Do fish get bored??

[MarkW19]

My clown has been on his own for nearly 3 weeks now (I lost the other clown I put in with him).

Do you think he'll be bored with only 2 shrimp to keep him company?? He certainly seems to be acting bored!

 

[pufferman]

YES, he will actually start to waste away and die without a mate. Clownfish do 50x better with a mate because they feel secure because alone they feel small and defenseless. Get another clown quickly.

P-MAN

 

[MarkW19]

OK - does it have to be another ocellaris, or can it be a banggai cardinal, for instance?

 

[MarkW19]

P-man - how come you've got 2 clowns in your tank, but your ammonia is 0.5 and your SG is so low? :/

 

[saltcreep1025]

 

[srgetz]

how come you've got 2 clowns in your tank, but your ammonia is 0.5 and your SG is so low? :/

I would say he probably had an inaccurate test reading or was at the end of cycling. I usually take a water sample to the lfs every month or so to see if my measurements are correct.

Low SG 1.017-1.020 in a FO tank helps keep parasites (ich etc.) from thriving. It is a strategy used by most lfs and commercial holding / breeding facilities. The cost of salt is less, parasites reduced, and oxygen gas exchange is increased. Fish use less energy expelling salt to keep their osmotic balance in check also. It cannot be used with corals or some inverts AFAIK.

 

[Hypostomus]

My aunt's clownfish lived for years without another clownfish in her 55g.

However, I wonder if the lack of another clownfish is the cause of sticking primarily in one place and bobbing, or if that is simply a territory issue (i.e. the clown is content there).

 

[MarkW19]

My clown has been acting "bored" recently, that's why I ask...sitting on the bottom, then getting up every once in a while. Sometimes motionless...

Should I get another clown?

 

[reefrunner69]

It could be depression, or maybe it's manic?? Therapy is the key

 

[Brad]

I'm not going to take the bait this time, Reef!

 

[XXFirefighter]

buy him a deck of cards...

 

[Rockcrawler]

Bored Fish ?

I noticed that my guys were getting bored, so I had to tear down the whole system and move it into an area where the TV is visible out of one end of the tank.

I have now found that I may have to turn the tank so they can see the TV out of the front of the tank because they all try to crowd into one end to watch the TV. I am afraid the will start fighting over position.

They hate to watch Moby Dick, They love to watch finding NEMO, One of the clown fishes has the hots for Dora everytime they watch NEMO he gets a woody, of course wood floats so he is always bobbing at the top of the tank.

Used to have a tank in the bedroom but everytime the wife and I did, err well, you know . . . she saw all the fish watching us. Had to move the tank.

So now you know they do get bored and it is up to you to entertain them.