening and they were both fine and dandy eating swimming around chasing each other etc etc. and now I just walked in the room the lights have been off and just turned on the room light and saw one of the clownfish in the top corner on its side fluttering against the glass while the other one is swimming and acting perfectly fine was wondering if this is normal first time with saltwater fish I have a video and picture.

Not abnormal but assure its due to a new environment and not aggression.

 

[burtc37$$]

Not abnormal but assure its due to a new environment and not aggression.

I'm pretty sure it's not aggression they were swimming with each other ever since I put them in

 

[code4]

I had a pair that slept on their sides together for over 4 years. I gave them away with a tank move. Bet they still do that.

 

[burtc37$$]

I had a pair that slept on their sides together for over 4 years. I gave them away with a tank move. Bet they still do that.

One other question I have how do you know when they are getting ready to pair up and mate if they ever do I got one smaller one and one bigger one

 

[AetherealKnight]

One other question I have how do you know when they are getting ready to pair up and mate if they ever do I got one smaller one and one bigger one

As long as one is bigger than the other, the bigger clownfish will become the female and the smaller clownfish will stay as a a male and do a shiver (almost seizure) like dance to show that it’s submissive to the female. (That’s when they pair up). There may be aggression initially though, but that’s part of the process.

 

[burtc37$$]

As long as one is bigger than the other, the bigger clownfish will become the female and the smaller clownfish will stay as a a male and do a shiver (almost seizure) like dance to show that it’s submissive to the female. (That’s when they pair up). There may be aggression initially though.

That almost sounds like what the one was doing in the top corner on its side it looked like a little seizer but could be wrong while the other one was freely swimming and at one point for a second looked like the other one came up and took a nip now just looked at them and now they were swimming with one another, one is definitely bigger then the other I don't think by much but a little bigger here is a video of them swimming when I first got them one is definitely a little bigger from what I can tell at least

 

[vetteguy53081]

That almost sounds like what the one was doing in the top corner on its side it looked like a little seizer but could be wrong while the other one was freely swimming and at one point for a second looked like the other one came up and took a nip now just looked at them and now they were swimming with one another, one is definitely bigger then the other I don't think by much but a little bigger here is a video of them swimming when I first got them one is definitely a little bigger from what I can tell at least

I assume this is black hawaii sand and not black aquarium gravel? Often aggression occurs especially in your absence and if continuous , the aggress or needs to be isolated for 7-10 days in hopes of Behavorial change
What filtration are you using in this tank?

 

[burtc37$$]

Yes it is live black Hawaiian sand

I assume this is black hawaii sand and not black aquarium gravel? Often aggression occurs especially in your absence and if continuous , the aggress or needs to be isolated for 7-10 days in hopes of Behavorial change
What filtration are you using in this tank?

Yes it is live black Hawaiian sand and woke up this morning to feed them and they were swimming together and the filtration is the marine land penguin 375

 

[vetteguy53081]

Yes it is live black Hawaiian sand

Yes it is live black Hawaiian sand and woke up this morning to feed them and they were swimming together and the filtration is the marine land penguin 375

Keep an eye which I suspected with filter on water quality with a Reliable test kit. The issue with power filter is that it's a mechanical unit and you want to have mechanical , biological and chemical to manage proper water quality. The penguin will polish water and trap particles via the cartridge.
Chemical is what traps and breaks down chemical compounds such as feces and uneaten food often accomplished with use of carbon and GFO as examples
Biological is what utilizes the natural process of biological filtration such as use of ceramic nuggets, bio blocks, and microscopic bacteria surfaces as examples. Best it to add or use a hang on refugium such as Reef octopus or AquaMaxx unit and even add a hang on skimmer such as ice cap K1- or K2 100

 

[burtc37$$]

I bought the stuff that penguin sells to put in the filter I guess the ceramic nuggets/bio blocks what your talking about and also was going to replace the crappy the filter pads with sponges as well

 

[lattehiatus]

One other question I have how do you know when they are getting ready to pair up and mate if they ever do I got one smaller one and one bigger one

Get them a "house" like a clay pot or PVC tube. Once they start spending most of their time in the dwelling and actively cleaning it the pair is ready to start brooding. Good luck!

 

[burtc37$$]

Was going to get a anemone this weekend in suggestions of a good one one to get for a beginner reefer

 

[burtc37$$]

Was going to get a anemone this weekend in suggestions of a good one one to get for a beginner reefer

 

[lattehiatus]

Was going to get a anemone this weekend in suggestions of a good one one to get for a beginner reefer

I would suggest holding off on the anemone, there is no hurry and your clowns will do fine without a host anemone. There's also no guarantee they'll take to hosting an anemone you get for them. If you're planning on collecting your clownfish's eggs, an anemone can also cause complications for removing the eggs for hatching.

 

[burtc37$$]

I would suggest holding off on the anemone, there is no hurry and your clowns will do fine without a host anemone. There's also no guarantee they'll take to hosting an anemone you get for them. If you're planning on collecting your clownfish's eggs, an anemone can also cause complications for removing the eggs for hatching.

Ok that's good to know when and if they ever do it's also fun to watch them because they're now going in front of hob filter flow and riding it like a wave lol