new clownfish

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ajwilt

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jan 29, 2005
Messages
22
Location
Iowa
I just added 2 clownfish to my 30 gallon tank. The tank was fully cycled with ANN all at 0. The fish seem to be doing ok for the most part, but they seem confused by their surroundings. Their swimming is very erratic and they seem to be breathing quite fast. Is this normal for the first couple of days? Also what food do people recommend for clownfish that could also be used for angelfish and dottybacks?
 
WHen you say erratic how so? Clowns are not the most "fluid" swimmers to begin with and they more or less just 'wiggle' around in the tank.

Do you have the angel and dotty already? If not then I would look at something else. The dotty can get agressive toward the clown and I would classify the 30 as being on the edge of being to small for the angel. I hope your refering to the dwarf angel.

Clowns will eat flake, algae and frozen meaty foods.
 
their swimming has become more normal throughout the day. They were swimming into the glass a lot and in weird patterns...(kinda hard to describe how they were swimming) It was mostly just like they were scared.

I do not have any other fish yet, but was told by my LFS that a dottyback and one dwarf angel would be fine. If it is going to be a problem...any other suggestions?

Right now I am feeding them pellets (recommended by my LFS), but they sink so fast that they can't really eat it very well...they won't eat it off the bottom. I guess I will have to try something else
 
The fast breathing is due to the acclimation. All my fishes where like that when I first put them in the tank, but after a couple hours, they are swimming normally. I suggest, give them some time. And also, regarding the food, try some good quality flake food w/spiriluna(spelling). You can also try frozen mysis or mysid and add a pinch of Garlic Guard to grab their attention.
 
I feed my fish (clown, angel, etc) Omega One and Prime Reef. They are both a flake food and they love it. Then I also give them some freeze dried cyclop-eeze once or twice a week. They go nuts for that.
 
I feed my 2 clowns and other fish with Nutrafin Max flake food in the morning, and either Formular 1 or Sally's frozen brine shrimps in the evening. The clowns seem to love F1 food most.
 
since my clownfish aren't eating very well yet I am getting a lot of stuff accumulating on top of my sand. Is there any easy way to clean this? Will my emerald crab and hermit crabs eat most of the stuff sitting on the bottom?
 
I have had a little outbreak of brown algae on my sand and four new hermit crabs immediately went to town on it. They are my first creatures. I plan on a pair of clowns myself later this week. I was told the hermits will also like the flake food given to the clowns.
 
only feed what the clowns will eat. drop a pellet or two in and if they spit it back out or show no interest stop the feeding for the day. Take out whatever food is left in the tank. I usually use a turkey baster if I have to suck something out of the tank.
 
My clown eats dried flake, formula 2 and brine. Sinking pellets do not work to well.

I do have a royal dottyback and it is the boss. I was told it was a royal gramma by the LFS. I picked out the royal gramma, but was told it was the pseudochromis. It pushes around all of my fish but my PBT. If i could catch him I would get rid of him, (send him to you) but it's impossible. So the other fish have to put up with being bullied.
 
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