2 Clowns acting strange

[Strawman]

1. a)How long have you had the fish? about 2 weeks
B)Do you know if it was wild caught, or tank raised? tank raised

2. How long has the fish been in the tank? 2 weeks
What are the tank mates? 4 mollies, 2 yellow tailed blue damsels
Any aggression? not towards the clowns, they are left alone

3. Is the fish eating? kinda, they don't come up for food, but they do eat what floats down to them
If so what does it eat? formula 2 fish flakes, not meats yet

4. What are the water parameters? pH: 8.2, ammonia .25 ppm, nitrite 0, nitrate 0, SPG 1.02?
What saltwater test kit are you using? API Master saltwater kid

5. Is the fish showing any physical signs of disease, grain of salt size spots, discoloration, ragged fins, misting or spots on the fins, cuts, cloudy eyes, etc? Ragged fins, and mouths look damaged, but this is from established dominance and sex


6. Is the fish "flashing" (scratching or rubbing on rocks, decorations or substrate)? they are treating the substrate almost as if it's an anenome they're hosting

7. How is the fish acting? spend time in one area, they lay down then one hops up swims around then lays down and the other repeats, then they both swim in circles. this has been going on for 2 days


8. Did you use quarantine? If so for how long and did you have a need to treat for any ailments? Is it in qt now? Are you currently treating with any medication(s)? No on all counts

9. Describe in detail how the fish was acclimated. 30min temp acclimation, 45min drip
10. What size system? What type of filtration do you use? Do you have any live rock or sand? 55 gallon, seaclone 100 modifeid, ecco 2234


11. Do you use any additives? Just for declorinization and it adds a slime coat


I left for the weekend and had my room mates feed them, when I came back the roommates said my clowns had been fighting, but it had stop as I watched them for an hour. ever since they stay in one semi enclosed area and swim in circles, similar to a laying egg behaviour, I believe they aren't laying eggs. All other fish are normal and my tank isn't cycled yet. I added some tiny black snails, they are smaller about the size of a 3 years pinky finger nail from a buddies of mines tank. before this behaviour showed up. They(clowns) are acting tired but yet still active. no algeas or anything else around. no live rock

 

[carey]

Hiya. Whats the deal with salinity? Do you have a refractometer or a swing arm?

You need to do a water change asap and get that ammonia level down.

As far as the clowns, i would think that a pwc will help but unsure about the fighting issues. None of my clowns fight yet. lol
good luck

 

[Strawman]

Hiya. Whats the deal with salinity? Do you have a refractometer or a swing arm?

I am assuming neither. It's more of a weighted bobber, that takes temp as well and SPG.

 

[carey]

Hmm. do you mix your own water or get it pre salted from the lfs? cause i do believe if the salinity is off it can cause the fish to behave strangely and can kill em eventually.

You can get a cheapo refractometer from ebay for like $30. I love mine, very accurate.

 

[Strawman]

mix it. and this works fine for salinity, my local fish expert, not from an lfs but a lady who kept saltwater for like 8 years, used these with good results.

 

[carey]

Never used one before but if it works for you Do you know what your salinity is, it says 1.02?-above, could be a key issue.

 

[Strawman]

that's my specific gravity, 1.02, this is a safe bet for saltwater from everything i've read and talked to folks about

 

[carey]

I can't say I've ever heard that before. Theres a big difference between 1.021 and 1.029 especially if you keep corals.

I'm sure someone will jump in who's used that device before.

I would still do a pwc and get that ammonia down, any ammonia is a very bad thing.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Agreed. Zero ammonia. Salinity above .25 is also not advised. Coral exist in a very narrow region and wild swings of salinity are not good for them. Except that some corals like a temporary wash of lower sanity water such as happens when it rains and off shore water temporarily lowers salinity.

 

[Strawman]

The problem is I need the ammonia to cycle my tank, i have do a pwc and the issue has been rectified.

 

[David S]

take the fish out,Its no wonder they are acting strange you are poisoning them,You are torturing the fish in there.Do a fishless cycle and put the fish into your mates tank until yours is cycled.

 

[David S]

1.02 salinity is fine for fish only(1.020)

 

[hackteck]

Fish can do fine in sg at 1.020 also ocean water has a sg of 1.027

 

[Purevil21]

Salinity isn't the issue, as was mentioned above, he is poisoning livestock because the tank isn't cycled.

 

[Just.A.Bit.Salty]

AHH now we see the problem lol. Probably why you have four mollies in there right? They were used to cycle the tank then you added the clown before tank was done cycling and now clown is sick. As others have said it's your ammonia, return the fish

 

[Abedawg83]

Lmao everyone avoided the clown fish and went straight for the the water.

I think your clowns are fine. They swim all over the tank and will usally call a certain spot their own. They hover around it and occasionally swim away. Later if you notice that one of the clowns looks like hes having a seizure, relax hes not. The two clowns will fight and the one who twitches is tellin the other one that she won lol. The bigger clown is always the dominant female